Es el verano del 2007 y el show de matiné más espectacular de la Casa de la Música Galiano es....Lazarito Valdés y su BAMBOLEO. Al frente...fila para entrar. Adentro...lleno. Personajes, bailadores, familia, Bucanero, Cristal, Havana Club, turistas...un miercoles caliente en la Habana. (2 horas de música).
"There's nothing like live timba". You hear that time and again. Why? Well for one the songs are worked to the max, feeding off the energy of the crowd. There are no constraints to deliver the tune just like it appears on the record. In fact its the opposite -everyone gets their say and time to dig into the rhythms, dancers and players alike. The arrangements deliver the hard beats and are so intricate that it takes multiple shows to really get a feel for the whole show. In the audience there is a sense of belonging and you'll see familiar faces if you go enough to notice. On stage Lazarito drives the train and moves to different instruments, most notably bass and timbales. Other musicians also switch to sub when he moves. Also surprising was the element of humor -in the coros and the songs they quoted. All this while delivering the most incredible level of musicianship. Man are they tight and in-tune. After a series of experiences like this it is hard to go back to a concert experience we are typically used to. They manage to pump so much emotion without leaning heavily on a super-tricked out show, say for example a Madonna or U2 concert with all the technology, gadgets and jumbo screens. Its just not needed or even wanted when there is this much musicality involved. And we are not talking about jazz, we are talking strictly about dance music.
Get this album and listen for yourself. Audio play time 1:19:50 (hh:mm:ss:).
All photos by Lazaro "Chucho" Jesús Piña Portuondo.
