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Jose Conde brings Latin music into maturity
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NEW HAVEN — Jose Conde is a one-man Latin music class, and in one day this weekend you can follow hi...NEW HAVEN — Jose Conde is a one-man Latin music class, and in one day this weekend you can follow him from basic education to doctoral degree.
Conde describes himself as a singer/songwriter, though he writes within a Latin music milieu. But Latin music can mean a lot of things — from reggeton to rumba — and Conde attempts to blend Latin music of all kinds into one, coherent sound.
And he succeeds.
Take, for example, Baby Loves Salsa, taking the University Theatre stage, 222 York St., at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, 3 p.m. Sunday. It’s a project designed, not only to introduce Latin rhythms but also to educate.
“We talk a little bit about the development of salsa,” Conde told the New Haven Register recently. “It’s geared toward kids and the young at heart.”
Conde, though he lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., currently, is originally from Miami and is of Cuban descent. His heritage seems to have informed his musical sensibilities and goals.
“Cuba has been a fountain of creativity,” he said. “A place where much of Latin music has been fused.”
Conde said that the music of the island has blended Hatian, French, African European and American influences, calling Cuba “a hotbed of creativity, a real catalyst.”
At 7 p.m. Sunday, Conde takes the stage on the New Haven Green for a show that is as musically complex as Baby Loves Salsa is simple. His music is never satisfied with one sound, jumping from style to style and incorporating bits and pieces — beats or sounds — from across the globe.
That project consists, in addition to Conde himself, of Gintas Janusonis on drums, Jorge Bringas on bass, Marko Pankovich on electric guitar, Marlysse Rose Simmons on keys, multipercussionist Ze Mauricio and Marvin Diz on congas and bongos. But at heart, Conde is a songwriter, and while some tunes, like “Amor y Felicidad” (which uses a hip-hop beat in a rumba) will get people dancing, Conde is clear that “it’s definitely not salsa.”
“It’s very much a songwriter’s project,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve done anything purely Latin. It’s a very individual expression.”
But that ability to reach across the Latin world is not exclusively Conde’s, he admits. It’s something that has been happening in Latin music for a while.
“Latin music is growing up,” he said. “We can rock ’n’ roll with the best of them.”
Of course, living in Brooklyn hasn’t hurt the multi-ethnic flavor of Conde’s music. Brooklyn, like Miami and Cuba, Conde said, is home to many different blended cultures and ideas, sights and sounds.
“I don’t think it’s hurt at all. It only makes you richer,” he said. “I’m exploring the sights and sounds and styles in my life.”
Conde’s new self-titled CD will be available in stores Sept. 9, but anyone who signs up for his mailing list at www.joseconde.com prior to that date can get a download of the CD for free.
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Global Beat Fusion
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For his third recording, Miamiborn Cubanite José Cónde removed his band, Ola Fresca, from the equati...For his third recording, Miamiborn Cubanite José Cónde removed his band, Ola Fresca, from the equation to explore the totality of his sound with his own hands. He had help—renowned sessions players from around his current Brooklyn base lent many hands to this fine album. In attempting to escape the trappings of being in a “Latin” band, Cónde tapped into a vibrant scene of funk-inspired Latino musicians, a la Ocote Soul Sounds and Navagente. Ola Fresca always had swing, that crucial requirement of a proper Latin performance. Cónde conjures plenty on his own, setting the rolling bass lines of “Amor y Felicidad” and “Matapalo Matamusa” nicely against a reliable kick and punchy handclaps. Cónde meanders far on these 15 tracks, with a splash of reggae on “El Vestido” while cross-pollinating Calexico with Manu Chao on “El Avion,” making this more of a collection of singles rather than a full album. You won’t find much of an issue here; you’ll be too busy enjoying the singles to notice. —dB
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Good Water
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Jose Conde has a musical reflection on the meaning of water…and love.
A Radio Story that aired on...Jose Conde has a musical reflection on the meaning of water…and love.
