La-33 is a salsa band from Colombia, named for a street in the Teusaquillo district of Bogota. The group was formed in 2001 by bassist Sergio Mejia and his brother, pianist Santiago, out of an artists' colony that took up residence in a former convent. From its beginning,
La-33 has aimed to emulate the old-school, New York-style of salsa, with two trombones, trumpet, and saxophone, three vocalists, piano, bass, and a pile of percussion. The songs on Gozalo are played with skill and audible pleasure, never taking salsa to the adventurous heights explored on the classic
Fania All-Stars or
Eddie Palmieri albums of the '70s, but offering plenty of churning rhythms to get the crowd dancing. The percussionists in particular are the stars of the show, though the horns bring a few unexpected twists, and the sudden tempo changes on "Quiereme Namá" owe as much to jazz as to old-school salsa. Occasionally, as on "La Fea," connections to disco are established, as the bass becomes loud and prominent. The jazz connection is made explicit on the album's final track, an uptempo reworking of "My Favorite Things" that swaps out
John Coltrane's modal groove for a big, dynamic blare. ~ Phil Freeman