NG La Banda


constr.gif (2195 bytes) They started the whole timba thing!

"Now elder statesmen of Cuba's dance music scene, they have recorded more than 20 albums and their structurally complicated, hip-shaking sound echoes in the music of virtually every Cuban dance band formed since. Over the past decade NG has served as a kind of postgraduate school for outstanding young talents. Singers Issac Delgado, Paulito FG, Manolín, and drummer Giraldo Piloto (among others) did stints with the group before successfully venturing out on their own." (from: Poets of the Pueblo, by Judy Cantor)

"This long awaited release is finally available. The style is not so much as pushing the Havana timba further, but incorporating it's elements where they work best. It has a seasoned, very confident NG sound that is modern and strong." (Descarga.com about their '98 album Veneno)

The music:

veneno.gif (10750 bytes) Veneno: Como Me Da La Gana, La Chica De La Playa, La Dura, Veneno, Verano Habanero, Estoy Muera, Contigo, Cucalambé, La Oportunidad, Acorralada, Pregón De Mandarina, Conga De Los Refranes, Veneno (Radio Edit); 1998 Metro Blue 93985

Available at Descarga.com

Links on NG La Banda:

Poets of the Pueblo, nov '98, about NG and its leader José Luis 'El Tosco' Cortes
Cuban dance band roars with pure street energy, by Jordan Levin, nov '98
Another interview with José Luis Cortes, '98
Comments of José Luis Cortes in Bring on the Cubans!, also by Judy Cantor, june '97
El músico José Luis Cortes refleja en su disco 'Veneno' - la gozadera de la música cubana,
Diego Manrique, march '97 (spanish)
NG La Banda featuring Cuban divas Omara Portuondo & Celeste Mendoza (in Dutch)
NG La Banda in Hot Salsa's Artist Catalog (french)


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Last modified on 11.12.98