Baila Baila Baila is a handy collection of radio transcription discs by Machito & His Afro-Cubans which were produced by the World Broadcasting System during the years 1943-1948. It also contains a 1942 Decca recording that features vocalist Miguelito Valdés, who was formerly heard with Xavier Cugat`s orchestra. It just so happens that the material on this disc fills a gap in the time line of Proper`s four-CD Machito box set Ritmo Caliente, so Baila Baila Baila would complement that set, as well as Pablo`s essential Machito collection, Mucho Macho. Anyone desiring a hefty helping of great, vintage Afro-Cuban dance music laced with bebop could own all three editions with a minimum of overlap. The mid-`40s proved a transitional period for Machito, as his Cuban drummers and singers gradually began to interact with the vibrant new ideas of early modern jazz. Vocals are credited to Machito`s sister Graciela Pérez Grillo and Otilio Galíndez, with piano solos by Joe Loco. Harlequin`s Baila Baila Baila comes with informative liner notes by vocalist and Latin American musicologist Frank M. Figueroa. "Baila" traces directly to the Portuguese term "Bailar" which means "to dance." Interestingly, the word is also applied to a type of dance music that is very popular in Sri Lanka, where, as in the Caribbean, Portuguese colonists influenced the culture of the indigenous people.
1. Tra la La
2. Almendra
3. Llego Dieguito
4. ¿Quién Paró la Rumba?
5. La Bata de Ollá
6. A Quili Quilito
7. La Peleona
8. Llora Timbero
9. Tierra Va Tembla
10. Cocinero, Cocinero
11. El Marañon
12. Güelele Se Va
13. Bim Bam Bum
14. Son con Son
15. Cabildo
16. Coco
17. Chacharichá
18. Zúmbala
19. Rié, No Llora Má
20. Vuelve Hacia Mi
21. Nague
22. Mango Mangue