Cubismo - Viva la Habana! (1998)

This live recording of Cubismo proves that a love of Cuban music can blossom even in the unlikeliest of places: namely Croatia. Recorded in Zagreb, this CD features a band of long-haired hippies who wail and roll in songs of traditional Cuban fare. Cuts like "Sueños" cha-cha with vigor while "Tu Mi Delirio" slowly shuffles with the suavest romance. "Groovin' High" recalls Irakere in its jazzy complexity and fine solos. Yolanda Duke's guest vocals on "Definitivamente" and "Oriente" are bold and passionately beefy. But perhaps what's most amazing here is the wild audience response to this virtuoso band and its daring attack on a music born thousands of miles away from its homeland. Clearly, the Zagreb listeners love Cuban music, a feeling not uncommon in the late '90s throughout the Western world, and Cubismo--with a mix of Croatian and Latin members--serve up the salsa well. --Karen Karleski