拉丁夜總會 (黑膠LP)

現代的拉丁音樂給世人的印象總是充滿了多彩多姿的面貌，多元豐富的節奏與熱力十足的各種跳舞歌曲，如Salsa、古巴Son樂、Mambo及Cha Cha Cha、牙買加的雷鬼、多明尼加的Merengue與Bachata、海地的Compas、小安地列斯群島的Zouk、哥倫比亞的Combia、巴西的森巴，這些快節奏且熱情的跳舞音樂幾乎代表了拉丁音樂的全部，抒情慢版的好像只剩下Bossa Nova一支獨秀，不過拉丁音樂在發展的歷程裡有一個非常特別且迷人的階段，大約在一百年前，西方列強的勢力仍然存在拉丁美洲，因應當地上流階層的社交與宴會需求，在古巴率先出現了一種融合西班牙波麗露與拉丁韻律的古巴波麗露，保留了西班牙波麗露的浪漫與深情唱腔，但旋律更有變化，之後又出現了Rumba這種音樂，高貴典雅又能拿來跳舞的節奏，很快就成為當地宴會與夜總會的最愛，如果再加上原本從歐洲傳來的華爾茲，逐漸發展成為拉丁夜總會的混搭風格。
 
世界音樂第一名廠Putumayo之前曾推出一張名為「Vintige France」的主題選輯，高雅的法式香頌與宴會廳風格，風靡了全世界，2016年好評繼續推出了這張名為「Vintage Latino」的主題選輯，描準的正是有宴會廳與夜總會高貴質感的拉丁作品，包括了華爾茲、波麗露、Rumba及慢版的Cha Cha Cha這幾種主要的音樂型態。來自古巴的兩個傳奇老團Trio Melodicos及老將Rolando La Serie都是在上個世紀襲捲哈瓦納的波麗露頂尖好手，還有來自哥倫比亞的Arista，各貢獻了一首波麗露代表作；來自波多黎各的吹管高手Nestor Torres，與來自法國南部的一個16人的龐大拉丁樂團Republique Democratique du Mambo的Cha Cha Cha歌曲也讓人如癡如醉；來自美國的團體Orquesta La Moderna Tradicion的迷人的慢版Rumba演奏曲及另一組來自美國的女生組合Las Rubias del Norte呈現出復古宴會廳的風華。
 
Vintage Latino is a collection that pays tribute to the nostalgic era of Mexican and Cuban boleros, Cuban sones and guajiras, Argentinian tangos, Puerto Rican trios and Venezuelan llaneras. While Buena Vista Social Club shined a spotlight on Cuban music of the 1950s, Vintage Latino features some of the lesser- known but equally extraordinary music of that era by musicians from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. It also includes other Cuban legends and respected trios who performed in cafes and brothels in pre-Castro Cuba.
 
Begin your journey with two classic boleros, a romantic song style popular across Latin America. The first, a version of the classic "Perfidia" performed by Trio Melodicos captures the ambiance of a particular corner of 1950s Cuba. Trio Melodicos frequently performed in the Casa Marina, a renowned brothel in Havana, and their music would have been lost to time had it not been for the efforts of two Jewish Cuban playboys who recorded them in the 1950s. It's followed by "Mentiras Tuyas" which was a hit when it was first recorded in 1956 by one of Cuba's most distinctive singers, Rolando La Serie.
 
Next, get ready to cha-cha with the retro Latin sounds of Republique Democratique du Mambo, a 16-piece orchestra from southern France, and their version of the mambo hit "Cha Cha Cha Para Ti." The album continues with a duet by two world- renowned Latin American artists; a grande dame of Latin American music, Uruguayan Lágrima Ríos, and Gustavo Santaolalla, an Argentinian composer, producer and musician who won Academy Awards for Best Original Score two years in a row. Santaolalla realized a long-time dream of gathering some of the legends of Argentinian and Uruguayan tango music for a recording and documentary film entitled, Cafe de Los Maestros. Recorded for that film before Rios passed away in 2006, "Un Cielo Para Los Dos" (A Heaven for the Two of Us) displays Rios' influence on tango through her traditional Afro- Uruguayan style called candombe.
 
The time warp continues with "Eso," another classic romantic bolero sung by Cuban/Mexican singer Armando Garzón, also known as "The Black Angel with the Velvet Voice." Born in Cuba, he has lived, recorded and performed in Mexico for decades. Mexico and Cuba both claim the bolero as their own and Armando has been able to combine both regional flavors. "Piel Canela" (Cinnamon Skin) by Las Rubias del Norte was originally a hit recorded by the Lecuona Cuban Boys in the 1930s. While neither of the members from this New York-based duo are of Latin origin, they share a passion for Latin and other music of the 1940s and 50s.
 
Puerto Rican jazz flautist Nestor Torres recorded this rootsy Afro-Cuban-flavored song "Tierra Colorá" in 1981. Orquesta La Moderna Tradiction (The Modern Tradition Ochestra) was founded by a group of talented and diverse musicians who were united in their passion for the classic Cuban ballroom music style danzón. "Juárez" is a classic danzon-chá that begins with a slower section during which dancers are expected to select their partners and stroll casually onto the dance floor, ready to kick it into high gear when the groove begins.
 
"Chinita" is a classic Cuban love song performed here by Trio Zamora, which was among the hundreds of small 3-person groups called "trios" that performed in Havana at the Casa Marina and other brothels and cafes in the 1950s. Venezuelan singer and songwriter Simón Diaz devoted his life to the propagation of the music of the llanos (plains) where ranchers and farmers sang songs that reflected a way of life closely connected to the land. "Despedida" (Farewell) features the quintessential instruments of musica llanera: the Venezuelan harp, cuatro (a small four-stringed guitar) and maracas.
 
The Colombian singer Arista (Aristarco Perea Copete), dedicated his career to the Cuban bolero and son, genres that he heard as a child on the Pacific coast of Colombia over 75 years ago through records brought by sailors and fishermen. "Amantes" (Lovers) appeared on his album Arista Son. Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velásquez wrote "Besame Mucho" in 1940 and it has gone on to become one of the most recorded and performed Spanish language songs of all time. Here it is performed by Colombian and Paris-based star Yuri Buenaventura.
 
In this modern world, where popular music seems particularly disposable and temporary, we hope that this collection of exceptional vintage songs from Latin America reminds you that great music truly can be timeless.