It’s Throwback Thursday once again. We’ve been a bit slow on the blog here lately with a lot of things going on, but don’t worry we’re still bringing the weekly standards. This week’s Throwback Thursday is about Larry Harlow, nicknamed “The Marvelous Jew”.
Larry Harlow was born Ira Kahn in New York in 1939. Harlow, who was born of Puerto Rican and Jewish decent, showed a prowess for music at a young age. He was proficient in piano, organ, flute, and other instruments but really earned his keep as a pianist. Harlow, interested in his own roots, took a deep interest in the histories of various genres. He became a pioneer of not only salsa music but jazz as well. Harlow often performed with the supergroup The Fania All-Stars. His album Hommy was considered a major reason for Celia Cruz’s un-retirement. Over the course of his career, Harlow produced over a hundred albums for Fania Records including 50 of his own.
This week’s song is “La Revolucion”. Joining Harlow on the track is Ismael Miranda (the Pretty Boy of Salsa) as a vocalist. The song shares a message similar to “Revolution” from The Beatles. It’s an anti-revolutionary song, telling people to take a step back and recognize what we have in common. It’s a call to unite instead of divide. Harlow warns that “the revolution will be our end”. “La Revolucion” is a call to sanity in times where emotions and tensions are high. In that regard, it’s worth a listen today, just for the lyrical component. The composition of the song is a fun salsa track that is incredibly danceable. It’s a great time.
From 1970, “La Revolucion”.
Read last week’s Throwback Thursday post here.
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