MURAKAMI’s NG La Banda Best
1997
1.Los Sitios Enteros
2.La Cachimba, Camará
3.All of Me
4.Que Venga laFfiera, Camará
5.Échale Limón
6.Picadilo de Soya, Camará
7.La Bruja
8.Murakami Mambo (Live)
All Songs Written by José Luis Cortés
The first time I saw NG La Banda was in Havana five years ago.
Since then, they have performed in Japan continuously for five years, making them the most famous Cuban contemporary salsa band in Japan. But they don’t like being called a salsa band. But there’s no other good way to call it. In the end, genres like Latin funk and Latin fusion don’t really appeal to people. The eight songs on this best album were all produced and recorded by me, and the recording is now legendary among those involved at the time.
For example, in a recording of “9 songs in total, 62 minutes running time”, on the first day, we included the rhythm section of piano, drums, congas, bongos, and bass, on the second day we added an ensemble of the horn section and a solo, and on the third day we added the chorus, and the vocals on the fourth day, and spent the remaining two days mixing, making one CD in six days. Of course, earlier is not always better. If they’re not high-level musicians, we won’t be able to do it this quickly.
Ryuichi Sakamoto once said, “Nothing needs to be this good.It’s surprisingly good.”
Why are you guys so good? I once asked.
“Practice”
He said.
Indeed, they practice a lot. In the end, I believe it’s because of the different sense of urgency and importance towards music.
NG La Banda has had a number of member changes and is currently not in the best condition. In Cuba’s music world, there is a rapid transition between old and new. Taking this into account, I am confident that this best-of album is the best of NG La Banda’s heyday.
Ryu Murakami
Personales
Productor: Ryu Murakami
Ingeniero de masterización: Machiko Suzue(SME)
Dirección artística y diseño: Tomoaki Sakai (Blancchic)
Traducción: Yukiko Yoshino
Servicio de producción: Miki Jono(SME)
Supervisor: Ikuo Nabeta
Propagador: Mutsumi Matsumoto y Ryuji Kato(SME)
A&R: Sachiho Mori(SME)
Agradecimientos：Haruhiko Kono (Habana), Toshihiko Kira, Sadayuki Kurawaka y Hiroshi Nobue
M1,4 “Live in Japan” SRCS6883
M 2.6 “Cuban Rock Spirit” SRCS7744
M3. 7 “La Bruja” SRCS7401
M 5 “Cabaret Paranomico” KC-0056
M 8（1993.8.11 Shibuya ON AIR）