Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Johnny Conga: Breaking Skin

232

Johnny Conga: Breaking Skin

By

Sign in to view read count
Johnny Conga: Breaking Skin
Johnny Conga comes from a long line of illustrious tumbadora (conga) players. From the musical evidence on Breaking Skin, this genealogy may begin with the likes of Chano Pozo, Mongo Santamaria, Tata Guines, Candido Camero, Armando Peraza and Francisco Aguabella. Lest there be a scream of "blasphemy," it bears mention that Conga stylistically connects the ancient with the modern, from the challenging rhythms of West Africa—the beating heart of ritmo—to the son and danzon, timba, bembe, charanga, rumba, mambo and more.

Conga's exclusively rhythm section tracks—the "Conga Solo" series consisting of "Bembe Ochun," "Conganation," "Congobel Part II" and "Congarobics - 3 Congas" contain pure tumbadora virtuosity. The hypnotic beating of warm skin suggests a conjuring of the spirit world, a call to prayer that is both primitive and powerfully modern. It suggests that the drum connection with musical spirituality is vibrantly alive.

Jack DeJohnette once lamented that spirituality had left music after John Coltrane died. Musicians, it seemed, were no longer probing and looking for the tonal centers of song and dance, while entertaining at the same time. Breaking Skin, however, is a constant reminder that there are still musicians seeking out a deeper connection with the ritmo of the soul.

Can this record be really enjoyed without this mumbo jumbo? The answer sounds off in many more ways than one. True, there is an innocuous start to the record, with Chick Corea early chart, "Guagira," but that only sets the stage for the heat that is to follow. There is a transcendent interplay between Conga and pianist/vibraphonist Mario "Del Barrio" Marrero, with rhythmic counterpoint from timbalist Edwin Bonilla. "Seattle Bembe" is a fine example of ritual drumming, the rumbling incantation and bembe blended with a bubbling in the barrio as the maestro of the Yoruba worship calls upon the spirits up above to bless all song.

"Siempre me va Bien" blends sassy melody and a shower of mambo with a delightfully drunken hypnotic clave, conjoined with piano con clave. There is also some superb deconstruction of the Brazilian rhythms, featured on intense samba tracks such as "Mariel," with a sensuous piano and vibes introduction melting into a swaggering bolero before skipping back to a samba. "Midnight Mambo" is a sexy confluence of brass, woodwinds and percussion—the highlights are the tenor saxophone work of Tom McCormick, with Johnny Padilla on soprano creating svelte pirouettes.

Conga's effortless method of creating memorable ritmo is always on. His left hand patterns and a variety of right hand slaps, both open toned and flat, are inspired and memorable. Add to that his compositional abilities and Breaking Skin is pretty close to perfect.

Track Listing

Guagira; Seattle Bembe; Siempre Me Va Bien; Conga Solo - 2 congas; Mariel; Conganation; Midnight Mambo; Congobel Part II; Kathy's Theme; Afro-Samba; Conga Solo No. 2 - 3 Congas; Bembe Ochun; JC's Revenge; Congarobics - 3 Congas; Comparsa Con Campanas; Afro-Dixie 6; Rumba Pa' La Ocha; Caribe Madness.

Personnel

Johnny Conga: congas; Juan Pablo Torres: trombone; Eddie "Guagua" Rivera: bass; Edwin Bonilla: timbales; Mario "Del Barrio" Marrero: piano, vibes; Ronnie Loreto: bongo, bell; Doug Michaels: trumpet; Tom McCormick: tenor saxophone, tenor saxophone solo (1, 3, 7); Johnny Padilla: tenor saxophone, tenor saxophone solo (5, 12), soprano saxophone, soprano saxophone solo (7); Jose "Junito" Martinez: drums; Sammy Alamillo: drums, handclaps and background vocals; Jeff Woods: congas, guitars, handclaps and background vocals.

Album information

Title: Breaking Skin | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.