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Orquesta Revé Reviewed on this page: Elio Revé Y Su Ritmo Changüí - Rumberos Latinoamericanos - La Explosión Del Momento - De Nuevo - ¡Que Cuento Es Ese! - Suave Suave - Mi Salsa Tiene Sandunga - Papá Eleguá - Arriba Las Manos Elio Revé was a top Cuban bandleader for a long time. How long? Well, in the late 80s, arranger/pianist Juan Carlos Alfonso left him to form Dan Den. Ten years before that, Germán Velasco and a few others left him to form Orquesta 440. Ten years before that, arranger/bassist Juan Formell and pianist Cesar Pedroso left him to form Los Van Van. And ten years before that, Enrique Lazaga and Revé's whole band left him to form Ritmo Oriental. No one except Miles Davis can match Elio Revé in producing future bandleaders. Despite the changes, right up until his July 1997 death in a traffic accident, Revé continued to pack 'em in with his unvarying changüí rhythm and a top-notch band (three percussionists, bass, piano, violins and usually horns). Shortly after moving from Guantánamo to Havana in the mid-50s, Revé formed the first version of his Orquesta and recorded several tracks which appeared on singles and compilations. At that point, the sound was fairly standard charanga much like Oriental's first LP. The band remained in this bag until 1968, when Formell arrived as musical director and immediately went with an orchestrated pop sound reminiscent of English-language acts like Petula Clark and Lulu; the resulting hits ("El Martes"; "Fifí, Teté Y Popó") put Revé on the map. Like a cyclone, Formell left as quickly as he'd arrived, and the band went through a prolonged stretch out of the limelight, though they did cut some exciting tracks: "No Lo Corras," "Samá" and "Sigue Mi Rumbó" are worth digging up). In 1982, Revé finally found his sound, combining the bongo-heavy changüí rhythm he'd brought from Guantánamo with expanded instrumentation, great melodic hooks, and an endless assortment of snappy arranging tricks. Over the next decade, he continued to develop this basic theme, creating the albums I think of as classic Revé, while the changing cast of musicians included everyone from Juan Carlos Alfonso to Elio Revé Jr. After the elder Revé's sudden death, his son took over the band, which has adapted to timba and remained at the forefront of Cuban dance music. As with most Cuban bands from the 70s and 80s, original Orquesta Revé releases are almost impossible to find, so your best bet is probably a compilation. And once again, I've drawn heavily on research by Kevin Moore published on the indispensible timba.com. (DBW) Personnel: Every Cuban musician of the last fifty years, it seems like. Elio Revé Y Su Ritmo Changüí (1982) Arranged by pianist Manolo Coipel, with lead vocals by Félix Baloy, plus Elio's brother Oderquis on bongo, quito and batá. I don't know who the bass player is, but he seems to be a student of Salvador Cuevas, adding funk slaps and pops to the traditional tumbao vocabulary ("Señores Silencio"). (DBW) Rumberos Latinoamericanos (1985) A revamped lineup, led by pianist/arranger Juan Carlos Alfonso and featuring Gonzalo "Pipo" Noroña on bass and Ricardo "Alfonsito" Alfonso on vocals. The big hits are "Ruñidera", the title track (with shoutouts to more Latin American music stars than I can count) and Alfonso's incredibly catchy "Sé Que Tú Sabes Que Yo Sé." (DBW) La Explosión Del Momento (1987) Not to be confused with the compilation of the same name. (DBW) De Nuevo (1987) Includes a side-long medley of tunes by Cuban vice president Juan Almeida. (DBW) ¡Que Cuento Es Ese! (1989) By this period, Revé was heavily into the "voz de vieja," which is a traditional Cuban singing style where the male singer croons in an odd high-pitched whine that's supposed to sound like an old woman (Rodolfo Vaillant's "Yo No Quiero Que Seas Celosa"). It takes some getting used to, but it'll move you if you let it. The last album directed by Juan Carlos Alfonso, who contributed "La Gente No Se Puede Aguantar" and "Más Viejo Que Ayer" Highlights include the title track and "¡Que Te Importa A Tí!" (DBW) Suave Suave (1990) Alfonso had left to form Dan Den by this point, replaced by pianist/arranger Antonio Gómez. Most of the tunes are by Revé, though two are by Gómez ("Respétame"), and it's basically in the same style as Que Cuento, voz de vieja, changüí and all. There are some great tunes, including the title track, "Anda Y Recogela" (with an amusing use of a US R&B audience involvement trick), and three bonus tracks, including the theme song from the 1991 Pan American Games ("Tocopan"). (DBW) Mi Salsa Tiene Sandunga (1991) I don't know if this is available on CD, but it's worth looking for thanks to the amazing title track, which contains more killer riffs than your average Led Zeppelin record. "Llego El Changúí" is almost as good, but the similarity of all the tracks (there's no respite from the changúí here) may get to you after a while. Around this time, Noroña was replaced by Roberto Flores. (DBW) Papá Eleguá (1993) Did every Cuban musician really practice santería in the 1990s, or was it just some kind of trend to reference its deities in song? At this point, Gómez left, and arranging duties were turned over to Reyner Ardiles while Elio Revé Jr. joined on piano. (DBW) Arriba Las Manos (Elio Revé Y Su Charangon: 1996) Five Revés for the price of one, with Elio Jr. on piano and Elio Sr., Oderquis, Leonides and Fernando all playing percussion. Noroña also returned to the fold. (DBW) Changüí En La Casa De Nora (Elio Revé Jr Y Su Charangón: 1999) After the accidental death of Elio Sr., Elio Jr. put together a new version of the band while Oderquis left to form his own combo. Giovanni Cofiño is on bass while most of the tunes are arranged by Raúl Frómeta. (DBW) Changüí Homenaje 45 Años (Elio Revé Jr Y Su Charangón: 2003) (DBW) Changüisero De Cepa (Oderquis Revé Y Su Changüí: 2005) Leonides and Fernando went with their uncle. (DBW) Se Sigue Comentando (Elio Revé Jr Y Su Charangón: 2005) Mostly arranged by Cofiño. (DBW) Fresquecito (Elio Revé Jr Y Su Charangón:: 2007) Arranged by new musical director/bassist Aisar Hernández, who also wrote several tunes ("La Viuda"). Includes a remake of the forty-year-old "El Martes." (DBW) Yo sé que tú sabes que no sé.  Main page   New additions   Pop: 00s  90s 80s 70s 60s 50s  Latin/Jazz   Top 20: DBW JA   E-mail