Cuba: Music and Revolution – Culture Clash in Havana Cuba, Experiments in Latin Music 1975-85 Vol 1

This compilation, curated by Gilles Peterson and Soul Jazz's Stuart Baker, collects together some of the most exploratory items from the catalogue of Cuban label EGREM. Irakere appear with a track from 1976's Grupo Irakere, finding them mixing Afro-Cuban percussion and syncopated vocals with bursts of brass and distorted guitars. On ‘Y No Le Conviene’ Juan Formell & Los Van Van blend son with a classic 60s beat bassline, while Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC's ‘Sondeando’ could be a Curtis Mayfield soul soundtrack gem in disguise. At times there appears a kinship with Brazil, Pablo Milanés' ‘Te Quiero Porque Te Quiero’ having more than an echo of Milton Nascimento's orchestral pop, while Paquito D'Rivera is a samba delight.

Surprise of the record must be Juan Pablo Torres y Algo Nuevo's ‘Rompe Cocorioco’, a funky son with a lunatic arrangement: synths bleeping, harpsichord hooks, in-your-face percussion and a relentless pace that somehow gives it a proto-disco feel. The bittersweet conclusion after listening is that while salsa was exploding around the world, its progenitor, son, was having its own adventures back in Cuba, its light burning just as bright. Such a shame that only a few saw it flicker at the time.