A Radio Story that aired on NPR and other Public radio stations around the country and featured Jose Conde speaking about the inspirations of love and nature for his song, EL MANANTIAL (The Well Spring). The song is on Conde'e new self titled album.
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CD Review: Jose Conde's Self-Titled Release - 2011
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Brooklyn-based Latin pioneer, Jose Conde, shares his world of music in a personal and refined contex...Brooklyn-based Latin pioneer, Jose Conde, shares his world of music in a personal and refined context amid a backbone of smooth, Latin grooves and pop/rock. Whether it is tango, rumba, salsa, or funk, Jose knows how to convey his musical creativities with a fine result. There are three bonus tracks in English, Portuguese, and Tsonga (a South African language). The Latin American, South American, and even Afro-Latin rhythms showcase Jose's far-reaching musicalities. Jose seems right at home creating more contemporary dance sounds with a small dose of trippy jams, as well as the more characteristic and familiar Latin sensibility. However, Jose still sounds different than other similarly grouped artists, because he seems to simply create music without regard to what genre it might be. Essentially, Jose Conde is an album about Jose Conde. It is one of the best albums of the year.
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Jose Conde - Jose Conde 2011
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Jose Conde is a Cuban-American musician, raised in Miami and living in Brooklyn; this is his fourth ...Jose Conde is a Cuban-American musician, raised in Miami and living in Brooklyn; this is his fourth album in all and first where he’s simply billed as a solo artist. His former band Ola Fresca developed quite a bit of buzz for their Cuban-rooted but wide-ranging sound. As a solo artist his music leans a bit more to the singer-songwriter side of things, and if anything it’s open to even more influences than ever -- the best of the upbeat tracks here reference rumba and hip hop (track 1), Brazilian music and early 80’s rap (2), and Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs (3), just for starters. The lyrics (mostly in Spanish, with a little bit of English, Portuguese and Tsonga) are thoughtful and well beyond the conventional, just like the mixture of musical influences. Of the mellower material, track 6 stands out for me -- it’s very much in the idiom of Manu Chao, another uncategorizable multilingual singer-songwriter. Conde produced the album himself, plays most of instruments, and invited a bunch of friends and colleagues to add additional parts. He’s onto something good here, it will be interesting to see what direction he takes it in from here.
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Jose Conde - 2011
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Reared in Miami's Cuban district but now living in Brooklyn, where he's at the beating heart of the ...Reared in Miami's Cuban district but now living in Brooklyn, where he's at the beating heart of the Latin music scene, singer and bandleader Jose Conde has played in many styles. He draws from many of them for his self-titled latest CD. There are Cuban rhythms but also an echo of reggae; sizzling '70s funk with a cool Cuban overtone; the relentless beat of Havana performed by a rock rhythm section; and one tune, with its rootsy Southwest sound and farfisa organ, which sounds like a lost track by Joe “King” Carasco. The band exemplifies the Brooklyn melting pot with members of West African, South American and Caribbean heritage.
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Jose Conde Band at Central Park Summerstage, June 6, 2010
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Jose Conde
Central Park Summerstage
New York, New York
June 6, 2010
On his new musical project, ...Jose Conde
Central Park Summerstage
New York, New York
June 6, 2010
On his new musical project, Brooklyn-based Jose Conde clearly wanted to break from his salsa roots, presenting instead a set of newly written material in which funk and rock are carefully blended with Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz sensibilities. That was evident as soon as his solid six-piece band kicked off the show with a tune in reggae style, following that with two funk-inflected mambos.
Though he sang entirely in Spanish, Conde took the time to explain to the audience (in English) what each song was about. The set went back and forth between explicit Latin material to more pop-oriented music, such as the funky "Ride La Ola" and a more percussive number he said had been inspired by a documentary he's seen on National Geographic.
Among the highlights were a gentle bolero-inspired ballad Conde explained was about "pure love, the kind that never goes away" and a more danceable moment in which the band was joined by a group of dancers that got the crowd on their feet in spite of the heavy rain that began following around halfway through the set.
