Regular Columnists

Artist: Artist: Sonido
Album: Camino De Los Suenos
Label: Arie Salma Productions
Website: http://www.sonidoband.com/
Genre: Folk/Jazz/Soul
Sounds Like: Paco de Lucia. Camaron da la Isla, Tomatito, Manolo Sanlucar, Paco Pena, Sabicas
Technical Grade: 10/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10/10
Commercial Value: 10/10
Overall Talent Level: 10/10
Songwriting Skills: 10/10
Performance Skill: 10/10
Best Songs: The Spring (la Primavera), Green Salsa, title track
Weakness: None
CD Review: CD REVIEW:

Multi-Talented Composer / Pianist / Producer Arie Salma and American Guitar- Virtuoso Rob Math formed SONIDO on January 2012, giving birth to a fantastic musical journey which takes you through an exhilarating multi-cultural experience. Comparables include Gypsey Kings, Otmar Liebertstrunz and farah. Along with American Guitar- Virtuoso Rob Math, they formed SONIDO on January 2012. The result of their bonding gave birth to this fantastic musical journey. Listening to Sonido’s music is self-evident right from the start. The music takes you through an exhilarating experience which is as spiritually lifting as it is multi-cultural and authentic. Rob’s Guitar playing is majestically fluent and soulful, while Arie’s Jazzy Piano can range from caressing and smooth to passionate and bold. And with the blissful touch of some of the most dynamic world-class musicians that took part in this project, the music reached new levels of expression. MUSICIANS: •Arie Salma: Piano, Keyboards, Rhythm Guitar, Add. Bass, Djembe, Add. Percussion, Rob Math: Lead Nylon String Guitar, John Ferraro: Drums, Hussain Jifri: Bass Guitar, •Michael Dubin: Timbales, Congas, Bongos, Add Percussion,Alex Acuna: Congas,Ronen Gordon: Drums,Lilo Fadida: Rhythm Guitar,Mel Steinberg: Flute, Michael Fortunato: Trumpet. CD was released in 2013.
 
The CD wastes no time getting g off the ground with gently takes to flight with My Star an intoxicating intro piece  that flows and ebbs its way through to musical fruition serving up impressive fretwork exuberance against atypical Flamenco vibe that gently leads you by the hand to Track 2 “The Spring (La Primavera) a slamming follow up that serves up impressive flute-driven ballad against fluid guitar line and earthy jazz overtones. Track 3 “Cacino de Suenos” the title track presents a more subtle melody with its methodical intro, meshed against mesmerizing melody and hypnotic mystical groove. The CD makes a great first impression providing 3 solid musical experiences in a row. Musical textures reminiscent of the typical Gold Standard Jazz, but there is an undeniable Fusion “full tilt” Flamenco flair to it these song. As the CD slowly unfolds you will notice most of the songs are quite dynamic reminiscent of Camaron da la Isla, Tomatito, Manolo Sanlucar, Paco Pena and Sabicas. Each piece possesses crystal clear high end clarity, solid low end punch with chops that will make your head spin. The production delivers much in the way of Instrumentation as well as a bone crushing line-up of players mentioned above. Along the musical journey one will experience well-placed Percussive accents, impressive Nylon string guitar, sizzling solo segment, solid rhythm section and world class bass and drum virtuoso. Now turning our attention over to Arie Salma and American Guitar- Virtuoso Rob Math. As far as his playing ability let me just go on record to say he brilliantly fuses all of the aforementioned via his guitar. This is not just World Class Flamenco Jazz but a fusion of many different types of playing styles built upon a traditional Jazz foundation. Some of the material could even be marketed as Smooth Jazz. These 2 navigate through each piece flawlessly. If that’s not a compliment I don’t know what is. He clearly knows how to fill the sonic space with amazing playing that flows across the ears like fine wine. At times can be passionate, aggressive and tenacious, other times fluid and flowing. The music itself goes down smooth and fills the atmosphere with what I would describe as peaceful Jazz Tranquility. All in all the CD has some truly impressive moments showcasing impressive playing, world Class songwriting, amazing rhythmic, chops and dynamic grooves all rich in melody and flavor. From the grooving title track, to hypnotic “Blue Warrior” and Sapphire” to Jazzy “Bonita” to full tilt spicy “Green Salsa” this CD has something for just about everyone. The CD ends with Track 10 “Black Sea” the prefect finale statement for a CD of this caliber.   
 
After spending some quality time with Sonido it's hard to find any solid weaknesses worth mentioning. Instead as the CD progressed I became more and more impressed with the production as a whole. What I like most about the CD is it refuses to try too hard. Camino De Los Suenos is an impressive musical production from start to finish. There’s not really a weak song on this entire catalog period! The songs are infectious, catchy and cover a wide range of musical styles. Each one possessing a unique personality, flair and signature groove. Arie Salma and Rob Math make a deadly duo no doubt.