Joey Pastrana – Let’s Ball

Here’s some more heat from my recent trip to Colombia.

As I told you a couple of years ago, I spent a few (pre-internet) years trying to figure out who played this incredible song, and several years after that trying to track down a copy of Joey Pastrana’s brilliant debut album. This wasn’t easy – I like to buy my records in person, and don’t like to pay a fortune for them – but I finally found it.

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Man, I love the sound of this group. From the fat rhythm and horn sections, to Joey’s breaks on the timbales, to Ismael Miranda’s voice, to the groovy “Rivera sisters” – who aren’t really sisters, and are definitely not just ‘backup singers’ – I feel like I’m hearing Cortijo’s younger, crazier sibling. (And Cortijo is pretty crazy himself.)

It’s hard to choose a song or two from this album. Every song is gold! Anyway, here’s a soulful boogaloo:

Bien Dulce by Joey Pastrana/Let’s Ball

a savage descarga:

Mani Picante by Joey Pastrana/Let’s Ball

and please go check out Rumbón Melón if you haven’t.

Joey tells the story of how Cotique’s George Goldner sent him straight to the recording studio after hearing his band play just one song. Dude was so excited with what he heard, that he rushed to get the album out as quickly as possible. It seems that he didn’t even have time to check the spelling of ‘Pastrana’ on the cover…

Enjoy,
papicultor

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