Missed Latin Music of 2014: Ritmos Unidos

The essence of Michael Spiro’s “Ritmos Unidos” is to provide a unique blend of jazz with Afro-Cuban elements mixed with several other Latin rhythms.

Ritmos Unidos is the name of this Latin-fusion-jazz group as well as the title of their 2nd album.

Michael Spiro’s Ritmos Unidos

The Ritmos Unidos band came together as Bay Area percussionist Michael Spiro joined the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2011. There, with other fellow faculty, alumni, and grad students, they came up with a unique concept that uses jazz as the basic musical element to fusion other rhythms from Latin America.

Here’s a short video of Michael Spiro talking about the band and album.

“Ritmos Unidos”: an album with varied music

Spiro’s ensemble came up with their 1st recording in 2012 titled “Funklorico”. They continued working on their music and concept, and in 2014 released their 2nd album, self-titled “Ritmos Unidos”, with a theme song of the same name written by Bay Area trombonist and producer Wayne Wallace (his mark is notable on the song) with Michael Spiro.

The rest of the album is well-balanced and varied, with songs that mix elements of Afro-Cuban (the Santeria chants are common, especially in the “Ochun Suite” made of 3 songs), Cha-cha, Salsa, Jazz, and even Calypso.

One of the distinguishing elements of Ritmos Unidos is the addition of steel drums (or steel pans, as they are referenced in the album) to their format. They bring the sound of calypso, but beyond that, they found a way to integrate this peculiar instrument in a way that it blends seamlessly with the rest of the music.

An Enjoyable Listening Experience

The versatility of the band and the range and mix of instruments used in each song makes this album an enjoyable listening experience. The band format includes the basic rhythm section of piano, bass and guitar (including a Cuban tres), a wind section of trumpet and tenor sax, and a percussion section that include congas (Spiro), Bata, drums, timbales, and steel pan. Special guests added trombone (Wallace) and a marimba.

If you like Afro-Caribbean music blended with jazz elements, this album is a must for you!