LECUONA CUBAN BOYS/BENEATH THE CUBAN MOON 33S 1075 (-55) UK

Cuban band existing between 1931-75, during that time issuing a large number of recordings while touring USA, Europe and south america through different settings. With a kind of exotica much appreciated before the big global changes following world war 2 the public fascination started to wane in the fifties, but they remain popular in some circuits as one of the first bands making latino music a common household genre. This album has ten cuts from the thirties and forties, transferred from the original 78:s. Audio shifts depending on initial recordings, but all sounds very warm with a pristine quality. Part of the music is wild and uninhibited showing on African heritage, part reminding of pre-war US schlager. All cuts have vocals, either as chants or lyrics. My two favorite moments both with female guest singers - US actress Gertrude Nielsen doing a comic version of "La Cucaracha" and the operatic vocals to latino rythms in "Mario la O" sung by French artist Elyane Celis (who also worked with Maurice Chevalier and did Snow White's voice in the French version of the movie). Lots of history included and though I'm not usually a big fan of latino music the background and pleasant atmosphere makes this worth while. First UK 10 inch had label as shown here and fully laminated cover with crescent flips. (NYFÖ*) (FÄV*)