*** Eliades Ochoa
TRIBUTE TO CUARTETO PATRIA
(Higher Octave World)
Lolita Storm
G.F.S.U.
(Digital
Hardcore)
This disc finds a Buena Vista Social Club star returning to his own
venerable band. Ochoa inherited the leadership of Cuarteto Patria in 1978, but
the group go back almost 40 years before that. At a time when BVSC stars
Ibrahim Ferrer and Rubén González had effectively retired, Ochoa
was soldiering on, breathing new life every year into the traditions of eastern
Cuba, the region called Oriente. He brings a high and lonesome cowboy feel to
his taut delivery, notably on the tuneful opener, a son once popularized
by Beny Moré, "Yiri Yiri Bon." There's a strong rural flavor to these
sones and boleros, which are rich with jangling acoustic guitars and
gentle percussion. On "Tempo Entero," Ochoa displays the elegant, flashy guitar
work that probably helped win him the Buena Vista gig. Most of the material is
as lively as a harvest dance, with a few sweet, slow boleros to provide a
change of pace. This group may not match the punch and focus of Buena Vista,
but they easily compete when it comes to spirit and authenticity.
(Eliades Ochoa and Cuarteto Patria perform at Berklee Performance Center
this Tuesday, November 14. Call 876-4275)
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