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Az?car Negra created a great new arrangement of
the title song and Limonta continued to pour his songwriting talent
into the project. In 2001, after a number of world tours, they
finally released their first studio album, Andar andando.
AZ?CAR NEGRA
Azucar Negra by Kevin
Moore ?2004
Az?car Negra was formed in 1997 when Leonel
Limonta, Haila Mompri? (no longer with the band), and other
musicians split off from .
Limonta had written almost all of the material for Bamboleo's
brilliant second album, "Yo No Me Parezco a Nadie" and Haila was one
of the lead singers. Az?car Negra created a great new arrangement of
the title song and Limonta continued to pour his songwriting talent
into the project. In 2001, after a number of world tours, they
finally released their first studio album, Andar andando.
Their second CD, Sin mirar atr?s, was released
in early 2004.
Timba.com's Michelle White was on hand for one of
Az?car Negra's frequent European tours and contributed this
which also details the latest personnel
changes.
All of Az?car Negra's material is written by
Limonta, who also wrote four huge hits for Charanga Habanera and two
for Issac Delgado. Juan Carlos Gonz?lez said of Limonta -- "He's
not a trained musician, but every song he brought in had some kind
of special magic and became a huge hit". Various bandmembers
have contributed arrangements, such as Adalberto Dom?nguez, who is
also once of Timba's top bassists, a great pianist, and an absolute
wonder to watch on stage.
In the years prior to the release of Andar andando,
Az?car Negra, like many Cuban bands, had a string of radio hits. The
bands record relatively inexpensive demos and release them to
Radio Ta?no and other stations. In some cases, such as
Paulito's "La ?ltima Bala", the demo winds up being better than the
recorded version because of personnel changes. In other cases, great
songs are released as demos and then never officially released. Two
of Timba's greatest tracks fall into this category: Paulito's
"Laura" and Az?car Negra's "Almas disfrazadas". Fortunately Az?car
Negra released four of its demos to mp3.com, including "Almas
Disfrazadas". These can be heard at Az?car
Negra's mp3.com website. The other two songs are on "Andar
andando". Click on our DISCS button above to learn more about Az?car
Negra's discography.
Az?car Negra is an extremely well-rehearsed band
whose live show is full of interesting medleys and segues. They're
definitely a thrill to see live. They only have the two albums, but
they're so packed with great music that we count them among the
upper echelon of Timba bands, especially considering the past
accomplishments of Limonta.
from the liner notes of Az?car Negra's soon to be
released second CD:
Cinco a?os..........?sin mirar atr?s? Az?car
Negra sigue caminando. Con los ojos abiertos cantan como habla Cuba,
bailan como se mueve La Habana. El hablar cubano, desde siempre, es
r?pido, sugestivo, provocador.
Como nadie, el compositor Leonel Limonta sabe
captar la voz de la calle, sus tradiciones y novedades, y
convertirla en poes?a.
Musicalmente, la Timba ha caminado durante
estos cinco a?os. Sin dejar de ser autenticamente cubana, va
incorporando ritmos y sonidos del Caribe y de otras tradiciones
latinoamericanas. La mezcla s?til subraya elcar?cter universal de la
m?sica cubana: la Timba est? viajando.
Miramos adelante, pues: Leonel Limonta y Az?car
Negra no dejar?n de sorprendernos.
- Herman Portocarero
Az?car
Negra in 2003 with ex-lead vocalist Tanja
Pantoja