The Spanish Harlem Orchestra’s new album, United We Swing takes one step forward while leaving one foot firmly planted in the past. Everything about this album reminds you of classic salsa from the fifties to the seventies. The groove, the arrangements, and the singing all bring to mind the sound of the Palladium, the Big 3 Mambo bands, and the Fania sound. Yet this album is far from a stale tribute album. Many of the songs on the album are original and the rest are unique arrangements brought to the band by leader and pianist Oscar Hernandez. Every band member has done their homework on Salsa Dura and they play to their fullest extent. There is no holding back - the band members approach the songs just like their role models and bring a youthful exuberance to the music.

The majority of the songs on the album are dance ready salsa tracks, carefully shaped through creative arrangements. The use of a large ensemble opens a good deal of possibilities harmonically and texturally. This is heard right away with the “SHO Intro”, a big band latin jazz cooker that brings to mind a beautiful combination of the Puente and Machito bands. Hernandez brings his expertise with jazz harmony into the horn writing, creating a nice contrast to the repeated montunos of the dance pieces. Many of the songs leave space for the horn players or Hernandez to improvise solos. “Llego La Orquesta” opens up a mambo section to include skillfully executed statements from trombone, trumpet, and saxophone, while “Sacala Bailar” includes a classic Hernandez piano solo. There are a variety of styles represented on the album, a factor sadly missing in many contemporary salsa albums. “Se Formó La Rumba” brings a Guaguanco rhythm into the forefront, then later brakes into a full on salsa rhythm. “Plena Con Sabor” brings a bit of folkloric Puerto Rican music into the mix, while the dance floor focus of “Que Bonito” jumps into a Columbian Cumbia for a brief moment. All these elements combine to create a salsa album that would move any dancer.

A few songs outside of the standard salsa formula stand apart distinctly, ending the album with an interesting twist. The first, “Plena Con Sabor” is a treat from beginning to end - a dance tune that won’t let up, solely based upon a Plena rhythm. There is a bit of a merengue feel, mostly driven by the downbeat oriented bass; yet, the arrangement never falls into any of the contrived conventions often found in merengue. Instead, this is a pure statement of Puerto Rican identity; a red, blue, and white flag waving loud and proud. This song is followed by the one purely Latin Jazz track on the album, the Hernandez composition “Danzon For My Father”. Hernandez leads the way through most of this chart, playing the melody with complements from the horns. He takes an extended solo that shows his jazz expertise, forged through years with Seis Del Solar into the forefront. The last track is the somewhat out of place recording of Paul Simon’s “Late In The Evening”. The arrangement here is outstanding and the band plays with the fire found on the rest of the album. Simon himself appears on this track, which creates the disjointed feel - his voice and phrasing seem awkward and out of place. His voice doesn’t have the authority to drive a band like this. It’s an interesting experiment none the less, and Simon’s presence will most likely give this album some of the exposure it deserves.

What gives this album the freshness and contemporary feel is the passion that the band members bring to their performance. In all possible ways, they nail the classic salsa ideals inside and out. At the same time, you can tell that they love every second of it - each note, each hit of the drum is a labor of love. That type of passion will never sound old; there is always a freshness to the love of music. It is inspiring in so many ways - it makes me want to return to this album repeatedly, but it reminds me that I haven’t brought my salsa collection to the top of my listening list for a while. If by some slim chance, I’m able to get this album out of rotation, I will be pulling out my Fania collection to enjoy some more classic salsa. This is the ultimate compliment to an artist - they’ve created a classic album that all Salsa lovers should hear and one that will solidify their mentors’ place in history for years to come.