Review: Panarama's follow-up to Cartagena! delivers another essential slice of Colombian musical history with Michi Sarmiento y sus Bravos: Salsa y Descarga 1967-1977. A new 16-track compilation, it captures the fierce, joyful energy of Michi's golden era on Discos Fuentes, a label synonymous with Colombia's explosive tropical sound. Born in 1938, Michi was a saxophone prodigy who led his Combo Bravo with swagger, blending cumbia, guaguanco, boogaloo, and salsa into relentless, percussion-heavy grooves. Backed by two blazing trumpets and a young Joe Arroyo on vocals, Michi's sound is rich with tumbling congas, sharp montunos, and wild sax riffs. Two choice cuts from the comp, 'Mirame San Miguel' and 'Cumbia Raja', come pinched from the wider bag, displaying characteristic stridency, a charisma that peeks through even on high-lopped, vintage recordings such as these.
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