Minty fresh: the new Latin fusion of Yerba Buena

suntimes.com May 21, 2003 BY LAURA EMERICK Staff Reporter

Pay close attention to that man behind the curtain. Andres Levin is Latin music's Professor Marvel, the studio wizard behind such diverse groups as Aterciopelados, El Gran Silencio, Arto Lindsay, Jorge Moreno and Ely Guerra. But his latest and perhaps greatest creation is the Latin music supergroup Yerba Buena.

Mixing African-based Latin styles such as rumba, son, soca and cumbia along with American hip-hop and funk, Yerba Buena represents a distinctly urban sound--one that Newsday, among others, has hailed as "an entirely new form of Latin music."

Though Levin is best known as an arranger, composer and producer, Yerba Buena gives him an opportunity to step out from behind the control board. "I had been thinking about creating a group for many years," said Levin, 33, a native of Venezuela who came to the United States in the mid-1980s. "I had produced lots of soul, hip-hop, Latin and Anglo artists. But I wanted to try a marriage of styles that hadn't been done before."

The core of the group's sound, however, hails from Mother Africa. "I focused on the triangle from Havana, Nigeria and New York," Levin said of Yerba Buena (whose name means "good herb," "mint" or Spanish slang for marijuana). "Historically it's the most logical base. We're tracing back history and exploring where these [Latin] rhythms came from."

Drawing on his extensive music industry contacts, he recruited lead vocalist Xiomara Laugart; percussionist Pedro Martinez; vocalists Eduardo "El Chino" Rodriguez and Cucu Diamantes (the stage name of Ileana Padron, Levin's wife); saxophonist Ron Blake, and trumpeter Rashwan Ross.

Levin, the group's music director, guitarist and programmer, envisioned Yerba Buena as a free-form collective, with guest artists dropping in on studio sessions and live sets. So for "President Alien," the band's debut album released last month on Razor & Tie, Yerba Buena is joined by jazz trumpeter Roy Hargove, vocalist-bassist Meshell Ndegeocello, guitarist Marc Ribot, flutist Dave Valentin, keyboardist Money Mark, rapper Stic, Brazilian percussionist-vocalist Carlinhos Brown and bassist Sebastian Steinberg (formerly of Soul Coughing).

It's a veritable United Nations of all-star musicians. "That's the way I work, layering and putting rhythm sections of people who wouldn't usually work together," Levin said. "One of the drummers we originally met in Nigeria, and then he showed up on my doorstep in New York. So we put him to work."

Over the last 18 months, the group honed its sound through club and concert dates while opening for such diverse artists as the Dave Matthews Band, Celia Cruz and Ray Charles. "The band developed a lot during the making of the record," Levin said. "Some joined halfway through the process. 'President Alien' represents a year and a half of people who flowed through my studio."

About that title: it plays on the term "resident alien"--an IRS designation for individuals who are not U.S. citizens but have a green card (work permit). "We came up with a long list of a hundred-plus names for our first disc," Levin said. "I loved the triple play on words. It has many meanings at the same time; it's not directly political, but it can be perceived as such." Besides, he added with a laugh, "Most of the people in our group have their green cards."

Many have compared the Yerba Buena sound with the heyday of the Fania All-Stars in the '70s, when Cuban, Puerto Rican and Nuyorican musicians developed a new fusion that would become known as salsa. "There are a lot of parallels," he said. "Yerba Buena is a very musician-driven project. Like in jazz, there are a lot of solos. That's something that doesn't happen much anymore."

Despite Levin's varied production skills, he views Yerba Buena as a live animal, not a studio creation. "Live, it takes on a whole new shape," he said. "The whole band takes off, and it feels more like a rock band. It's controlled chaos, Latin style."

Whatever you call Yerba Buena's sound, it does not adhere to the usual Latin music formulas. "Latin music is so stagnant these days," he said. "It's not the fault of the artists. Most of it is so radio-driven."

Levin knows all about the influence of radio programmers. It's an artistic land mine that he's tried to sidestep in his production work over the last dozen years (his credits also include David Byrne, the B-52's, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner and Ndegeocello).

If Yerba Buena, a creation of his New York-based production house Fun Machine, "works out in a commercial way, it could open doors" and help break down barriers in the hidebound Latin music world. "I hope artists will gravitate toward it."

Though he's happy to share the spotlight for a while, Levin intends to keep up his studio work. "I'm not going to stop producing, ever." He's working on Latin superstar Paulina Rubio's next album and producing a live version of his all-star tribute disc to Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, "Red Hot + Riot," at the Hollywood Bowl on July 20.

But for now, Yerba Buena remains his priority. "A lot of the alternative Latin movement has been geared to rock and electronica," he said. "I think everyone's gotta come together. That's where Yerba Buena comes in."