Latin Playground

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Before you stomp around a Putumayo playground, park your preconceived notions at the picnic bench. The label may not set the world-music crowd on fire with its regular releases, but this series, aimed at kids but translating up, sizzles. Latin Playground's party gets started with a wind-you-up traditional Cuban number (Omara Portuondo's "Guantanamera") and from there traverses North, South, and Central America, making stops in Mexico City, Colombia, the American Tejano region, Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. There are sample wacko lyrics ("The day will come when I will leave you / Because you smell like the armadillo," from Lila Downs's "Hanal Weech"), unexpected instrumentation (accordions punch up the polka flavoring of Flaco Jiminez's conjunto, "De Bolon Pin Pon"), and not a whiff of what's expected from the latest slice off a music education program--even the informative, engaging liner notes are gentle gatekeepers to a land of rhythms everybody wants to get into and get down with. Forget the kids--see if you can make it through Cubanismo's "Mardi Gras Mambo," Nazare Pereira's "Rodopiou," and Carmen Gonzalez's "Chocolate" without waving a set of air maracas or busting into a booty-shaking session to make Ricky Martin blush. --Tammy La Gorce

Tracks:

Guantanamera - Omara Portuondo
Anna (El Negro Zumbon) - Pink Martini
Cielito - Colibri
El Reino del Reves - Botafogo
La Arcana Picua - Los 50 de Joselito
Viva Vargas Torres - Margarita Laso
Chispa Tren - Ska Cubano
Mardi Gras Mambo - Cubanismo
Fusion Natural - Matato'a
Hanal Weech - Lila Downs
Bomba Le Le - Jose Gonzalez y Banda Criolla

Product Description

GENERAL FEATURES: Latin Playground CD by Putumayo World Music is a fiesta of upbeat Latin American music for children and families. The CD contains the following delightful pieces of music from around the world: Omara Portuondo recording of Guantanamera. Los 50 De Joselito recording of La Arana Picua. Terri Hendrix recording of Lluvia De Estrellas. Cubanismo recording of Mardi Gras Mambo. Lila Downs recording of Hanal Weech. Nazare' Pereira recording of Rodopiou. Jose Gonzalez & Banda Criolla recording of Bomba Le Le. Carmen Gonzalez & Koral Y Esmeralda recording of Chocalate. Flaco Jimenez recording of De Bolon Pin Pon. Ruban Rada recording of Yo Quiero. Rudy Regalado & Chevere recording of America Baila. Educational entertainment for all ages.

Amazon.com

Before you stomp around a Putumayo playground, park your preconceived notions at the picnic bench. The label may not set the world-music crowd on fire with its regular releases, but this series, aimed at kids but translating up, sizzles. Latin Playground's party gets started with a wind-you-up traditional Cuban number (Omara Portuondo's "Guantanamera") and from there traverses North, South, and Central America, making stops in Mexico City, Colombia, the American Tejano region, Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. There are sample wacko lyrics ("The day will come when I will leave you / Because you smell like the armadillo," from Lila Downs's "Hanal Weech"), unexpected instrumentation (accordions punch up the polka flavoring of Flaco Jiminez's conjunto, "De Bolon Pin Pon"), and not a whiff of what's expected from the latest slice off a music education program--even the informative, engaging liner notes are gentle gatekeepers to a land of rhythms everybody wants to get into and get down with. Forget the kids--see if you can make it through Cubanismo's "Mardi Gras Mambo," Nazare Pereira's "Rodopiou," and Carmen Gonzalez's "Chocolate" without waving a set of air maracas or busting into a booty-shaking session to make Ricky Martin blush. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Good music overall.......2007-05-07

Would have been nice with more upbeat songs, but over all the music is nice to listen to anyway. The kids and adults really enjoy Guantanamera.

Lovin' it.......2006-03-17

I bought this cd for our son, who is from Guatemala. As soon as the music starts playing, he is dancing and clapping to the music. It is a fun cd, I find myself dancing around the kitchen when its on. highly reccomend.

Really nice!.......2005-12-28

I bought this CD for my son (he is from Guatemala) in an effort to keep him exposed to Latin music. I like this CD very much. The performers have nice voices and the music is professional sounding (I have bought other latin CD's that sounded like they were recorded in someone's garage).

Highly recommended!

Que beuno!.......2004-04-06

When we put on this CD, the whole family dances! My 5 year old grabs a maraca, my wife a tambourine, and I samba with my 1.5 year old. This is a huge hit with us -- can't help but put a smile on your face.

