Salsa Celtica is gearing up for an incredible 2014. They headline Glasgow's Celtic Connections on 24th January, quickly followed by a debut concert in Cartegena, Columbia, on 30th January, as part of the Hay Festival. Their new album, The Tall Islands, is released on 10th February and they embark on a 15-date UK tour in March. Salsa Celtica's synthesis of Afro Latin salsa with Scottish and Irish traditional music is quite unlike anything else weaving together Afro Latin with Scottish-Gaelic sounds as if the two cultures grew up together. The band was founded in Edinburgh in 1995 and has gone on to spend many years touring the world and, amazingly for a Scottish salsa band, found fans and recognition in the Latin American and New York homelands of salsa as well as the Celtic folk and world music scenes. Their fifth studio album, 'The Tall Islands' further explores their unique combination of Afro Latin salsa and Celtic cultures with new material, composed and developed on a back-to -roots "village hall" tour of Scotland's Highlands and Islands. This resulted in working with Scottish Gaelic song for the first time along with guajira, son and Afro Latin folkloric references, producing a final album that feels equally balanced between the two cultures. There are seventeen musicians on the album with the usual international cast from Scotland, Cuba, Ireland, Argentina and England, including Gaelic speaking fiddler and singer, Megan Henderson, Cuban sonero and conga player, Ricardo Fernandez Pompa and Scottish piper, Ross Ainsley. Guests include the great Gaelic singer, Kathleen MacInnes, legendary London percussionist, David Pattman and Jarlath Henderson on uilleann pipes. For the third time Salsa Celtica joins forces with Calum Malcolm, a much respected producer who has worked with them on two previous albums.
T**R
They upped the ante
I love what I call "roots" music, and I am always on the lookout for fusion versions of roots music wherein music from different ethnic and cultural roots are blended. The original Salsa Celtica album (El Agua De La Vida) was great, but the second album (El Camino) was a major disappointment. It lacked the bite and energy of the first album, and did not really fuse the Latin and Celtic themes together as effectively - or at all - like the first album did. It was kinda formulaic.But this last album ... is like "wow". Not only do they do the fusion thing again, but there is more of the fusion thing and it is more obvious and in your face. This time they are cooking with gas and the food is HOT .... just the way I like it.
K**N
Five Stars
Love, love, love this group! I buy everything I can from this group. This CD does not disappoint.
K**N
More Pleasant Surprises
This group just keeps evolving in pleasing ways, both in depth(richness of the clave based Latino roots) and breadth of Celtic( in this case Gaelic) influences incorporated.Looking forward to a tour off this release as well as the next one.
M**K
Great Band
I have purchased every CD I could find that this band has made (and have seen them in person). Wonderful quality, fun music....
G**A
Great.
Awsome
J**L
Highly addictive
Another incredible production from Salsa Celtica. This latest offering has several songs layering in feminine Gaelic lyrics on their rich cross-cultural insturmentation/rythms which have grown to absolutely drive me nuts. Like El Camino, this album also brings in a number of slower contemplative songs that really work under your skin the more you listen. Finally, the horn section (or should I say the 'wind' section?) is tight, bright and kicks ass all over the place... any fan of the Tower of Power will love this stuff.For anyone not very familiar with the band, this latest release is just as strong as their older music for a band that continues to evolve with their integrity, energy and fun intact... and blessedly no signs of being over-produced yet! If you're interested in some of their older music like 'The Great Scottish-Latin Adventure' or 'Monstrusos Y Demonios', you should check out the band website and grub around for copies, they're well worth the hunt.
P**L
Tromperie
Coffret, CD, CD single, Edition de collection, DTS stéréo, Dualdisc, Bonus, Réservé à un public averti, Titres bonus, Import, Karaoké, Edition limitée, Enregistrement original remasterisé, Ringle, Super Audio CD, Bande originaleà 21,57€ en fait ce n'est qu'un format CD classique.J'achète régulièrement des SACD (format audio HD malheureusement assez rare), j'étais surpris de voir ce CD Salsa Celtica dans ce format. Le prix aurait pu justifier cela !
C**T
Five Stars
Great
