Reviews (page 4 of 7)
08/05/2025 I have no feelings for or against the album. It was okay.
Interesting. Great example of early world music. That said, not exactly my cup of tea.
This album is kinda cool. Not super amazing but at least interesting. Enjoyed a couple of the songs.
This had a sound to I don't hear often. It's a good listen
Super super super cool stuff. Love how niche it is too
Music that sounds like it's more fun to play than to listen to.
Hypnotic and unfamiliar. A rhythm-driven ritual I can’t fully judge, but I felt it all the same.
Mocne bębny, ale całość jest chaotyczna, jakby niedopracowana. Wiem, że to ludowy folklor, ale były tu już lepsze płyty tego rodzaju. Samym rytmem się nie da obronić. 5/10
Interesting. I doubt i will ever listen again, but I dont regret doing it.
Listened to half then had to go to class
I'm not *totally* convinced of this album's essentialness, but it's far from the worst thing I've ever heard. 3.5/5
Are very much enjoyed it. I'll keep it on the phone for a little while so I can enjoy it again
Much more of a vibe than anticipated!
"Palo Congo" by Sabu showcases an Afro-Cuban sound that primarily focused on the use of percussion. Although it was recorded in 1957, resulting in less than optimal audio quality, this does add charm to the album. However, the audio panning between the left and right channels can be distracting, particularly when using headphones. The album captures the vibrant energy of a live event or party, rather than just a studio recording. The instrumentation is masterful, though at times the drum beats become overly repetitive, and some solos may extend for too long. The music feels very authentic and effectively transports listeners to a different era. This album was an interesting new discovery for me and an enjoyable listen.
It's unlikely I will ever listen to this again, but it was a fun listen for a Tuesday afternoon at work. Heavy on the drums
Nice change of pace
Nice old-school Latin jazz album, refreshing change from all those 70s rock albums. Recording sounds rather crude though, but the vibe is there. 3.2
For anyone as annoyed as me about the stereo mix on this; if you're on Android, search in your settings for "Mono audio" and have Android mix it back to mono for you. I found it much more listenable that way . Anyway, I liked this more at the beginning and the end than I did in the middle, where it dragged on a bit. Low three stars
pretty cool
Enjoyable! Nice to work to
Fun!
I got a fever and the only prescription is more bongos lol This was fun to listen to and bang your hands on your thighs with the beats. If I ever need any good island music in the future, I might throw this on.
This was really fun! I liked it quite a bit.
sollte man vielleicht nicht im Büro hören, sondern eher im Sommer auffem Balkon oder Terrasse. Kam so nicht in Stimmung :-/ Fairness halber gebe ich daher neutrale 3 Sterne
Genuinely different and interesting. A lot of it was fun, but some of it was just too heavy on the percussion for my preference.
It's Alright. Calling it jazz is a stretch. Definitely latin. Great conga work. But it mostly just a lot of conga and not a ton of variation. Not for me.
Each song goes on too long but I like the sound and drums. Choferito is a great song. 3.5
I've heard this with a hangover and with every olelelele I thought I would die. But I didn't. And I think I don't like rumba music that much. Not for me/5.
While I would not choose to listen to this on a regular basis I am glad to it is on the list and the style is worth a listen. As with many of the albums on the list I am not sure if this recording is genre defining, but it was good to hear something beyond the overrepresented brit pop.
The drum sounds could be mesmerizing at times.
This was certainly a choice to have this as one of 1001 albums you need to hear before you die. I really don’t think anyone needs to hear this. I did find this at least a ridiculously hilarious choice. I kept thinking it would be funny if someone stole my phone while I was walking around the city listening to this. The thief would be so confused with what I was listening to. That hypothetical situation made me delighted. And for that alone I’m going to remain neutral on this.
Better than World Beat from the 80s, this album was a nice change of pace for me.
This is totally different than anything I listen to on a regular basis. The Cuban rhythm on the congas is entrancing at times and so groovy at others. It's a surprising break from the typical rock and roll/jazz/blues that I've been recommended thus far and is super interesting. Some people complain about this album and say that they just don't "get" it, which is fine. This album didn't have that effect on me.
Good album. Recording was excellent with good use of stereo. The percussionist(s) were awesome. Good guitar work. So-so vocals.
Fav Tracks: El Cumbanchero, Choferita-Plena Least Fav: Billumba-Palo Congo, Simba Very nice to have on in the background.
3.0 I was Today Years old when I fould out there is a differnece between a Conga and a Bongo. This album had a whole bunch of Congas. Had sort of a club feel, thought it was interesting enough
A bit repetitive, but lively with a great beat.
Fun, but p full on. Enjoyed it but it's not for regular rotation.
it's good, but repetitive.
In a nutshell: these congueros are on fire. I’m not drummer or a musician, but there is excellent percussion on here! I think it was recorded to sound like a live show. It doesn’t quite capture that vibe for me. Conversely, the technology was in its infancy… It’s good, but I’m unsure if this is the best example of this genre. Overall: 5/10
not familiar with this artist /style
Not bad but not amazing to me. Just a generally fun rumba record with a tropical/isalnd vibe.
Be careful! This album goes by quick and if you're streaming you might just absorb more than the 8 songs of Palo Congo by Sabu before realizing it. I appreciate the energy of this record, especially for 1957. It reminds me that pace and gusto have always been present in music from eras that would otherwise like to push those elements back.
Sa bu
A bit ambient for me. I'm good with instrumental and like a lot of jazz but this was like trance music in a number of ways. Not something that moved me. Perhaps there's a technical thing I am unaware of or a place in history that this snugs into that adds gravity to the album.
