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CD
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CSM 282CD
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Toño Quirazco was a true musical chameleon, skipping from one genre to another, always capturing its essence while giving it his own unique touch. Having conquered ska and boogaloo, here he tries his hand at Afrobeat! The album's title-track is a cover of Manu Dibango's great "Soul Makossa," which retains the funky groove of the original but with the addition of lots of groovy Hammond organ. The album is loads of fun as Toño and his group dish out plate after plate of tasty early '70s funk with a distinctive Latino twist. (The album also credits Las Gemelas De Oro ["The Golden Twins"], two foxy go-go dancers whom, it seems, had nothing to do with the recording of this album whatsoever!) A recurring feature of the album is Toño's creative riffing on "Makossa" and we have in addition to the original "Makossa en Acapulco," "Tequila Makossa," "Psicosis de Makossa," and "Makossa de Tokio." Other tracks include the gloriously funky "Sesión verde," "Elena," "Mi Loco (Parte Dos)," "Lily," and "Happiness (Felicidad)."
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CD
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CSM 241CD
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Toño Quirazco's second work of fuelled-up ska music made a massive impact in Mexico with its new rhythm, influenced by some of the biggest stars in the genre at the time such as Byron Lee, Desmond Dekker, and The Maytals, among others. Toño's style was not just a copy of the original sound, but he crossed over with some other tropical influences -- a little bit sped up compared to how it was played in Jamaica, achieving a very unique flavor with the addition of a Hawaiian guitar.
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CD
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CSM 243CD
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A Ritmo de Boogaloo, originally cut in 1967, is a magnificent collection of boogaloo from bandleader Toño Quirazco that also incorporates a variety of other styles like Motown and ska (which he had introduced to Mexico two years prior with his classic Jamaica Ska). Toño and the musicians assembled here meld these various influences into a fantastic sound where the groove is the king and it's tight and upbeat. Titles include "Aprieta arriba," "Asi me gusta," "Veronica," "Pulpa de tamarindo," "Bugulu," "Punctacon," "Hey," "Pikina," "Tiempo de verano," "Zapatero remendón," and more!
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CD
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CSM 249CD
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Perhaps the most important figure the in history of Mexican ska, Toño Quirazco both introduced the genre to Mexico and, backed by his Hawaiian Orchestra, became its most important purveyor in the mid-'60s. Toño traveled to Jamaica himself, sent by Orfeon Records to learn the secrets of ska music and bring them back to Mexico. On his return, it was decided that some Jamaican ska was too slow for Mexican audiences so Toño speeds things up bit and the result is a very upbeat record, indeed! The album is largely instrumental although a few songs are vocal numbers like "Jamaica Ska" which introduced the new rhythm to the Mexican audience, saying you dance to it "as if it were cha-cha-cha," and the Spanish language version of the classic "Shame and Scandal." Though it has an irresistible, authentic Jamaican rhythm at its core, its and sound and charm are augmented by a lot of fun touches that you wouldn't find on your average Jamaican record of the period. For instance, a number of songs have their melody carried by a Hawaiian slide guitar (Toño's instrument) and there's the vaguely Russian sounding "Moscú Ska." Other tracks on this magnificent set include "Mérida Ska," "Tutricumbanchi Baila Ska," "La Múcura," "Ska Hawaiiano," a bouncy version of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" called "El vendedor de melones," "Ska de los Santos," and a cover of "Mack the Knife" here called "Pepe el navaja."
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