You can't really have a National Hispanic Heritage Month without mentioning Fania. It was a record label founded by Johnny Pacheco, a bandleader that was simply sick of being underpaid. So, he did what punk rockers would do roughly ten years later. He started a DIY record label that was so tiny he, the owner and founder, was selling records out of the trunk of his car. Without a real business model he slowly started building a roster of Latin talent that would eventually include Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Rubén Blades, Héctor Lavoe, and half a million others. Big names. A little boogaloo and a lot of salsa. I've heard a great deal of Fania product, really just the tip of the iceberg in comparison to their discography but that's beside the point. Let's say I've heard a couple hundred Fania cuts. That might be generous. Let's say, conservatively, one hundred, though it's well over that. Anyway, think of any record label that you've heard a hundred songs from. There had to be a stinker in there, right? Well, I've yet to hear a stinker from Fania. There's a handful at the bottom, totally random selections, and prove my point, not a stinker in the bunch. If you're appetite is duly whetted, this documentary about Latin music in New York in the glory days of Fania is great.
Joe Bataan - Mambo De Bataan mp3 at Internet Archive
Ray Barretto - Indestructible mp3 at Internet Archive
Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco - Quimbara mp3 at Internet Archive
Willie Colón - The Hustler mp3 at Internet Archive
Charlie Palmieri - Boogaloo Mania mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
No comments:
Post a Comment