Domingo Cura - Tiempo De Percusion: An Anthology 1971-77 (2012)

Despite tremendous political upheaval, Argentina in the 1960s and 1970s witnessed a remarkable musical flowering in which traditional "folklore" styles were embraced and updated by a new generation of musicians who fused traditional Argentinian rhythms and musical forms with elements of rock, soul, funk and jazz. Percussionist Domingo Cura was at the center of these exciting musical developments. Born in 1947 in Santiago del Estero province in northern Argentina, he moved to Buenos Aires at the age of 18, where he joined the band of harmonicist Victor Hugo Diaz. In the 1960s, Cura became the rhythmic heart of much Argentinian music, playing with Ariel Ramirez, Mercedes Sosa, Astor Piazolla and Gato Barbieri. Cura also worked closely with Eduardo Lagos, playing on every track of Lagos's 1969 debut album Asi Nos Gusta, a landmark of the modern Argentinian folklore sound. This release is a compilation of the finest moments from Domingo Cura's four solo albums released during the period 1971 to 1977, featuring Cura's propulsive mastery of the traditional bombo drum as well as other percussion instruments. The music ranges from DJ-friendly percussion workouts to piano-dappled rhythmic fantasias, Afro-Latin sax grooves to pieces with a more typically "South American" feel, featuring guitars and flutes. But it all coheres, driven along by Cura's percussive vision, magnificently displayed on the opening track "Percusion," a groundbreaking multi-track groove monster. For all percussion lovers and fans of world music. Featuring a lovely collage cover by Finnish musician and artist Kuupuu. (boomkat)