Eliades Ochoa and Alejandro Almenares – Dos Gigantes de Música Cubana (Tumi Music, 2018)
The Tumi Music label continues to release some of the finest artists from Cuba. This time it’s the pairing of two of the greatest guitar players in the Cuban traditional music scene: Eliades Ochoa and Alejandro Almenares. Eliades Ochoa Bustamante became worldwide famous as one of the stars of the Buena Vista Social Club. Alejandro Enis Almenares is lesser known outside of Cuba, although he’s an outstanding guitar player from Santiago de Cuba.
The two artists play instrumental versions of Cuban son (son cubano) and boleros composed by Alejandro Almenares and his father Angel Sanchez Almenares, who was a great “trovador.” It’s a set of exquisite guitar duos and solos with some accompaniment.
The musicians on Dos Gigantes de Música Cubana include Eliades Ochoa on guitar; Alejandro Almenares on requinto (soloist) and tres; Gabino Jardines on guitar; Enrique Diaz on acoustic bass; Alfondo Borges on percussion; Ren Dominguez on soprano saxophone; and Pedro Alarcón on violin.
Dos Gigantes de Música Cubana is a flavorful and masterfully performed guitar album deeply rooted in rural Cuban music tradition.
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.
