''Funky Jibaro'' is an album by the Puerto Rican musician

Yomo Toro Víctor Guillermo "Yomo" Toro (26 July 1933 – 30 June 2012) was a Puerto Rican left-handed guitarist and cuatro player. Known internationally as "The King of the Cuatro," Toro recorded over 150 albums throughout a 60-year career and worked exte ...

. Released in 1988, it was his first widely distributed album.

Production

''Funky Jibaro'' was produced by

Robert Musso Robert Musso is a New York City-based guitarist, composer, engineer, and producer. He is the founder of the independent record label MuWorks as well as the record label - MussoMusic.com. Over the course of a 40 - year career, Musso has produced, mix ...

. Toro used a 10-string

cuatro Cuatro, Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the 4, number 4, may refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), a family of Latin American string instruments, including: ** Cuatro (Venezuela) ** Puerto Rican cuatro * Cuatro (TV channel), a Spanish free-to ...

on the album, which he played left-handed and upside down.

Daniel Ponce Daniel Ponce (July 21, 1953 – March 14, 2013) was a Cuban-American jazz percussionist. He was born in Havana, Cuba, and Ponce played locally in Havana from age 11, and played percussion in a group called Watusi. He was exiled from Cuba in 198 ...

played congas. ''Funky Jibaro'' combined elements of salsa, folk, and charanga with Toro's expert cuatro playing.

Critical reception

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

deemed the album a "sweet mountain record," contrasting it favorably to then recent "city" and "ethnomusicological" salsa albums. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' noted that, "with his electrified cuatro, which sounds like a mandolin that's been pumping iron, and his speed-demon technique,

oro Oro or ORO, meaning gold in Spanish and Italian, may refer to: Music and dance * Oro (dance), a Balkan circle dance * Oro (eagle dance), an eagle dance from Montenegro and Herzegovina * "Oro" (Mango song), 1984 * "Oro" (Jelena Tomašević son ...

makes the cuatro a lead instrument for salsa and hybrids of other pop styles from all around the Americas." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' determined that, "though the few ballads are an acquired taste, the rest of the numbers, nearly all lively, Latin-inflected Toro originals, are a jaw-dropping display of facility, funk and feeling." The ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...

'' stated that ''Funky Jibaro'' "balances out the flamenco flavor of his remarkable cuatro playing with a spicy mix of percussion and warm melodic backing from the violin."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that Toro uses "the cuatro for catchy riffs, for backing the vocalists, for extended solo displays of virtuosity, and for laying out grooves when he isn't busy with other duties on the instrument."

Track listing

References

{{authority control Yomo Toro albums 1988 albums Island Records albums