| Rumba Baby Rumba! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Rumba, salsa | |||
| Label | Triloka/Mercury [1] | |||
| Producer | Jeffrey Lesser | |||
| Bio Ritmo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Rumba Baby Rumba! is an album by the American band Bio Ritmo, released in 1998. [2] [3] The band supported the album by touring with Squirrel Nut Zippers. [4]
Recorded at Sound of Music, in Richmond, Virginia, the album was produced by Jeffrey Lesser. [5] [6] The music was written and arranged by band leader Rene Herrera in four weeks. [7] [8] The band's record company encouraged them to incorporate more pop elements. [9] "Tequila" is a cover of the Champs' song. [5] "Night Music" is an interpretation of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. [10]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [11] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [12] |
Orlando Weekly wrote that, "like the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Bio Ritmo transcends rote revivalism by allowing their natural eccentricities and modern inclinations to strut." [13] Newsday stated: "Tongue well in cheek, Rumba Baby Rumba! is a joy... Bio Ritmo ably combines the energy of swing with the percussive flavor of salsa and son." [14] The Morning Call considered the album "loaded with lively, catchy numbers that sound as if they're coming straight out of Havana." [15]
The Orlando Sentinel thought that "original Herrera compositions such as 'Yo Soy la Rumba' and 'Sientate Ahi' are fine contributions to the Afro-Cuban repertoire." [16] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette determined that, "despite the Bio Ritmo's largely inauthentic origins, the band seems to have passed the credibility test." [17] The Philadelphia Inquirer opined that "the band's own humor-inflected, bilingual tunes mark the high point of its salsa madness." [18]
AllMusic called the album a "sensual and kinetic collection of contemporary Latin rhythms." [11]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yo Soy la Rumba" | |
| 2. | "Call Me Up (644-7215)" | |
| 3. | "Bin Bin" | |
| 4. | "What I Want to Say" | |
| 5. | "You Killed My Love" | |
| 6. | "Tequila" | |
| 7. | "Ugly" | |
| 8. | "Un Carnaval en la Habana" | |
| 9. | "You Rule Over Me" | |
| 10. | "Una Palabra" | |
| 11. | "Sientate Ahi" | |
| 12. | "Night Music" |
Salsa music is a style of Latin American music, combining elements of Cuban, Puerto Rican, and American influences. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montuno and son cubano, with elements of guaracha, cha-cha-chá, danzón, descarga, bolero, guajira, rumba, mambo, jazz, funk, R&B, rock, bomba, and plena. All of these elements are adapted to fit the basic Son montuno template when performed within the context of salsa.
Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are the vocal style, lyrical metre and the primacy of the tres, derived from the Spanish guitar. On the other hand, its characteristic clave rhythm, call and response structure and percussion section are all rooted in traditions of Bantu origin.
Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban son with salsa, American Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass drum, which is not used in salsa bands. Timba and salsa use the same tempo range and they both use the standard conga marcha. Almost all timba bands have a trap drummer. Timbas also often break the basic tenets of arranging the music in-clave. Timba is considered to be a highly aggressive type of music, with rhythm and "swing" taking precedence over melody and lyricism. Associated with timba is a radically sexual and provocative dance style known as despelote. It is a dynamic evolution of salsa, full of improvisation and Afro Cuban heritage, based on son, Rumba and mambo, taking inspiration from Latin jazz, and is highly percussive with complex sections. Timba is more flexible than salsa and includes a more diverse range of styles. Timba incorporates heavy percussion and rhythms which originally came from the barrios of Cuba.
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. His biggest hit was his rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. From the 1970s, he recorded mainly salsa and Latin jazz, before retiring in the late 1990s.
Mammoth Records was an independent record label founded in 1989 by Jay Faires in the Carrboro area of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The majority of the acts on Mammoth were executive-produced by Faires and the label's general manager, Steve Balcom. The label was the first independent to produce two platinum records.
