Year: 2006
Record Label: Narada
Style: Latin Jazz / Latin Funk
The word "Zambra" is a gypsy word that means "a gathering of musical merriment" and is a dance done by women from Spain. It is also the name of Willie and Lobo's latest CD, the tenth in their musical career.
Encapsulated here is a journey into a sound that can only be described as "Gypsy Boogaloo." Willie and Lobo are Texas born violinist Willie Royal and German native Wolfgang "Lobo" Fink, who plays the flamenco guitar. Together, Willie and Lobo possess a musical marriage made in heaven, and it has been that way ever since they first met in 1983.
On the CD jacket, Willie and Lobo are depicted in art with their chosen instruments surrounded by Zamba dancers over a molten fire. Caliente you may say? Not really, since the music within more favors a fireplace amber, genial and mild-tempered, which is not a bad thing. Key instruments like the flamenco guitar and violin should never be riled up, as it may get distasteful and lose its flavor.
Trumpeter Rick Braun guest appears on this Latin jazz affair and each track ebbs and flows as the progression of a plot. Listening to this CD, you conjure up visions of a romantic night in a Latin American town...where rain slicked sidewalks raises the smell of asphalt to your nostrils, as you and your loved one sit at an outdoor restaurant protected by umbrellas at night. It's hard to resist songs like the acoustic laden "Donde Vayo" and the festive violin solo in "Mama Mia." If you listen closely you may just hear drums and maracas on the aforementioned "Mama Mia." Braun's sound is pristine and fluid on "Velas Al Viento" while the title track "Zambra" boasts several instruments working together with the end result of capturing a Middle Eastern ambiance. There is also a tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina via "Balada Para Katrina." You'll fall in love with "Mediterraneo" and the CD's closer, "El Payo."
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