Review Text
The 1940's was a fertile period for Cuban music. Inspired by recent advances in American jazz, several influential conjuntos appeared, such as Conjunto Casino, Sonora Matancera, Conjunto Matamoros and Conjunto Azul led by Chano Pozo, dominating the airwaves and Havana's vibrant club scene with a densely rhythmic and more sophisticated melodic approach. With all these bands needing arrangements, a great Cuban school of arrangers emerged and Felix Guerrero, who studied with the great Nadia Boulanger, was their major figure. Guerrero's students included Bebo Valdes, Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill and Armando Romeu. Recorded in Havana in the late 1940's, "Rapsodia Cubana" features maestro Guerrero at the piano leading his orchestra through a lush, tropical set featuring compositions by Otillo del Portal, Miguel Barrios, Frank Dominguez and others. Finally available in the digital domain - all selections newly remastered.
