Search - Ben Sidran, Leo Sidran :: El Elefante

Que bueno! Veteran jazz musician Ben Sidran and his son Leo launch their first album for kids with a sprinkling of original bilingual songs in a range of musical styles. With plenty of fun, ?70s-style synthesizer sounds, children?s voices, and silly rhymes (such as the bewildering line "Keep that goose loose / Shoot the juice to the moose"), this is a true children?s album, and not the kind of kids? CD that is secretly for adults. The album?s Spanish influence comes from Leo, who learned the language as a child and later traveled in Spain. Some songs, such as the bopping "Fantastic Bubble," alternate English and Spanish verses, and others, such as the mellifluous closing lullaby "Duermete," mix in a few Spanish words. Other selections, such as "Pushing and Shoving" (which Leo wrote--and recorded--for his girlfriend when he was a boy) and Ben?s song "Take It Easy Greasy," are solid English-language silliness. Kids will giggle at the funky jams in "The Tickle Monster" ("I?m going to tickle on your tummy and tickle on your toe / And if you want me to stop you just say no!"); or, they might jump around wildly to "Popcorn?s Got a Brand New Bag" and its distinctive James Brown groove. El Elefante is a buoyant offering and labor of love from a father-and-son team. --Karin Snelson