Those who have gotten used to live performances where Fredy Omar con su Banda takes the audience through an extensive catalog of relatively well-known Latin dance hits over a wide range of rhythms and styles may be surprised to see that Omar’s new release, Bailando, collects 10 new originals composed by the bandleader himself. The songs themselves should sound familiar, though. In its range from merengue and mambo to salsa and cha-cha, Bailando captures the easy professionalism of the live performances that have made Fredy Omar such an institution in New Orleans.

Bailando closes with instrumental versions of the upbeat dance number “El Tren” and the minor-key, flamenco-inflected “Ojos Verdes,” putting the band itself out in front for the listener. Trumpeter Mario Abney and acoustic guitarist Salva de Maria (who splits duties on the new CD with Omar’s stalwart electric player Jose “Pepe” Coloma) really shine on the latter. Even on the vocal tracks, the principles of composition on Bailando are primarily derived from jazz improvisation. The vocal melodies serve primarily as a way for the band to get into the groove, and for the soloists—mostly Coloma, Abney, and the multi-instrumental Ralph Gipson, another Fredy Omar regular, on saxophone, flute, and keyboards—to keep the song going until Omar’s voice returns.

Fredy Omar’s own charismatic presence on the bandstand translates nicely into his recorded vocals. He works well with the rhythm section and with the horn lines that accompany his voice, and when he asserts himself it’s with the style of one more instrumentalist in the band. Musical interplay and the strong rapport between all the musicians on Bailando—of a kind that can only be earned on the bandstand—deliver just what the title promises: a faithful recording of Fredy Omar’s salsa nights all over New Orleans.