-Brooklyn’s Los Hacheros, modern-day torchbearers of the Golden Age of Latin music, recorded their sophomore album Bambulaye (February 26 / Chulo / Daptone Records) live to vintage analog tape, giving the music a raw, but warm and open sound similar to the Latin legends that have inspired them.
Their debut album Pilon was a well-received introduction to the band and received critical praise from tastemakers including Wax Poetics, Vibe Magazine, and The Washington City Paper, amongst others. Wax Poetics states, “The groove to this music is deep,” while The City Paper boasts, “…its solid arrangements and lively original songs have impressed old-school salseros and young music fans alike.”
“Bambulaye was recorded to be gritty, driving, and infectious, with the goal to get you up and dancing from first listen.” says producer / guitarist Jacob Plasse, also founder of the Daptone-distributed Latin revival label, Chulo Records. “I wanted this record to feel and sound the way it does when we play our final sets at 3am, exhausted in East Harlem dives. Suddenly the band comes to life and all the old dancers are at it like it was 1970 again. In those moments, we feel like we could play all night.”
Los Hacheros revives folkloric styles like son montuno, guaracha and salsa, and often combine them with Bomba, a fiery rhythm from the mountains of Puerto Rico. “Los Hacheros has the magic of group improvisation,” adds bassist William Ash. “We play in a style that is swing oriented and emphasizes the Cuban clave like great ones of old: Arsenio, Reve, Ritmo…”
A band of only 5 musicians, Los Hacheros can sound like a conjunto of 12. Eddie Venegas (Marc Anthony, Orquestra Broadway), who plays violin and sings chorus, improvises mambos on the trombone, Itai Kriss
(Edmar Castaneda, Grupo Latin Vibe) sings, plays flute, campana, and guiro, while Papote Jimenez is in charge of lead vocals, soulful soneos (improvised verses) and congas. William Ash (Alfredo de la Fe, Brenda K Starr) holds down the tumbaos on baby bass while Jacob Plasse plays the tres, a guitar-like instrument originating from the Oriente Province in Cuba.
“There are a million tiny cues on Bambulaye that let you know it is a live band,” describes Plasse. “It feels like it could both fall apart and explode at any moment.”
Website:
Interview w/ Jacob Plasse
https://www.facebook.com/loshacheros
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CskuhACMT34 –Los Hacheros se forman en el barrio chino de Nueva York, inspirados por la improvisación y el sonido setentoso de la Salsa. “Nuestra idea es rescatar la esencia de la música que realmente amamos. Nos inspiramos en grandes como Arsenio Rodríguez, Ray Barreto, Fania All Stars. Ese sentimiento de la música que nunca vivimos de los 70s”, comenta Jacob Plasse, encargado de tocar el Tres, quien hace una parada en Miami para hablar del proyecto en que está haciendo vida musicalmente.
Acaban de editar su segundo álbum de estudio titulado Bambulaye (Daptone Records, 2016). “En esencia somos cinco integrantes pero en grandes shows tocamos siete integrantes. Tiene que ver con invitados que se suman. Cada show es diferente, hay un aspecto de improvisación en la propuesta”, como bien lo demuestran en directo. “Creo que ese tipo de interacción ya no sucede en la actualidad”.
Jacob tiene similitudes a Larry Harlow en muchos aspectos. Ambos se criaron en New York y se enamoraron de la salsa durante su desarrollo musical. “Mis padres aman Talking Heads, no es realmente salsa”, comenta sobre sus primera influencias. “La primera vez que vi a Eddie Palmieri en un parque de Brooklyn dije: ‘¿qué demonios es esto?'”.
Los Hacheros sacan a relucir el tumbao que han adquirido de la calle y su buen gusto. “Somos un grupo de personas interesadas en la salsa que nos unimos en New York para tocar lo que nos gusta”, recalca. “Al principio nos fuimos conectando con los jóvenes latinos pero se han sumado habitantes de New York que se han conectado con lo que hacemos”.
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