New Regency Orchestra - New Regency Orchestra *Pre-Order

Release Date Friday 14th June 2024
All pre-orders will be dispatched/made ready for collection on that day.

Announcing the debut album from one of London's most electrifying acts,
New Regency Orchestra
An 18-piece Afro-Cuban big band, inspired by the musical melting pot of NYC in
the 1950s, but with the punch and power of a whole host of London's best Latin
and jazz musicians . Blowing new life into these compositions, the album is a
reimagining of some of the fnest music from that golden era. From early 1950s
Rene Hernandez and Tito Puente, through to the 1970s salsa of Rafael Labasta
and Orlando Marin, produced and performed with fresh fre.
NRO is the brainchild of its artistic director, and the man behind Total
Refreshment Centre and Church of Sound , Lex Blondin. Through a long- held
passion for jazz, Lex discovered the explosive Afro-Cuban rhythms of mid-1940s
NYC via the godfather of Afro-Cuban jazz, Mario Bauza. A time when two musical
worlds collided in a fusion of creativity and energy, jazz luminaries like Dizzy
Gillespie and Charlie Parker joining forces with Cuban greats like Machito and
Chano Pozo. This vibrant sound was music to dance to and found a home at The
New York Palladium, a formative space of freedom and expression that was key
to the scene's development.
Although dance-focussed in their makeup, those early recordings are not often
heard in modern club environments and Lex dreamt of retelling their story with a
contemporary dynamism . A slice of serendipity followed, as a slot at a new
festival opened up and Lex jumped at the chance to make this idea a reality, an
18-piece big band breathing new life into these beloved songs.
Enlisting the expertise of some of the capital's fnest talent, Lex and co-captain
Andy Wood , of Como No fame, put together a world- class line- up of talent.
Bringing in Eliane Correa as musical director and bandleader, a fuid and
interchanging 18-piece band was formed.
The album itself is a hand-picked selection of timeless Afro-Cuban jazz classics,
reimagined with NRO's unbridled energy. It contains ten incredible instrumental
tracks including 'Pregon' with its anthemic horn stabs and the addictive head nod
bounce of 'Mambo Rama', alongside two scorching vocal numbers in 'Papa Boco'
and 'Labasta Llego'. Coupling a heavyweight rhythm section with a wall of horns,
they provide a fresh spin on songs from Tito Puente and Chico O'Farrill , Rene
Hernandez through to Rafael Labasta.
"Some of the tunes like Tito Puente's 'Mambo Rama' and 'Scarlet Mambo' might
sound like they went to a gym as extra drums and bass synth were added to them
whilst the tune 'Sahib & Tito' is a mix of Tito's 'Mambo Buda' and Sahib Shihab's
'Nus'. Our intention is to be both respectful to the innovators and inventors of this
incredible music and to pay our dues, but also to add something special from
London where the city's new jazz scene connects with its Latin American
musicians and the musical infuences around us."
This pure collective joy, shared experience and music you can't help but move to.

Tracks: Pregon / Sambaroco / Mambo Herd / Fiesta Time / Para Los
Papines / Sahib & Tito / Scarlet Mambo Hour / Papa Boco / Labasta Llego /
Mambo Rama (Lex Blondin Rework) / Mango Walk / Harlem Jamboree

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