Need some Latin music recommendations

[guitrr]

Love that Latin beat and rhythm, but aside from Santana, I'm not aware of anyone who is doing that with an emphasis on guitar. All I hear is brass and percussion.

Carlos can't be the only one, so who else can I listen to?


Kane

 

[guitarman_1]

Try Santana's brothers old band. Its called Malo. They only had one or two albums. Not as guitar heavy as Santana though. There is Los Lobos( depends on the album), and Mana, which is a killer band too. Just to name a few.

 

[xntrick]

check out some of the work from Strunz & Farah:

 

[tapeworm]

Mana'- Great Mexican rock group with a super super lead guitar player, Sergio Vallin, who covers it all from blues, to rock, to salsa, ranchero,classical, reggae, the guy is a MONSTER player. Their rhythm player is very solid with great vocals as well and the rest of the band is real tight, nice drumming and always solid in the pocket bass playing. They are easily my favorite band in the entire world and often referred to as the Led Zeppelin of Latin music because they cover so many genres. Discs to check out: MTV Unplugged, Arde El Cielo, Amar es Combatir

Juanes- Colombian guitarist/singer/songwriter. lots of rock and guitar work in his songs, and some modern/traditional Latin sounds. Discs: La Vida es un Ratico, Mi Sangre

Cafe Tacuba- more of a rock/indie/progressive type Latin group from Mexico. Lots of good stuff. discs: cuatro caminos, El Viaje (en vivo)

 

[Chickentown]

http://www.loslobos.org/site/player/index.html

 

[Carltone]

-Al Di Meola has a great latin bent in many songs - start with "Kiss My Axe" cd
-Steve Khan has several latin themed albums with the Carribean Jazz Poject and his own groups as well
-Romero Lubambo has some great stuff
-Egberto Gismonti has some wonderful music
-Ricardo Silveira is cool
-Grant Green classic
-Azymuth has some killer latin grooves ( guitar is only featured occasionally )

 

[MartinPiana]

There's a whole world of music under the Latin category - happy hunting! Ranges from the folky, accordian heavy Norteno to Tex Mex to rock en espanol to mariachi to salsa and merengue and Afro Cuban to bachata to reggaeton to tango to Andean to a whole notha world of Brazilian music, only the best known of which is samba and balsa nova.... and much more....

+1 to Romero Lubambo (mainstream brazilian) and Egberto Gismonti (far from mainstream brazilian), incredible acoustic guitarists both.... here's gismonti and one of his crazy axes.

 

[Jim Soloway]

Los Mocosos

 

[tsar nicholas]

Los Lobos. There's brilliant Latin-influenced stuff to be found on all their records, but the all-acoustic "La Pistola y el Corazon" will open your eyes with some high-energy stuff derived from Mexican folk. You should also get their 90s rock LPs "Kiko" and "Colossal Head" in order to be floored by genius inventive songwriting, David Hidalgo's unforgettable voice, and some of the best guitar work ever committed to tape.

 

[tsar nicholas]

As far as legit Latin genres are concerned, I like cumbia, bachata, reggaeton, and old samba-derived stuff best right now. Norteno and conjunto are cool, but I can only take a certain amount of the Tex-Mex polka thing.

Side note : there's a cool rockabilly scene in Mexico

 

[TopDog]

Check out Steve Khan especially his new CD Parting Shot...

 

[MartinPiana]

Marc Ribot formed a whole band about playing the music of Arsenio Rodriguez, a Cuban player of the guitar variant called the tres and sometimes credited as being the inventor of the mambo. Ribot's Cubanos Postizos have their moments, but I dig everything I've heard of Arsenio's.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenio_Rodríguez

 

[tsar nicholas]

^ Most excellent call - Ribot and his buddies are def. I also like Arto Lindsay's Brazilian-influenced stuff.

Along those lines, check out Smokey + Miho -- Beck's guitar player Smokey Hormel (who SMOKES) and Miho Hatori from Cibo Matto, doing classic bossa-influenced originals.

 

[taco-man]

I have enjoyed Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban on Mambo Sinuendo

 

[tsar nicholas]

^ Oh yeah, and there's Cooder's "Buena Vista Social Club" project also that's real good

 

[Sanjuro]

There's a whole world of music under the Latin category - happy hunting! Ranges from the folky, accordian heavy Norteno to Tex Mex to rock en espanol to mariachi to salsa and merengue and Afro Cuban to bachata to reggaeton to tango to Andean to a whole notha world of Brazilian music, only the best known of which is samba and balsa nova.... and much more....

+1 to Romero Lubambo (mainstream brazilian) and Egberto Gismonti (far from mainstream brazilian), incredible acoustic guitarists both.... here's gismonti and one of his crazy axes.

I was going to mention Gismonti, too. I'm a big fan of his, though I prefer his works that he wrote on the piano. Some real classics. "Sete Aneis" has one of the most enduring melodies I've ever heard.

 

[tsar nicholas]

I'll also specifically mention Joao Gilberto -- one of the best rhythm guitar stylists on the planet, and an originator of bossa nova.

 

[Dexter.Sinister]

Cafe Tacvba
Sintesis
Manu Chao
X. Alfonso
Os Mutantes
Habana Abierto
etc etc etc...

DS

 

[tsar nicholas]

Oh man, I can't believe I forgot to mention my favorite Mexican band, Molotov! Kind of like a groovier, horny Rage Against the Machine without the pompousness.

 

[tapeworm]

Eliades Ochoa (great guitarist)
Ibrahim Ferrer
Jose Alfredo Jimenez