Conde's multicultural band, which included players from Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil, had great chemistry together (unfortunately as of this writing we did not get access to information about the lineup), especially the guitarist and the three percussionists, who were constantly adding creative individual moments throughout the show.
Towards the end of the set, Conde took the music towards a more Latinesque direction as a tribute to his parents' home country of Cuba (where the evening's headliners, Pupy Y Los Que Son Son, also hailed from). A tenor saxophonist joined them and gave a harrowing solo during the last number, the lyrics of which spoke of building bridges between North Americans and their Latin neighbors—a nod to the recent immigration controversy in the state of Arizona.
Jose Conde's new project shows great promise. He has the ability to weave different genres and sounds into one concise package without losing touch with his Latin heritage. If the very positive response he got from the crowd was any indication, his fusion sound might just be the music to look out for this summer.
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Time Out NY - 2007
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American artists sometimes come off hokey (Ozomatli) or cartoonish (Yerba Buena) when they celebrate...American artists sometimes come off hokey (Ozomatli) or cartoonish (Yerba Buena) when they celebrate their Latin heritage. It's just not enough to slap horns and hip-hop samples together with some Spanish lyrics and call it a party; crossing cultures takes finesse, subtlety and respect. Cuban-American bandleader Jose Conde displays all of those qualities on his latest album. Originally a Berklee College of Music modernist, he got back to his roots with an EP of Cuban classics in 2001 and has since forged a unique take on his ethnic identity.
It helps that Conde grew up in Miami, where the sounds of the Caribbean flow smoothly into American life. Scoffing at the strict rules of salsa, he found inspiration in everyday things like the sound of waves and the way women walk. Naturally, Conde�s multicultural flavor emanates from his beats. The Japanese-inspired �Oshiri Pan Pan� benefits from laid-back funk drumming by the Meters� Zigaboo Modeliste, while �Caf� con Sangre� draws oomph from Puerto Rican bomba. These hybrids are products of the album�s utopian concept: to evolve beyond the Cuban Revolution to a state of harmonic coexistence across conventions. Neither too eager to show off his intrepidity nor too corny about his respect for tradition, Conde makes music as refined as his sociopolitical vision.�Cristina Black
Jose Conde y Ola Fresca play the Living Room Sun 27, Jun 10 and Jun 24.
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A 'fresh wave' of sound
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The elephant lumbered out of the forest and straight into the lobby of a luxury hotel. At the bar, a...The elephant lumbered out of the forest and straight into the lobby of a luxury hotel. At the bar, an elegant woman, martini in hand, gasped, while the pachyderm, oblivious, settled down to feast on a mango. Absurd, amusing, and gently intimating some kind of ecological moral to the story, this scene - based on a photo spotted in National Geographic magazine - struck Jose Conde as perfect fodder for a song. Embellishments to the story began to write themselves in the Cuban-American singer's mind. And so did the music.
"Elefante in Hotel," one of several new songs Conde is developing for his next album and already performing with his group Ola Fresca, ended up taking the form of a Venezuelan joropo. On the strength of the musical variety on Ola Fresca's 2007 album, "Revolucion," it could just as easily have come out as a Cuban son, Puerto Rican bomba, Haitian compas, or even a New Orleans funk jam - or any combination of these and other Latin and Caribbean styles.
Conde, a 1997 Berklee College of Music grad, will make his return to Boston this summer, and bring Ola Fresca to Regattabar July 25 before giving a children's salsa concert there the next day.
"I don't think I was ever a purist," Conde, who is small and lithe with sharp eyes and a relaxed manner, says over a tight espresso in his backyard garden in Brooklyn. "I didn't grow up in a pure culture. I grew up with a litte bit of Cuba, a little bit of America, and a little bit of everything else in Miami."
Born in Florida to Cuban immigrants, Conde grew up hearing Celia Cruz and Benny Mor� recordings, but also '70s American funk like Earth, Wind and Fire, and homegrown Miami products like KC and the Sunshine Band. He ran with other Cuban kids, but also Puerto Ricans, Haitians, African-Americans. "We were all culturally displaced, mixed cultural youths," he says.
