← more from
El Palmas Music
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.
supported by
Lucid Pilot
Lucid Pilot thumbnail
radieus
radieus thumbnail
Franz Berding
Franz Berding thumbnail
pablo-blanquito
pablo-blanquito thumbnail
Cameron Ballinger
Cameron Ballinger thumbnail
cas
cas thumbnail
donal scannell
donal scannell thumbnail
lazyoblomov
lazyoblomov thumbnail
Dale Berns
Dale Berns thumbnail
afrociccio
afrociccio thumbnail
mjwhite99
mjwhite99 thumbnail
Mdfraser
Mdfraser thumbnail
scott claassen
scott claassen thumbnail
Luisa delForno
Luisa delForno thumbnail
Ben Milligan
Ben Milligan thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      €1.30 EUR  or more

     

about

For a full 10 years, from 1965 until 1975, few could touch Ray Pérez, the Venezuelan pianist and bandleader affectionately known as El Loco (“The Crazy One”). In that time he’d ignited a raucous tropical sound in Caracas with Los Dementes (a name, “The Insane Ones”, so contentious that the band were forbidden to perform using that moniker for a spell), shaken things up with the hugely- experimental Los Calvos, added Afro-folkloric percussion to salsa with Los Kenya, shown off his own sweetly distinctive singing with his Orquesta, and made an impression on Johnny Pacheco and Pete Rodriguez during a two-year spell in New York.

El Grupo Casabe came at the end of that 10-year spell, and can lay claim to being his last great group. Casabe recorded three albums between 1974 and 1975, which have been cherry-picked for a new compilation, Ray Pérez y El Grupo Casabe, on El Palmas Music. As was always the case with Ray, he wanted to experiment, and these Casabe records find him expanding his brass section, even bringing in a pair of saxophones, as well as trying out new vocalists – his previous foil, Perucho Torcat (the voice of Los Dementes), had died in a tragic accident in 1972. “La Idea” is the first single from Ray Pérez y El Grupo Casabe, and it is one of the few tracks on the compilation without a featured vocalist, Ray and his under-rated voice leading the charge. To a Cuban son rhythm, the backbone of salsa, it’s a gentle introduction to the might of Casabe with the brass section and vocals taking their turn in the limelight while Pérez locks into an almighty piano groove and the percussion pulls the song along. It’s here where we can see why Pérez finally allowed saxophones into his group – he had previously been dead set against their inclusion – with the final minutes allowing for his newly-introduced sax players to improvise time and time again as the group stretch the clave to its limits.

credits

released August 26, 2022

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Ray Pérez y El Grupo Casabe image

Ray Pérez y El Grupo Casabe Caracas, Venezuela

Ray Perez began his musical career without the help of any record company. His first recording was paid for by himself when he arrived in Caracas from Maracaibo and with the germ of the group Los Dementes in development. No label wanted his production, but with infinite perseverance and immense love for music, his projects began to see the light, with an energy that will accompany him to this day. ... more

contact / help

Contact Ray Pérez y El Grupo Casabe

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Ray Pérez y El Grupo Casabe, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now