Definitely a bop, but wasn't incredibly engaging / interesting
I'm often at a complete loss when it comes to judging these kinds of albums. They're in a quite different category than the majority of the albums on the list. They have very different musical aims. I enjoyed it, but I really don't know how to compare it with other albums. I'll leave a 3 for now
Pretty fun album. I really liked the stereo mix. It's interesting to see someone who is great at conga drums as a band leader. I don't understand how you compose for bongos or congas. It seems so free form. 3.25/5
Not my genre but sounded nice.
It’s interesting to hear a Latin jazz record that’s so percussion-forward. Not the most engaging listen, but s’fine.
Interesting. I’m always up for finding (new to me) old jazz musicians. Unfamiliar with this style, but dig it. Not fully in live with it, but could see listening to it again.
Might be worth coming back one day. Really in the middle between Africa and South America
This was fine, but I didn't really care for it. Felt a little generic.
I always enjoy something that id never come across normally and this was very new to me. I enjoyed the rhythm and the vibe bit it never really took off from there.
Not the usual sort of music. I really enjoyed this.
很有非洲風味的專輯，非洲的鼓真的很有特色。歌唱的方式總是會有一位像是長老的帶頭，其他人復頌一次。沒有特別喜歡的歌曲，但很有特色。
Interesting but don’t really know how to quantify this and not likely something I would list to regularly
It has some cool groovy and jammy moments. But also some very skippable moments.
This is the kind of album I'd wanted to experience from the list, but I don't need to hear it again. Cool piece of Blue Note history.
Album that is out of my breadth for vocals, but it's got a fun energy to it. 3.5
Enjoyed this quite a bit, but probably won't listen to this after today.
Pretty fun!
Decent Cuban Rumba music. Given its date, I wasn't too shocked at how rudimentary, skeletal, and sort of tribal it was. In a sense, it's sort of hypnotic, especially when looking at the extreme with a song like 'Simba' with those occasional cries and entrancing conga drums. On the other end of the spectrum, you have a song like 'Choferito-Piena' which may be the catchiest and most melodic song here. Sounds like a song that'd fit snuggly on a Columbian party mix or something. If we're talking a perfect balance, nothing beats 'Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso' for me, impeccable guitar work over that relaxed rhythm section. Cool album, though it didn't do much for me - it's not something I would revisit.
When the tres is featured and there's a vocal line to speak of, this can be really pleasant – the son style vibe is lovely. But there's too much congo for me I'm afraid and I ended up skipping some of the tracks, which I really try hard not to do on principle. I'm unlikely to want to listen to this again. It gets the obligatory +1 star for not being in English, but that only gets it to 3.
3rd one was alright
I appreciate the variety that the 1001 albums project can provide; this album is definitely something I would not come across otherwise. The album has a pretty cohesive sound: rhythm-focused and Spanish language. However, I would file most tracks into one of two categories: instrument-focused and vocal-focused. The vocal-focused tracks tend to be call-and-response with little musical variety, and being that I don't speak the language, I found these tracks to be a bit less interesting. However, the instrument-focused tracks were more interesting to me. I can also hear some similarities to the Santana track "El Nicoya" from Abraxas, so presumably Santana has taken influence from this sound. Overall, I can see why this album is on the list, but it is probably not something I would listen to again.
Fun album, nice couple of songs to begin with, and then it turned into a more average show. Pretty good to listen to for 10 minutes.
Music that comes under the extremely broad genre of “world” has tended to score highly with me for the most part. Perhaps it’s because I can’t tell if the lyrics are good or bad, so maybe I just assume they are and so focus more on the music itself. For today’s album, I didn’t find the music all that interesting. It seemed fine, and perhaps it was revolutionary at the time, but with today’s ears I simply found it to be a very average sounding album that didn’t really leave much impression on me. I think a ranking right down the middle is fair here.
Latin dance music, conga drum focus. Would be good background music for a summer pool party.
Hey, it's congo's. Certainly an enjoyanble listen. Fave: El Cumbanchero
An interesting listen. I did capoeira for a while and some of these tracks made me nostalgic for all the singing involved. (I know this is Spanish rather than Portuguese but like any Englishman, I can just barely tell the difference.) It's a bit too rough around the edges for me to want to revisit it often, so misses out on a fourth star, but still appreciated. Fave tracks - "Billumba-Palo Congo" for all the call and response stuff. Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso" and "Tribilin Cantore" are pleasant listens, too...
This wasn’t awful but it follows a week of average ir bad music on this ride and that made it a little less fun for me. Latin African Drum Jazz isn’t anything I see myself craving to listen to. But it didn’t hurt me to hear it. 3
Was very interested during the first half as it had a pretty fun improv vibe, makes sense as the cover says it was released on Blue Note, the legendary jazz label. Unfortunately it gets a bit stale into the second half, the improv style drifts away a little and gets replaced by repetitive bongo drumming, which i'm not completely opposed to, but it was just alright. Glad I got to give it a shot, but doubt i'll be spinning it again any time soon.
I read a review of this record on albumoftheyear.org that said that the repetitiveness of this record (all percussion and vocals chants) was a major issue. Well, that's a feature, not a bug in my opinion. I love that most of this album is just polyrhythmic percussion (mostly hand percussion) with chants. I like the raw recording quality, I like the energetic and layered rhythms, and I like the multi-timbral chants. There's a band in there somewhere (bass, guitar, piano sometimes?) but mixed so low as to remind you of what the point of the record is. I'm kind of surprised that someone had the perspective to record and release an album like this is the 50s. Interesting that it was marketed as "jazz" (which sui drawing a long bow, in my opinion) rather than as presenting it as an ethnographic recording. These kinds of sounds did not become more popular for a very long time. 'Choferito', for example, reminds me of 80s or 90s Tom Waits, for example. I am sure that the guitar on that influenced Marc Ribot. There aren't many strong or memorable 'songs' here as we would understand it in more Eurocentric musical traditions, but the groove is intense and compelling. It's a really good example of an Afro-Latin model, which places a greater emphasis on rhythm. And I don't feel like this was too compromised to appeal to Western tastes. It's great to break out of one's cultural assumptions and listen to music with a different set of assumptions and priorities.
