More Info:

José María Peñaranda was a Colombian composer of popular music including cumbia, porro, merengue and other Caribbean styles. He performed and recorded throughout the Caribbean and the United States, and his compositions were in the repertoire of artists such as Nelson Pinedo and the legendary La Sonora Mantancera. Two of his most popular hits, "Se Va El Caimán (The Alligator Is Gone)" and "Me Voy Pa' Cataca (I'll Go To Cataca)" (later recorded by La Sonora Mantancera as "I'll go to Havana"), are known worldwide. Peñaranda became famous for his racy lyrics and comical songs that often-employed double entendres, which were regarded as quite risqué for the times. Known as the King of Miami's Cuban music scene, Ray Fernandez fronted his enormously talented family band, which included his wife and two sons. Known as Ray & His Court (or Ray Fernandez y Su Corte), the group proved to be highly influential during the 1970s, easily shifting from salsa to funk, and even reggae. His 1973 instrumental Latin funk hit, "Cookie Crumbs" has enjoyed renewed success and has become quite a popular, highly prized recording among fans of rare groove. Fernandez also performed with the popular Cuban-American comedian known simply as Cirano, in a group dubbed Cirano y Los Cacos. Cirano, like Peñaranda, also employed risqué themes and double entendre in his comedy. Featured here is a very rare, alternate edition of the 1975 album Cirano con Ray & His Court, originally released with the title Tremendo Punto on Miami's famed Sound Triangle label. The A side has five tracks by Peñaranda, who was not featured on the original album, and the B side has the three tracks that make up the entire first side of the "Tremendo Punto" album. This alternate version of the album, released later on the Disco-Hot imprint, was credited to Peñaranda / Cirano con Ray Fernandez y Su Corte and titled "Asi Es... El No. 1." In some respects, this edition of the album worked better than the original, as the pairing of the humorous Peñaranda with the like-minded Cirano seemed to be a much better fit, and record sales at the time reflected that fact. This rare vintage recording is presented here newly remastered for this exclusive offering.