Tibiri Tabara is an album by the Cuban band Sierra Maestra, released in 1997.[4][5] It was the band's second album for a major label.[6] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[7]

Tibiri Tabara
Studio album by
Released1997
GenreSon[1]
LabelWorld Circuit[2]
Nonesuch[3]
ProducerNick Gold, Alejandro Suárez, Eduardo Himely
Sierra Maestra chronology
El Guanajo Relleno
(1995)
Tibiri Tabara
(1997)
Rumbero Soy
(2002)

Production

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Recorded in London, the album was produced by Nick Gold, Alejandro Suárez, and Eduardo Himely.[8] Unlike some traditional Cuban bands, Sierra Maestra incorporated modern musical styles into its sound, including descarga.[9][10] Juan de Marcos González helped to arrange the songs.[11] Bernardo Sassetti played piano.[12] Five vocalists sang on Tibiri Tabara.[13] "Yo soy Tiburón" was written by Arsenio Rodríguez.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [15]
The Baltimore Sun    [16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [17]
Los Angeles Times    [1]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide     [8]
The Sydney Morning Herald     [18]

The Sydney Morning Herald called the album "traditional, no-frills music done very well... And the mixture of danceable tunes, son montunos and more melodic sones is just right."[18] The Globe and Mail wrote: "Star soloist piano player Bernardo Sassetti corners the band's jazz market with hard-driving (if occasionally lick-heavy) flights, but the real star is the whole Sierra Maestra galaxy—the nine-piece band's collective propulsion and flawless vocal ensemble work."[19]

Newsday noted that "this Cuban nonet swings son music like nobody's business."[20] The Baltimore Sun concluded that "it's one thing to know that Cuba has the richest musical heritage of any nation in the Caribbean, quite another to have the depth and breadth of that tradition demonstrated by a single band."[16]

AllMusic wrote that "this large band creates a bright testament to the glories of Cuban music, from son to changui."[15]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Tibiri Tábara" 
2."¿Dónde va Chichi?" 
3."Yo soy Tiburón" 
4."Marieta" 
5."Son para tí" 
6."Felipe Blanco" 
7."En el Silencio de la Noche" 
8."El Guararey de Pastora" 
9."Con la Espuela" 
10."Anabacoa" 

References

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  1. ^ a b Lechner, Ernesto (16 Aug 1998). "Latin Record Rack". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 64.
  2. ^ Williamson, Nigel (Jan 10, 1998). "U.K. label a hit on world circuit". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 2. pp. 32–33.
  3. ^ Diaz, Katharine A. (Jan–Feb 1999). "Music". Hispanic. Vol. 12, no. 1/2. p. 110.
  4. ^ Gregory, Andy (July 7, 2002). The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. Psychology Press.
  5. ^ Bailie, Stuart (Feb 1, 1998). "Roots". Vox. No. 88. p. 85.
  6. ^ Saxberg, Lynn (18 Feb 1999). "Isolation gives Cuban music its own swing". Ottawa Citizen. p. F1.
  7. ^ Ostroff, Josh (February 19, 1999). "Granddaddies of Cuban 'Son'". Entertainment. Ottawa Sun. p. 38.
  8. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 711.
  9. ^ Lechner, Ernesto (2 Mar 2001). "Cuban Rebirth". Los Angeles Times. p. B7.
  10. ^ Young, Bob (February 26, 1999). "Cuban group ascends mountain". Scene. Boston Herald. p. 24.
  11. ^ "Sierra Maestra releases some of the best Cuban Son ever recorded". La Voz. No. 24. 17 June 1998. p. 11.
  12. ^ "Linen Shorts". Dirty Linen. Aug 1998. p. 72.
  13. ^ Blumenthal, Bob (28 Feb 1999). "Sierra Maestra gets an overdue hearing". The Boston Globe. p. N6.
  14. ^ "Sierra Maestra: Tibiri Tabara". JazzTimes. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Sierra Maestra Tibiri Tabara". AllMusic.
  16. ^ a b "Worldbeat". LIV. The Baltimore Sun. 9 July 1998. p. 8.
  17. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 446.
  18. ^ a b "Sounds right". Metro. The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 Feb 1998. p. 7.
  19. ^ Robbins, Li (18 June 1998). "Tibiri Tabara". The Globe and Mail. p. D4.
  20. ^ Torres, Richard (5 July 1998). "They've Got Your Rumba, and More". Newsday. p. D23.