Latin — In Stock — CDs  

Classic Cuban jazz material from the group of trumpeter Rolando Aquilo – done in a style that's a bit tighter than some of the other Jam Session albums from the time, but still plenty darn great! Rolando's trumpet is firmly in the lead on most tracks, but the overall presentation is still... read more

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A great little set from salsa legend Sammy Ayala – an original member of the 50s born Cortijo Y Su Combo orchestra of Puerto Rico – singing warmly and wonderfully on this excellent self-titled set on the Candela label! An all star roster of modern producers and players indebted to... read more

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Fantastic stuff from Ray Barretto – and one of his most sophisticated albums of the 70s! The album mixes together rootsy percussion and smoother jazzy arrangements – in a manner that keeps things fresh at all points, and which shifts the focus nicely from track to track –... read more

A great live date from Batacumbele – a double-length album that really lets the group open up, stretch out, and do their thing! Given that Batacumbele's all about complicating the percussion patterns of their rhythms, the album's live, extended jams are perfect for demonstrating their best... read more

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Groovy boogaloo from late 60s Mexico – an album that's quite different than US sets of this nature! The rhythms definitely show a Latin Soul influence, but the overall execution is in a wider 60s groovy mode overall – with bits of mod jazz, soul piano, and more – all filtered... read more

The last Fania album in a legendary run from Cuban singer Justo Betancourt – recorded with a boldly stated sound that still has Betancourt as one of the most distinctive voices in Latin music! The sound is perhaps a bit more traditional than some of his contemporaries at the time, but in a... read more

A really top-shelf album from Justo Betancourt – a perfect illustration of the power of his vocals at their height! The set's got a really classic 70s salsa feel – a horn-heavy groove that almost effortlessly flows from a combo of strong players, topped by majestic vocals from Justo... read more

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Ruben Blades's first album – recorded shortly after his arrival in New York from Panama, with top-notch backing by the band of Pete Rodriguez! The album's an interesting one, in that it catches Ruben shortly before the salsa era, singing in a mix of styles that reminds us of some of Jimmy... read more

A really unique chapter in the career of percussionist Willie Bobo – a rare one-off album for Blue Note – done with a sweet Cali vibe all the way through! Bobo plays his usual percussion, but also sings a bit too – in this charming style that's never too overdone – a deeply... read more

Modern classics from Bongo-Logic – a group with a great flair for mixing the new and the old! There's plenty of jazz in this set – thanks to work from Art Webb on flute – but there's also a charanga groove going on too – with violin dancing strongly around the piano lines... read more

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Smooth, chart R&B and new jack slow jams from one of the iconic groups of mid 90s urban radio in English and Spanish versions from the original album. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Dallas Austin, Babyface and the Darp Inc crew provide syrupy backing for the Boyz's sweet 90s soul harmonies. ... read more

An insanely wonderful bit of Latin funk! The groove is super heavy, and falls somewhere in between NuYorican soul and Chicano Power rock – with a sound that's pretty close to Black Sugar, but a little bit more psychedelic, due to the heavy guitars and keyboards in the grooves. Hard congas... read more

Classic descarga from the inventor of the genre – a host of Cuban recordings from the legendary Cachao! And sure, we love Cachao's revival in later years – but it's this material that still gets us moving the most – his rich blend of Cuban rhythms and jazz instrumentation that... read more

Killer Cuban sounds from Cachao – a set that's definitely done with the "feeling" promised in the title! Jazz is at the core of the set – lots of great instrumental interplay between piano and percussion, tres and trumpet, and bass, of course – guiding the whole thing... read more

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A key chapter in the rich long legacy of Candido on record – a set that pushes the percussion maestro strongly into the disco generation – with wonderful results that are still massively strong all these many years later! Candido had always been one of the funkiest conga players around... read more

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A second helping of Latin Beat from Cesar's Salad – and a feverish, funky and tight set on Perfect Toy that's easily as strong its predecessor! Led by percussionist Cesar Granados – who really knocks us out on the congas – the group is a quartet with a raw approach and a live... read more

Classic Chappottin tracks from the 60s – material done in a host of key Cuban modes – all with tight trumpet on the top, and great vocals from singers who include Miguelito Cuni, Cheo Marquetti, Rene Alvarez, and Gina Martin! The change in vocalists really keeps things fresh –... read more

