Orquesta Sublime was founded in Cuba in 1956 by flautist Melquiades Fundora as a cuban charanga orchestra. The group, which actual found some pre-embargo success in tours to Florida, continues to be a traditional charanga group in that it features a light, organic rhythm section of timbales, acoustic bass, güiro, and congas with solo voice and flute taking the melodic lead. It is a sound which was popularized by Orquesta Aragon and which formed a crucial link between son and the later styles up through salsa. The band's faithfulness to a sound that was popular 40 years earlier might have made it a bit of a museum piece, but after a long embargo that blocked music as much as anything, Orquesta Sublime's laid-back, carefree sound is still fresh and relevant to American ears.

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