I do like a bit if congo/samba so I didn't really think this was bad. Nothing I'd ever come back to, but it was a nice little ride. 2.5/5
Wel oke
I don't listen to this kind of music, but it's pretty fun to listen to once. Also, the musicality is very cool, with great interval choices. And the congos are very fun.
Thought I would enjoy this more than I did. 3
I don’t know if Psychedelic Congo is a thing but this was there. Somewhere around Simba I found myself hallucinating and believing I was in Central American tripping on ayahuasca. I was relieve to discover I was still alive when the guitars kicked back in for Rhaspodia del Maravilloso. I probably won’t return here (already talked to God today, good convo, ready to move on) but I was an interesting listen!
Mad respect for the Afro-Cuban congo music. I dug this one. While it is old it doesn't sound as dated as I imagined. I doubt I'll reach for this one often, I'd rather listen to Buena Vista Social Club. But this was an interesting listen and one I'm glad to experience. I could really hear the African rhythms in here more than usual when I hear Cuban music.
Solid dance party!
I imagine this is framework for all drum circles around a campfire that involved smoking weed and tripping out. Fun for a while, but I'm not at a drum circle...I'm in a cubicle.
How raw is this? It's Gordon Ramsey bellowing at a flustered Hell's Kitchen contestant raw, that's what's up. It also sounds really sparse too - a few tracks are little more than congas and some chanted vocals. I thought I would get bored, but I had this on whilst doing some chores and in the end the insistent, driving polyrhythms had me snagged. Perhaps that's the key - peculiarly kinetic music like this does not pair well with stillness.
Really glad to see things like this get some recognition. Especially after feeling like I was being suffocated with moldy beige paint equivalent that was Shack and The La's. I liked the tracks that used all of the elements like El Cumbanchero and Choferito Plena. The more folky tracks felt more like a chant and got a bit repetitive for their duration. even by Pop or Electronica standards I thought these got a bit samey. That being said I think Asabache was my favourite song. They went fucking ham on that conga drum. This album was very easy to appreciate but outside of a few songs I'm not sure if it was something I would come back to outside of this list.
Instrumentals are great throughout, guitar and drums are excellent. Vocals are hit or miss. The call and response part in song 2 sucked and went on far too long. The instrumental heavy tracks are great
I don’t have much to say about this. It’s great music but it doesn’t really strike me as above and beyond anything else I’ve heard in the genre. I’d say this is another inclusion of albums that inspired genres that have since been outdone by those that came after them. Sorta made me think of what would be on the radio in some South American tiki bar before the CIA get in a gunfight with the local security forces.
African jazz. I could take it or leave it.
I love introducing new genres into my listening. I think I generally vibe with Cuban music, like when I've heard it in a movie or something like that, and am curious which other Cuban jazz albums might be considered definitive. But I didn't love this album. I'm glad I listened to it once, but some of it was too repetitive to be enjoyable. Rhapsodia del Maravilloso was the best track for me.
The first album on the list that I’ve never heard of, or the artist even, whilst it’s definitely not my thing, I can appreciate it and wouldn’t want to give it too low a score as certain it’s been influential
It was fine.
Was torn between giving it 2 or 3 stars. It’s nearly 70yr old and does have a good vibe to it so I think it deserves the 3.
All right, not bad.
This album was a real roadblock for me. I thought I would enjoy it, but I tried to listen to it a few times and I kept falling asleep. I didn't want to skip it, so the new albums kept coming in daily and stacking up. It was giving me anxiety. Finally after 20 days I put the whole project on pause, for three months. Well, I'm finally back and I put this album on and finally made it through to the end. It's just okay.
Feels like sitting in on a jam session which is okay but the songs just lack any sort of structure so each becomes kind of old after some time. 6/10
Alveg ágætis plata.
Interesting mix of African and South American beats. They’re clearly having a ball.
Well. Sounds really different to most of the albums in this list. But I liked it. Great rithmical base.
I liked that I was asked to listen to this. It was something different and not bad, but maybe just not right in the groove for me.
Not a lot for me to hook into but an interesting change of pace.
Very Caribbean -- love hearing different genres on here. This one sounds timeless. 3* because it doesn't surpass some other albums I've really enjoyed.
Interesting to hear music from other cultures. But aside from some moments this didn't do much for me
Fun!
It’s fine but gets a little tedious after a while
I can respect this for what it is. While it is not something that I would cruise around town blasting, it is something that is a decent representation of it's genre.
Good for background music
Another nice example of a very specific genre that I wouldn't have heard otherwise and have no frame of reference for to tell if it's any good. I enjoyed it, matched the sunny weather very well. Sure it would be very good live but it sounds like a jam session a lot of the time so it's hard to say a particular song is good or bad. Good addition to the list, wouldn't go out my way to listen again but hopefully I can hear it unexpectedly in the future.
7/10/24. First time experience this artist and genre, loved the percussion and liked the improvisisational aspect of this. I'll need to explore this genre more.
Fun
if all the songs were just like the first minute or two of the songs I'd prolly rate this like a 4 or 5 but by the time it got to the halfway point I was bored of listening to the same drum instrumental thing for two more minutes straight.
6/10 - Parts of this remind me of Peking O. The first two songs were not very interesting. But the third song was pretty good. Overall the songs that were good were pretty good and the songs that were bad were pretty bad.
