Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano - Vacilón Santiaguero, 2024 vinyl LP release on Circle 9 Records.
VACILÓN SANTIAGUERO! is Kiki Valera’s second US solo release after many distinguished years as director of La Familia Valera Miranda in Santiago de Cuba. It reaches beyond his core performing group to present collaborations with some GRAMMY® award winning musicians and to feature his favorite trumpeters, some Cuban-born, others US-born, but all with justified reputations for playing Cuban music out of love if not from DNA.
So what sets this apart from the vast mountain of excellent traditional albums already out there? Not only is there Kiki’s custom-built Cuban cuatro, which brings a unique texture to the sound, rather than a tres, but in his jazz-influenced hands, you will occasionally hear twists and turns in the solo work that you probably weren’t expecting when you first glanced over the song titles, which are mostly Cuban evergreens. Thanks to Kiki’s creative arrangements, this is no mere recycling of cover versions of these classic songs (review by timba.com)
SIDE A:
1. Este Vacilón (5:20)
2. Sobre una Tumba una Rumba (7:04)
3. La Guajira (5:46)
4. El Penquito e’ Coleto (4:11)
SIDE B:
5. Mari-Juana (3:54)
6. Muñequita Feliz (6:30)
7. Funfuñando (5:31)
8. El Ají de Cocina (5:07)

Kiki Valera - cuatro cubano, guitar, bass, clave, maracas and coros
Pedro Vargas - congas, bongos and coros
Steve Guasch - coros
Carlos Cascante – lead vocal (1,4,5,7,9,10,12)
Francisco “Coco” Freeman – lead vocal (2,11)
Joshuah de Jesus – lead vocal (3,8)
Raquel Zozaya – lead vocal (6)

Special Guests:
Alexis Baró - trumpet (1,3,4,6,9,11)
Steve Mostovoy - trumpet (1,3,6,11)
Michael Rodriguez & Jonathan Powell - trumpet (8)
Pete Nater & Dennis Hernandez - trumpet (2,5,7,12)
Bryan Lynch & Thomas Marriott - trumpet (10)
Leon Q Allen - trumpet (4)