Search - Willie Bobo :: Uno Dos Tres & Spanish Grease

William Correa (aka Willie Bobo) Classics

Enrique Torres | San Diegotitlan, Califas | 04/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Can something recorded nearly fifty years ago sound fresh today? The answer is yes.....and no. The classic cuts from these two reissues are magnificent examples of where the merging of r&b, jazz and latin music were heading, unfortunately pop got in the way. The standout tracks make this CD worth the price, you can always skip over the songs that attempted to win over the pop audiences of the time. Of the two CD's here on one disc probably "Spanish Grease" is the better of the two. The best tracks are those con sabor(tasty) like the classic "Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries" easily the best song with its refrain played over jazzy chops and incessant timbales,"Spanish Grease" the original Willie Bobo penned song with its quajira refrain and soulful interplay of English and Spanish, "Hurt So Bad" is one of the few times the recreation of a pop standard works on the CD, it's much better than Little Anthony and The Imperials hit verson of the times, well that and "It's not Unusual" where Bobo takes a rare lead vocal complete with thick accent English or is that Spanish? It is a fun CD, full of latin jazz as it was and even where it shouldn't have been. A bit of nostalgia, an original blend of cultures on wax that sounds as fresh today as yesterday, if you're old enough to remember of course. A bargain for latin jazz affionados, a classic timbale band leader brought back to life on CD for a listen to a sound that influenced the future of hybrid latin jazz and roc. The accompanying booklet adds to the historical significance of these recordings, complete with original liner notes from the original albums."

A Forgotten Icon of 60's Pop Culture

Luis Correa | Bergen County, NJ | 03/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the 60's, Willie Bobo created a bridge between Popular and Latin music using an ensemble of instruments that included electric bass and guitar and no keyboards. He used Popular songs and transformed them with Latin rhythms to create a truly unique sound. This allowed for an entire industry of songs to be created by many great artists and composers. Using Willie as an inspiration, Santana created many of his signature styles from these early recordings. If you listen to the music used in the first Austin Powers movie, you will hear Willie's style being used to signify the 60's culture. This man was never given credit for his contribution to the American Pop Culture of the 60's and beyond."

The single best latin jazz CD I have ever heard.

Hellion | 04/29/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is amazing, let me tell you - - skip thru the first two tracks, a little too groove-based for my taste, ALL the rest of the album is astounding - - the harmonies slightly out, the rhythm section manic & suave - - this man manages to make bacharach songs sound like mission:impossible. You can't go wrong - easily trumps mongo santamaria or cal tjader. Much better than Bobo's other in-print 60's CD "Juicy", not that Juicy isn't worth it too..."