Viva Cubop!: Jazz the Afro-Cuban Way (1999)

About this title: One of the brightest lights in the '90s Afro-Cuban jazz scene, Cubop sports great recordings from several generations of Latin jazz musicians (from the '50s to the '90s), including Francisco Aguabella, Pucho, Bobby Matos, Snowboy, and the Afro-Rican Ensemble. Viva Cubop! compiles the best tracks from Cubop's artists, most recorded in the late '90s. Though there's an ineffable feeling that these artists are looking back to the '60s and '70s (given the acid jazz orientation of Cubop's mother label, Ubiquity), they're no less brilliant for it. Bobby Matos' sublime cover of "The Creator Has a ... read more

Tracks:

1. Malanga [Traditional]
2. Asi Son Bronco [Fernandez]
3. The Last Dynasty [Vázquez]
4. The Creator Has a Master Plan [Sanders/Thomas]
5. Descarga on Las Palmas [Brown]
6. Little Sunflower [Hubbard]
7. Tierra Va Tamblar [Giovannini]
8. Descarga Iyaw [Traditional]
9. Santa Cruz [Kirksey/Edmead]
10. Cavalie [Fernandez]
11. Philadelphia [Sheller]
12. Tanga [Bauza]
13. Picadillo [A Los Blas] [Puente]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.