Reckless Night Ensemble, The
Me Gusta El Cha Cha
The Reckless Night Ensemble presents a few special recording inspired by the members' mutual love and respect for the music of "The Father of Chicano Music" great, Lalo Guerrero. In the early 2000s, Heller had worked extensively with Lalo Guerrero leading a band which played arrangements from Guerrero's ground-breaking vintage recordings. Guerrero had worked primarily with small swing band instrumentation, as Raymond Scott had, so it was a natural fit for The RNE. In January 2020, The RNE took to the stage with guest vocalist Mark Guerrero, Lalo's son, also a great force in the Chicano music scene. Unfortunately, the pandemic closed the curtain on live shows, so the band took to the studio to lay down seven of Lalo's gems. For this 7" recording, the arrangements were painstakingly transcribed from Guerrero's classic records. Mark Guerrero takes on the microphone for "Me Gusta El Cha Cha Cha", delivering a vocal that is at turns both caliente and cool. Angelica Villareal, The RNE's vocalist, fronts the band for a blistering version of the Pachuco anthem, "Vamos a Bailar, featuring great solos from trumpeter Brennan Johns and pianist Anthony Lopez. Skip Heller has also worked with artists ranging from Bootsy Collins to Yma Sumac.