Mundo

Performer: Rubén Blades
Engineer: Walter Flores; Oscar S. Marin
Producer: Walter Flores; Edin Solis; Ruben Blades
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Ruben Blades (vocals); Marco Linares (vocals, electric guitar); Edin Solis (acoustic guitar); Luba Mason, Medoro Madera (vocals); Nelson Gonzales (tres); Ricardo Ramirez, Gerardo Ramirez, Ricardo Ramirez, Mercedes Rodriguez, Erasmo Soler (violin); Randall Rodriguez, Lorena Alfato, Marcela Chavarria (viola); Alvaro Gonzales, Sonia Barth, Gabriella Alfaro (cello); Eric Rigler (Irish flute, bagpipes); Lalo Rojas (Irish flute, soprano saxophone); Luis Velazquez (didgeridoo); Stanley Corrales (trumpet); Alfredo Poveda, Andres Leon (trombone); Walter Flores (piano, keyboards); Marcos Navarro, (electric bass); Alejandro Solis (upright bass); Carlomagno Araya (drums); Ramses Araya, Marc Quinones, Bobby Allende (percussion). Recorded at Audio Arte, Estudio FM, San Jose, Costa Rica, Estudio Verde, Rio De Janiero, Brazil between February and May 2001. MUNDO won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album. The album also won the 2003 Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Tropical Album. Personnel: Luba Mason (vocals); Edin Solis (acoustic guitar); Nelson Gonzalez (tres); Sharon DeKock, Eva Liebhaber, Patricia Gonzalez, Ricardo Ram�rez (violin); Randall Rodriguez, Lorena Alfaro (viola); Alvaro Gonz�lez, Gabriela Alfaro (cello); Eric Rigler (bagpipe); Luis Gonzalo Velazquez (didjeridu); Andres Leon (trombone); Walter Flores (piano, keyboards); Marcos Navarro (electric bass); Carlomagno Araya (drums); R�mses Araya, Marc Qui�ones, Bobby Allende, Carlos "Tapado" Vargas (percussion). Recording information: Audio Arte (02/2001-11/2001); Estudio FM (02/2001-11/2001); Estudio Verde, San Jose, Costa Rica (02/2001-11/2001). Editor: Walter Flores. Photographers: Gustavo Araujo; Edin Solis; Carlos "Tapado" Vargas. All credit goes to Rub�n Blades. He sees music as a global thing, and working from his established base of salsa, he's made some very credible connections between musics of the world, never more so than on Mundo, where Latin rhythms meet bagpipes and didgeridoos, Africa comes to Cuba, and the lilt of strings can develop into a percussion fest. In many ways, his singing -- although it's the glue that holds everything together -- is the least-important element; the joy is in the sheer diversity, as on "Primogenio," where the pipes work beautifully, or the most unusual version of "Danny Boy" ever recorded. But it's also there on "El Capitan y la Sirena," where the earthy tones of a didgeridoo underpin Latin accordion and rhythms, and in the airy, jazzy "Consideracion." Blades has always been adventurous, a real artist, but this is mature and considered, never brash or in-your-face. It makes sense and works, even when, on paper, it probably shouldn't. It's one world, and in his music Blades is attempting to bring it together. ~ Chris Nickson

JazzTimes (9/02, pp.86,7) - "...Fusing musical styles from all over the world....all listeners will be able to appreciate the richness of MUNDO

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