My first introduction to Ibrahim Ferrer was on the Buena Vista Social Club documentary/album, which I immediately fell in love with. There is something about this album though that hits my true music enthusiast heart of hearts. I don't know if it's the sound of the album due to the age in which it was recorded, the style of music that is being played or the combination of all of these things. I mentioned Ibrahim Ferrer in an early post when I reviewed a different hispanic album, so I figured I'd do a review on the album I referenced.
Mi Oriente is a 21 track album that is a perfect representation of early latin jazz and traditional Cuban music. Within the album there are a few slower songs, but even these songs have a tenacity for greatness with the amount of emotion that is portrayed through the music. But in regards to the more upbeat tracks on this album, they are highly addictive rhythmical songs that will get your foot tapping and musical blood pumping. I am not a spanish speaker, nor do I understand spanish, but in my opinion music is the one truly universal language that is spoken to any listener/fan/musician. I have listened to this album many many times over the years and I never get sick of listening to it. The multiple instrument percussion section along with the lo-fi stylistically recorded horns help enhance the listeners mind's eye when it comes to understanding the expressions that are being played out for us all to hear. Being recorded in 1960, this is a very early release by Ibrahim Ferrer, and even though I am a big fan of his later releases, when he was older and the vocal style shows his age, this release of a young Ibrahim shows where he started, and helps give a clear cut picture of the Cuban music scene.
The Buena Vista Social Club documentary/album is a great place to get an overview of this style of Cuban music, but once you get past that, and want a real portrayal of it's origins, go get this album. I'll be honest and inform you that is this in my digital library, so I haven't purchased this, but if I ever come across it, I will buy it for my music collection.
Official score- 4/5
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