Ensemble Kalinda, Kalinda Kaliente!
Ocean Records, 160 Beaumont Ave. Bennington VT 05201
By Brian Grosjean

    This rich album celebrates the diversity of the music of the African Diaspora in the Americas. Each song is a sample of American musical history written by Africans. For example, Cuban Toque music is played on shaped bata drums and sung in the Yoruba language. The Puerto Rican bolero, Calypsos from Trinidad, Dominican meringues, Jamaican reggae, and Brazilian Jazz and berimbau all display their African roots.
    Of the nine and one-half million slaves, taken from Africa during the Colonial period, roughly 90% of the slaves ended up in the Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America. They brought their wide range of ethnic traditions from Africa, part of which can be clearly seen is each of these well produced songs. An informative booklet describes the musical roots of each tradition. I enjoyed the spirit and talent displayed in this album and learned, once again, how indebted we all are to Mother Africa.

Copyright©WWUH: May/June Program Guide, 1999