OCHO: OCHO II

OCHO
Em 1974 era fatal: em qualquer "boite" da moda no Rio de Janeiro, quando o DJ colocava no prato da "vitrola"(!) o recém lançado LP do "OCHO", faltava lugar na pista de danças. Ninguém conseguia ficar sentado ao som do "groove" do OCHO.
E olha que naquele tempo "salsa" não fazia - como agora - parte do cardápio dos ritmos tocados pelos DJ.
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CHICO MENDOZA - o pianista, vibrafonista, maestro e arranjador CHICO MENDOZA (Ira J. Roberts Jr.), não é um nome dos mais conhecidos, mesmo entre o pessoal do "ramo". E no entanto, além de ter criado e liderado o sensacional grupo 'OCHO', também fundou e dirigiu com grande competência a "Dream latin-jazz-band" já postada no blog.
CHICO MENDOZA, estejam certos: É UM CRAQUE!
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CHICO MENDOZA
The musical heritage of Ira Roberts Jr. (better known as Chico Mendoza) was inevitable, as he grew up in a very musical family. What his family never expected was that he would become such an ardent lover of Latin music. He was born on July 20th, 1939 in Jacksonville, Florida. His father, Ira J. Roberts, was part Cuban and his mother Evelyn was half Afro-American and half Native American (Cherokee). Raised in Montclair, New Jersey, he graduated from the local high school in 1957, at a time when the area was mostly black, with some enclaves of Italian and Irish families in close proximity.
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OCHO
This rare album is the second of a serie of three recorded by OCHO, a legendary and seminal group in the NuYorican "latin jazz" scene of the early 70s. OCHO's leader and arranger, CHICO MENDOZA, produced an astonishing blend of soul, funk, Latin, jazz, and other styles mixed all together. The "groove" is irresistible! OCHOS delivers a great mix of electric piano, percussion, vibes, and some pretty sharp work on tenor and flute. AWESOME!
(By CB)
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ALBUM REVIEW
A seminal album from the NuYorican Latin generation! Ocho only get better on this second album - mixing together jazz, funk, soul, and Latin into a sound that was shared by few other groups -- using vibes, electric piano, and flute in combination with older elements of Latin Jazz to forge a brave new style for the proud Latin scene of the 70s. The range of grooves is amazing -- with some fast jammers, some beautiful mellow numbers, and some of the wildest jazzy changes you've ever heard on a Latin album. Great all the way through -- and tracks include "Fool'ja", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?", "Descarga Con Baja", "La Batanga", and "El Guayabero".
(Source: Amazon.com)
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MINHA OPINIÃO: como dizem por aqui: "PÁ GOZAR!" - "Ocho" é uma maravilha!
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OCHO II

PERSONNEL:
Chico Mendoza - leader, piano & vibes
Andy McCloud - bass
Charlie Marshall - tenor sax & flute
Herbie Morgan - tenor, soprano sax & flute
Xavier Q. Lynch - baritone sax & flute
Charlie Jones - bongos and percussion
Donald Howard - congas
Butch Johnson - timbales
Manny Román - spanish vocals
Pam Kootz - english vocals
Adalberto Santiago, Jimmy Sabater & Ismael Quintana - background vocals

TRACKS/FAIXAS:
1. Theme from 'Last Tango In Paris'
2. Oye Mi Son Cha Cha Cha
3. What Are You Doing For The Rest of Your Life?
4. Descarga Con Bajo
5. El Guayabero
6. La Batanga
7. Guagancó En Tropicana
8. Fool'Ja

DOWNLOAD: AQUI