Like music and art, tobacco & rum are inextricably linked to the cultural lives of Latin and Caribbean people. Like politics, tobacco & rum are essential accessories for the heated conversations in all cafes and bars in Havana, Nassau, Cali and Kingston alike. Like rice and beans, tobacco & rum are everyday ingredients on the dinner tables across the Americas. Like sugar, tobacco & rum have provided much needed revenue for several Caribbean Islands. Like love and sex, tobacco & rum are accomplices in the sensual interplay between the men and women living in the hot tropics. Tumi Music embraces the significance of Tobacco & Rum through this compilation of carefully selected music.

In this, the first in a series of four compilations, some of the finest Cuban artists play their most popular hits taken from new Tumi Music recordings. A compilation that flows smoothly taking you through the widest range of Cuban music including: salsa, son, conga, rumba, trova - fusion, Cuban jazz, guaracha, cumbia, timba, bolero and includes some exclusive un-released tracks from soon to be released albums.

Tracking Listing

All songs published by Tumi Music except tracks 5, 12, 13) and recorded for Tumi Music between 1996 and 1998 in Havana, Cuba.

EL MUSO Y SU GRAN SONORA
El Muso, a former member of Conjunto de Roberto Faz and La Sonora Latina is one of Cuba’s most versatile singers. On this track entitled Tres Caras del Son (Three faces of son), written by Tiburón (Son 14’s lead singer) he is joined by the great soneros Cándido Fabré and Tiburón and the legendary percussionists Changuito and Tata Guines in a feast of music. These great soneros demonstrate the art of son-improvisation. The track starts with Tiburón challenging the other musketeers of son to show their worth by using the weapon of their voice and words. The song has a distinct Tumi sound ending on a high indicating that this is just the beginning of the Cuban musical experience.

ORQUESTA AMERICA with CUBAN ALL STARS
Taken from the 4CD Box Set of new recordings by the inventors of chachachá and leaders of guaracha, danzón and bolero, also featuring: Chucho Valdés (piano), Félix Reina (violin), Richard Egues (flute), Joseito González (piano). And on vocals: Celina González, Caridad Cuervo, Roberto Sánchez, Felix Valoy, Omara Portuondo, Manolo del Valle, Mundito Gonzalez, Danae Blanco, Liz Yanet García, Trinidad Cordoví, Alfredo Caballero, Gregorio Laza. VOY A QUEMAR TU PIEL (I’m going to burn your skin) is a passionate love song with Orquesta America’s wonderful charanga flavor, timely violins and precise flute playing. The track swings once the first chorus kicks with the lyrics explaining that the singer will love the insatiable María Elena even if it is just once.

CELINA GONZALEZ (accompanied by Orquesta América)
Antonia Gervasio was taken from her highly acclaimed album DESDE LA HABANA TE TRAIGO ‘From Havana I Bring to You’, released earlier this year to mark Celina’s 50^th year as an artist. It was specifically chosen to represent her new album as it proved the most popular song with the audience at her sell out concert in June at the Royal Festival Hall. The song demonstrates Celina’s superb voice, improvisation skills and writing capabilities.

ROMPESARAGUEY
Rompesaraguey, the talented septet from Sancti Spiritus have created their own atmosphere with son as the starting point but fed on an open minded diet of Delta blues, Andean harmony, flamenco and West Coast surfing rock n’ roll. Rompesaraguey create their original sound with superb vocal harmonies, a virtuoso flute player and a precise rhythmic accompaniment. The track chosen for this compilation entitled ENTRA Y SALE (Comes in & goes out) is a wonderful example of the happy marriage of Nueva Trova and great son.

CLAVE Y GUAGUANCO (Featuring Celeste Mendoza, Jose Luis Quintana "Changuito", Eloy Machado, Lázaro Morua)
Clave y Guaguancó are synonymous with Afro-Cuban music and are the most sought-after rumba group alive. In their exciting new album the percussive based group combine traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms including guaguancó, bataguancó and catumba with poetry, flamenco and powerful singing achieving a real revelation in rumba. COMO RUGE LA CANDELA (How the flame roars) was chosen as it is a very unique track and the first of its kind mixing a single flamenco guitar, a gypsy voice (expertly mastered by an original Clave y Guaguancó with guaguancó breaking boundaries in the fusion of rumba and traditional music.

BOBBY CARCASSES
Featuring 32 of Cuba’s finest musicians including: Roberto J. Carcassés (Musical director, piano), Chucho Valdés (piano, director of Irakere), Jose Luis Quintana "Changuito" (timbales, ex Van Van), Olivio Pino (piano, Afro Jazz), Carlos R. Betancourt, "El Bola" (trumpet, Isaac Delgado), Mario Felix (trumpet, Havana Ensemble), Julio Padrón (trumpet, Irakere), Cesar López (alto saxophone, Irakere/Havana Ensemble), Javier Zalba (baritone, soprano saxophone, flute, ex-Irakere). William Paredes (trombone, Isaac Delgado), Lazaro Morúa (vocals, ex Van Van). He’s been described as "Cuba’s best kept secret" and "overwhelming" on stage to the extent that it’s been said that he has left Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente along with the New York Jazz fraternity "speechless" after his performances. The multi-instrumentalist they call "Mr. Jazz Cuba" on his new album offers the classics Summertime, Misty, Manicero (Peanut Vendor) and ARIAN, the track chosen for the compilation encouraging a break from the heavy percussion of the previous track, building a minimal harmony and gradually developing this harmony into a groove-based Latin jazz number.

