''Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature'' is the debut album by Cuban double bassist

Cachao Israel López Valdés (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), better known as Cachao ( ), was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo and a master of the descarga (improvised jam sessions). ...

, released in 1957 by

Panart Panart was one of the first and most successful independent record labels in Cuba, founded in 1944 by engineer Ramón Sabat. In 1961, its studios were seized by Fidel Castro's communist regime and the label was nationalized, becoming "Panart Nacio ...

. The album is composed of

descarga A descarga (literally ''discharge'' in Spanish) is an improvised jam session consisting of variations on Cuban music themes, primarily son montuno, but also guajira, bolero, guaracha and rumba. The genre is strongly influenced by jazz and it wa ...

s, improvised jam sessions with Cuban themes. It was the fourth installment in Panart's ''Cuban Jam Session'' series after Julio Gutiérrez's ''Cuban Jam Session Vol. 1'' and ''Vol. 2'', and

Niño Rivera Andrés Echevarría Callava (April 18, 1919 – January 27, 1996), better known as Niño Rivera, was a renowned Cuban tres player, songwriter and arranger. Early in his career he played with the Sexteto Boloña and Sexteto Bolero, before forming hi ...

's ''Vol. 3''. Unlike the other installments, Cachao's session comprised short improvisations instead of extended jams. The album sold over a million copies and became "a Latin music milestone". In 2013, it was induced into the

Latin Grammy Hall of Fame The Latin Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize "early recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that were released more than 25 years ago". LARAS is also the same organiz ...

and the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

Background and recording

Israel López, better known as Cachao, and his brother Orestes López, nicknamed Macho, were founding members of Cuba's most popular charanga during the late 1930s and 1940s,

Arcaño y sus Maravillas Arcaño y sus Maravillas was a Cuban charanga founded in 1937 by flautist Antonio Arcaño. Until its dissolution in 1958, it was one of the most popular and prolific danzón orchestras in Cuba, particularly due to the development of the danzó ...

, directed by flautist

Antonio Arcaño Antonio Arcaño Betancourt (Atarés, Havana 29 December 1911 – 1994) was a Cuban flautist, bandleader and founder of Arcaño y sus Maravillas, one of Cuba's most successful charangas. He retired from playing in 1945, but continued as director ...

. The repertoire of the group consisted almost exclusively of compositions by the López brothers. Cachao played double bass, whereas Orestes performed on the piano, double bass and cello. They became key innovators of the

danzón Danzón is the official musical genre and dance of Cuba.Urfé, Odilio 1965. ''El danzón''. La Habana. It is also an active musical form in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Written in time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance, requiring se ...

genre, creating the danzón nuevo ritmo, which led to the

mambo Mambo most often refers to: * Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...

in the 1940s and chachacha in the 1950s. Apart from charangas, Cuban music in the 1940s saw the rise of

conjunto The term ''conjunto'' (, literally 'group', 'ensemble') refers to several types of small musical ensembles present in different Latin American musical traditions, mainly in Mexico and Cuba. While Mexican conjuntos play styles such as '' norteño' ...

s which specialized in

son cubano Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are t ...

and big bands which played all types of ballroom music from upbeat

guaracha The guaracha () is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word had been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical thea ...

s to

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

s and mambos. With the advent of the filin movement, it became common for artists to improvise extended sessions of boleros and sones, which became known as descargas. In addition, by the early 1950s,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

was already an important influence on Cuban musicians, and in 1952

Norman Granz Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz record producer and concert promoter. He founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo. Granz was acknowledged as "the most successful impres ...

recorded pianist

Bebo Valdés Dionisio Ramón Emilio Valdés Amaro (October 9, 1918 – March 22, 2013), better known as Bebo Valdés, was a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. He was a central figure in the golden age of Cuban music, especially due to his big b ...

in an improvised jam session in Havana, based more on

Afro-Cuban jazz Afro-Cuban jazz is the earliest form of Latin jazz. It mixes Afro-Cuban clave-based rhythms with jazz harmonies and techniques of improvisation. Afro-Cuban music has deep roots in African ritual and rhythm.{{cite web, Cuba: Son and Afro-Cuban ...

in the vein of Dizzy Gillespie and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, than son cubano. However, the rise of the descarga genre came in 1956 with

's initiative to record jam sessions directed by pianist Julio Gutiérrez. The success of his two albums (''Cuban Jam Session Vol. 1'' and ''Vol. 2'') led Panart to record a third session directed by tresero

in 1957. The same year, Cachao was called up to record his own sessions. At the time, Las Maravillas were no longer an active band, only recording under Cachao's direction, and they would give their final concert shortly after in 1958. The album was recorded at Panart Studios in Havana for five hours starting at 4 AM after all the musicians had finished their regular nightclub performances.

