Benny More Y Su Banda Gigante

[Matthew]

Don't know if there are many fans of the great Benny More here, but Tumbao Cuban Cuban Classics (a divison of the dreaded Blue Moon) has put out More's work with his Banda Gigante that is outstanding. More has easily become my favorite male bigband vocalist, and some of his vocals here are beyond belief. Also a number of overlooked gems, e.g., Devuelveme el coco, Perdon, Elige tu, que canto yo and tons more. The booklet is also very nice, it has an english translation for those of us whose spanish is muy malo! With cool, primo pictures of More in action. Name any vocalist -- Sinatra, Bennett, Nat King Cole, or anyone else, this four cd set proves that he deserves to be at the very top. Don't be afraid to buy this set, it's great music by a master.

[JSngry]

More was BAAAAAAADDDD!!!

Tumbao's Chano Pozo set was most impressive. If this one lives up to the standards of that one....

I'll keep my eyes open for this one, I assure you. Thanks for the heads-up!

BTW - have you heard More w/Perez Prado? Early work for both of them, apparently. I've just found a cut or two on various rogue compilation tapes (sic), but the combination seems to have been dynamite.

[Matthew]

BTW - have you heard More w/Perez Prado? Early work for both of them, apparently. I've just found a cut or two on various rogue compilation tapes (sic), but the combination seems to have been dynamite.

Caution: Can't find this cd at home to make sure it's not just different songs by More with his band and Prado with his band, or that it's really More singing with Prado's band (if that makes sense ). Think I loaned it out and it never came back.

Update: Never mind! I found the cd and it's not the one I thought. I know there's a cd of More's work with Prado out there, just can't track it down. I even held it in my hands. Might have been out of Mexico. Old age strikes again!

Edited January 20, 2004 by Matthew

[Harold_Z]

Benny More was outstanding. STRONG pipes ! I was looking back on some of the things I have on cd and vinyl and the notes are pretty uninformative. I was under the impression that Benny and Perez Prado recorded together frequently during the period that they were both with RCA, although I couldn't find anything in what I have to substantiate this.

I've had my eye on that 4 cd set for a while.

[mikeweil]

There is a CD Tumbao TCD-010: "El Barbaro del Ritmo". Mambos by Beny Moré with Perez Prado and his Orchestra. Tracklist can be found on the BlueMoon website. This is not in the aforementioned box set and recommended.

Without Blue Moon's Tumbao series, most of this music would be unavailable or only in inferior editions. They do a fine job with this!

The Arsenio Rodríguez CDs are indispensable!

[Adam]

For those of you in LA, Amoeba has many copies of the box, which they are selling (in Hollywood at least) for about $34.

And I can second teh recommendation of that earlier More & Prado Tumbao disc.

[Stefan Wood]

I picked this up from Blue Moon. This is an OUTSTANDING box set! The sound quality is better than the RCA cds I have, though in a couple of cases it sounds like they had to use 78's for a source. The notes are detailed as are the track listings. I highly recommend this for any latin music fan.

[Matthew]

Doesn't this make you just want to get up and dance around the room?

[Matthew]

Another one: Y Hoy Come Ayer

[Matthew]

I think More is my favorite ballad singer, here's an example of one of his greatest ballads: Oh Vida!

You may now return to your regularly scheduled program.

[JSngry]

Beny Moré NEEDS to be in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall O' Fame!!!!

[Matthew]

I was involved in a church that had a number of Cuban exiles, and I was floored by the incredible love they had for More, they could not speak of seeing him in Cuba, dancing to his big band in the 1950s, without tears in their eyes. I don't think the USA realizes what a huge figure Beny More is in the Latin world.