Conde's focus on singing came early; he didn't play an instrument until he picked up a guitar at 15. He knew he wanted a musical career, but he wasn't sure what kind. When he finally decided to come to Berklee, he turned down a rival offer from the Greater Miami Opera (merged in 1994 into Florida Grand Opera).
"I arrived at Berklee thinking I wanted to do a rock mix," Conde says. But instead, it was there that he reoriented himself to Latin music, and first imagined the Ola Fresca project. The name means "fresh wave." It's apt not just for the musical reinvigoration it implies, but also for Conde's sensitivity to nature imagery, and his environmental commitments.
"I suffered when I saw tractors going west on Calle Ocho because I knew what they were going to do," he says, referring to the main drag of Cuban Miami that is also a thoroughfare to the threatened Everglades. Now, he owns some mountain land in Costa Rica that he says he is reforesting.
Planetary survival, he says, should trump more parochial concerns - not least when it comes to Cuba, where he has visited but has yet to perform. "I'm just confused by this nationalism thing," he says. "We have to come together as human beings."
But Conde is no feel-good fusioneer when it comes to music. While he plays numerous genres, he appreciates the uniqueness and tradition of each one, which explains why the "Revolucion" CD case lists not just the songs but the style each song represents. And the guest musicians who appear are just as varied as the music, from salsa trombonist Jimmy Bosch to New Orleans drummer Ziggy Modeliste.
"I love the pure, tradicional" - Conde pronounces it in Spanish - "sound of many genres, old son, the salsa tradition," he says. "There is a way to work a pan-Latin sensibility without losing touch of the essence of the music."
Jose Conde y Ola Fresca perform at Regattabar on July 25. The Jose Conde Band plays a children's show, "Baby Loves Salsa," at Regattabar on July 26.
May 17, 2009
Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
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New York Times- May 2007
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Cuban Music, Good for Dancing, and for Thinking
By BEN RATLIFF
Published: May 17, 2007
Cuban ...Cuban Music, Good for Dancing, and for Thinking
By BEN RATLIFF
Published: May 17, 2007
Cuban music can withstand endless revisions, and the singer-songwriter Jose Conde is taking his turn, as he suggested at Joe�s Pub on Tuesday night. Born in Miami to Cuban parents, Mr. Conde has been working in New York for the last 10 years, slowly formulating a kind of Afro-Cuban music with an enlarged frame. It now brings together son, guajira, guaracha with New Orleans funk, Nigerian Afrobeat, South American cumbia, James Brown rhythms, Haitian compas, Brazilian afoxe, New York City boogaloo and even jam-band stuff predicated on electric guitars as much as hand drums.
His band, Ola Fresca, isn�t the only one making these connections, but that doesn�t matter. These elements are already historically joined, and this project almost writes itself.
That�s a lot of dance rhythm in one band, but there�s a folkish element too: Mr. Conde�s vocal understatement � unusual for the singer of a Latin dance band � and his emphasis on songs with characters, wordplay and some mild social ideas.
On Tuesday Mr. Conde and his band ran through songs from a new record, �(R)evolucion� (Pipiki/Mr. Bongo), which comes out next week. None of it was pensive, sit-and-think music, but the show had the irresolute feeling of the music being neither completely contemplative nor kinetic. Songs like �Ritmo y Sabor,� a son-funk alloy, and �Pititi y Titi,� a compas-son sung in French, were pointing the way toward release.
But when the band found its stride and played a little harder, it all made sense, this balance between holding back and letting go. Some of the band�s excellent musicians made it happen � including the Cuban percussionists Roman Diaz and Marvin Diz; the keyboardist Pablo Vergara, who played jagged, powerful improvisations over Cuban rhythm patterns; the trombonist Rafi Malkiel, who soloed with loud confidence; and the electric guitarist Juancho Herrera, who played passages of ambient noise as well as driving grooves.
