Jazz for aficionados

@curiousjim 

Well, we shall see... Having already auditioned three well-reviewed DACs without being particularly knocked out, my expectations are inevitably somewhat muted.

I won't get the cables I've ordered from the Cable Company's lending library until I've had the DAC for about a week as they are  currently checked out. In the meantime, I will hook it up the Merason and keep it running with some "nothing special" cables I have lying around. I don't know how long it's been sitting on the shelf at TMR. Six months? I was told no one else had auditioned it since they got it in so it may need some time to "wake up". 

I'm really hoping this DAC will be the one that synergizes with my system. 

This is a fascinating youtube video of:

Unesco Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock talks with Elvis Costello of how “Watermelon Man” when Mongo Santamaria infused #afrocuban rhythms to the song, Watermelon Man reached a whole new audience combining #jazz with #afrocuban music.

Mongo Santamaria was referring to a guaguanco (a subgenre of Cuban rumba) that in Cuban slang was called a guajira which is pronounced "gwah-HEE-rah". In late 1962, when Herbie Hancock temporarily filled in for Chick Corea in Santamaria’s band, Hancock played his new song "Watermelon Man".

When Santamaria joined in on the congas, he infused the track with this specific Latin rhythm, turning it into a massive hit. To see Herbie Hancock recount how Mongo Santamaria and trumpeter Donald Byrd helped shape the Afro-Cuban groove of  ’Watermelon Man’.

 

Funny thing is, as a kid growing up, we called this type of latin rhythm a Boogaloo.

Latin boogaloo (or bugalú) is a 1960s musical genre born in New York City’s East Harlem, emerging from the blending of Afro-Cuban rhythms with African American R&B, soul, and doo-wop. It is celebrated for its bilingual lyrics, infectious "funky cha-cha" beats. 

@curiousjim I hope you like this...

@stuartk,

Good on you on getting the Merason. I sold my Laiv Harmony µdac to save up for it’s big brother the Laiv Harmony dac.

And to @frogman, good to hear from you!

Mongo Santamaria - Watermelon Man 

And yep, I have this album.

Mongo Santamaria - La Bamba - full album 1963

@acman3,

Discovering these two Bassists is like and as much similar to when I first discovered Ron Carter. Thank you.

Niels Pedersen & Sam Jones - Double Bass (1976).

@tyray 

What a great video!  I wish I was there.  I have the HeadHunters album Herbie was referring to and that tune is the best part of the album.
 

Thanks for sharing, you put a big smile on my face.