On their second effort,
Los Hombres Calientes
exchange bassists (
David Pulphus
for
Edwin Livingston
), and
Ronald Markham
shows up on Hammond B-3 and keyboards. The record, a 71-minute, 18-cut musical treatise, features a much larger complement of vocalists and percussionists, and even a string quartet on three selections.
Hombres Calientes, Vol. 2
also draws from a larger palette of Latin rhythms. The Yoruban chants on the trio of tunes near the end of the recording are most convincing --
"Alabi Oyo E,"
"Suite Obatala,"
and
"Vamos a la Cima,"
all composed by percussionist
Bill Summers
, burst with emotional discourse.
"Cuban Suite,"
penned by trumpeter
Irvin Mayfield
, moves from a slow
rhumba
(featuring cascading piano by
Victor Atkins, III
) to a
classical
, church-like montuno figure and, finally, to a much hotter comparsa with rollicking trumpet, piano, and simmering percussion.
"A Comer y a Descargar"
is an out-and-out jam, with
Mayfield
leading the charge.
"Fongo Sunk,"
a piece from drummer
Jason Marsalis
, is a no-frills piano/percussion workout. There's also a hot take on the old
Roberta Flack
hit
"Feel Like Makin' Love."
Of the many remaining cuts,
"Rasta Renegade"
is a
reggae
number with organ and group vocals;
"Blues de Enredo"
is a Brazilian festival
samba
;
"Young Lovers at First Sight/Tangeaux-Zon"
tango
with the
Louisiana Philharmonic String Quartet
"Daydreamer"
bossa nova
with
Atkins
' piano omnipresent; and
"Comparsa N.O."
combines an Afro-Cuban section and a
Professor Longhair
-like gumbo
blues
shuffle. The CD ends rather unceremoniously, with the always-vapid
"Chameleon"
slapped onto
George Clinton
's
"We Want the Funk."
More might not necessarily be better for this group, but the overall result is quite enjoyable -- some bumps in the road, but a competent music presentation nonetheless. ~ Michael G. Nastos