Sounds a lot like some of the stuff my mom would listen to when I was a kid. Not crazy about it though
Drums catchy as hell, shimmied my shoulders in public
Not bad
Energetic
Sabu Martinez is one of the first musicians to make Latin jazz popular. He started his career at a very young age, and spent time both Dizzy Gillespie's and Benny Goodman's orchestras. Palo Congo is Sabu's debut album as a band leader. It's an interesting collection of songs in a style known as Cuban Rumba. Sabu led a band with a distorted lead guitarist, strong percussionists, and vocals that lend a tribal sound.
Latin music album. It was fine, just not my style. I enjoyed a couple of songs. Standouts: El Cumbanchero and Choferito-Plena,
This was fun for something different. I liked the energy and call/response dynamic. Some of the guitar playing was also great for 1957.
Some standout tracks here and there.
Palo Congo Banging on those bongos like a chimpanzee El Cumbanchero is the closest thing to having a recognisable melody and structure and I quite like it. Billumba-Palo Congo and Rhapsodia del Maravilloso are probably my favourite of the other tracks, the former one of a few tracks that seem to eschew latin sounds for something more African in it’s percussion and chanting, and I liked the guitar on the latter. If you are into this type of thing I presume this is a great album. Cuban Rumba isn’t exactly my thing though, but I think I can appreciate the skill in the polyrhythmic percussion and the general rhythmic focus. Once you tune into that aspect it does become more of an interesting listen. I found myself liking it more and more on the 2nd and 3rd listens. I wouldn’t say I loved it but I found it a lot more interesting and enjoyable than I thought I would. Between a 2 and a 3, I’ll just tip it over to 3. ⭐⭐⭐
Fun and I enjoyed all of it, but did not really make a dent with me.
one of the more interesting albums i got
highly interesting, rhythmically driven, album. I was not pumped about this one upon first glance but its quite good and will hold your attention. The percussion throughout uses such unique rhythms and backing vocals its a unique experience till the end.
Great beat, weird music
This album is a lot of fun, but as always the real treat when listening to one of the vanishingly rare world music albums on this list is reading the racist reviews from nerds apoplectic that they had to leave their comfort zone of Metallica or Blur or whatever.
My kids liked it
It's fun. There's a lot of call and response. I like the drums.
Sabu’s Palo Congo is very… vibes. I can’t vouch exactly for the meaning of the tracks, mostly because my Spanish knowledge is limited to high school grammar. But, it sounds smooth, and the music is overall relaxing. I like Choferito-Plena and Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso. I feel most of it unfortunately sounds the same, and so I can’t give most of the songs very high ratings. All in all, Palo Congo is an alright album. Best Song: Choferito-Plena Worst Song: Ago Elegua
I could have used a little more conga.
The guitar switch up in the second half of the album was very welcome. Overall it was enjoyable but a bit repetitive after a while. Drums as a focus always struggle as they are limited by the various sounds they can produce. Good background music but probably not something I will be pursuing for active listening in the future.
The drums were great and the final track was really good! I wish the singing didn't bother me as much as it did, but it almost felt like the vocalists were off slightly and it was a bit grating to my ears. I hope we get more music outside of the anglosphere because it's always a treat
Put into the 'appreciate more than enjoy' column. Slice of history but not much to bring me back
Not great, not terrible. Probably won't revisit tbh. 3
Rumba cubana. Ni fu ni fa.
Very much appreciate this. Very happy it’s on here. Appreciate the serious musicianship involved but not something I’ll likely listen to again 3.1
"El Cumbanchero" and "Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso" are the standout tracks. I don't know that much Spanish and even less about Latin Jazz. I suspect Robert Dimery, the author of this original 1001 albums list, is also in the same boat. I feel weird rating what for me is clearly an orphan album from a tradition of music that I know very little about, whose lyrics I don't understand, and the album does not dovetail easily into the rest of the list comprised of influences and progenitors and descendants. I felt the same rating the Lebanese pop star Khaled's "Kenza": Cool music, but also 3.2 stars, because I have only the melody to go on.
Well this is a harmless little album right here. Does it need to be on this list? No, not really. However, I'm not upset at all that I listened to this. It's just nice. I don't really get a lot of 50s albums, so it's something different. The sound is a nice change of pace from the standard genres like rock, pop, hip-hop, and soul. It has a purpose and it fulfills that in every way it needs to. The instruments are pleasant and the singing/chanting works well. It does feel a bit quiet at times, but that's not that big of a deal. I'm sure this album has more value to other people and groups, but for me, it just serves as some decent background music. 3/5.
Fun upbeat instrumental music.
Tolle Stimmung, für das Alter großen Respekt. Aber nichts, was man öfters hören muss. 3/5
Interesting and different. Couldn't listen to it over and over.
There was not much to be expected apart from the iconic Blue Note imagery that is splashed upon me, which indicated that this was something of interest. And, for the most part, there is. What hurts this album is the apparent obscurity it holds, for there could very well be doubt that even the most curiously minded jazz fan know that this album exists. Yet Palo Congo consists of the kind of grooves that would be enticing to the listener as they dig deep. Come for the cover, stay for the music. Favorites: El Cumbanchero, Asabache, Simba, Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso, Tribilin Cantore.
Completely new sound for me . I suppose as a generalisation the modern Latin sound ,samba ; mombo beats continue in this sense today.
It's at times entertaining but at others incredibly irritating and repetitive. I'm not angry to have listened to it, and it's relatively short, but not one I'm keen on returning to. Nice to have a Blue Note album at last though. 20/03/24
Good sounds and ideas although a bit repetitive and the recording is not that good
Highly energetic; one can't help but get up and move, and the repetitious rhythms are almost, to an extent, hypnotic. That said: vocal performances are limited, as the emphasis is primarily on the congas specifically, and while very grooving, the sound gets overly familiar after a while. Nowhere near bad, but not thought-provoking enough for frequent listening.
