Las Cafeteras – Tastes Like L.A. (Las Cafeteras Music, 2017)
Tastes Like L.A. is the new album by East Los Angeles band Las Cafeteras. The band performs a lively mix of Mexican roots music such as son jarocho (a mix of Spanish, indigenous and African music) from Veracruz with global sounds, reggae beats, neosoul, pop, swing, norteño and American folk music. Vocals are in Spanish and English. The lyrics range from social activism to having a good time.
The musical instruments include the classic jarana guitar from Veracruz, the requinto jarocho, Peruvian cajón, and zapateado (tap percussion).
The lineup includes Daniel Jesús French on jarana primera and segunda, vocals, organ, Moog synthesizer; David Flores on requinto jarocho; Denise Carlos on vocals, jarana primera, zapateado, glockenspiel; José Cano on cajón and percussion; Hector Flores on jarana tercera and vocals; and Leah Rosa Gallegos on vocals, quijada de burro, zapateado, percussion and melodica.
Guests: Gloria Estrada on u-bass; Jorge Mijambos on requinto, marimbol and vozarrona; Stewart Cole on trumpet; Eugene toale on organ, sax and flute; Fernanda Ulibarri on autoharp; Moisés Baqueiro on u-bass; Ben Reddell on guitar and bass; José Gurria-Cárdenas on pandeiro; Jaime Bishop on bass; and Greg Marino on flute and sax.
The music of Las Cafeteras represents the exciting multicultural mix on Los Angeles with a superb set of modern songs rooted in Mexican Caribbean tradition.
Buy the MP3 version of Tastes Like L.A. or the CD from lascafeteras.bandcamp.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
