by Don SnowdenThis four-CD set is obviously for completists, but in some respects it's almost easier to recommend this reasonably priced package than agonizing over a good one- or two-disc compilation. It's very strong on historical information, with the main biographical essay (in Spanish, French, and English) focusing in detail on the Banda Gigante era. Spanish readers get selected lyrics and brief profiles of the songwriters who wrote for Beny Moré. Social factors aren't overlooked -- Banda Gigante was formed out of Moré's determination to assemble a top-rate group of black musicians to counter the discrimination practiced by Cuban nightclub owners in the late '40s and '50s. Moré is a fundamental figure in Cuban music who worked with Perez Prado before going out on his own, and the first orchestra leader of Banda Gigante was Alfredo Chocolate Armentaros, later Celia Cruz's partner for decades. This music has nothing to do with '90s cocktail mambo trendiness or kitsch -- this is serious music that defined a cultural moment as well as Cuban popular music geared to a mass audience. The first impression of the 91 chronological tracks here is of general high quality along with a law -- unwritten or not -- of one dance side and one ballad per single. The lush horn voicings with mellifluous saxes and flashing trumpets are big band-derived and the rhythms either lope along or lock down the clave from the start, with the improvised forays Moré was known for in live performance reined in by the three-minute song format. The bolero ballads border on hokey, but the romantic heartthrob quaver Moré has in his high-pitched voice allows him to play the suave, expressive lover man to the hilt. The arrangements and songs do follow the same lines, so there is consistency and continuity in the sound, with the difference coming in the details that surface with close listening. Devuélveme el Coco breaks the mold a bit with a walking bassline; the pretty, swinging Tú Verás Margot goes for a clave city cha cha; and Guajiro de Verdad locks the groove down with choppier horn charts and female backing vocals. Baila Mi Son and Batanga No. 2 are notable uptempo romps and Apúrate Mi China is a son montuno with some impressive horn charts. ... Read More...