Cool rhythms and vocals throughout with some nice polyrhythms and guitar work. The percussion is very cool. I love that there are long periods of percussion only. Sadly, this is not a genre I will listen to often, but enjoyed this album to start my day.
One's glad to expand one's musical knowledge, particularly in the global and historical sense (and this would be Exhibit A of that confluence). Certainly, there are moments here that are rich beyond the rawness; "Rhapsodia," for instance, is, well, rhapsodic. Many other grooves are deep and true and primal, and the enthusiasm and passion of the playing is undeniable. This can't be said to be exactly one's thing. Still, it must be praised.
this would be 100x better live it's fine mayb 5/10
While this is certainly a groovy record, I ultimately most of the tracks here to be rather barebones in large due to the fact that practically half of the tracks here are primarily just congas and rhythms that get rather pretty repetitive after a few minutes (this is practically the case for the first two tracks). When the songs on this record do get extra instrumentation such as bass and guitar the tracks are noticeably more fleshed out, but they are a bit few and far between. Favorite tracks: Choferito-Plena, Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso, Tribilin Cantore
Interesting portuguese/tribal/cumbia type music.
3.25
Fun and charming!
I think you had to be there.
This is fine, but boy howdy, many of the people reviewing things on this site are absolutely not. This isn't my jam, but it doesn't mean it's shit just because it's foreign to what one is used to. People suck.
interesting. I liked the drums a lot. will probably never listen to it again but it was pretty good
Ooh! An old one...
I understand the negative comments about the album's repetitiveness, but I have a different opinion: I consider it excellent, full of captivating and even spiritual energy. I was impressed by Sabú's performance on the conga. Not only did I enjoy it greatly, but I also decided to delve deeper into his work and found out that he has several albums in collaboration with Art Blakey, which are now definitely on my listening list. I'm sure I'll revisit it at some point. Best Track: Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso 3.5/5
Good music, not my style
Sorry, I feel so uncultured but it’s just not for me. Musically great, just my opinion.
DIg it. Sabu was a rhythmic machine.
Forgettable rumba
congo
Kubanische Rumba. Sehr variabel. Gefällt mir.
Conga drum bliss
Sorprende ver este tipo de música aquí.
I really enjoyed this at background music, unsure that I would seek it out again though. 3/5
Onpas tiukkaa, kunnon tanssimusaa. Etenkin puhtaat congatykittelyt toimii. 3,5/5.
Yleensä innostun maailmanmusiikista mut tähän en oikein päässy sisään, ehkä genre ei oo lemppari. 3/5
The first non-english album on the list. Didn't expect it to blow me away but it definitely feels ahead of it's time. Some off time signatures and complex drumming.
Quite enjoyable. Better than i thought. I believe that it was almost a four but was quite repetitive
It was good, but I didn’t really care for it all that much. Nothing inspiring to me.
It’s fine. Not bad, not great.
Previous Familiarity: None When I saw the reveal for this album I was pretty excited! I am a total novice to Latin jazz, but I love most everything that Blue Note put out in the 50's & 60's. This was going to be a soulful and sexy ride, right?...Right? Whelp... Soulful? Maybe. Sexy? No. This album was full of interesting African influenced percussion and rhythms, but none of it was overwhelmingly impressive, nor engaging. The vocal chants only detracted from the vibes, and could have been left off entirely. Sabu's ranting chatter added a fun element here and there, but didn't really add enough to make it worthwhile. I'd be willing to check out some more of Sabu's catalog, as I think his influence is important, but unfortunately, I don't think this one is essential.
Heard this before. I really enjoy the foreign album on this list, this one I'm not too sure of. It's nice, but I'm not getting it. 3/5
not my type of music, but not bad
The middle of the album sounds like a drum circle, which would be more fun if you were participating, I think. The rest is nice. I especially liked Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso and Tribilin Cantore
Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso is just El Manicero but I love that song so it's ok. I'm sure this album was influential, but I can't help but feel like there would be better representatives of rumba cubana out there. Best Song: Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso Worst Song:N/A
Not my thing but I recognize the talent. Making me wonder if this was the catalyst for the character “Ricky Ricardo”
Really likes the Mambo ones. So tracks 1, 3, and the last one. The rest were not good. Either just drumming, or something which didn't for the rest of the theme. 2.5* averaging out
Different, which was nice.
3.75
This was motivating music to run to. The more musical ones I really liked, but more just drum ones only I found a little harder to get through. Overall good stuff though!
Good fun! Enjoyable and relaxing
This was really fun to have on while working, some of it reminded me of Todd the bongo player from Flight of the Conchords
I liked this but didn’t finish.
Es ist gut.
Not the best latin album I've listened to so far but it had a couple that I saved to playlists.
5/10
A fun and funky upbeat salsa/rumba-y album that would be amazing sitting in an alfresco area on a balmy night in a Latin country, sipping on some cocktails or a nice wine, watching the world go by, perhaps even getting up for a little dance. Best: El Cumbanchero Worst: Aggo Elegua 3.5 Stars
difficult cuban rumba
I really like Cuban rhythms and this was no exception. However, the vocals have a short play time before I hit my limit.
The beat was decent. I don't think I'd listen again.
I enjoyed the beats a bit, but the vocals got a bit much. Better than not liking it at all.
