Puerto Rico Al Mundo
Salsa ecstasy is an intensely visceral Cuban creation that's been virtually co-opted by Puerto Ricans, whether home-island bound or Manhattan Island eclectic, like the members of this band, who proudly call themselves Nuyorican. Taking their root inspiration from the souls of old Latino masters, Viento de Agua (an idiomatic term describing the damp air that precedes a tropical storm) layers in other sounds of their place and time, namely jazz, rock, hip-hop, and funk, coming up with vigorous grooves that would pump it up in any sweat hole. Hence this debut set's title, which translates as "From Puerto Rico to the World." Founded by a trio of young Puerto Ricans--singer-percussionist Hector "Tito" Matos, a veteran of numerousbombaandplenagroups, and arrangers-reedmen Ricardo Pons and Alberto Toro (also students of classical music and jazz, respectively)--Viento includes seasoned vets, among them percussionists Sammy Tanco and Juan Gutierrez, as well as Camilo E. Molina Gaetan, an 8-year-old hotshot on the cowbells,timbalis, and such. Though these nine tracks hit hard, then depart like a hurricane in a hurry, Viento's finest moments are when they depart from well-worn tracks to forge their unique style, as in the unorthodox use of a drum set (Bobby Sanabria's) and horn-section arpeggios built from startling instrumental combinations.--Elena Oumano