Latinized!/Casa Musica

All Latin, 22 tracks, mostly vocals (2007)
Overall: B+

Another in Casa Musica’s Original Hits for Dancing series, this CD is a collection billed as “Latin-Flavoured Hits selected by Dancesport-DJ Berry Bleij.”

About half of the cuts on this CD from Casa Musica are strong, with most having a contemporary Latin sound. Whereas so often, a Samba featuring drumming without much melody is just, well, drumming, both “Mi Bombon” and “Amambanda” are Sambas that combine good energy with melodic interest. The Cha Cha “Less Talk More Action” is catchy with good energy but the lyrics may be a bit racy for some.

If you like pop songs redone in Latin style, Hotel California (Samba) is actually quite a good rendition. “Like a Virgin” (Rumba) does not fare as well. And if you really need to add another rendition of “Lipstick, Powder, and Paint” to your collection, this one by Roomful of Blues is the one. It would do as well on the Ballroom floor as in a Myrtle Beach Shag club and clocks in at a nice 2:41.

Another classic in its own right, “Matchbox” by Carl Perkins is a good, high-energy Jive as is “Girls All over the World” by the cover band Big Town Playboys. “Satisfy My Soul” (Rumba), performed by the great Paul Carrack, is stirring, with a perfect tempo despite not having a Latin flavor. It’s worth buying the CD for that track alone.

“Hey Boy (Get Your Ass Up)” could have/should have been left off, being neither Latin nor a good Jive. Ditto for “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.”

Bologna Open 3–Latin Classic/Prandi Sound

All Latin, 18 tracks, mostly vocals (2007)
Overall rating: B+

A good collection of Latin pop hits remade in strict tempo by Prandi Sound. Often remakes of Latin music by Ballroom orchestras are flat—but not this time. Naturally, this music doesn’t have as much heat as the original Latin versions, but it does a pretty good job.

Standouts include the Sambas “Hips Don’t Lie” and a respectable remake of Azucar Moreno’s “Ven Devorame Otra Vez.” Surprise treats are updated versions of “Mas Que Nada” (Samba) and “Bang Bang” (Cha Cha). Well-worn standards by any measure, both tunes benefit from modern arrangements, and “Mas Que Nada” is freshened up with just the right amount of rapping! “Somos Novios” (Rumba), never a bad selection, offers a male and female duet that is just lovely, if sounding a bit old-fashioned. One of the prettiest melodies, “Para Amarte” (Rumba) appears twice, once as a nice female vocal and once as an instrumental, as does “Where Do I Begin” (Rumba).

As far as the two Jives, well, as usual on this type of CD, they are throwaways and hardly worth a listen. Only one Paso is included, and it’s a nice break from Espana Cani, but nothing to get excited about.

Most of the cuts are under three minutes—an advantage over the original Latin versions, which typically ramble on too long for competition practice or even for social dancing.

History of Telemark Dance Records (continued)

In 1963, Sheila and I went to England and spent a lot of time advancing our new business. We attended an Imperial Society “At Home”. We met Alex Warren, who, I think was presiding, and he told us about his brother John Warren, the band leader of John Warren’s Strict Tempo Orchestra, whose recordings we subsequently purchased. We also met Phil Tate, leader of another dance band that was noted for its flute sound. We met the famous dance teacher Peggy Spencer and visited her studio in Penge. She told us about the Mexican pianist Pepe Jaramillo whose recordings were most suitable for Latin dancing.

“You haven’t lived if you haven’t heard Pepe Jaramillo,” she exclaimed.

We also visited EMI Records, whose singles we had been importing, and strengthened our relations with their sales people. EMI officials were the nicest people to deal with that you could imagine!

Seeking Dance LPs

I am looking for some old LPs: “Everybody Dance” by John Warren’s Strict Tempo Orchestra (Glasgow Scotland) with a black-and-white photo of Joe and Nancy Jenkins, nine-times U.S. Professional Modern (now called Standard) Champions.

–Richard S. Mason

International-Style Tango

By Richard S. Mason
Copyright © 2007

An all Tango CD without a traditional Tango melody, from the Klaus Hallen Ochestra of Germany! That is his TANGO COLLECTION, 14 of the staccato-type Tangos characteristic of International-Style Tango music, all of them at 33 MPM. The tunes are a combination of classical and popular numbers, nine of them instrumentals and five of them vocals.

Of the popular ones, I particularly enjoyed “What Now My Love”; it’s really stimulating and sung by a fine baritone. All in all there’s plenty of fine dancing here, with many of the tracks useful for exhibitions, although all but four may be too short for that pupose. Here are the tracks and their durations:

1. Phantom of the Opera (Weber) 2:58
2. Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky) 2:15
3. Kalinka (traditional Russian melody) 2:29
4. Turkischer Marsch (Mozart) 2:38
5. Donna Diana (Reznicek) 3:16
6. The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) 2:02
7. Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White (3:04) Do you believe it? I’ve always danced cha cha to this tune!
8. St. Louis Blues Tango (3:01) What a surprise! It’s good.
9. Verano Porteno (2:36) Perhaps this is a Tango tune, as the composer is Malando, whose orchestra is famous for its Tangos.
10. What Now My Love (2:2 Vocal
11. Alice in Fashionland (2:52) Vocal
12. Money, Money, Money (2:49) Vocal
13. Part Time Love (3:25) Vocal
14. Belle (2:39) Vocal

Tango Music

By Richard S. Mason
Copyright © 2007

One of my favorite Tango records is the CD The Very Best of Tango, a collection of 16 international hits, all instrumentals ranging from 28-33 MPM, 12 of them 30 or 31 MPM, and performed by Luis Vinicio e la sus orchestra tipica argentina. The most popular Tango tunes are here. It is great for American-Style Tango, but, for the most part, not sharp enough or fast enough for International Style. I used it in the summer of 2006 to teach a beginners class of children 8-12, and they responded well to the music. Some of the tracks would be good for exhibitions. The CD is available at www.telemarkmusic.biz. Here are the tracks:

1. La Cumparsita, 30 MPM, 3:35
2. Blue Tango, 30 MPM, 2:24
3. Caminito, 32 MPM, 2:59
4. Tango Delle Campinere, 31 MPM, 2:36
5. Rodriguez Pena, 31 MPM, 2:07
6. La Paloma, 30 MPM, 3:14
7. Mi Jaca, 33 MPM, 3:14
8. Uno, 30 MPM, 3:19
9. Gelosia (Jealousy), 31 MPM, 3:22
10. El Choclo, 32 MPM, 3:04
11. Poema, 31 MPM, 2:35
12. A Media Luz, 31 MPM, 2:37
13. Un Giorno Ti Diro, 28 MPM, 2:17
14. Violetta, 30 MPM, 3:57
15. Canaro en Paris, 30 MPM, 2:50
16. Adios Muchachos, 30 MPM, 2:39

Enjoy!