Charlie Palmieri And Meñique - Con Salsa Y Sabor (1977) [vinyl>flac]

In 1977 two virtuosos of Salsa Music, pianist and arranger Charlie Palmieri born in New York in 1927 and Meñique aka Pinkie singer-songwriter born in the City of Panama in 1933, came together to produce this album.

A late date for the Cotique label - but a cooker of a set from the time when the imprint was one of the standout sources for salsa on the New York scene! Charlie Palmieri's united here with legendary Panamanian singer Menique - in a batch of tracks that has all the lively energy of Charlie's better-known albums from the 70s, but which is much more obscure overall! Charlie produced, and plays piano and a bit of percussion - and all lead vocals are by Menique, often with a slightly playful feel that clearly reflects the joy he and Charlie had in the studio putting the set together. Other players include Roy Roman and Lou Laurita on trumpets, Keith O'Quinn and Tom Malone on trombone, and Bobby Nelson on saxes – and titles include "Con Salsa Y Sabor", "El Amante", "Mi Tierra Lejana", "De Panama A Borinquen", "Tributo A Pedro Flores", and "Remordimiento". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Unlike other tropical bandleaders who are no longer with us, like Tito Puente or Ray Barretto, the recorded output of Charlie Palmieri's was relatively small. This becomes particularly painful considering that Charlie was the man that his younger brother Eddie Palmieri referred to as "el verdadero rey de las blancas y las negras" (the real king of the ivories). In effect, every one of Charlie's recorded solos is a precious moment to enjoy. Every one of his albums, a treasure. As part of the promotion of this record, Palmieri and Meñique appeared on the infamous Puerto Rican TV show Noche de Gala performing an electrifying version of "El Barón." A clip of this performance (including a wonderfully dissonant, almost violent piano solo by Charlie) is widely available on the Internet. Watching a young Meñique belting out this song with his usual passion, framed by Charlie's piano and a ferocious salsa orchestra, you can't help but fool yourself into believing, for a brief moment, that the spirit of old school salsa is still alive and kicking in this day and age. ~ by Ernesto Lechner.

Cotique Records, LPS 88830, 1977

Recorded at Earth Sound Studios, New York in 1977

Personnel:

Charlie Palmieri - Piano, Percussion

Meñique [aka Pinkie] - Vocals

Roy Roman - Trumpet (#A1,A2,B1,B3)

Lou Laurita - Trumpet (#A1,A2,B1,B3)

José Merino - Trumpet

Nahum Mercedes - Trumpet

Keith O'Quinn - Trombone (#A1,A2,B1,B3)

Tom Malone - Trombone

Bobby Nelson - Saxophone

Harry Viggiano - Guitar

Bobby Rodriguez - Bass

Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez - Congas (#A1,A2,B1,B3)

Manfrede Alfredo - Congas

John Jr. Papin - Bongos (#A1,A2,B1,B3)

Willie Rodriguez - Bongo

Mike Collazo - Timbales (#A1,A2,B1,B3)

Teddy Denoyer - Timbales

Adalberto Santiago. Néstor Sánchez, Vitín Avilés - Backing Chorus

Track Listing:

A1. Con Salsa Y Sabor [Sauce And Flavor] (4:08)

A2. El Amante [Lover] (3:14)

A3. Calor De Madre [Mother Heat] (7:56)

A4. Mi Tierra Lejana [Distant Land] (6:14)

B1. El Baron [The Baron] (5:07)

B2. De Panama A Borinquen [Panama To Borinquen] (5:16)

B3. Tributo A Pedroflores [Tribute To Pedro Flores] (5:49)

B4. Remordimiento [Remorse] (5:09)

Credits:

Producer - Charlie Palmieri

Engineer - Irv Greenbaum

Arrangements - Charlie Palmieri, Rodolfo Manzano, José Merino, Jose Madera

Copyist - Alexis Juan Martínez

Original Album Cover and Liner Photos - Mark Kozlowski

Original Album Design - Pam Lessero