Squirrel Nut Zippers is an American swing and jazz band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by James "Jimbo" Mathus, Tom Maxwell, Katharine Whalen, Chris Phillips (drums), Don Raleigh, and Ken Mosher.
A descarga is an improvised jam session consisting of variations on Cuban music themes, primarily son montuno, but also guajira, bolero, guaracha and rumba. The genre is strongly influenced by jazz and it was developed in Havana during the 1950s. Important figures in the emergence of the genre were Cachao, Julio Gutiérrez, Bebo Valdés, Peruchín and Niño Rivera in Cuba, and Tito Puente, Machito and Mario Bauzá in New York. Originally, descargas were promoted by record companies such as Panart, Maype and Gema under the label Cuban jam sessions. From the 1960s, the descarga format was usually adapted by large salsa ensembles, most notably the Fania All-Stars.
Songo is a genre of popular Cuban music, created by the group Los Van Van in the early 1970s. Songo incorporated rhythmic elements from folkloric rumba into popular dance music, and was a significant departure from the son montuno/mambo-based structure which had dominated popular music in Cuba since the 1940s. Blas Egües was the first drummer in Los Van Van, but it was the band's second drummer, José Luis Quintana "Changuito", who developed songo into the world-wide phenomenon it is today.
Bio Ritmo is an American salsa band based in Richmond, Virginia formed in 1991. The name Bio Ritmo is a Spanglish word play on the term Biorhythm, the hypothetical description for the rhythm of life.
Sold Out is limited edition EP by the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers that was released in 1997. The album contains live songs and other obscure tracks.
Perennial Favorites is an album by the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, released in 1998.
Bedlam Ballroom is a studio album by the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, released in 2000. It followed several major personnel changes. The album reflects a stylistic shift, with the band incorporating a broader ranges of styles, instrumentation, and production approaches. The band broke up after the release of the album, eventually reuniting in 2007.
Hans Orifice is a drummer best known as a member of Gwar. Born Jim Thomson, in Alexandria, Virginia, he first took the name Hans Sphincter, and assumed his current name in 1987. Thomson left due to touring commitments with his main band, the Alter Natives, who released three albums on SST Records. Richmond drummer Rob Mosby of the Richmond, Virginia punk group White Cross then joined Gwar until 1989. Hans Orifice returned briefly in 1989 after Mosby left the group. During this time Thomson co-wrote Sick of You with the band and completed a U.S. and Canadian tour. After the tour, Thomson left Gwar on good terms to tour with The Alter Natives. He was replaced by current drummer Jizmak Da Gusha.
"Para Vigo me voy", known in English as "Say Si Si", is a popular song written in 1935 by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona with lyrics by Francia Luban and Al Stillman. Early bands to record the song include Xavier Cugat's orchestra (1935) and Lecuona Cuban Boys (1937). The song was copyrighted in the United States in 1940. It became a hit in the US when it was recorded by The Andrews Sisters and Glenn Miller in 1940, and The Mills Brothers in 1953.
Manny Oquendo was an American percussionist of Puerto Rican ancestry. His main instruments were the timbales and the bongos.
Prize is an album by the American musician Arto Lindsay, released in 1999. Lindsay considered it an attempt at pop music; it is one of a number of his solo albums inspired by the Brazilian music he heard while growing up in the country.
Salsa Dura is an album by the American trombonist Jimmy Bosch, released in 1999. The title translates to "hard salsa", Bosch's descriptor for his music, and the style of salsa that was less popular than the salsa romántica of the 1990s. Bosch also named his band Salsa Dura.
Contact! is an album by the American musician Ray Barretto, released in 1998. He is credited with his band, New World Spirit.
Don Dada is an album by the Jamaican musician Super Cat, released in 1992. It was his first album for a major label, and also one of the first dancehall albums for a major label. The album title refers to Super Cat's nickname.
Galo Negro is an album by the Angolan Congolese musician Sam Mangwana, released in 1998. Mangwana deemed his sound "Congolese Rumba."
