This, the third disc from Spain's leading roots ensemble, features a mixture of old and new. It continues to offer up the group's time-machine stew of delectable bits and pieces of Spanish musical history. It still uses an extraordinary collection of instruments, modern and medieval, Spanish and Moslem. What's new is the album's foray into Japanese music, "Gujo Bushi," and the occasional use of electric guitar. Though it's harder to pin down, the group seems to have dug deeper into music of the modern Spanish countryside. This new -- or newly deepened -- exploration of folk music results in two of the album's most intriguing tunes: First is "Ramo Verde," a Castillian folk song with great atmosphere, featuring a woman vocalist for the first time in the group's history. Second is the title track, which is a primitive tango and which most lamentably ends just when it's getting going. The brevity of the songs is a serious concern on "Cruzando el Rio": The 11 tracks total just 36 minutes, allowing too little time for development and no time for the epic grandeur of "Nu Alrest" off of the group's first album, Rumba Argelina. Still, this group never fails to be interesting. -
by Kurt Keefner, AMGArtist: Radio Tarifa
Album: Cruzando el Rio
Year: 2000
Label: Nonesuch
Runtime: 36:10
Tracks:1. Osu (Fain S. Duenas) 2:39
2. Sin palabras (Fain S. Duenas) 4:32
3. El viaje de Lea (Traditional) 4:03
4. Ramo Verde (Traditional) 2:48
5. La molinera (Traditional) 3:56
6. Cruzando el Rio (Traditional) 2:15
7. Patas negras (Fain S. Duenas) 4:03
8. Gujo bushi (Traditional) 3:11
9. Alab (Free intro) 2:08
10. El quinto (Traditional) 3:55
11. Si j 'ai perdu mon ami (Josquin Desprez) 2:35
Personnel:Benjamin Escoriza (Vocals)
Vincent Molino (Wind Istruments, Keyboards)
Fain S. Duenas (Guitar, Strins, Bass and Percussion)
Guest muscians:Merche Trujillo (Vocals, Gaita) - 2
Joaquin Ruiz (Tap Percussion) - 4
Caridad Alcazar Gutierrez (Backing Vocals) - 7
Juncal Fernandez (Vocals) - 10
Cristina Godoy (Backing Vocals) - 10
Gema Quesada (Backing Vocals) - 10
