VA - The Music Of Cuba 1909 – 1951 (2000)

It seems reasonable to presume that without the unexpected success of the Buena Vista Social Club at the end of the 1990s, Columbia would not have been interested in digging through its vaults for vintage Cuban pop recordings. Whatever it takes to unlock a flood of ethnic music, however, should be welcomed. And you certainly get a wealth of it on this disc, which assembles 25 tracks from 1909-1951, although all but three are from 1926-1942. It's lighthearted, for the most part, danceable popular music (although Sexteto Nacional's "Siboney" has a nice melancholy aura), roaming among the various branches of the Cuban sound, including danzon, son, bolero, rumba, and conga. Considering the age of the recordings, the remastering is exceptional, although there's still a lot of noise on some of the cuts, probably unavoidably so. There's certainly a lot of variety, with men and women singers, cuts with barely any instrumental accompaniment, full orchestras, an unaccompanied choral song (save for a brief bit of bagpipe near the beginning), numbers with clear American pop and jazz influences, and more. There's even one name that will be known to most of the general public – Desi Arnaz – heard doing congas with his orchestra on two tracks, done in 1939 and 1940, respectively.

01. Unknown - Orquesta Felipe Valdés
02. Se Acabó la Choricera - Floro Zorrilla, Miguel Zaballa
03. Miguel, los Hombres No Lloran - Sexteto Occidente
04. Somos Ocho Orientales - Grupo Tipico Oriental
05. Tus Manos Blancas - Maria Cervantes
06. As Mozas de Vilanova - Coro Agrupacion Artistica Gallega
07. Siboney - Sexteto Nacional
08. Mujeres Enamorenme - Sexteto Nacional
09. Noche Azul [#] - Cuban Orchestra, Test For Mr. Madriguera
10. Masabi - Alberto y Su Orquesta Cubancan Socarras, Su Orquesta Cubanacan
11. Pacto con el Diablo - Alberto Socarrás, Su Orquesta Cubanacan
12. The Music Goes 'Round and Around [#] - Augusto & His Golden Casino Orchestra Coén
13. Conga [#] - Augusto & His Golden Casino Orchestra Coén
14. Mulatica - Johnny Y Su Orquesta Rodriguez, Su Orquesta
15. Tabú [# USA] - Lecuona Cuban Boys
16. Rumba Tambah - Lecuona Cuban Boys
17. Rumbas Cubanas - Lecuona Cuban Boys
18. El Maraquero - Antobal's Cubans
19. A Centavo el Mazo - Orquesta Perdo Vía
20. Cachita - Antobal's Cubans
21. La Gonga en Nueva York - Desi Arnaz, Su Orquesta
22. Impromptu [#] - Desi Arnaz, Su Orquesta
23. El Muerto Se Fue de Rumba - Orquesta Hermanos Castro
24. La Reina del Gauguancó - Alberto Iznaga, Su Orquesta Siboney
25. Como Ayer - Conjunto Cubakonga