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Ruben, known to his many friends and fans simply as "Rada," was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1943. As a percussionist, Rada has few equals. He has had a dramatic effect on the evolution of modern candombe, mixing it with many other musical styles and instruments not traditionally used within the genre. Rada's compositions are fresh and moving, showing the influence of all his favorites; from Ray Charles to The Beatles, Louis Armstrong to Carlos Gardel, you'll find them all in Rada's songs. His compositions display an experimental approach to various styles, blending candombe, tango, jazz, funk and pop.
The production of the CD Montevideo began in 1994, with the idea to produce ten of Rada's compositions. The project stopped at twenty-eight, twenty-five Rada compositions (some of which were co-written by Hugo Fattoruso), one tune by Carlos Gardel, one by Eduardo Mateo, and another by Marvin Gaye. Hugo played a significant role, serving as keyboardist, co-arranger and co-producer of the project.
Musicians
Ruben Rada vocals and percussion Hugo Fattoruso keyboards and vocals Ringo Thielmann electric bass Bakithi Kumalo electric bass Hiram Bullock electric guitar Neil Weiss electric guitar J.P. Beledo acoustic and electric guitar Alex Foster saxophone Alexander Sipiagin trumpet Tom Malone trombone and saxophone Mark Feldman violin William Gallison harmonica Carol Moore background vocals Hector Prendez drums Anton Fig drums Arturo Prendez percussion Ramon Echegaray percussion Fernando "Lobo" Nuñez percussion Jorge "Foque" Gomez percussion Noe Nuñez percussion
Tracks (audio) Montevideo
01. Dedos 4:42 
02. Sud Africa Cancion Antigua 4:08
03. Sale el Sol 3:02
04. Sin Salida 4:43
05. El Negro Chino 5:56
06. El Dia Que Me Quieras 3:02
07. Candombe Para Gardel 3:38
08. Santanita 4:52
09. Mamita 3:09
10. Montevideo 6:18
11. Lovely John 6:51
12. Somalia 4:57
13. Sueno Contigo 4:17
14. Candombe Pa'l Fatto 3:33
Tracks (audio) Montevideo Dos
01. La Cebolla 3:37
02. Ayer Ti Vi 3:47
03. Julieta 6:42
04. Cumpa 4:07
05. Botija De Mi Pais 4:48
06. Mejor Me Voy 4:58
07. Inner City Blues 5:25
08. Al Siete y Medio Pago 2:26
09. Chevrolé 3:22
10. Los Cocos 3:58
11. Cancion Para Enamorar Veteranas 3:34
12. Que No Le Compro Yo 3:14
13. Llamada 5:04
14. Rainin' :57
Review
In his native Uruguay, a small country located between its two massive neighbors, Argentina to the west and Brazil to the north, Ruben Rada is breathing new life into an old musical form known as candombe.
An infectious Afro-Uruguayan percussion style most prevalent around carnival time, it was the sound he soaked up as a kid growing up in Montevideo. As he developed into an accomplished singer, bandleader and master of the tambor drum, Rada began incorporating other influences, including American funk, jazz and soul, the romantic vocal delivery of Carlos Gardel and the affecting pop harmonies of the Beatles. All of those influences appear on his first Stateside release, Montevideo.
An uplifting collection of buoyant rhythms and alluring melodies featuring an international cast (guitarist Hiram Bullock, South African bassist Bakithi Kumalo, Uruguayan pianist/arranger Hugo Fattoruso, Saturday Night Live saxophonist Alex Foster, Late Night with Davis Letterman drummer Anton Fig), Montevideo firmly establishes Rada as the ambassador of candombe.
"I played candombe all my life, since I was three years old," he says. "This is a rhythm from Uruguay that the black people brought here many years ago. It's like in Brazil where children learn to play a samba rhythm from the time they can walk; it's the same in Uruguay with candombe."
With the release of Montevideo, Neil Weiss at Big World is hoping that people in the States will pick up on this wonderfully engaging sound. "This is what I want ," says Rada, "...to spread candombe to Europe, Japan, the United States. I'm ready man." -JazzTimes Magazin
Reviews
Rolling Stone
Jazz Magazine France
Postdata
El Tiempo
Buenos Aires Herald
Buenos Aires Herald
El Observador
