Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Sabu: Palo Congo

122

Sabu: Palo Congo

By

View read count
Sabu: Palo Congo
Recorded in 1957, the Afro-Cuban music of Sabu Martinez carries both a spiritual and improvised modern jazz connotation. Derived from African tradition, the music relies on a constant riff over which singers relate colorful stories in Spanish. From their call and response vocals to the hypnotizing hand drum riffs, the primitive music sends an historic message. The original liner notes, with thorough explanations for each tune, are provided with this reissue.

Sabu’s band uses an interesting mix of sounds. Five vocalists and five pairs of conguero hands ensure that tradition is served. By adding only an acoustic tres-like guitar and background acoustic bass to that sound, the session is bound to rely on its basic element – rhythm – while allowing melodic and harmonic colors to shine through occasionally. "Asabache" represents one long conga tirade, while "Simba" utilizes hypnotic conga drumming alongside authentic chant. The remainder of the session employs all of the ensemble’s members in an appropriate balance that achieves Sabu’s aim of laying bare the roots of Afro-Cuban jazz.

Track Listing

El Cumbanchero; Billumba-Palo Congo; Choferito- Plena; Asabache; Simba; Rhapsodia del Maravilloso; Aggo Elegua; Tribilin Cantore.

Personnel

Sabu
 

"Sabu" L. Martinez- congas, bongos, vocals; Arsenio Rodriguez- congas, guitar, vocals; Raul "Cesar" Travieso- congas, vocals; Israel Moises "Quique" Travieso, Ray "Mosquito" Romero- congas; Evaristo Baro- bass; Willie Capo, Sarah Baro- vocals.

Album information

Title: Palo Congo | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Blue Note Records

Tags

Comments

About Sabu

Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar

PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.