Published on May 10, 2002
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I don’t pretend to
be an expert on world music. Yet the more I listen to music from
around this big marble of ours, the more I come to appreciate how
universal of a language music really is.
Of late, I’ve been receiving a bit of Cuban music in the mail –
and my initial experiences with it have been most pleasant. (I’m
obviously a late bloomer, having never seen
Buena Vista Social Club.) While I might not understand a
word that is spoken, I don’t have to have the music translated as I
listen to the atmosphere the music itself paints.
Grand Afro Cuban Orchestra Of Generoso Jimenez is one such
practicioner of this artform, and while
Generoso Que Bueno Toca Usted eventually suffers a letdown
near the end of the disc, the overall feeling that Jimenez and his
wide assortment of backing musicians creates is a reminder of how
good Cuban music can be.
Working with established artists like Arturo Sandoval (whose
work is simply incredible on this disc), Jimenez and his band
create a wonderfully layered sound which permeates the listener’s
soul throughout the first half of this disc. Tracks like “Vengo Con
Sed” and “Las Trompetas Se Divierten” are wonderful tracks which
should have your foot tapping in no time. Right from the outset of
this disc, Jimenez and his orchestra take a no-holds-barred
attitude, making sure they’ll capture even a newcomer to Cuban
music in its smile-inducing glory.
Things slip a bit on “Dame Un Chance,” which just seems to be
far too repetitive for my ears. Unfortunately for Jimenez and crew,
the disc never really seems to recover from this track – and while
tracks like “A Bailar Tomason” would probably have been standouts
elsewhere on this disc, they are enveloped by a sense of tiredness
at the point in the disc they’ve been positioned.
I’m more than willing to concede that these feelings might be a
result of my limited exposure to Cuban music, and that had I
experienced more prior to listening to
Generoso Que Bueno Toca Usted, my feelings for the second
half of this disc would be stronger. Even so, they don’t diminish
terribly what I consider to be an exellent selection of songs that
makes up the front half.
Like blues artists in this country, too many Cuban musicians who
have talent simply oozing from their beings are being left in
obscurity.
Buena Vista Social Club started to reverse this trend;
Generoso Que Bueno Toca Usted should help to further that
movement. Jimenez’s musical pedigree is strong; now all he needs is
for music afficianados outside of the Cuban borders to recognize
his talents as a songwriter, musician and bandleader.