Search - Mark Dimond :: Brujeria

One of the best "salsa" recordings of all time

William Jones | Punta Santiago, PR United States | 12/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"And that's not an over the top statement. Mark Dimond only made two albums that I'm aware of as a leader, and this is one of them. At one point he was Willie Colon's bandleader.



This is the same album that was later given a different cover and released under the name of the singer, Angel Canales ("Mas Sabor").



With:



Mark "Markolino" Dimond Piano, composer

Ricardo "Richie" Martinez Trombone

John "Fudgy" Torres Trombone

Antonia Tapia Congas

Louie Rivera Bongo

Danny Reyes Trumpet

Eddie "Gua Gua" Rivera Bass

Andy Gonzalez Bass

Ismael Quintana Coro

Justo Betancourt Coro

Angel Canales Vocals

"

Mark Dimond: Salsa's "Enfant Terrible"

Alejandro Marquis | Caracas, VEN | 09/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Dimond was one of the greatest Latin pianists of all times. Shamefully, his severe drug addiction took him out from the scene when he was around 46 years old. He began playing Piano professionally being a teenager in a sextet gathered by his later friend, Andy Harlow (Larry's brother, Buddy's son). After that he became Willie Colon's Band Pianist, from 1967 to 1970, being a key ingredient on Colon's new and aggressive sound, and setting the platform for Hector Lavoe's first steps in New York, with Colon's Orchestra. Actually, years later Dimond's was the Pianist in Lavoe's solo debut "La Voz" from 1975.



In 1970 Dimond left Colon's Orchestra (some say he and other musicians were fired looking for discipline within the Band), and in 1971 "Brujeria" takes the streets. All compositions and arrangements by Mr.Dimond. All tunes are great. He takes solos in all of them (except for the main title song, on which I personally think, for some reason the solo was cutted out)!! Worth to mention: "Brujería" ("Witchery") "Aguardiente" ("Booze"), a Descarga style montuno in which Markolino includes a phrase from "Three Blind Mice" that he uses as a rest in the middle of his solo, "Mi Irmita", "Yo no tengo pena" (a very dense and dark Son montuno, New York's style a-la-Dimond) and "El Barrio".



You will recognize Palmieri, Peruchin and McCoy Tyner in here, but it's all Markolino. If you want to understand what's the real sound and origins of New York Salsa, you gotta listen to this!!"