04 The music (Gloria Estefan / Miami Sound Machine)
Description
This article is from the Gloria Estefan / Miami Sound Machine FAQ, by Roy Sette kl7@rahul.net with numerous contributions by others.
04 The music (Gloria Estefan / Miami Sound Machine)
A common misconception is that Miami Sound Machine was a Latin band that
turned into a mainstream American pop band. In truth, MSM had been a
pop band from the very beginning, but one with Latin elements mixed in.
(However, they could perform old Cuban standards and salsa songs when asked.)
The band was a true hybrid of two cultures, the essence of Miami's identity.
Songs were typically written for one language and then re-written for the
other. But the songs were never translated directly. As a result, the
meaning of the Spanish lyrics is often quite different from the English
lyrics for the same identical song.
The Mi Tierra album (1993) was an attempt to do something artistically
different. It is a set of original songs that capture the sound of
Cuban music from the 1930's, 40's and 50's, but from a 1990's perspective.
Many famous Latin musicians participated in making Mi Tierra -- people like
Tito Puente, Israel Lopez "Cachao", Juanito Marquez, Arturo Sandoval,
Luis Enrique and several others. The album won the 1994 Grammy for Best
Tropical Latin Album.
Abriendo Puertas (1995) is an innovative blend of regional Latin musical |
rhythms. The combinations include salsa, guaguanco, mambo, Colombian |
vallenato, merengue, Colombian cumbia, Colombian curralao and Cuban son. |
Gloria's hope is that just as diverse musical styles can be united, so too |
can all Latinos come together as one. |
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