José Rizo’s Mongorama – Mariposas Cantan (Saungú Records, 2020)
Mariposas Cantan (Butterflies Sing) is a fabulous album that celebrates the innovative sound developed by Cuban percussion maestro Mongo Santamaria in the early 1960s. Mongorama is an ensemble envisioned by Los Angeles-area radio DJ, producer and indie label owner José Rizo that continues Mongo’s tradition by combining Latin Jazz with charanga. The charanga was spirited ballroom dance music that was very popular in Cuba in the 1940s. It brought together Afro-Cuban rhythms and Spanish traditions.
On Mariposas Cantan you’ll find top Latin musicians from the world of Latin Jazz and Cuban music deeply inspired by the 1960s sound and modernizing it, taking it to the 21st century in spectacular fashion. Mongorama follows Mongo Santamaria’s sound by using flute and violin from the charanga tradition along with the more familiar piano and a wide range of Cuban percussion.
The lineup includes Justo Almario on saxophone; Danilo Lozano (Rolando Lozano’s son, Rolando was Mongo’s flute player) on flute; Dayren Santamaria on violin; the late Ramon Banda on timbales; Joey De León on congas; Joe Rotondi on piano; Alfredo Ortiz on güiro, bongo and vocals; sonero James Zavaleta on lead vocals; George Ortiz on timbales; and Ross Schodek on bass.
Special guests: Francisco Torres on trombone; Yoshigei Rizo on lead vocals; Darynn Dean on vocals; and Alexis De La Rocha on coros (backing vocals).
Mongorama’s previous recordings include Jose Rizo’s Mongorama (2011) and Baila Que Baila (2013).
Buy Mariposas Cantan
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.