LA THORPE BRASS – All Things Move – CD

LA THORPE BRASS started as a group in Tarragona in 1993 with the far-from-easy purpose of creating a big band that would perform Latin and soul sounds, but with ska as their core riddim. After recording a few demos and performing hundreds of concerts all over the peninsula, they managed to build a great reputation and received particularly favorable reviews from the press, radio, and specialized reggae media. The band then entered the studio to capture their first 4 tracks for a maxi-CD, Today Is Hot (1998).

Continuous live shows kept bringing new compositions that their already broad fan base chronologically begged them to record. Thus, in late 2000, La Thorpe Brass returned to the studio to record their first full-length album: All Things Move (originally released by Tony Trash and quickly acquired by Brixton Records). The release of the record hit like a bombshell, once again bringing them tons of gigs as well as a European tour.

ALL THINGS MOVE is a great testament to one of the craziest ska-boogaloo-soul combos to have ever existed. A full orchestra with an astonishing horn section, deep Hammond grooves, Latin congas, jazzy melodies, and soulful vocals. Their Latin influences mixed with jazz and reggae, along with the extraordinary and complex compositions by front-man Pele Viader and the intense execution of the tracks during recording, make this an album incomparable to others made by standard Latin-ska bands. The lyrics are also a key component, featuring the social critique of “The Dead Men Walking” and “El Boogaloo Egoísta,” or geeky tributes to “John Wayne” or “Ji Jaga,” just to mention a few tracks. For all black music fans, All Things Move is a fun and interesting treasure to discover, and for those who had the chance to experience La Thorpe Brass live, it stands as a reminder of the sound of one of the finest Latin-ska bands to have ever been.

There were plans to record a second album in Cuba, but due to certain internal disagreements, the band decided to disband in 2004.