Juan Almeida - Fantasia

The next album in our Cuban Classics series is a hard one to pigeonhole
It's a real oddity, unique and not in keeping with the majority of Cuban albums we
know, but it's all the better for this. Coming courtesy of Juan Almeida, the
Fantasia LP is an eclectic and epic , instrumental ride through Latin jazz-funk,
trippy electronics and orchestrated classical music. Sounding at points like a fullblown orchestrated score to a dusty animated flm extravaganza, with phrases
and passages repeating like the appearance of ghostly spectres throughout the
recording. At others, it busts into exotic funk, psychedelic- trippiness and AfroCuban percussion.
As rich and varied as the record, so too was Juan Almeida's (Juan Almeida
Bosque) life. A descendant of African slaves born in a poor neighbourhood in
Havana in 1927, Almeida went from bricklayer to university law student, through
which he would meet Fidel Castro. He played a key role in the Cuban revolution,
becoming the only black commander and famously voicing "Aqui no se rinde
nadie!" ("Nobody here surrenders!") when outnumbered at the start of the
offensive. Castro would later make him one of his vice presidents, but Almeida's
legacy does not stop there. He also became the composer of over 300 popular
Cuban songs, many of them recounting his days as a guerrilla.
Produced, orchestrated and conducted by Rafael Somavilla , who worked on a
vast array of Cuban recordings including Raul Gomez's 'Instrumental' which we
also reissued on Mr Bongo, the feel of Fantasia is big, luscious, grand and popclassical. It has become a highly sought- after , cult Cuban rarity amongst
collectors and like many great albums, every repeat listen brings with it new
elements previously unnoticed. Such is its richness and depth. A truly
mesmerising, off-the-beaten-track instrumental record.

Tracks: Preludio / Este Camino Largo / Decide Tu / Interludio / El Arriero / Te
Canta Mi Tambor / Ritmo Abierto / Postludio / Final

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