I could spend months combing crates in Spanish Harlem, and still lack Oliver Wang’s knowledge of Boogaloo, that fusion of Afro-Caribbean polyrhythms, Cuban Jazz, doo-wop and soul that flourished in New York and Latin America from 1965-1970. If you’re looking for a definitive take on the music and culture, his Da Capo anthologized essay from last year is as comprehensive and sharp as you’ll find. I also recommend O-Dub’s LA Weekly piece on the Assassins last year. Needless to say, it’s difficult to match someone who DJ’s and curates a night called Boogaloo LA.
By contrast, my recent Pop and Hiss interview with Los Angeles revivalists, The Boogaloo Assassins, is little more than an ABC-guide. In researching the piece, I became fairly obsessed with the music. Anyone interested in the intersection of Curtis Mayfield and Cal Tjader will want to grab this elementary primer (which also includes non-Boogaloo songs from Boogaloo-affiliated artists.) Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the MP3 for “Tito Puente’s Revenge,” so the video will just have to suffice.
Download:
MP3: The Lebron Brothers-”Boogaloo Lebron”
MP3: The Fania All-Stars-”Viva Tirado”
MP3: Tito Puente & His Orchestra-”Fat Mama”
MP3: Charlie Palmieri-”Boogaloo Mania”
MP3: Ray Baretto-”The Soul Drummers”
MP3: Willie Bobo-”Psychedelic Blues”
MP3: Johnny Colon-”Descarga”
MP3: Mongo Santamaria-”Funk Up”
MP3: Joe Bataan-”Gypsy Woman”
MP3: Joe Bataan-”Latin Strut”
MP3: Joe Cuba-”Siempre Sea”
MP3: Joe Cuba-”A La Seis”
Or All-4-One (no “I Swear”)
ZIP: A Bluffer’s Guide to Boogaloo (Left-Click)
2 comments
Virge Randall says:
September 10, 2009 at 1:38 pm (UTC -7)
If you like Boogaloo, the above link takes you to an NYC band called Spanglish Fly; they do Boogaloo standards, some rarely heard classics, original music and Boogaloo covers of other songs (like Peggy Lee’s “Fever”).
Loved the Simpson’s clip!
thx
Virge
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November 22, 2010 at 2:43 pm (UTC -7)
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