Toca La Guitarra

Bryan Vargas & Matt Hilgenberg : Vamonos Pa’l Monte
as performed live on “Passport” 05/09/05

Luis Segura : Yo Quiero Hablarte
taken from a bootleg compilation called “Grandes Exitos” (not sure about date of the recording)

Ahhh, back to some rootsy latin joints for ya. Holding off on these gems was like squeezing my legs together and penguin hobbling around to the nearest bathroom. Of course, that depth of frantic desperation always makes the ensuing piss (or blog entry in this case) that much more enjoyable. So feast your ears on the fruits of my patience- and Ant’s insistence on “no more spanish shiz for at least a couple of weeks”. Tonight I’m giving you a “Captain’s Crate” exclusive- BLUH! BLUH! BLUH! and a tune that I heard in a comedor in the D.R. and eventually tracked down back here in New York (courtesy of Niki “Gansta” Andujar at I.S. 90- big up!). The sun spanked the streets today, melady’s back in town, we got a space for our next VIA seasonal bash, and I finally bought myself some CDJ ish, so there’s plenty to celebrate. Tune in again soon for the first post from baddass Busquelo, don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Bryan Vargas and his rad group Ya Esta! put out an album in 2004 aptly titled Afro Latino Soul. He used to play with Antibalas, and has gigged with many heavy cats. This album is a hearty serving of exactly the things that I love: soulful vocals, tight percussion, smooth solos that leave imprints in the memory banks, lenghty arrangements, raw recording quality, and a strong connection to ROOTS. I put the album on my 2004 top ten list and Bryan found out. He came on my radio show a few weeks back to chat and do a little live performance. This is just him (on guitar and vocals) with heavy-hitting Ya Esta! trumpet player/percussionist Matt Hilgenberg. This is an extremely paired down version of what you’ll find on the album, but it doesn’t lack a thing. You very well might recognize the tune, it’s a Palmieri classic. Seriously, get his album.

On a lesser-known (at least to non-Dominicans) tip, Luis Segura is a cat who I had never heard of prior to my trip to the D.R. (yes, that is the tent that I was sleeping in) last month. Known as the “Papa de Bachata”, this man has been putting out tunes consistently for more years than I know- thus the absence of a date on the recording. He’s still making records, more run-of-the-mill metallic-y sounding Bachata, but nothing that compares in passion or sincerity to this tear jerking urgent love plea. You have to love the lady to hit notes that high. The CD that I took this from is a street bootleg sin cover, but the song can be found on this collection.

Entirely unrelated, check these blogs for more MP3 dopeness:

Worldly Disorientation and Cotton Candy Hammer