Certainly not music I’d regularly listen to, so it was an enjoyable experience hearing the driving conga drums and funky beats. And for music made in 1957, there’s a freshness to the recording (I liked the mono speaker for vocals). But overall, the music is repetitive which averages out my score. Favorite track was probably the opener “El Cumbanchero” so it was hard to keep the hype up from there. For music I’ve never heard before, it was easy to sing along and bop to the beat though and that’s impressive.
alright but distracting for work
Loads of fun - I couldn't help but get up and move. Sounds authentic and real. 3.5 stars
Borders on world/indigenous music more than conventional (or unconventional) jazz. 3.0
This was a fresh sounding 50s album!
This Latin type jazz definitely a diffferent sound then most Hispanic music I’ve listened to growing up. Is this the origins of the cumba dance??? Overall they go ham on bangos and it’s a fun album 💃🏻 I better see some other better Hispanic music rep on here tho
2 headphone mandatory album, not bad
That Cong sure isa fine bloke
I downed a red sour patch ghost energy drink and put this on to start work at 5:30AM and I got real productive real fast. Hijacking the arena sport aux to play this during soccer games 🔥
Dinkey Cong in Congo Jungle
Got me going on a Sunday morning!
This is fun. 3.5/5
Latin grooves with lots of vibes but a little repetitive.
I think I’ve hit my Conga quota for the year
pretty cool, i'm a sucker for percussion and this has some excellent percussion. may not turn my world upside down but i enjoy it.
the drums sound absolutely beautiful. Very uplifting music makes me wanna 🕺🏿
I tend not to like congas, bongos, and that sort of percussion instrument. I don't really know why. Might be because most of my exposure to it has been in rock and pop, and most times I've heard them they usually seemed like an add-on that didn't bring much to the music. I also don't think it helps that in television shows and movies when I was growing up, that style of percussion instrument was always used to connote "primitive" cultures, Anyway, this is better to my ears because the percussion ensemble is the main focus, and the rest of the music is built around it. Some fun stuff in here.
Pretty sparse. Fine listening in the background. Might be a 2 if I was listening to it on a walk
Enjoyable, fun rumba album - something refreshing and different from the usual American/British pop-rock music that is the vast majority on this list. Though I think that this type of music is even more fun listening to it live in a bar somewhere in Cuba rather than listening to it alone at home far away from the country.
I'm glad some Congo music was included on this list, needed a reprieve from the amount of American and British rock, but I'm not sure is this is the definitive text for Congo music. 2.5/5
Fort intéressant. J'aime sortir du champ de la musique anglo-occidentale pour entendre de la musique moins «surproduite» et léchée, qui semble se situer plus dans l'événement et l'échange
If you are up for come handdrumming, boy you have come to the right place.
Very enjoyable. Loved the singing and instrumentation.
OG Latin!
Enjoyed this but not quite sure when I’d listen to it again. It’s like a less friendly Buena Vista Social Club.
Today's album was a Cuban rumba/jazz album by Congo player Sabu Martinez. The album is very precussion forward, with Cuban Tres, and double bass accompaniment on a few songs. The vocals on this record range from call and response style, to random screaming/shouting styles, which were a bit jarring. In the song Simba, it sounds like they are wailing on metal pipes, and it gets a bit irritating. Such a shrill sound. Overall, an interesting listen today. Not something I would gravitate to often, but not bad as background music.... Except for the shouty bits. Favourite songs: Choferito-Plena, El Cumbanchero, Tribilin Cantore Least favourite songs: Billumba-Palo Congo 3/5
Good vibes.
Not really my vibe
Kinda funky - but would I listen to it again? Nope.
A refreshing listen, something you don't hear much nowadays. Some cool rhythms, but after a while the drumming gets a bit much and it would be much more interesting to see and hear this music live.
I dig the rhythms and syncopation. Don't know enough about the genre to really rate it though
Nice, didn't really get to dissect it the way I want to. Love Brazilian music so will probably return to it some day.
I liked this, but an awful lot of it was just drums. By a really great artist sure, but that's not enough to carry a piece for me. It sounded like there was some pretty funny stuff happening lyrically at times which of course I couldn't understand.
Really interesting, although I didn't understand a word! I always like albums by drummers and percussionists, as a drummer myself.
Not bad. Not great either, but not bad. 3/5
This album isn't my thing and the 2nd song can definitely get on your nerves in your in a bad mood. But for how early this is and how good it sounds, it's pretty impressive. some of the songs on the 2nd half are pretty decent. If you like Congos you will shit your pants Score: 50 Art: 70
This album was ok, there are some bangers here and there but there is a lot of drumming, maybe a bit too much of drumming. I was nicely introduced with the album with "El Cumbanchero", great drumming and great melodies. "Billumba-Palo Congo" was ok, not the best but not the worst, a ton of drumming of course. I really enjoyed Choferito-Plena but from then on it goes down hill.
this was fun! sabu brought high energy to their palo congo album. i don't know a lot about this kind of music, so i fear some nuance was lost on me. regardless, this album was percussion focused with the congas appearing on every track. sabu created a mix of songs: some instrumentals, one had call and response vocals, another used chanting, and one song had more of a salsa feel. enjoyable, and i feel more knowledgeable for listening to it.
So, here's the thing. I didn't LOVE this album. But I am absolutely not the target audience here; it is 100% not intended for me, let alone intended for me to be reviewing it. This is an example of deeply cultural music that is likely NOT going to be appeal to a westerner who is used to western world music. I will say, one thing that did come across regardless of cultural barriers was the energy; this music has a very palpable energy. So again, this made for okay background music, but wasn't a favorite, or even a "love". But I also don't think my vote should count for much here. 2.5, rounding up to 3.
They had fun with their drums. Pardon the meme terminology, but SOVL
yeah i agree with u pretty good
An interesting listen. Again this is what this list should be full of. I was completely unfamiliar with Cuban rumba music and for what it was, it was pretty good. Although the mixing is a bit weird but it's a fun listen.
