Prado .​.​. Vive! by RAUL GUTIERREZ AND HIS CUBAN BIG BAND (CD)

RAUL GUTIERREZ AND HIS CUBAN BIG BAND present a hommage to PEREZ PRADO, the “king of mambo” and originator of international hits like “Mambo No.5”, “Patricia” or “Mambo No.8”. Born 1916 or 1917, DAMASO PEREZ PRADO hat trained his musical skills from his early childhood on by studying classical piano with the master RAFAEL SOMAVILLA and then later playing in a number of casino orchestras in Havana and working as pianist / arranger for SONORA MATANCERA and the CASINO DE LA PLAYA ORCHESTRA, Cuba‘s best-known ensembles at the time. In 1946, he formed his first own band which blended different styles like Cuban Dot, Rumba and Jazz and that gained him the respect and love of the audiences. Leaving Cuba and moving to Mexico in 1949 proved the important career step for PRADO: there he formed his own band, signed a contract with RCA VICTOR and soon specialized in mambo which should make him the famous „king of mambo“. He did not invent the mambo, an upbeat version of the Cuban danzón, but his PRADO‘s mambos stood out among the competition with their fiery brass riffs and strong saxophone counterpoints, and most of all, his trademark grunts. An explosive combination which became an international success with several hits across the globe: “Patricia” peaked at No. 1 on the Jockeys and Top 100 charts (both became the Billboard Hot 100 chart a week later) and also went to number one in Germany, and number eight in the UK, while the Italian film director Federico Fellini used it twice in his classic “La Dolce Vita”. The famous “Mambo No. 5” was a UK chart-topper for Lou Bega in 1999, and PRADO’s cha-cha-chá version of “Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)”, originally composed by Louis Guy, held the US pole position for 10 consecutive weeks, sold over one million copies, and also went No.1 in the UK and in Germany. On this CD, saxophonist and bandleader RAUL GUTIERREZ (IRAZU, AFRO CUBAN ALL STARS ORCHESTRA) who has a strong interest in a variety of Cuban styles, pays hommage to the king of mambo, backed by a line-up of highly skilled musicians. They recreate some of the immortal masterpieces, presented here in the versions of the arrangers Tolly Ramirez and Horacio Gonzalez, director of the orchestra of the famous night club Tropicana in Havana. This is a recording that should be listened and danced to with full focus to not miss a bit of its musical virtuosity and richness in details and nuances – a truely wothy tribute to PEREZ PRADO, “the king of mambo! credits released April 2, 2021 Musicians: Trumpets: Angel “el niño” Chapotin, Lázaro Oviedo; Edito O,farril. Trombones: Ulises Benavides, Carlitos “ Afrokan” Alvarez, Antonio Leal Saxophones: Cristian Serrano (alto saxophone, lead) Oreste Valido (alto saxophone) Enrique Mora (tenor saxophone) Eliana Muller (tenor saxophone) Raúl Gutiérrez Villanueva (barítone saxophone) Piano: Miguel Farias Bass: Marcelo Córdova Drums: Alain Ortiz Samada Bongos: Rolando “El Niño mentira” Salgado Congas : Yordanis O‘farrill Bongos & cow bell: Luis Hernández llorca Chorus: Ernesto Perez, Eliana Delgado, Noila Carrazana ( en Lupita) Singers: Jose Lusson Bueno, Jose Lusson Jr Recorded & mastered by Eider Luis García Ávila Mixed by Eider Luís García (Eider dj) & Raúl Cabrera León ( “El gallo”) Produced by Raúl Gutiérrez Villanueva Coproduced by Nestor Proveyer Recorded in Havana, Estudios JC records, Guines Mayabeque.