REISSUE: “Que Rico Vacilon” – Glenn Rivera ReStructure Mix – Love Childs Afro Cuban Blues Band

REISSUE: “Que Rico Vacilon” – Glenn Rivera ReStructure Mix – Love Childs Afro Cuban Blues Band

Love Childs Afro Cuban Blues Band is a disco project from disco producer Michael Zager who gave many contributions to dance floors from the mid-70s throughout the 80s. Their second album “Span Disco” from 1977 was a venture into the underground sound of disco at the time and features many Cuban and Spanish traditional tracks with a disco production. “Que Rico Vacilon” is a Cuban song which translates loosely into “a great way to waste time” – meaning a festival of some kind or celebration. It was recorded by Xavier Cugat in 1955 among many artists and orchestras. The excitement of a disco version is played out well here with Zager’s use of horn sections and disco percussion. The vocal ensemble includes Alvin Fields and Cissy Houston.

I have taken the album version of “Que Rico Vacilon” and recreated the celebration with more of an intro and some new use for that classic drum and percussion break. The arrangement is extended and gives those drums some additional placement. The original is a great example of how the disco break was being implemented early in tracks to suit the dance floors demand for that time to unwind and let loose.