The band soon plays at the Living Room, a club associated more with cogitating than dancing. There Mr. Conde will have to try to retain his cool, but make the music explode with its inherent rhythm.
Jose Conde y Ola Fresca will play at the Living Room on May 27, June 10 and June 24; 154 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, (212) 533-7235
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NPR ALL SONGS CONSIDERED - AUG 2007
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http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/archives/20070809/?sc=nl&cc=asc-20070810
We don't always get it r...http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/archives/20070809/?sc=nl&cc=asc-20070810
We don't always get it right when it comes to reviewing the best CDs out there. On this edition of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen talks with NPR reviewers Will Hermes, Tom Moon and Meredith Ochs about some of the gems we've missed this year. Hear music from LCD Soundsystem, Amy Winehouse,Jose Conde, Patty Griffin, Roky Erickson and more.
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Various EUROPEAN Press
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THE CRACK- UK
Jose Conde y Ola Fresca_Revolucion (Mr Bongo)
Beautifully arranged and produced co...THE CRACK- UK
Jose Conde y Ola Fresca_Revolucion (Mr Bongo)
Beautifully arranged and produced collection of latin grooves that flits, butterfly-like, between salsa, soca, mambo, reggae and funk. Exquisitely played, the various parts come together to create a singular, pulsing organism of music and rhythm that seems effortless in its fusing of different, though related, styles and timeless in its wide-eyed and universal romanticism. UK_Release June 18
SKITTLE.com --UK
JOSE CONDE Y OLA FRESCA - (R)EVOLUCION
RELEASE DATE: 18TH JUNE 2007
Ola Fresca (fresh wave) is the name of the band singer-composer-lyricist Jose Conde founded in 2000. Ola Fresca features some of the best musicians in New York City, coming together for a fresh take on rootsy, funky, jazzy, Latin dance music. Their new album '(R)evolucion' is produced by the Grammy-winning Aaron Levinson and sees the band expand to include a unique array of musicians' musicians, some of whom are living legends.
Jose Conde describes '(R)evolucion' as "a forward-reaching Latin-World record." It's not made to fit the straitjacket of commercial radio. Nor does it sound much like what's coming out of Cuba, or Miami, or San Juan, or from other bandleaders in New York. Recorded at the vintage-gear all-analog Brooklyn Recording studio during summer 2006, '(R)evolucion' is part of a new wave of Spanish-language alternative music that's growing in strength and popularity worldwide.
All the members of Ola Fresca have a slew of major credits in a variety of Latin styles. Bassist Jorge Bringas played with Buena Vista Social Club star Omara Portuondo in Havana; trumpeter Steve Gluzband played with Ray Barretto for many years and trombonist played with Colombian star Toto Momposina.
The guest performers on '(R)evolucion' are also a who's who of Latin music. Highlights include 89-year-old trombonist Generoso Jimenez (who was at one time music director for Benny More), and present-day salsa dura rave-up trombone superstar Jimmy Bosch. Cubans have to come with serious rhythm, so besides the regular percussion complement of Ola Fresca '(R)evolucion' makes room for the charismatic young conguero Pedro Martinez, creating a natural yet unique sound with the help of the most celebrated funky drummer in the United States, New Orleans's own Zigaboo Modeliste.
The Cubans have a kind of stew called 'ajiaco', into which all kinds of meats and vegetables can be incorporated. '(R)evolucion'is definitely a musical 'ajiaco'. You don't have to be able to identify every bite to like the taste. In each tune, one style of music informs another. Conde describes 'Caffi Con Sangre'as "bombafunk 'n' salsa." There's a tasty Cubanized Haitian compas (Pffiti y Titi' in both French and Spanish versions), as well as the cumbiameets-soca-meets-reggae 'Probando Nuevos Sabores'. There's Havana-style timba, and you know there's a cha-cha-cha (El Titere). There's also "El Chacal" (The Jackal), which parodies a well-known Cuban revolutionary song to criticize the commodified image of a controversial icon- "you don't win peace with bullets," says the lyric.
