Navidad Cubana

Amazon.com
Danilo Lozano, who heads this outfit, is a flautist, musicologist, educator, and founding member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Unlike Putumayo's holiday compilation, which mostly spotlights local holiday traditions from warm-weather areas, this studio-live set refreshes and galvanizes traditional Eurocentric carols via jazzy, purely Cuban treatments. If the idea of "Let It Snow" switching its saccharine little tale to a clavé beat is somewhat startling, it works surprisingly well here. Such favorites as "Good King Wensaslas," "Silent Night," "The Little Drummer Boy," "Jingle Bells," and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (the latter merged with quotations from "A Summer Place"!) swing as never before in elegant son montuno, rumba, Afro-Cuban, and charanga settings. If the concept is mildly tongue-in-cheek, the musicianship is anything but. The arrangements are consistently inventive and the players generate enough heat to convert a howling blizzard into a sultry steam bath. --Christina Roden

Navidad Cubana,Orestes Vilato,Narada,Christmas,Christmas / Chanukkah,Christmas Music,Cuba,Pop,Xmas Vocal

Music

jazz

music

Tracks:

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Good King Wencelas
Deck The Hall
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Jingle Bells
What Child Is This?
Silent Night
We Three Kings
The Little Drummer Boy

Amazon.com

Danilo Lozano, who heads this outfit, is a flautist, musicologist, educator, and founding member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Unlike Putumayo's holiday compilation, which mostly spotlights local holiday traditions from warm-weather areas, this studio-live set refreshes and galvanizes traditional Eurocentric carols via jazzy, purely Cuban treatments. If the idea of "Let It Snow" switching its saccharine little tale to a clavé beat is somewhat startling, it works surprisingly well here. Such favorites as "Good King Wensaslas," "Silent Night," "The Little Drummer Boy," "Jingle Bells," and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (the latter merged with quotations from "A Summer Place"!) swing as never before in elegant son montuno, rumba, Afro-Cuban, and charanga settings. If the concept is mildly tongue-in-cheek, the musicianship is anything but. The arrangements are consistently inventive and the players generate enough heat to convert a howling blizzard into a sultry steam bath. --Christina Roden

Customer Reviews:

My favorite Christmas album.......2006-12-17

A break from the typical traditional Christmas fare. Spirited & lively, great for a Yuletide party.

Christmas Cubano style.......2003-12-06

Usually xmas music is packed away, maybe with the ornaments, to break out but once a year and then there are exceptions. One such exception is Navidad Cubana that you might want to have handy for listening to after the tree has been recycled. Although it is xmas music and all of the songs are traditional xmas songs, this disc swings like no other. The tight musicianship brings Latin sabor( flavor) mostly through the jazzy arrangements of Danny Lozano who is the flautist for this fine band knowna Cuba L.A.. You will literally forget you are listening to xmas music at times as the melodies are extended to the blurring point by Latin jazz . If you like Latin jazz this is an outstanding disc to throw in the rotation. It is refreshing to hear these soulful interpretations. "Silent Night" is an extremely beautiful number that has enough of the melody to keep you in tune and the bass lines and percussion give it a perfect treatment for La Noche Buena(xmas eve) as the violin replaces the voice for the song. "Jingle Bells" is a salsa dancers delight as the song gently provokes the hips and feet to move. "The Little Drummer Boy"features a different violinist taking the lead amidst a counter melody provided by the percussion that sizzles. Eventually the violin wanders off into some exploratory solos that come back to earth for a beautiful ending to a good change of pace xmas disc. If you appreciate top notch musianship and Latin jazz that brings on the cha cha cha, salsa and mambo than this disc is for you. When you have had enough of the usual xmas fare try this for a little spice in your life.

Sabroso y Swinging.......2000-12-23

I was familiar with this all-star group of Cuban expats from the discs Cuba L.A. and Cuba L.A. Dos, both of which I reccomend, without reservation, to anyone interested in Latin music. But I thought the idea of Cubanized arrangements of American Christmas Carols was goofy. After all, Cubanos don't grow up singing these tunes around the arbolito. After 60 seconds of the first cut, Let It Snow, I knew how wrong I was. This group uses these melodies as a basis for some swinging mambos, cha cha chas and guaguancos. You'll be dancing before the first tune is over.

christmas salsa!.......2000-12-06

An invigorating rendition of christmas tunes...! Salsa, meringue and rumba...uplifting and giving the holiday favorites a fun twist.

Feliz Navidad: Christmas At The Cabana Lounge

Average customer rating:

Feliz Navidad: Christmas At The Cabana Lounge
Lalo Davila & Orkesta Cubana
Manufacturer: Green Hill Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000ACJHFW
Release Date: 2005-06-01

Tracks:

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Feliz Navidad
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
White Christmas
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Little Drummer Boy
What Child Is This?
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Jingle Bells
Here Comes Santa Claus

Product Description

Lalo Davila and Orkesta Cubana serve up this hot and spicy mix of your favorite Christmas tunes that are sure to fire up your holiday season. These passionate salsa renditions will have you and your friends doing the Christmas mambo all night long!

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

jazz music