Yolanda Duke
(vocal); Arturo Sandoval (piano & trumpet); Champian Fulton, Ricky
Gonzalez, Sonny Bravo (piano); Ruben Rodriguez, Gerry Madera (bass);
Willie-Cuch Be Wictha-Martinez (drums); Jose Madera (timbales); John Rodriguez
(bongo, bell, guiro); Luis Quintero (conga, bongo, guiro, bell, timbales);
George Delgado (conga); Bobby Portcelli (alto sax, flute); Pete Miranda
(baritone sax); Mitch Fruhman, Pete Brainin, Todd Brashore (tenor sax, flute);
John Walsh, Kevin Bryan, Pete Nater,Richard Viruet (trumpet); Lewis Kahn, Noah
Bless, Reynaldo Jorge, Sam Burtis (Trombone)
(Review
by Ann Alex).
Yolanda Duke grew up in New York City
The singing is lively
and exuberant and the band is superb.
And that’s saying something as all the tracks are in Spanish, with maybe
some Portuguese, and 1 track in Italian, and I don’t speak those languages, yet
I still thoroughly enjoyed it all. Sub-titled The Great American Songbook Goes Latino, it
helped that there were 6 standards, with the Spanish titles sounding so
romantic, for example, Te Llevo Bajo La
Piel (I’ve Got You Under My Skin). The other standards are Misty, What Is This Thing Called Love, They
Can’t Take That Away From Me, Blue Moon, and Neil Sedaka’s The Hungry Years. The remaining 5 tracks were songs by Spanish
composers. I almost wanted to go back to school to learn the language.
The band shows split
second timing with short musical comments to match the voice, and the solos, on
trumpet (a rare appearance by the legendary Sandoval), piano, sax, flute and
bursts of percussion, are well executed.
Ms Duke’s voice is wistful and saucy by turns, with cheeky short
comments in English at the end of some songs. For instance, I’ve Got You Under My Skin has the bass
trotting along with the band, lots of percussion and our singer comments at the
end ‘I got you babe.’ The Spanish tune Contigo
En La Distancia is slower and quieter with the piano leading. What Is
This Thing Called Love ends with our singer giving a kiss towards the
microphone! And throughout the whole
disc the irresistible Latin beat goes on.
Buy this disc for your next party.
The CD was released on
April 15 on the Amigos Music Co. Label. Listen to the lady herself on her website www.yolandaduke.com
Ann
Alex.
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