Σάββατο 6 Σεπτεμβρίου 2008

AZTECA - AZTECA Columbia Rec. 1972 (US West Coast Latin Rock JazzSoul)

Azteca was a local Bay Area San Fransisco group formed by the brothers Coke and Pete Escovedo at the height of Latin Rock craze with artists like El Chicano and Malo. Most of the songs are Rock-Salsa Fusion numbers with plenty of percussion
Percussionists Coke and Pete Escovedo (Born 13 July 1935, Pittsburg, California, USA) formed this expansive unit in San Francisco, USA, upon their departure from Santana in 1972. Taking a cue from the latter group's Abraxas, Azteca formed a distinctly Latin American sound that helped them become a popular live attraction. A four-piece horn section emphasized the group's rhythmic style, but their strength in concert did not transfer to the recording studio. Azteca broke up in 1974, following which Pete Escovedo formed a duo with his daughter Sheila E. Three albums followed before he rejoined Santana. Sheila E. later found fame with Prince.

LINE-UP- Pete Escovedo / vocals- Coke Escovedo / timbales- Victor Pantoja / conga drums, vocals- George Moribus / electric piano- Flip Nunez / organ- George De Quattro / piano, clavinet- Paul Jackson / bass, vocals- Lenny White / drums, vocals- Jim Vincent / guitar- Neal Schon / guitar (on 3, 5 & 6)- Jules Rowell / valve trombone- Tom Harrell / trumpet- Bob Ferreira / piccolo, tenor sax- Mel Martin / saxophones, flute, piccolo- Errol Knowles / vocals- Wendy Haas / vocals- Rico Reyes / vocals

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Azteca was a Latin jazz-rock-fusion group formed in 1972, started by Coke Escovedo and his brother Pete Escovedo, who had just finished stints with Latin rock pioneering band Santana. Azteca was the first large-scale attempt to combine multiple musical elements in the context of a Latin orchestra setting, and featured horns, woodwinds, multiple keyboards, three vocalists, guitars, drums, and multiple Latin percussionists.
Onstage, the band consisted of between 15-25 members, and toured with acts including Stevie Wonder. Other notable Azteca alumni included drummer Lenny White, bassist Paul Jackson, vocalist Wendy Haas, trumpeter Tom Harrell, guitarist Neal Schon, vocalist Errol Knowles and percussionist Victor Pantoja. The group was also a musical starting point for Latin percussionist Sheila E. (the daughter of Pete Escovedo), who appeared with the band as a teenager. Two albums were released on Columbia Records, the self titled Azteca (1972) and Pyramid Of The Moon (1973), before the band split up.
On September 15, 2007, a number of the surviving members of Azteca performed together for the first time in more than 30 years in Hollywood, California. The concert was recorded for an eventual DVD release.


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1. La Piedra Del Sol (1:13) [T.Harrell, L.White]

2. Mamita Linda (3:42) [J.Vincent, T.Donlinger] solos: Coke Escovedo, timbales; Bob Ferreira, piccolo
3. Ain't Got No Special Woman (5:59) [R.Reyes, M.Pearson, T.Harrell] solos: Rico Reyes, vocal; Victor Pantoja, conga and vocal; Mel Martin, piccolo; Neal Schon, guitar
4. Empty Prophet (5:20) [J.Vincent, R.Canoff] solos: Errol Knowles, vocal; Mel Martin, tenor saxophone; Jim Vincent, guitar
5. Can't Take The Funk Out Of Me (4:23) [P.Jackson] solos: Paul Jackson, vocal; George DiQuattro, clavinet
6. Peace Everybody (4:32) [G.DiQuattro, P.Escovedo] solos: Bob Ferreira, tenor saxophone; Neal Schon, guitar
7. Non Pacem (6:40) [F.Nunez] solos: Tom Harrell, trumpet; Mel Martin, soprano saxophone
8. AH! AH! (3:24) [T.Puente, P.Escovedo]
9. Love Not Then (5:01) [F.Nunez] solos: Wendy Haas, vocal; George Moribus, piano; Flip Nunez, organ
10. AZTECA (4:38) [A.Bent] solos: George DiQuattro, piano; Lenny White, drums; Victor Pantoja, conga
11. Theme: La Piedra Del Sol (1:54)
Recorded at Columbia Studios, San Francisco, California, in 1972.



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