Juan Pablo Torres y Su Super Son !Como Pica!

(Pimienta/Universal)

In his premiere recording as leader of the Miami-based septet aptly known as Super Son, the exiled Cuban trombonist Juan Pablo Torres aims, according to his own testimony, "to summarize my professional trajectory from Estrellas de Areito (Havana, 1979) to the Original Cuban Masters (Miami, 2001)," Consisting mostly of tunes attributed to the pen of his conjugal and musical soulmate, Elsa Torres, ¡Cómo Pica! is enhanced with the outstanding lead vocals of Yordi Megret and Israel Kantor (known in his vanvanero days as Israel Sardiñas). as well as the valuable contributions of the pertinent sidemen and guests from la séptima provincia, including but not limited to such prolific characters as the formidable pinareño (native of Pinar del Rio Province) pianist Jorge Arronte, the versatile reedman José "Pepe" Vera, the stratospheric trumpeter Feliciano "Pachú" Gómez, the fortissimo Venezuelan bassist Ramsés Colón (Super Son's token non-Cuban), and the first-call seventh province percussionists Miguel Cruz and Rubén "Tutti" Jiménez, the latter of whom has been identified as the prodigal son of J.P.'s primordial trombone idol--the legendary Generoso "El Tojo" Jiménez.

There are quite a few fascinating anecdotes, by the way, behind Else's originals. La Renta, for instance, was inspired by the parasitic relationships established in Miami's Cuban community between various newly arrived rafters (turned into gigolos by economic necessity) and certain older but affluent widows who were collectively labeled as "Hermanas al Rescate" (Sisters to the Rescue) by the mischievous linguistic alchemists in exile.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Latin Beat Magazine
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