NUYORICAN SOUL- NUYORICAN SOUL (released in 1993)

Nuyorican Soul is a project developed by Little Louie Vega and Kenny Dope Gonzalez (Masters At Work). As a group Nuyorican Soul has only published this album, published by the acid-jazz living legend Gilles Peterson imprint: Talkin' Loud. It is composed by songs that different well-known and fine artists have specially created for this occasion or have covered (such as vocalists Jocelyn Brown and India, vibraphonist Roy Ayers, guitarist George Benson, flutist Dave Valentin, trombonist Eddie Palmieri, percussionist Tito Puente and more).

The pieces that form this avant-garde compilation vary across different music genres: soul, jazz, latin and salsa (even in the album art we can appreciate a cuban cigar-box, designed to represent Vega and Gonzalez caribbean roots). Of course, MAW have remixed and treated all of them with its typical jazz-house touch with the intention of making a group of compositions that mix New York streets rhythms. It's another attempt to fusion jazz with other genres, as in the case of Guru's Jazzmatazz projects (but in this case hip-hop was the genre to fusion with jazz).

"I Am the Black Gold of the Sun" (Rottary Connection cover) is sung by Jocelyn Brown, who proves with this tune that has one of the most powerful soul voices in this time. The song is followed by a prolongation "It’s alright, I feel it!" that has a faster and slightly different rhythm. Another excellent cover included is Bob James' Nautilus (named as MAWtilus), where MAW demonstrates that can do a good remix of a song and still respect the original one.

The soul continues with the classic of the Salsoul Orchestra "Runaway", covered by an impressive India that makes us notice until which point this MAW project is oriented in bringing past melodies into the present time.

To end up this masterpiece we have one of my favorite Mr. Benson's song, "You can do it baby". George starts this almost-nine-minute tune with a warm and soft guitar pluck, followed by a futuristic synthesizer that mixes in the rhythm before Benson starts singing and vocalizing the notes he plays (as he usually does).




Spotify link: Nuyorican Soul – Nuyorican Soul