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About Me:: "GET BUSY" is Ritmo Delgado's interpretation of a favorite Chano Pozo standard "Manteca”. It combines various styles that range from Latin jazz to funk and rock with a deep NY sound. While it pays homage to the greats that recorded the original composition like Dizzie Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Chico O'Farrell, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto and many others; unlike other remakes, Delgado's version carries a smooth-swinging blend of rap and harmony elements and project a fun message everyone can relate to.Delgado's version of "Manteca" was recorded in 1995 with a group of seasoned jazz cats that called themselves "The Revival". Many of them played together for years on a small stage they called "The Pit" as others jumped into the studio later. The only vocals recorded at the time were by Babi Floyd when he suddenly showed up at the last minute and belted a stellar performance that carved his signature scat style into the track during what everyone referred to at the time as "the busiest recording session in NY"; yet the tune remained without verses or hooks. Additional producers in the studio were Greg Spooner, associate producer and wife of many years Michelle Applebaum Delgado and the wizard behind the board, 2x Grammy Award winning recording engineer/ producer, Peter Darmi.Due to a merger and legal red tape, Delgado’s “Manteca” was never released and consequently the project was “shelved”. The 2-inch master tape roamed the earth, going to hell and back for 14 years and while fermenting in a storage locker, Louie Delgado, now CEO of Ritmo Delgado and Executive Producer of the project; met actor/ singer/ writer Chiko Mendez at a film networking event. There they spoke about the possibility of updating the tune with a fresh voice. Delighted to be part of an All-Star line-up; an extremely interested Chiko said yes without hesitation and the project was jump-started. Almost a decade and a half later; Peter Darmi was tracked down and proudly came aboard with loyal intentions of finishing what he felt was "a labor of love". A meeting was set to transfer the tape at a hi-end studio but they all feared they’d encounter a producer’s worst nightmare, a deteriorated tape. Miraculously, the 24-track master was intact and sounding as if was recorded just yesterday, it was transferred to digital format.Delgado conferred with Darmi and after listening to a few of Chiko’s own compositions on guitar; they agreed that his writing/ vocal nuances & musical versatility would be an asset to the project; and gave him full reign to experiment. Delgado trusted Chiko's artistry and influenced him to approach the track freely but had not a clue what would unveil. Darmi's insight to this was "everything will unfold as it should”. Chiko researched the history of the original tune and wanting to try something new; never done before, yet pay tribute to the masters; he came up with an entire set of English lyrics that catered to all those who just want to "Get Busy" and titled it exactly that. Inspired by the explosive NY sound that took over a decade to harness; Chiko continued writing verses up until minutes before jumping in the booth to cut the vocals successfully. Now marinated into something uniquely raw and “in your face”; Ritmo Delgado Productions will finally release their English rendition of "Manteca" packaged as a single to be in stores before Christmas 2009, where and when everyone will “bee” expected to "GET BUSY".