Putumayo Presents: Latin Playground English and Spanish Activity Kit

Average customer rating:

Great Educational Kit!

Putumayo Presents: Latin Playground English and Spanish Activity Kit
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Putumayo World Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Gospel | Compilations | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Latin Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Children's Music | Putumayo World Music Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Latin Music | Putumayo World Music Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

World Playground Activity Kit
Putumayo Kids Presents: Folk Playground
World Playground 2
Latin Playground
Putumayo Presents: French Playground

ASIN: B00006JTGJ
Release Date: 2003-01-21

Tracks:

Guantanamera - Omara Portuondo
La Arana Picua - Los 50 De Joselito
Lluvia De Estrellas - Terri Hendrix
Mardi Gras Mambo - Cubanismo
Hanal Weech - Lila Downs
Rodopiou - Nazare Pereira
Bomba Le Le - Jose Gonazlez/Banda Criolla
Chocolate - Carmen Gonzalez/Koral Y Esmeralda
De Bolon Pin Pon - Flaco Jimenez
Yo Quiero - Ruben Rada
America Baila - Rudy Regaldo/Chevere

Album Description

The Latin Playground Activity Kit includes the complete Latin Playground CD, Sing-a-long lyrics and translations, more than 50 hands-on activities, reproducible pages, "cut, color and paste" artwork and a Children's Passport Journal.

The Latin Playground Activity Kit journeys to Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Cuba, Uruguay, Venezuela and the USA. Featured artists include Lila Downs, Flaco Jimenez, and Cubanismo.

Winner of the 2003 Parents' Choice Silver Award

Recommended Ages: 4-12 years old and elementary schools.

Customer Reviews:

Great Educational Kit! .......2005-12-26

This book contains reproducible materials, song lyrics, activities along with a CD and "passport" booklet. It allows a teacher of music, Spanish or World culture to teach about music in Latin America. It's very interesting and a lot of fun.

Average customer rating:

Devil's Playground
Conejo
Manufacturer: Aries Music Ent.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Latin Rap | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000FDEUQM
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Tracks:

Mark Of The Beast
I'm A Dead Man Walking
Bust My Steal
So You Wanna Bang
I Took A Hostage
Doorway To Hell
Get You Killed Boy
West Side Harpy
Quick On The Trigger
It All Comes Back Part 2
Real O.G
I'm A Wrong Individual
Put The Weed Up
Devil's Playground Part 2
Black Magic
First Class Ticked To Hell

Average customer rating:

What a CD!
Great Music

Mallet Hands
Ray Armando & His Playground Quintet
Manufacturer: Cubop Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Latin Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Brazilian & Latin Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

International Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004XSPL
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Tracks:

Con Mi Guaguanco
The Boxer
Eighty One
Mallet Hands
Take The A Train
Soko
Elizete
In Sid's Thing
As We Were

Amazon.com

Conguero Ray Armando's remarkably assured and sophisticated Latin jazz disc, Mallet Hands, will surprise anyone who thinks that debut albums are supposed to be relatively green affairs. That's probably because while Mallet Hands is indeed Armando's first recording as a leader, he's already a veteran of the bands of Latin jazz legends Tito Puente, Gato Barbieri, and Eddie Palmieri. He has also worked with Brazilian legends Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto and has even toured with jazz icons like Tony Williams, and Freddie Hubbard. That experience pays off in a big way on Mallet Hands, which features Armando and his top-flight band roaring through a set that mixes standard jazz tunes with original compositions, all of them arranged with an exciting level of detail sometimes missing in the Latin jazz world.

"Con Mi Guanguanco," an Armando original, kicks things off in a traditional Afro-Cuban vein and gives Armando and saxophonist Benn Clatworthy plenty of room to strut their formidable solo chops. Elsewhere, the leader shines with some interesting arrangements of standard tunes, especially on the Bolero-style reading of Miles Davis and Ron Carter's classic "Eighty-One" and the Brazilian samba-tinged take on Claire Fischer's "Elizette." --Ezra Gale

Customer Reviews:

What a CD!.......2003-11-20

Great Music.......2000-11-09

A few days ago, I went to the store late at night to buy some light bulbs, and I turned on the radio without expecting much to come out. I barely noticed the first song had finished when I arrived to the store. Oh! but then "Take the A train" from this great album started to play -- with an incredibly spicy mellow flavor that I had never experienced before. I just had to crank up the volume, tilt the seat of my minivan and wait for the whole song to end. It was magnificent. Later, I order the CD. I highly recommend it.