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  Sierra Maestra
Son: Soul of a Nation (World Music Network/Riverboat Records
TUGCD1039, 2005)
No band is better qualified to present an album celebrating the history of Cuban
son than
Sierra
Maestra. They, after all, have been foremost in keeping the style vital and
vibrant, even given the ongoing general interest in Cuban roots music. Son
(which is pronounced with a long o, like "sone") was the name given to several
convergent types of rural Cuban music by the time radio and recording studios
modernized the music industry in the early 20th century, and today son is
rightly credited with being a key building block in the development of salsa and
other Latin sounds. From early trio formats to larger ensembles incorporating
more intricate use of percussion, vocals and trumpet, some of Cuba's most famed
singers and composers made son's combination of Spanish-tinged melodies and
African-rooted rhythms their own.
With Son: Soul of a Nation, Sierra Maestra celebrate the work of
greats like Beny Moré,
Arsenio Rodríguez and Ignacio Piñeiro along with musical developments such
as dance-oriented son montuno and the bolero and trova formats that stressed
more of a ballad feel. But regardless of the offshoots, this is a warm and
wonderful selection of songs from decades past, recorded in Havana and moving
easily from sparse testimonials and social commentary to brassy, hip-shaking
blasts. Acoustic guitar, tres and bass provide a latticework of melody,
crackling percussion guides and punctuates and vocals polished to rustic
perfection intone the greatness of the old masters. If son is indeed the soul of
Cuba, then Sierra Maestra are the heartbeat at the center of that soul.
Buy
Son and other titles by the band:
Rumbero Soy ,
Celeste Mendoza,
Dundunbanza! ,
Viaje a la Semilla ,
Tibiri Tabara , and
Sierra Maestra].
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