Conde has expressed a personal commitment to non-violence, and his cosmopolitan vision of the Latin world is a hopeful one. The title of '(R)evolucion'tells you that. The music lets you hear how it might sound.
"Jose and his crew are up there with the likes of Roberto Fonseca, Bobby Valentin, Eddie Palmieri, Noro Morales Quintet, Willie Colon, Ray Barretto, Tito Puete and the Fania All Stars - Latin influenced music does not get any better. Future classic without a doubt, this wicked LP will be waking the Latin spirit with the world music loving massive over the soon come hot summer months and will be settting Latin loving dancefloors on fire for years to come!
"A filler free great LP, the highlights range from the Cuban vibed 'Ritmo Y Sabor', soulful 'Cafe Con Sangre', funky 'Oshiri Pan Pan' (will be a b-boy classic in years to come), to the old school Cuban of 'Despelete', and the laidback funksoul of 'Ride La Ola' this LP covers all bases. Other favourites include El Titere, dosed with Cuban keys and an easy vibe and the Buena Vista styled 'El Chacal', 'Despolote' and 'Probando Nuevos Sabores'. Bonus tracks include a newer sounding 'Mi Muscia', a beautiful late night late jazz version of 'Summertime' and a Spanish version of the kitch sounding 'Pititi Y Titi' (also included is a French version). Buy from 18th June and file under Latin/Grove/Cuba" - Mr Mutdog (Skiddle.com)
VINILEMANIA - ITALY
review by Pietro Carbognani for WWW.VINILEMANIA.NET
A really unique, new and explosive project is the latest CD from Jose Conde and Ola Fresca – Revolution. A fusion and a mix of sounds that is capable of enrapturing in pure fascination the listener from the beginning to the end.
Jose Conde, born in Chicago but from Cuban origins, together with his New York band “Ola Fresca” and under the musical direction of the great Gonzalo Grau, has, in my humble opinion, given back the varnish and a new light to the old sounds we have come to expect from recent Cuban music creations, with an appreciated originality, a true style that cannot be confused.
The 10 tracks and the 3 bonus tracks manage to pay back even the more experienced listener. It will also attract the more attentive DJ in respect to the quality of the music they search for. It should be noted also that it includes a lot of tracks that are also ideal for the dance floor.
We would like to also point out the participation of the trombones as played by Generoso Jimenez and Jimmy Bosch (with resounding performances in “Descarga Inez” which happens to be one of my personal favourites) and that of Bejamin Lapidus in a very interesting re-arrangement of “Summertime” by George Gershwin.
If you love Latin music, this is a CD that should be added to your collection without delay.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Un progetto veramente innovativo ed esplosivo l'ultimo CD di Jose Conde y Ola Fresca - Revolution. Una fusion ed un mix di sonorità in grado di affascinare l'ascoltatore dall'inizio alla fine.
Jose Conde, nato a Chicago ma di origini Cubane, insieme alla sua Band Neworkese "Ola Fresca" e sotto la direzione musicale del bravo Gonzalo Grau, ha, secondo il parere di chi scrive, ridato smalto e nuova luce a vecchie sonorità Cubane creando, con apprezzabile originalità, un proprio stile inconfondibile.
I 10 brani più le 3 bonus tracks riusciranno ad appagare gli ascoltatori più esigenti ma anche i Dj più attenti alla qualità nella loro ricerca musicale. Molti infatti i brani ballabili.
Da segnalare la partecipazione nel progetto dei trombonisti Generoso Jimenez e Jimmy Bosch (strepitosi in "Descarga Inez" uno dei miei brani preferiti) e quella di Bejamin Lapidus in un interessante riarrangiamento di "Summertime" di George Gershwin.
Se amate la musica latina questo è un CD da aggiungere, senza indugio, alla vostra collezione.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
FLY Global Music Culture, CD Review >>
-by Joe Kent
In Cuba they have a stew called ‘agiaco’ into which anything can be incorporated, Revolucion is the musical equivalent. It mixes son Cubano, jazz, funk, Latin dance and reggae, it has tracks in both French and Spanish and owes as much to New York as Cuba.
