CHICO O' FARRILL - Cuban Blues : The Chico O' Farrill Sessions (1996) 2CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For any and all Latin jazz collectors, casual or serious, this is a fabulous deal, for it gathers together no less than six exceedingly rare Chico O'Farrill Clef and Norgran 10" albums, plus one under Machito's name, onto a slimline two-CD set. It will also come as a revelation to anyone who might scoff at anything associated with the 1950s mambo craze, for these discs reveal O'Farrill as a sophisticated, even daring arranger/composer who reached beyond merely providing a beat for dancers. Many of these charts -- whether for the brief, dance-oriented Latin numbers; ultra-familiar standards like "Malaguena" and "The Peanut Vendor"; or jazz tunes -- are loaded with intricate figures and striking harmonies obviously gleaned from classical study, all crisply executed with a brash, shiny edge by his Afro-Cuban groups and bands staffed by American jazzmen. Occasionally, he even conjures a delicate, classical ambience from a number like "Angels' Flight" (named after Los Angeles' legendary downtown funicular). The apotheosis of O'Farrill's experiments are his two full-blown, groundbreaking Afro-Cuban jazz suites. The first features Flip Phillips and the redoubtable Charlie Parker as soloists within the Machito band, and the second is even bolder in its zigzag journey through the classical, Latin, and jazz camps. Yet for all of his erudition, O'Farrill never forgets to ask for madly percolating Afro-Cuban grooves from his rhythm teams -- which clinches the deal for any Latin music fan. by Richard S. Ginell 
Tracklist 1:

1 Avocadoes 2:43

Composed By – Marco Rosales, Sylvia Rosales
2 Taboo 2:52
Composed By – Margarita Lecuona
3 JATP Mambo 2:46
4 Duerme 2:45
Composed By – Gabriel Luna de la Fuente, Miguel Prado
5 Almendra 2:38
Composed By – Abelardo Valdés
6 The Disappearance 2:56
7 Cuban Blues 3:05
8 Sin Titulo 2:27
Composed By – Pepi del Río, Rojas Berríos, Valencia Castro
9 Dance One 3:14
10 Bright One 2:34
11 Flamingo 3:36
Composed By – Edmund Anderson, Theodor Grouya
12 Last One 2:54
13 Tierra Va Temblá 3:01
Composed By – Mariano Merceron
14 Vamos Pa La Rumba 2:39
Composed By – Delgrado
15 Mambo Korula 3:07
Composed By – Bobby Escoto, Chico O'Farrill
16 Frizilandia 2:27
Composed By – Beque
17 Peanut Vendor (El Manisero) 2:33
Composed By – Moises Simons
18 Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good) 2:48
Composed By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
19 Malagueña 3:14
Composed By – Ernesto Lecuona
20 Castígala 3:12
Composed By – Bobby Escoto
21 The Second Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite 16:46

Tracklist 2:

1 Havana Special 3:03

2 Carioca 3:05
Composed By – Edward Eliscu, Gus Kahn, Vincent Youmans
3 Fiesta Time 3:16
4 Heat Wave 3:35
Composed By – Irving Berlin
5 It Ain't Necessarily So 3:14
Composed By – DuBose Heyward, George & Ira Gershwin
6 Guess What 2:57
7 Cry Baby Blues 2:49
8 Lamento 2:39
Composed By – Antonio Carlos Jobim
9 You Stepped Out Of A Dream 2:35
Composed By – Gus Kahn, Nacio Herb Brown
10 Cachita 2:34
Composed By – Rafael Hernández
11 Rumbonsito 2:18
12 Te Quiero Dijiste 2:21
Composed By – Maria Grever
13 Siboney (Orig. Canto Siboney) 2:48
Composed By – Ernesto Lecuona
14 Angel's Flight 2:27
15 Tres Palabras 2:26
Composed By – Osvaldo Farrés
16 No Te Importe Saber 2:18
Composed By – René Touzet
17 Vaya Con Dios 2:57
Composed By – Buddy Pepper, Inez James, Larry Russell
18 Pianarabatibiri 2:20
19 L.A. Mambo 2:11
20 Quiéreme Mucho 2:28
Composed By – Gonzalo Roig
21 More Mambo 2:50
22 Mambo For Bunto 2:13
23 Botellero 2:39
Composed By – Gilberto Valdés
24 Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite 17:14
Performer, Featuring – Machito & His Afro-Cubans
Credits:
Arranged By, Conductor – Chico O'Farrill
Performer – Chico O'Farrill And His Orchestra