New Congo Square, Vol. 3
New Orleans's fabled Congo Square was the meeting place where blacks from Africa and the West Indies danced to their native grooves during the slavery era. Paying homage to one of the Crescent City's most historic spots is the city's own Los Hombres Calientes--percussionist Bill Summers, trumpeterIrvin Mayfield, and the newest member, drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez. They take Congo Square to the Americas beyond the U.S. with Cuba'sIsaac Delgadoand Jamaica'sBurning Spear. Recorded in New Orleans, Havana, Santo Domingo, and Bahia,New Congo Squaredelves into the rumba/salsa "Forforo Fo Firi," the reggae classic "I Shot the Sheriff," and the merengue-motored "Dominicanos." Mayfield plays the Brazilian bossa nova with passion on "Corcovado/Nocturnal Low Moan" and Jamaica's Rastafarian rhythms spring forth on "Nyabinghi." Stateside, the group also funks up contemporary urban dance grooves on the "New Bus Stop," and trumpeter Michael Ray and vocalistKermit Ruffinsserve up a tasty musical gumbo on "New Second Line." Los Hombres Calientes vividly connect the musical dots in the African American hemisphere.--Eugene Holley, Jr.