JUAN CARLOS ALFONSO Y SU DAN DEN
Juan Carlos Alfonso, formerly with Orquesta Revé, is one of the pioneers of new salsa as he combines the new wave of Cuban timba-son with the popular sounds of the Colombian and New York salsa scenes. The search for the right album to satisfy both salsa and Cuban music lovers has been found with this perfect blend of timbale workouts, montuno piano solos, evocative singing, deep grooves and a big trombone sound. This club hit entitled LA CHICA DE NIEVE (The Ice Girl) emphatically shows these achievements.

EL MUSO Y SU GRAN SONORA
The charismatic singer "Muso" has for over 10 years been a key salsa voice in Cuba. Recorded earlier this year, This track is taken from his debut album and describes "La Comision": the popular unified calling by devout religious Cubans to the good spirits. The song is usually sung at religious gatherings tempting the spirits to descend on the earth to share their positive energies.

LOS HERMANOS BRAVO (Featuring Tata Guines, Orquesta America and Tony Bravo)
Los Hermanos Bravo were formed in the 50’s and by the end of the 80s they had toured a staffering 58 countries. The present day Hermanos Bravos work hard to maintain the same authentic musical line of the now rare conga from Oriente but also fuse their music perfectly with other genres. Their music (Cuban carnival conga music) is no widely known as it has rarely been performed n the last 30 years to an international audience. Notwithstanding it is said that this percussive and melodic dance music has provided the inspiration to many of today’s producers from the modern dance music arena and in particular the house DJs of New York and Chicago. The hilarious lyrics to LA GORDA (The Fat Lady) explain the plight of an overweight woman and the struggle of her frustrated husband. Look out for them at next year’s Notting Hill Carnival.

PAPI OVIEDO Y SUS SONEROS
ME ENSEÑASTE A QUERER (You taught me how to love) is a powerful example of Papi Oviedo y sus Soneros talent to offer truly magnificent son. Papi Oviedo’s three vocalists excel in different areas: Christina Azcuy in bolero, Miguelito Martinez in son and Osvaldo Montalvo in guaracha. Afro-Cuban percussive improvisations join Papi’s own improvisation skills on the tres which hold the group together and surprise the listener.

CANDIDO FABRE Y SU BANDA
Cándido Fabré is one of Latin music’s greatest songwriters with over 1,000 songs to his name. His songs have been performed by Orquesta Aragón, Los Van Van, Isaac Delgado, Celia Cruz, Oscar D’León, Jose Alberto El Canario and Willy Chirino. He has been described as the most versatile Cuban soneros and the greatest at vocal improvisations since Beny Moré, praises he received after the launch of Son de Cuba, his debut album. This medley show the versatility of this truly great artist.

JOVENES CLASICOS DEL SON
Awarded the prize of Best Cuban Group of 1997 by the Cuban government they have had a string of hits in Cuba including their new hit Fruta Bomba (Paw paw fruit), also the name of their first internationally released album. They are: Sergio on bongos: former member of the a cappella group Sampling. Lolo on congas: former member of ‘Cabaret Nacional’ and ‘Palacio de la Salsa Orquestra’. Raudel on trumpet: Arturo Sandoval’s protegé and recording artist with many including Winton Marsalis. Carlos on guitar: leading Nueva Trova artist. Cesar on tres: admired by the likes of Papi Oviedo and Compay Segundo. Nene on vocals: one of the most sought-after singers on the island. Palma on double bass: a musical revolutionary and former member of Candido Fabre’s band. Electic Cuban music mixing elements of highly charged son and salsa influenced by trova, jazz, blues, cumbia, and funk.

ANDY GOLA Y COLE COLE
Mixing elements of Colombian salsa, Cuban son and bomba together with salsa romántica lyrics, Cole Cole has become one of the bands to watch out for in the genre of timba – Cuba’s hot salsa style. Swinging salsa breaks combine with a heavy base line to give Andy Gola’s second album for Tumi a real salsa-son-dance-floor feel. His love for traditional music as well as his passion for modern sounds is shown in this club hit entitled Bilongo.

ARTURO CLENTON
Arturo Clenton blends jazzy horn arrangements, pure Afro-Cuban rhythms and adds guaracha and son numbers to his repertoire. La Monumental’s ex lead vocal is joined by a highly talented group of musicians featuring Tony Leal, Hector Anderson, Rogelio Fuste and Olivio D. Pino. The wonderful arrangements and evocative singing on this track entitled HAZ HERIDO MI ALMA (You have hurt my soul) never fail to evoke a mood.

SON
Founded by Tiburón (Shark), one of Cuba’s leading soneros. Adalberto Alvarez and Lázaro Rosabal in 1978, Son 14 are the most important musicians in Latin America for cultivating son. Celebrating 20 years of success La Máquina Musical (The Musical Machine), taken from their new album by the same name, is a dance-floor salsa-son track full of flavour. Son 14 means there are 14 in the band and it is also a pun on the genre of son. The band has recorded over 12 albums, and has toured throughout Europe and the USA.