Los Hombres Calientes Vol. 4: Vodou Dance CD

Ronald Markham (piano, Wurlitzer piano, organ); Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez (drums).

Recorded in Port Au Prince, Haiti; Port Of Spain, Trinidad; Havana, Cuba; New Orleans, Louisiana in 2002.

This is the kind of album that some critics like to say "erases musical boundaries," but think about that for a minute. If you go around erasing musical boundaries for long enough, what you eventually end up with is only one kind of music, and how much fun would that be? Luckily, Los Hombres Calientes are engaged in just the opposite project; what they offer on Vodou Dance, Vol. 4 is a kaleidoscopic celebration of many distinctly different musical styles and traditions from the general geographical region of New Orleans and the Caribbean. The group created this glorious mishmash by traveling to Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad, and Jamaica without a firm itinerary and with little in the way of formal planning, playing and recording with musicians they found there. (They also, of course, recorded a significant amount of material back home in New Orleans.) The resulting program is long, fragmented, and endlessly fascinating: it veers recklessly from voodoo chants and drumming to reggae, from Mardi Gras Indian songs to gospel, and from second-line funk to swinging candomblé rhythms. Despite the wild variety of these songs and compositions -- many of which are less than a minute long -- the album hangs together well, its disparate elements connected by the warm New Orleans groove that animates everything Los Hombres Calientes do. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson

Additional personnel includes: Cyril Neville, Big Chief Bo Dollis, Rev. Eddie Payne, Philip Manuel, Jorge "Alabe" Bezerra, Babalosha Richard (vocals); Arron Fletcher (soprano & alto saxophones); Stephen M.M. Walker (trombone);

Feat Bill Summer & Irvin Mayfield

Personnel: Irvin Mayfield (vocals, trumpet, organ); Bill Summers (vocals, drums, congas, bata, claves, shekere, timbales, percussion, bells, hand bells, background vocals); Horacio "El Negro" Hernández (vocals, drums); Cyril Neville (vocals, bass drum); Shannon Powell (vocals, cowbells, tambourine); Gumbi Ortiz (vocals, background vocals); Davell Crawford, Phillip Manuel (vocals); Jeff Raymond (tamboura, drums); Aaron Fletcher (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Andre (cornet); Ronald Markham (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Victor Atkins (piano, keyboard bass); George Porter, Jr. (electric bass, background vocals); Ricky Sebastian (drums, washboard); Curtis Pierre (drums); Pancho Quinto (bongos); Pamberi Steel Orchestra (steel pan).

Audio Mixers: Delfeayo Marsalis; Irvin Mayfield; Steve Reynolds; Bill Summers.

Liner Note Author: Bill Summers.

Recording information: Bahai, Brazil (06/2002-10/2002); Daniel's Living Room, Matanzas, Cuba (06/2002-10/2002); Greater Providence Baptist Church, New Orleans, LA (06/2002-10/2002); Jean Raymond's House, Port Au Prince, Haiti (06/2002-10/2002); Kingston, Jamaica (06/2002-10/2002); Matanzas, Cuba (06/2002-10/2002); New Orleans, LA (06/2002-10/2002); Pancho Quinto's House, Havana, Cuba (06/2002-10/2002); Pancho Quinto's Kitchen, Havana, Cuba (06/2002-10/2002); Pancho's House, Havana, Cuba (06/2002-10/2002); Rainforest, Port Of Spain, Trinidad (06/2002-10/2002); Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (06/2002-10/2002); Ultrasonic Studio, New Orleans, LA (06/2002-10/2002).

Photographer: Jeff Strout.

Arrangers: Ronald Markham; Irvin Mayfield.

Los Hombres Calientes: Irvin Mayfield (vocals, trumpet, organ); Bill Summers (vocals, percussion).

Rolling Stone (5/29/03, p.65) - "...[A] jubilant travelogue, recorded on location with an army of blowers and drummers in Haiti, Trinidad, Cuba and the Crescent City, where all beats meet..."