While Revolucion is very much a contemporary Latin album, the vintage, all analogue recording gear of the Brooklyn Recording Studio where it was made adds a warm and familiar feel. Jose Conde, an American singer-song writer born to Cuban parents, has neither sought to remain true to his musical heritage nor to prove his ‘newness’ simply for the sake of it. The result is tracks such as the Japan inspired ‘Oshiri Pan Pan,’ and the soca come cumbia ‘Probando Nuevos Sabores’ — flitting easily between the Haitian sounds of ‘Pititi y Titi’ and the Puerto Rican bomba ‘Café con Sangre.’
Between them, the band Ola Fresca (New Wave) have played alongside a fair few of the major players in Latin music, (Ray Barretto, Toto La Momposina and Omara Portuondo among them), and the album features an impressive roster of guest stars. The 89 year-old trombonist, and one time Benny Moré director, Generoso Jiméenz guests on ‘Descarga Inez,’ Jimmy Bosch pops on a couple of tracks and Yerba Buena’s Pedrito Martínez can be found on ‘Ritmo Y Sabor’.
The album is a vibrant representation of the many faces of Latin New York. 05/29/07
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Exclaim Canada - Aug 2007
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Much like how Alex Cuba's Aqua Del Pozo was a refreshing take on a new, more mature Latin musical me...Much like how Alex Cuba's Aqua Del Pozo was a refreshing take on a new, more mature Latin musical mentality aspiring to combine the diverse sounds of the Americas with pop sensibilities to create something unique, Jose Conde y Ola Fresca�s (R)evolucionis also a surprising contemporary listen. The New York-born Cuban invites along some of the city�s most vibrant musicians, including funk legend and original Meters drummer Joseph �Zigaboo� Modeliste and Latin All Stars Jimmy Bosch on trombone, for a delicious musical ajiaco (a multi-ingredient Cuban stew). Combing traditional genres such as son and cumbia with funk, reggae and even cha-cha, Conde writes the book on 21st century Latin music. The track listing reads like a Latin-fused menu and each song is aptly described, such as �bombafunk n salsa� on �Caf� Con Sangre,� �Haitian compras & son� on �Pititi y Tit� and �jazzed mambo descarga� on �Summertime.� Conde also knows when to slow things down, as on the lovely son ballad �Despelote.� Although the songs are wrapped in colourful, danceable rhythms, (R)evolucion is not something you will hear in a sweaty club. Instead, it is music to savour, and Conde will no doubt be an instrumental voice in the new wave (or ola fresca) of Latin music. (Mr. Bongo)
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World Music Central 07
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Like any genre, Latin music has fallen into its share of formulaic ruts. But you'd never know it fro...Like any genre, Latin music has fallen into its share of formulaic ruts. But you'd never know it from this smashing CD, a mix of grooves, styles and attitudes that doesn't ring false for so much as one second. Jose Conde (a new artist to me) is Brooklyn-based after having lived in Chicago, Miami and Boston, where he was schooled in music at Berklee.
If a background like that suggests he's soaked up a lot of influences, well, you have no clue until you hear him and his multi-ethnic band Ola Fresca rip it up on (R)evolucion.
Following a brief (too brief to my ears) bat� drums-and-chant intro, the album sizzles, sweats and seduces its way through funked-up Cuban and Puerto Rican romps ("Ritmo Y Sabor," "Cafe Con Sangre"), mambo laced with New Orleans second line and a dash of psychedelia ("Oshiri Pan Pan"), Latinized Haitian compas in both French and Spanish ("Pititi Y Titi"), a reggae/cumbia fusion as slinky as any done by such West Coast outfits as Quinto Sol or Ozomatli ("Probando Nuevos Sabores") and respectful nods toward classic salsa, Latin jazz and descarga (jam session) styles.
