GENE PERRY (PERCUSSIONIST, VOCALIST)

Native to the rhythmically wealthy Puerto Rican city of Santurce, is the versatile and powerful percussionist, vocalist and bandleader Gene Perry. Having paid his dues on the global Latin scene since the 60's, Perry has finally decided to record under his own name for the first time. Properly titled "Mi Tambor Lo Dice Todo", Perry's long awaited debut is enhanced by the Venezuelan multi-instrumentalist Allan Phillips' brilliant and cinematic arrangements, designed to recapture the aggressive, brassy sound popularized by Ray Barretto and other New York salsa artists. This explains the presence, in this particular session, of three of the U.S. West Coast's most prominent wind soloists Justo Almario, Harry Kim, and Arturo Velasco (collectively known for their acclaimed recordings with Tolú, the número uno Latin jazz band west of the Mississippi), plus the seasoned bassist René Camacho and other notable sidemen. The bandmembers' respective skills and abilities are meaningfully applied to a well-balanced repertoire of originals and standards that combines Latin jazz elements with diverse Afro-Hispanic rhythms from Cuba and Puerto Rico (guaracha, mozambique, rumba, mambo, bomba, etc). In conjunction with this tantalizing musical foundation are the vibrant lead vocals offered by internationally acclaimed reggae star Joaquin "Quino" McWhinney, and on two occations, by our musical protagonist from Santurce. If I was asked to summarize the essence of this recording in one word, I would define it as sandunga, a Spanish term meaning charm or grace. As clarified by the Cuban anthropologist/ linguist/ musicologist Fernando Ortiz, sandunga is a mixture of sá, the white salt of Andalucia, and ndungu, the black pepper of Africa. And it is this piquancy, the very essence of the Hispanic Caribbean, that Gene Perry has masterfully captured in this dynamic body of work

GENE PERRY - MI TAMBOR LO DICE TODO (2007)

Catch Gene Perry's exceptional debut album celebrating his mastery of conga percussion and his love for Latin jazz and salsa music

Joaquin McWhinney Lead vocals, coro
Gene Perry Congas, coro
Allan Phillips Piano, bongoes, timbales, coro, percussion
Harry Kim Trumpets
Justo Almario Alto, tenor sax
Rene Camacho Bass
Mark Lamson Bata drums
Arturo Velasco Trombones
Natalya Phillips Background vocals
Charlie Chavez Timbales
Kevin Delgado Bass
Derek Cannon Flugelhorns

review by Rudy Mangual: GENE PERRY - MI TAMBOR LO DICE TODO (2007)

review by Latin Lady Dj Margarita: GENE PERRY - MI TAMBOR LO DICE TODO (2007)

review by Peter Watrous: GENE PERRY - MI TAMBOR LO DICE TODO (2007)

recensione di Roberto Rabbi: GENE PERRY - MI TAMBOR LO DICE TODO (2007)

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