Salsa Celtica
Salsa Celtica
Greentrax Recordings
2000
11 tracks
If you like your salsa hot, you'll want to dip into Salsa Celtica. This is salsa with a real rock sensibility. The overall effect is like Carlos Santana on Glayva: hot but at the same time very smooth.
The music on this release is big, the result of an eleven piece band adding eight guest artists to the mix. It's billed as "a salsa album made by Scottish musicians in love with Latin music and by South American musicians in love with Scotland." The result is an eclectic mix. No plain salsa, this, but a full-bodied recipe with touches of jazz, klezmer, mariachi, rhumba, reels, and even a ringing telephone and what sounds like a dog barking.
"The great Scottish Latin adventure" is the subtitle of this release. For a number of listeners, this may prove to be an understatement. More than simply an adventure, Salsa Celtica is an all-involving experience. In a heavy Scottish brogue, a man speaks over bagpipes and solid Latin percussion. A treat in itself, this is only the beginning of a wonderful experiment in musical internationalism.
At times this music sounds quite traditional (well, if you assume bagpipes to be indiginous to South America). At other times, it has more the flavour of early Santana releases and sometimes even the rocking sound of some Ritchie Valens numbers. The blend is smooth and tasteful. There is a beauty and unity to this music which cannot be denied.
Quite coincidentally, while I was listening to the release, I was also listening to some old Jimmy Shand. It's easy to see why the Scots would be drawn to these Latin songs. In Shand, I could hear the same sort of rhythm and vitality coming through. There is in the Scottish heart a fire that burns as bright as any Latin heart can do. It may have been inevitable that the two should join to create the inferno that is Salsa Celtica.
Nothing I may say about individual tunes will do this release justice. It is really that good. Like any great salsa, this is hot stuff and not to be missed.
Those wishing to learn more about Salsa Celtica and their music can visit them at www.SalsaCeltica.com.
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