Ranging from Latin jazz, scat and funk to rock, reggae and rap; this single carries a smooth-swinging blend of character voices and percussive elements with a deep inner-city groove harnessed from within the heart of New York.
Ranging from Latin jazz, scat and funk to rock, reggae and rap; this single carries a smooth-swinging blend of character voices and percussive elements with a d
Story behind the song
aa‚¬Å“GET BUSYaa‚¬i³Œ is Ritmo Delgadoaa‚¬a„¢s interpretation of a favorite Chano Pozo classic "Mantecaaa‚¬i³Œ. It combines various styles of music that range from Latin jazz to funk and rock with a deep inner-city groove. While it pays homage to the greats that recorded the original composition like Dizzie Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Chico Oaa‚¬a„¢Farrell, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto and many others; unlike other remakes, Delgadoaa‚¬a„¢s version carries a smooth-swinging blend of character voices and percussive elements that project a fun message everyone can relate to.
Delgadoaa‚¬a„¢s version of aa‚¬Å“Mantecaaa‚¬i³Œ was recorded in 1995 with a group of seasoned jazz-cats that played on a small stage they called aa‚¬Å“The Pitaa‚¬i³Œ; at the Metropolis Restaurant in NY. Richard Kessler, CEO of Platinum Island Studios at the time, baptized the rocking gang with the name aa‚¬Å“REVIVALaa‚¬i³Œ. Louie Delgado; Revivalaa‚¬a„¢s aa‚¬Å“congueroaa‚¬i³Œ; had the premonition of recording the bunch with the cover tune aa‚¬Å“Mantecaaa‚¬i³Œ. The only vocals recorded at the time were those of Babi Floyd when he suddenly showed up at the last minute and belted a stellar performance that caused everyone to jump out of their seats; thus carving his signature style into the track during what everyone referred to at the time as aa‚¬Å“the busiest recording session in NYaa‚¬i³Œ; yet the tune remained without substantial lyrics. "Mantecaaa‚¬i³Œ was never released and consequently the project was aa‚¬Å“shelvedaa‚¬i³Œ; hibernating, unplayed for years. The 2-inch master tape roamed the earth, going to hell and back; fermenting for 13 years. Louie Delgado, now CEO of Ritmo Delgado and Executive Producer of the project; met actor/ singer/ writer Chiko Mendez at a film networking event. There they spoke about the possibility of updating the tune with a fresh voice. Delighted to be part of the All-Star line-up; an extremely interested Chiko said yes and jumped into the project as the aa‚¬Å“grasshopperaa‚¬i³Œ of the project without hesitation and the project was jump-started once again. Over a decade later; Peter Darmi (2x Grammy recipient) was tracked down and proudly came back on board with loyal intentions of finishing what he felt was aa‚¬Å“a labor of loveaa‚¬i³Œ. A meeting was set to transfer the tape in a hi-end studio but they all feared a produceraa‚¬a„¢s worst nightmare, a deteriorated tape. Miraculously, and thanks to the durable quality of Ampex; the 24-track master was intact and sounded as if was recorded just yesterday. It was then transferred to a digital format.
Delgado conferred with Darmi and after listening to a few of Chikoaa‚¬a„¢s own compositions on guitar; they agreed that his writing/ vocal nuances & musical versatility would be an asset to the project; and gave him full reign to experiment. Delgado trusted Chikoaa‚¬a„¢s artistry and influenced him to approach the track freely but had not a clue what would unveil. Darmiaa‚¬a„¢s insight to this was "everything will unfold as it shouldaa‚¬i³Œ. Chiko researched the history of the original tune and wanted to try something new; yet pay tribute to the masters; so he came up with an entire set of English lyrics that catered to all those who just aa‚¬Å“want, need & haveaa‚¬i³Œ to aa‚¬Å“Get Busyaa‚¬i³Œ and entitled it exactly that. Inspired by the explosive NY sound that took years to harness; Chiko continued writing verses up until minutes before jumping in the booth to cut the vocals successfully.
Now marinated into something uniquely raw and aa‚¬Å“in your faceaa‚¬i³Œ; Ritmo Delgado Productions releases their English rendition of aa‚¬Å“Mantecaaa‚¬i³Œ with a aa‚¬Å“boing, boing, boingaa‚¬i³Œ as Babi puts it; while everyone will aa‚¬Å“beeaa‚¬i³Œ expected to aa‚¬Å“GET BUSYaa‚¬i³Œ.
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