Chembo Corniel’s “Things I wanted to do”

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Chico Alvarez expressed it best in his liner for Chembo’s newest release, “Things I wanted to do” when he christened Chembo Corniel a “young giant”, except I would have added “unsung” after young. The list in New York City for truly outstanding musicians, vocalists, arrangers, producers and composers that have been “unsung” for too long is infinite but its existence is for a good reason: These musicians, vocalists, arrangers, producers and composers are truly muses for a distinct type of populace and their work is eagerly hunted by this distinct populace [The Chosen] with an exceptionally good ear for great music, especially when, for too long, this distinct populace has been in a life-long battle with commercial, lame music wafting out radios (and now the internet!) all these years. But this populace knows how to intelligently short live that torture. Chembo Corniel’s “Things I wanted to do” is how. This CD offers us a chance to redeem ourselves to salvation, to a world of truly good music. It offers a relentless kaleidoscope of rhythms, including a Carlos Santana-ish guitar riff impressively performed by Octavio Kotan (Manny Oquendo’s Libre) for the track by the same name as the title of this magnificent CD, and also includes, dare I say?…an Afro-French Bómba“jammy” – complete with an accordion improv in the mix, beautifully played by Ludovic Beier for track nine: “Swing Street”. Whoa!! I swear I’ve NEVER heard an accordion jam so hip like this! And I swear, the only other God-made flawless matter (after it’s been processed by man, of course) other than a perfect diamond has to be Ivan Renta’s tenor saxophone feat throughout this whole production! Renta is just a natural at improvising with his axe; he’s one with it when he gets into the zone. That instrument is Renta’s queen, I believe. It is an arrangement truly to behold.

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Chembo gives his props to Tommy Lopez and I have to say that my personal favorite track is the last one, “Oru Pa’ Tommy Lopez” because it includes one of my absolute favorite instrument in the world of Afro drums: The Batá drums (the Iyá, the Itótele and the Okónkolo, a tóque played with much fervor and respect for this track by masters Ogduardo Román Diaz, Pedro Martinez, and Chembo, respectively). My second absolute favorite instrument is the trombone and guess what?! Chembo brings in that inimitable percussive, staccato sound that is Jimmy Bosch, to duel it out with Ivan Renta for this exciting Timba performance on the track “Descarga Patato”. Both Renta and Bosch win. This track is lush with Timba coro and a beautiful piano and Timba piano montuno throughout. Chembo was smart bringing in Marvin Diz (Canta El Tambor) to play the “much buttered” timbál solo. I can just imagine Patato saying: “Eees berri goo!”.

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Chembo knows how to roll with the times by introducing Rumba-Jazz Timba’o (my way of expressing Rumba-Jazz “Timbado”…lol) on the track “Habana”. The effervescence of Elio Villafranco’s digitals teases us with a way-too-short Timba riff as if to say, “don’t forget that this is a salute to Habana!” Again, in this track you can hang, if for a bit, with the deity of drums because the drummers will again tease you with the Batás and let me dare not exclude the delicious madness that is Vince Cherico on the (American trap) drums for this track.

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One of the most beautiful things a musician can do when he or she releases a production is NOT to outshine the rest of the musicians/guests on his/her production – no matter how good he/she is at what he/she does; it shows humility within an industry that oft times and unfortunately breeds jackasses. It is exactly this unassuming nature that Chembo Corniel totally always possesses, along with his mazacote, reflecting on this CD. . If you sincerely want to know where Chembo’s heart is, listen to the intro in “The Sultan” Hey, he doesn’t only wear that red kerchief for his CD cover photo to look cute, ya know!

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Enough said. I’ve “4ll’d” my “chosen ones”…Now, go get “Things I wanted to do”.

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- Ana Flores....