This is the kind of album that some critics like to say "erases musical boundaries," but think about that for a minute. If you go around erasing musical boundaries for long enough, what you eventually end up with is only one kind of music, and how much fun would that be? Luckily, Los Hombres Calientes are engaged in just the opposite project; what they offer on Vodou Dance, Vol. 4 is a kaleidoscopic celebration of many distinctly different musical styles and traditions from the general geographical r...   [ read more ]

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Hombres Calientes ("The Hot Men") are actually pretty cool. With a spare sound straight out of the Afro-Cuban and jazz traditions, they prove capable of boiling the pot when called upon. They consist of young trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, veteran percussionist Bill Summers, and the youngest member of the Marsalis family, drummer Jason. Bassist David Pulphus, percussionist/vocalist Yvette Bostic-Summers (Bill's wife), and the especially tasteful pianist Victor Atkins III join in...   [ read more ]

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On their second effort, Los Hombres Calientes exchange bassists (David Pulphus for Edwin Livingston), and Ronald Markham shows up on Hammond B-3 and keyboards. The record, a 71-minute, 18-cut musical treatise, features a much larger complement of vocalists and percussionists, and even a string quartet on three selections. Hombres Calientes, Vol. 2 also draws from a larger palette of Latin rhythms. The Yoruban chants on the trio of tunes near the end of the recording are most convincing -- {&...   [ read more ]

CD $14.23