The Case of the Holiday Latin Delight

I want to continue the theme of holiday appropriate music this week with an installment from the Latin side of the spectrum. This set was chosen for having some of the qualities I associate with holiday music:  jolliness, sentimentality, and approachable warmth. 

The opening set today is a tribute to Cuban singer Miguelito Valdes and the band that started his career, Orquesta Casino de la Playa. In the late 1930s this group scored runaway hits with their popularizations of traditional Afro-Cuban musical material. Along with US jazz, this was among the earliest examples of musicians without African heritage appropriating African musical forms for largely white audiences. Lots of old-timey charm in this set. We'll stay in Cuba for the rest of the first hour, moving into some deliciously sentimental territory to wrap up the set.

Second hour today begins with a trio of songs from the solo piano album of Ruben Gonzalez. It so happens that this album was recorded by World Circuit Records immediately after the completion of the original Buena Vista Social Club sessions; although Ruben Gonzalez had not been a part of that group, he had come to the attention of the visiting label executives, who changed their plans in order to spend a few days recording this talented pianist.

I follow that modern descarga vibe into the New York scene for the balance of the second hour, wrapping up the set with a pair of very current compositions from the Cuban diaspora.