An interesting listen, generally a happy latin groove. I wouldn't have listened if it weren't for this list, and I feel glad for that.
Mucho mejor de lo que pensaba y otro gran descubrimiento. "El cumbachero" o "Choferito-Plena" imprescindibles.
3.5
Different experience
I admittedly don't have a lot of notes for this one as I was driving for most of the time I was listening. You can call me a sideline fan of cumbia and cuban rumba music. I've got a compilation record at my house of a bunch of big name artists that were making noise back in NYC around the 70s and 80s. I can most certainly hear the influences here. A couple of songs stood out to me, namely "Simba" and "Rhapsodia del Maravilloso". The former stood out to me as it was such an insane ride through a percussive jungle. Felt like I was absolutely swimming in drums. Not a good one to listen to when you've got a headache. Some of it even sounded like city noise with this rhythmic percussive "PANG" resembling a hammer hitting a nail. I was back and forth between whether or not I liked it but I will say that seeing this live is probably the move. I am sure my mouth would be on the floor seeing hands fly around and just feeling the drums reverberate through my body. "Rhapsodia del Maravilloso" stood out to me just because of the insane guitar work that was on display. I swear I heard some tapping at one point which evoked an audible "whaaaaaaaaat!" as I dealt with traffic on the 10 freeway. This one was great. Atypical for sure, polarizing likely due to the sometimes overwhelming cacophony. This is one of those records that I would randomly pull from a bin at a record store and I would probably get a "Man, you pulled a great one. [Insert story about record here]" from the owner ringing me up. It wasn't exactly mindblowing but it was a fun one to listen to so, sticking to my rating system guns, I'm thinkin 3/5!
I just like this! I can’t explain why. I love the Cuban rhythms. I love the conga. I love the “liveness” of this. I have nothing special to say. The rhythms really are my thing. I’ve always wanted to learn the congas, and this might be the thing that gets me off the couch and down to the local music store. The intense LCR stereo is INTENSE, but nothing you can't solve with a little distance from the speakers. 3/5
3 liked this
Wasn’t as into this as I thought I would be after the first tune.
50% rabble. The songs that aren’t chanting are pretty kewl
It's strange and there's definitely something that I didn't get, but songs of muffled shouts and conga drums really aren't appealing. However, some of the songs with guitars are enjoyable.
Ye the mix let this one down
Interesting album. The recording is so murky it's hard to listen to.
29th December 2022 Listened in the morning before going to Fritha’s wedding. Lush fusion of Afro beats and Cuban flavours.
Leuk om wat andere muziek te horen
Giving Breaking Bad music
Straight bongo vibes
Good stuff
Rumba cubana. Ni fu ni fa.
favourite song: el bumbanchero least favourite song: simba it was interesting and not something i really consider bad enough to get below 3 stars, even though there were moments i struggled with
One gets a pre-James Brown vibe. One gets the feeling that this is pure music, deeply primal and truly rhythmic. One admires more than loves it.
Very drummer but in a wonderful way.
It would be a stretch to say I liked it, but it was mostly interesting
Vibes a plenty, not much to go off of from my background
I enjoyed this, envisioned myself surrounded by palm trees and cold drinks while waves crashed around me. It put my in a good mood.
I couldn't figure out if this was South American or African?? It was pretty raw
Good atmosphere on this one
Decent album overall, some instrumental/vocal parts were a bit long without adding anything I felt. Liked the listening and ambiance. 3.5/5
was fine, background music
This is a hard one to judge - I was thinking about what I liked about it and mostly what I came up with were "at least it's not" statements or caveats. I like that it's not from the UK. I like that it's not new wave, folk rock or late 90s EDM. I like that it doesn't go for too long. I feel that it would be cool... to watch live while cooked out of my head. I liked the simplicity of it all (it's basically just drums and singing, with an occasional guitar) and the "let's just get everyone in the street to have a sing" kinda feel. But at the same time, even 40min became pretty monotonous when entire songs were nothing more than people banging drums with some halfwit screaming, cawing like a crow and making that annoying AAAAIIIAIAIAIAIAII noise over the top (and ugh, was that a fucking whistle?) I think in a fair universe, I would only give this a 2/5. But in a fair universe, I also wouldn't be subjected to PJ Harvey albums twice a week in a list of BEST MUSIC OF ALL TIME. So this gets a novelty 3/5.
Great rhythms, but a little monotonous at times with the drums.
I enjoyed the Latin rhythms but felt lost because I don’t speak the language and had no context for the lyrics.
Good jazz, enjoyed the vibe
pretty decent but not really my thing
Drums and call and response, that’s it
en plein ce a quoi je m'attendais. Un bon band de jazz des antilles. C'est très bon 3.5
Palo Congo is a solid Latin jazz album. However, we already had Tito Puente and Machito. I would have preferred a Django Reinhardt album. (5/10) FT: El cumbanchero
Not bad, wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again
7/5/2022 - ALBUM #159 Today's Album: "Palo Congo" by Sabu - Being another Latin jazz dance album, I yet again find myself unable to really give this album a proper review. In comparison to the other projects I've heard, this one kind of falls in line. In terms of ways that this album does stand out, I would say there is definitely a strong focus on the fast percussion and lively rhythmic expression in these tracks. When there are vocals, it often comes in the form of some sort of chant. Some are just a solo voice, while others are sort of a call and response. The track Billumba-Palo Congo for instance is mostly a backing bongo and conga as a man says a variety of lines followed by a few female vocalists repeating the same chant after each one. There is also more of an emphasis on the sound and expression of the vocals and less on the tone and range of the performances. In my personal taste, I think the album sort of gains and loses interest for me throughout the track list and the songs that are much more lively and rely mostly on the fantastic improv percussion playing are much more enjoyable than the more repetitive chanting tracks. Overall, this is a pretty unique Latin jazz album that offers a lot of variety. Give this one a listen if you like a lot of conga and bongo. Highlights: El Cumbanchero, Asabache, Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso Score: 6.5/10 Pretty enjoyable and danceable Latin Jazz album
There's something oddly ancient about this, which is not just because the record is, frankly, 65 years old; for some reason it doesn't feel like a 1957 recording made in a New York studio, it feel much older and stranger somehow. Can't explain it. Far from my usual fodder, but I like it.