Release and promotion

The album was released in Cuba and the US by Panart in 1957. The title in Cuba was ''Descargas cubanas'', which was translated in the US as ''Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature'', with the subtitle "Descargas"; other issues aimed at the Latin American market retained the title ''Descargas cubanas''. The original Cuban issue and its American counterpart were released with different pictures on the cover from the same photo shoot. After its release and despite the turbulent situation in Cuba, the album managed to sell over a million copies. According to

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

, it "achieved the status of a classic and acted as the launch-pad for Cachao's widespread acclaim". To promote the LP, Panart released four singles containing eight out of the twelve tracks on the album. Following the nationalization of Panart's assets, the LP was re-issued in 1961 by "Panart Nacionalizada" and shortly after the EGREM logo began to be printed it. During the 1980s, it was re-released in Colombia by

Discos Fuentes Discos Fuentes is a record label based in Medellín, Colombia, South America. Founded in 1934 in Cartagena, Colombia, by Antonio Fuentes Estrada, Discos Fuentes was the country's first notable record label. The label was instrumental in introduc ...

under the ''Descargas cubanas'' title. In 1994, an expanded edition of the album was issued by Caney under the title ''From Havana to New York'', including previously unreleased tracks recorded in New York in the early 1960s. In 1996 the album was issued on CD by

EGREM EGREM (Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales, Spanish for ''Enterprise of Recordings and Musical Editions'') is the national record label of Cuba. It is headquartered in Centro Habana, where its main record studios (''Estudios Areito'' 101 ...

for the Cuban market. In 2004 it was reissued on CD with bonus tracks by the Spanish label VampiSoul. A remastered CD version was released in November 2018 by Craft Recordings as part of ''The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions'', which also includes the other four jam session LPs originally released by Panart.

Critical reception

''Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature'' has been described as a "historic recording" with a "classic rhythm section" and "the true salsa musician's bible on record". Producer Al Santiago (founder of Alegre Records) considered it his "favorite recording of all time", and Larry Harlow called it "a recording that will live forever".

Ned Sublette Ned Sublette (born 1951 in Lubbock, Texas) is an American composer, musician, record producer, musicologist, historian, and author. Sublette studied Spanish Classical Guitar with Hector Garcia at the University of New Mexico and with Emilio Puj ...

wrote a very favourable review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It was included in Tom Moon's ''1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die''. The musicianship on the album is universally praised, with reviewers considering the lineup as "Havana's top musicians", "Cuba's best", and "the best soloists and rhythm section of the time. All Hall-of-Famers". Master conguero Frank Malabé praised the performance of

Tata Güines Federico Arístides Soto Alejo (June 30, 1930 – February 4, 2008), better known as Tata Güines, was a Cuban percussionist, bandleader and arranger. He was widely regarded as a master of the conga drum, and alongside Carlos "Patato" Valdés, inf ...

, who was very young at the time. According to José Claussell, the album marked "the beginning of a dramatic change in the ideas and practices concerning Afro-Caribbean percussion, especially the conga drum".

Track listing

Personnel

– music direction, double bass, piano (track A1) *

Orestes López Orestes López Valdés (August 28, 1908 – January 26, 1991), nicknamed Macho, was a Cuban multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. As a double bassist he was a founding member of the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra, and later a member of th ...

– piano (tracks A2, A6, B1, B2) *Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar – trumpet *Virgilio Vixama – baritone saxophone (track A4) *Emilio Peñalver – tenor saxophone (track A4) * Generoso "Tojo" Jiménez – trombone (tracks A1, A2) *

Richard Egües Richard Egües, nicknamed "la flauta mágica" (the magic flute), (October 26, 1923 - September 1, 2006) was a Cuban flautist and musician, one of the country's most famous artists. Egües was a member of the Orquesta Aragón band which he joined i ...

– flute (track B6) *

– tres (track A5) *

Guillermo Barreto Guillermo Barreto (August 11, 1929 – December 14, 1991) was a Cuban drummer and '' timbalero''. He was a major figure in the Cuban music scene for more than fifty years and one of the first drummers in Cuba to play Afro-Cuban jazz. Nickname ...

– timbales *

– tumbadora, double bass (track A1) *Rogelio "Yeyo" Iglesias – bongos *Gustavo Tamayo – güiro *Rolito – vocals *Reyes – vocals

Singles

The following singles were released by Panart to promote the LP: *Descarga cubana / Goza mi trompeta (Panart 2095) *A gozar timbero / Sorpresa de flauta (Panart 2140) *Pamparana / Cógele el golpe (Panart 2212) *Trombón criollo / Oye mi tres montuno (Panart 2292)

References

External links

Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature
''

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''.
Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature
''

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''. {{Authority control 1957 debut albums Cachao albums Panart albums Spanish-language albums Latin Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients United States National Recording Registry recordings Descarga albums United States National Recording Registry albums