Cuba Without Borders

Since the success of the Buena Vista Social Club, Americans, whether Latino or not, have started enjoying the sounds of Cuban music in a way that we haven't seen since the 1940s and 1950s, a time when Latin music was on the air and in the homes of anyone who listened to Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby, or Dizzy Gillespie. On Cuba Without Borders, Grammy-nominated producers Robert Leaver and Greg Landau bring a formidable lineup of musicians, some from Cuba and some now based in the United States, to mainstream America. The music is an irresistible and often unexpected blend of classic Latin music with the sounds of American jazz, hip-hop, and dance music.

Made at a time when the longstanding American embargo of Cuba is still in place, the recordings on this compilation transcend borders and politics, serving as a cultural bridge. However, this is not to say that the album is a weighty, serious affair. With an army of Latin jazz's finest percussionists, and some of the best Cuban musicians from several generations, this compilation follows one infectious beat with another. Even if Lazaro Rizo meant for us to take his sad tale of a lost hat seriously, there's little chance of that happening when Pancho Quinto and his band launch into the sensual rhythms of "La Gorra." Quinto, a revered master percussionist, recorded this song with keyboardist Omar Sosa, whose own music reflects the time he spent living in East Oakland when rappers like MC Hammer were coming up. Add the ritual drumming of Santeria priest Octavio Rodriguez, and you have a snapshot of Cuba's multicultural, multigenerational music.