Забавная музыка. Этника. Не моё, но прикольно. Весело.
Nandos music
Rumba cubana
dancing in my chair 🕺 puts me back in Havana
Znowu egzotycznie, ale nie tak czarno jak w poprzednich dniach, bo wylosowalo klimaty kubanskie, a jak kuba to i rumba, bo takim gatukiem jest okreslana Palo Congo wedlug wiki, ale blizej temu do afro kubanskiego jazzu w swojej pierwotnie prymitywnej formie, bo jest to album z 57, dodatkowo jest to pierwsze nagranie pan Sabu, czyli Sabu Martineza, jako dyrygenta tej congowej orkiestry skladajacej sie z 5 czlonkow, dodatkowymi instrumentami jakie mozna zaslyszec na nagrania jest kontrabas i bongosy, no i elektryczna gitara, ktora jest tutaj najwiekszym zaskoczeniem na traku rhapsodia del maravilloso czy tribilín cantore, ale tak jak tytul wskazuje jest to congowy album, a nie ma chyba instrumentu ktory bardziej kojarzy niz sie z muzyka pierwotna grana u zarania dziejow jak wlasnie afrykanskie bebny, w tym wypadku kubanskie kongi, ktore na kawalkach calkowicie instrumentalnych jak asabache, czy pierwsza czesc simba potrafia wrecz zahipnotyzowac swym brzmieniem, ale nie jest to plyta calkowicie instrumentalna, bo rownie wazne jak instruemtale dla tonu tego nagrania sa takze wokale, ktore stanowia czesci centralne wokol ktorych budowana jest muzyka na wiekszosci utworow, a wokale sa prowadzone zazwyczaj w formie dialogow pomiedzy majstrem, moze konduktorem Sabu, a reszta skladu lub chorkami o kobiecych glosach powtarzajacych slowa konduktora, pomimo tego ze czlek rozumie jedno na dziesiec slow rzucanych na lewo i prawo, glownie na prawo, bo mastering zazwyczaj wrzuca wokale na prawa strone na kongosy na lewy kanal, ale nie jest to regula, bo podczas dialogow pytanie dobiega z prawej, zeby dostac odpowiedz z lewej i tak dalej, wiec niezbyt duzo zrozumialem, ale klimat odczulem na wlasnych uszach, tak jak pierwotnie moga brzmiec kongosy, takie dialogi rowniez wprowadzaja jakas ogniskowa atmosfere, wiec kolejny niespodziewany pick na tak bialej liscie, na plejke dodam otwierajacy el cumbanchero i wspomniany juz wczesniej instrumental asabache
Curiós descobriment musical. Fusió de sonoritats caribenyes, africanes amb tocs de jazz i treballs vocals sorprenents. Original i força interessant
Mais opção de música cubana.
Fun record
Interesting for exposure but I prefer more melody and instrumentation in my Cuban music, not just the rhythm.
Conga music that focuses just a bit too much solely on the rythm to provide any but a decent but not very memorable experience
Good background music. Can't say I would just go listen to this as it's not that exciting, so won't rate higher than a 3.
Fine, but not for me
An optimistic album with a sunny Caribbean sound. I like the tracks where they get wild or play the guitar well. Not all the tracks offer something, but there are plenty of pleasant surprises all throughout. They know when to sing / shout, or when to just let the instruments do the work. Favorites: Choferito-Plena, Simba, Tribilin Cantore
Fun album
Now I know where Tune Yards comes from. I wish I understood the lyrics. Flagging for later so I can grok this fully.
3.5
Some spots dragged in the 2nd half, overall a great showcase for Sabu Martinez.
Nisam stigo poslušat pa nisam iskreno ni mislio, however kad vidim od Bakija keca i Anite 4, reko moram. I zapravo je ovo super album, ne bih si ga nikad pustio, ali bi tipa def otišao na neki koncert toga bez razmišljanja. RESPECT!
Too much nativity drums and singing…
This was fun.
Definitely never heard this and I don't feel culturally-literate enough to understand it's importance. At the risk of seeming like I'm lumping black/brown people music together, I will say that I love the polyrhythms and they remind me of a stripped down version of Fela Kuti. Eeek. Hope that's ok to say. I can't tell if I wish there were more instruments or if I like the simple arrangements. The real highlight other than the rhythms is the vocals. Lots of back-and-forth. Cool. It's good. I feel like I'm not a good judge. Giving it a three.
Overall I enjoyed listening to it, but by the second song my wife made me turn it off the Sonos and listen with headphones
Interesting, because it's so different. I'm old enough to remember when they used to play El Cumbanchero on the radio.
I like this. Not usually what I'd chose to listen to, but it is infectious.
Fun but one song blended in to the next. It sounded like one long, energetic song.
Congas. Lots of congas
This album has been difficult for me to get into. It's more sparse than I'm used to and despite the familiar rhythms (which have appeared in western music since) the melodies remain a bit out of reach. I'm sure that says more about me than the music itself, but maybe it'll click eventually