Macondo - Almendra

Produced by Sergio Mendes, Macondo was one of the more interesting, and frustrating groups to fuse Latin music, heavy rock, and funk in the wake of Santana's huge early-'70s success. Though the band featured several able instrumentalists (particularly bassist Ron Chretin) and loads of raw energy, no one in the group was a particularly good vocalist. Leader Max Uballez has a nice knack for melody and loads of interesting musical concepts. Perhaps sensing that they rocked but didn't have anything close to a hit, on side two the group (or perhaps Mendes) decided to include Macondo's very own "Oye Como Va" (a full two years after Abraxas) in the form of "Cayuco," a similar Tito Puente composition. The tune sounds a bit out of place considering not a word of Spanish is sung on the entire first side of the record. Macondo is certainly an obscurity worth looking out for and highly recommended to fans of the genre.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Funk
• Pop
• Rock and Jazz.

[VIVALAMUSICADEMEXICO]

GREAT SONG GREAT BAND. JUST GREAT MUSIC, REAL MUSIC. THERE IS NEVER A COMPARISON TO THE CRAP WE HAVE TODAY. SO SORRY FOR TODAYS GENERATION, HOPEFULLY SOME WILL GUIDE THEM INTO THIS TYPE OF MUSIC. 60'S 70' AND 80'S

[oaklandlatinosunited]

preatty cool band i have a lot of the old school latin rock on cd is this band from the san francisco bay area ....

[1magoodo]

This album was a demo recorded for Sergio Mendes not a finished product. Most of the tracks were recorded in one or two takes. It still sounds great. Just Re-released on CD in 2010 this East L.A. Band was lead by Max Uballez, known to be the talent behind the creation of the 1960’s Eastside Sound, resident producer, arranger songwriter at Rampart Records and the Producer of Land of 1000 Dances.