Album Notes

"Saludo" takes a surprising departure from their traditional first release integrating this time diverse musical influences and elements.
"We were digging even deeper into the heart and roots of the cuban son" says the singer songwriter,but we were also listening to mexican,brasilian flamenco and pop music and "Saludo" is the result of this; a very powerful and rocking cuban Son CD which contains this different elements.We went into the studio without a very conceptualized or arranged idea, so the recording sessions basically turned into a party and you can sense that in this CD.We would come with a good bottle of tequila and start jamming as our recording engineer would turn the record button on without letting us know.Then after different takes we would go to the listening boot and he would play us the scratch version which would be by far the best one.But we wanted to give this production a twist so we incorporated electric guitars,mariachi trumpets,pedal steels,distorted tres guitars,jungle bongos and anything to keep it fresh and mischievous but nevertheless organic.We were also listening to one of our idols Faustino Oramas best known as "El Guayabero".This witted composer has been delighting Cuban and other audiences for more than 3 decades, bringing to everyone spicy sones and guarachas which only "El Guayabero" can interpret with such humor and typical flavor.His long and irresistible ostinatos plus his ability to improvise provocative and sexual lyrics on the spot is a woderful trademark of his. "Compositor" is a perfect example of it where the "montuno" or ostinato keeps repeating slowly going faster and faster into a dancing sexual climax...
"saludo" the opening theme for example is an old cuban rumba arranged with a spanish flamenco groove,then there are explorative numbers like "Fiesta en el solar" with a Carlos Santana like guitar solo."Canto a la Luna" on the contrast is an original piece with an unusual brasilian groove.Then there are also surprises like the wild urban changüí "Pretensiosa" or "Marielena" an original number with a cool boogaloo groove,which relates a funy story about a guy falling in love with a transvesty without knowing it,ups...!
Citation translated from the german magazine Die Gitarre: "with powerful son and salsa,mariachi,rumba flamenco,rock and other influences it is hard to believe that this group is not a european import from latinamerica"...