N.Y.C. Salsa, Vol. 2

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Lubi Jovanovich (Compilation)
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: The companion piece to the excellent two-disc set NYC SALSA, VOL. 2, though only one disc, has all of the brimming energy and infectious danceablity of the first volume. With a set list that includes salsa stalwarts Celia Cruz, Javier Vasquez, Gilberto Cruz, and Johnny Zamot, among others, NYC SALSA VOL. 2 will take listeners back to the golden age of the urban salsa movement, offering up a cornucopia of classic salsa grooves that sound as fresh and hip-wiggling in the 21st century as they did back in the day. Be prepared for burbling polyrhythms, sassy brass, and clattering timbales! The second volume in the New York City Salsa series is only a single-disc set (the first was two CDs), but it digs even deeper into the vaults of Fania and associated labels. Virtually all of it comes from the '70s, when salsa had expanded from the tight and rather formulaic forms of the '60s into something as free-form as jazz fusion or even prog rock, but much more powerful and incendiary. Nevertheless, novices who might be scared away by the lack of name recognition -- this is the type of compilation to include Monguito but not Mongo, and Johnny Colon but not Willie -- should have nothing to fear. This is one of the best of the dozens of Fania label compilations to come out in the 2000s; compiler Lubi Jovanovich and coordinator Dean Rudland must have a record collection tens of thousands deep to resurrect tracks from Me�ique, Cabrerita, and poor Johnny Zamot (who was billed, and dressed up in green body paint as, "El Hulk de la Salsa" for a 1976 LP). There are plenty of salsa standbys (Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco, Larry Harlow with Ismael Miranda), but what's most impressive about New York City Salsa, Vol. 2 is the wealth of obscurities it reveals. ~ John Bush

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