Album of the week – ‘La Despedida’ by San Lazaro

‘La Despedida’ by San Lazaro is Eastside Radio’s Album of the week.

This week we are bringing you an album that showcases real truthful Latin music that is full of originality, as the band San Lazaro from Melbourne have brought us an album with almost-live production that gives for a real sense of connection. You almost feel as if you are sitting outside a restaurant in the South of Spain with a band playing beside you.

San Lazaro have been playing and writing original Latin music in Melbourne for over a decade now, coming from a mixture of Latino backgrounds bringing elements from all over the Spanish speaking world such as Chile, Cuba and Catalonia. With such an array of talent on board in this eight piece band it is great to hear each of their musical influences shining through. Making up San Lazaro is Franshesco ‘Kekoski’ Virán – Vocals, Robert Douglas-Solà ‘Bob Knob’ – Bass, Oscar Poncell – Trple Colombiano, Vocals, Rodolfo Hechavarria ‘El Panga’ Javier Fredes – Percussion, Jethro Negron – Drums/ Timbales, Lazaro Numa – Trumpet, Lachlan McLean – Saxophone, Nashua Lee – Guitar.

With such a mixture of talent and being together as a group for fifteen years they have really found their own sound that they have managed to perfect, of course it is the sound of Latin music but with these guys they sing stories of what life throws at us. By writing songs about losing friends to drug addiction, to writing songs about insomnia and even protest songs, with a few sounds of the Chilean protest-folk movement. It certainly does not sound like your typical contemporary Latin music as some tracks on the album can sound quite distorted and echoed but this just enhances the realness of it, which is what they were looking for.

With ten tracks mainly all in Spanish it is the type of music you don’t even need to know the language of as it has enough rhythm to get anyone dancing, then on the other hand if you do know your Spanish you are in for an even better treat as the lyrics hold honest and truthful meanings to them. With ‘La Despedida’ meaning ‘The Farewell’ in English they are kindly letting us know that this will be their last project, so it really does contain some passionate work.

If you are looking for an album to have playing as you get your groove on, getting ready for a big night out or especially for when friends call around for a few glasses of vino this is the sound of Spain coming out of Australia. With styles ranging from Afrocuban Rumba, Son Montuno, Peruvian Cumbia from the 1960s and New York Salsa from the 1970s it is the album to make you want to get up and want to sway the night away.

Track Listing

1. Esperanza De La Rumba