Were it not for Conde's vocals, which are a perfect blend of raw and melodic that bounces off some very infectious coros, you might think you were listening to a various-artists Latin music sampler. Get this disc. You'll love it.
Buy (R)evolucion. 08/03/07
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Time Out Chicago -2008
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Jos� Conde y Ola Fresca
The artist The Buena Vista Social Club gang plucked heart strings with it...Jos� Conde y Ola Fresca
The artist The Buena Vista Social Club gang plucked heart strings with its old-time Cuban son, resuscitated from Havana's halcyon days as nightclub central for the jet set. But funkified salsa slinger Jose Conde's a modern son of the island nation�s musical diaspora takes those roots and grafts them onto a range of Afro-Latin styles, from Puerto Rican bomba to Haitian compas to New Orleans swamp-funk. Conde was born in Chicago to Cuban immigrants, raised in Miami's Latin-music melting pot, and now reigns over a pan-Latino lineup of musicians in New York�s brassy salsa scene. The formulaic, dance-structured rhythms of modern salsa get kicked to the curb by the anything-goes fusion of Ola Fresca (Spanish for �fresh wave�). If Conde packs his ten-piece outfit�horns, B-3 organ and all�expect seismic tremors in Logan Square and Humboldt Park.
Hear it(R)Evoluci�n (Mr. Bongo, 2007). For his second album, Conde enlisted some killer guest musicians, including Cuban trombone legend Generoso Jim�nez and New Orleans funk drummer Joseph �Ziggy� Modeliste.
Read more: http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/features/22202/cuba#ixzz0jkNzmgsl
Read more: http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/features/22202/cuba#ixzz0jkNhmD8U
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Miami Herald - Ay! Que Rico
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JOSE CONDE Y OLA FRESCA
Ay! Que Rico
Pipiki Records
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July 2- Jordan Levin
Ay! Que Rico ...JOSE CONDE Y OLA FRESCA
Ay! Que Rico
Pipiki Records
***
July 2- Jordan Levin
Ay! Que Rico is a quintessential Cuban phrase for anything delicious -- whether music, sensual pleasure, food or good times. And it pretty much says it all about this unexpectedly captivating, independently produced gem from Miami-raised Jose Conde. The songs are original, the sound is son, mambo and other classic styles, freshened with subtle rhythmic and instrumental touches (nice remix by DJ Le Spam, Miami's king of electro-Latin funk), and the players are excellent. Now living in New York, Conde mixes up the food, sex and musical metaphors with another precious and essential Cuban quality -- light but irresistible swing. Ay! Qu� Rico sounds old-fashioned and new at the same time. It's enough to renew your faith in Cuban music.
Relaxed humor permeates this CD. Song subtitles like ''funk mambo cooked in loops of 3'' mix music and food references. Several songs, like the title track with its refrain of ''It's so good, what mama cooks'' play happily with food/sex metaphors. Even when Conde gets political, he doesn't get heavy. Puente a Mi Gente (Bridge to my People), about connecting Cubans here and on the island, promises to ''add bricks of humor, which is ours naturally.'' And Conde's gift for flowery romantic metaphors is right in a Cuban line stretching back to Guantanamera, as is the way his music keeps you on the dance floor, laughing at how good it feels. Delicious.
JORDAN LEVIN
jlevin@herald.com
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Dirty Linen - JAZZ ASPEN FEST 2002
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In a weekend festival that included performances by Bob Dylan, Anjelique Kidjo, Macy Gray, Willie Ne...In a weekend festival that included performances by Bob Dylan, Anjelique Kidjo, Macy Gray, Willie Nelson "......Perhaps the weekend's best surprise was Jose Conde Y Ola Fresca, �who wove Cuban jazz, salsa, �son, �guajira, �bolero, �and changui with colorful metaphors and swaying story lines. One song, "Transplant" spoke about the dual inner life of an immigrant over a rumba beat, another, the uptempo "Tira le Tierra" (throw sand on the fire) was a argument between a man's conscience and his libido" -
supersonic
