Nothin' Sez Somethin': Nicaragua

05 November 2013

Nicaragua

Don’t know much about this band except that this is some superlative music.

I was going to post up some Alfonso Lovo, as well. He has led a storied life, being shot multiple time & nearly killed by Sandinista plane hijackers. Playing in bands with Jose ‘Chepito’ Areas (Santana’s famed percussionist) in his native Nicaragua. His daughter finding a pristine copy of La Gigantona (a lost classic) forty years after it was released & seeing it released by Numero Uno to fantastic acclaim. If anyone is interested in more of his story or music, let me know. But once I started listening to Bwana, well, I was transported to another dimension. Bwana indeed. They are the Boss, they are the Master.

Bwana are a psychedelic-funk-jazz-rock band from Nicaragua circa 1970-1972. Roberto ‘Magilla’ Martinez originally formed Bwana with Jaime Vanegas, a percussionist who played in Los Jokers. This is Bwana's only release. The group disbanded following the devastating earthquake in Nicaragua in December, 1972. Some of the ex-members live here in Cali (in fact, Jaime Vanegas lives & plays right here in the Bay area) while others still live in Nicaragua. Ricardo Palma (who also played in Los Rockets with Alfonso Lovo) is still an active, respected musician in Nicaragua. Sadly, several of the members have died.

This album is pretty special, with a style close to Santana, at times reminiscent of Abraxas. Lots of Latin percussion, acid rock guitar, & jammin’ organ. Although actually the majority of this consists of instrumental grooves, there are some sparse vocals. For my money, the song “Motemba” by Roberto Martinez is a stone groove.

Bwana on this album are: Roberto Martínez - vocals & lead guitar; Roman Cerpas - vocals, bass, & percussion; Ricardo Palma - vocals, rhythm guitar, & piano (guest organist [& author of song] on “Lolita”); Danilo Amador – organ; Salvador Fernandez - tumbas, bongos, & percussion; & Donaldo Mantilla: drums, timbales, & percussion.