Newsgroup: it.arti.musica.rock
Titolo: funk!

Panama! Latin, Calypso and Funk on the Isthmus 1965-75
Various Artists - Labels - Soundway
April 2006
      1 Los Exagerados - Panamá está bueno y... ma 5:26
      2 The Exciters- Exciters Theme 3:49
      3 Bush y Sus Magníficos - Nana Nina 2:59
      4 Víctor Boa y Su Música - Soy solo para ti 4:13
      5 Freddy y Sus Afro Latinos - Maltrato 6:03
      6 Papi Brandao y Sus Ejecutivos - Viva Panamá 2:59
      7 Los Silvertones - Old Buzzard 3:07
      8 Los Fabulosos Festivals - El mensaje 3:27
      9 The Exciters - New Bag 8:29
      10 Bolita y Su Tentación Latina - Descarga tentación 10:59
      11 Los Caballeros de Colón - Con Los Caballeros 3:14
      12 The Exciters Featuring Ralph Weeks - Let Me Do My Thing 3:22
      13 Los Mozambiques - Viva Tirado 4:33
      14 Máximo Rodríguez y Sus Estrellas Panameñas - Mambología 4:05
      15 Lord Cobra and Pana Afro-Sounds - Rocombey 3:41
Panama is at a convenient cultural crossroads for musical influences, what 
with the US bossing around Hispanics and all those ships passing through and 
I assume the sailors occasionally heading for a drink. The influence of funk 
was obviously global and pervasive everywhere where people enjoyed 
percussion-based musics, but it's the Caribbean and Central American sounds 
that make this an exciting compilation. Combining salsa and calypso with 
electric styles probably often ends in a failure, but here the blend is 
thoroughly organic and doesn't sound forced or awkward at all. Still, my 
favourite moment has to be Los Fabulosos Festivals' "everything we do gonna 
be funky!" chant, which just sounds like an international call for peace and 
unity to me. Funk is a global phenomenon! Nothing excites like The Exciters!
****
I met Robert Gyemant, a San Francisco native relocated to Costa Rica, in 
2005. He was in Panama searching for old records of Panamanian music and 
footage of their performances for a documentary. He had been working on the 
present compilation for three years, taking the records to California and 
United Kingdom DJs, who were willing to pay any sum for a copy. He spoke 
about Panamanian music with so much passion that I became interested in the 
compilation, and finally got involved in his documentary project. Next I was 
listening to the music he has saved from oblivion, and to my own surprise I 
discovered awesome music that had been played and recorded in Panama many 
years ago. As he says, "There is a lot more to Panama than canals and hats, 
although the music of Panama has never featured prominently on the musical 
radar of many Western connoisseurs. The thin, tropical bridge that connects 
North and South America is home to 3 million culturally diverse people and 
the music is a unique blend of Latin-American, Caribbean, European and 
Indigenous styles." In his selection, Gyemant shows the transition from the 
doo-wop influenced groups to funk bands, including the traditional calypso 
roots, the peculiar local jazz known as "tambojazz", and the influence of 
Panamanian folk music. It is a unique collection that showcases the golden 
age of Panamanian music and the music of the national combos, including 
obscure recordings that had never been released outside the Isthmus.

 April 2006
Consigliatomi da Stanz tempo fa.....discone.