Plenty of sabor here – a great deep groove that comes from the tight trumpets and punched-up percussion of the group! The album's heavy in montuno modes – and rolls around strongly with a really sharp vibe throughout – even on some of the mellower tracks, which still have this... read more

Classic album of modern "revival" charangas, played by this youthful 70's group, and with arrangements by Mike Garcia and Eddie Drennon, who also produced the record. Includes the nice groover "Chica Boom", plus the cuts "Musica Y Ambiente", "Quiero Mas",... read more

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Tight trumpet and lively rhythms – an overlooked killer from the legendary Chocolate! The set's got a nice mix of roots and 60s New York modes – a bit of a sparkle on the trumpets, but plenty of rough edges on the rhythms – all sewn together by soulful vocals from Filberto,... read more

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A brilliant new move for Willie Colon – a set that goes even further than his mid 70s classics with Ruben Blades, and pushes Willie into a Pan-American consciousness carried off with ambitious musical vision! The sound is still salsa at the core, but Willie's also brought in bits of other... read more

A roots-oriented 70s classic from Willie Colon – one of his standout albums of the decade! Willie continues his "life of crime" approach for the early 70s – moving into an old west look on the cover, and matching that with a slightly rootsier sound on the album! The real... read more

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That's a pretty festive pig roast taking place on the cover of this one – and the band's got an equally festive groove to match! The set bristles with all the sharp energy we love from the early Cortijo albums – a tight, percussion-heavy approach to Latin grooves – one that's a... read more

Some hard-cooking salsa from the legendary Cortijo – a set that seems to be from later years, but which has all the sparkle of his classic early work! The horns are nice and tight, and inflected with some of the more modern touches crafted in 70s New York and Puerto Rico – and vocals... read more

A classic collection of grooves from the legendary Cortijo – most of which feature lead vocals from Ismael Rivera – mixed with a few other great tracks from later years too! Cortijo's combo was one of the leading lights of the pre-salsa scene – and his firey percussion really... read more

Classic sounds from Cortijo and Ismael Rivera – one of the best 60s teams in Latin music! The grooves are filled with lots of lively percussion – that great small combo sound that Cortijo did so well at this point – and Rivera's got a wonderfully soulful way with the vocals... read more

The cover alone should be enough to tell you this is a cooker – as Cortijo and Kako go head to head on heavy percussion, working a heavy traditional groove despite the later date of the album! Rhythms are strongly in the plena and bomba modes – with timbales and congas dominating, as... read more

Killer sounds from Cortjio and his classic combo – a group who really helped to redefine the sound of Latin music in the 60s! The group here is at their early best – working with bold vocals from Ismael Rivera right up front – in a mix of tracks that definitely lives up tot he... read more

Damn hard to go wrong with Cortijo at this point in his career – as records like this are razor-sharp, all the way through! The cooker features excellent vocals from a young Ismael Rivera – who's already got this transcendent quality that points towards larger Latin dimensions to come... read more

Joe Cotto leads his orchestra for twelve songs featuring many different Latin dance styles. They perform merengue, bolero, pachanga-twist, guaracha-twist and pachanga-mambo. Mon Rivera and Mike Casino sing on the record and the tracks include "Dolores", "Te Seguire", "El... read more

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A nicely done collection of post-Irakere work from saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera – pulled from his Columbia recordings of the 80s! The work on the set goes a long way towards fusing the two styles of Paquito's roots – Afro-Cuban rhythms and North American jazz – sometimes in... read more

An obscure but excellent session – recorded at the end of the 70s with some of the best players in the New York salsa underground! The music is extremely vibrant – and the styles of the tracks range from hard Afro-Cuban percussion grooving to tight Latin jazz in a classic mode –... read more

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A killer batch of work from Eastside Connection – one of the hippest soul groups on the LA scene of the 70s, and a key link to that city's older tradition of Latino soul! Eastside Connection have a sound that's a bit more smooth and aimed at the clubs than earlier LA groups of their type... read more

Great instrumental grooves from Fajardo – played with a group that's a bit fuller than the usual charanga, but which keeps things lean and tight throughout! Fajardo's flute is at the lead of all tracks – played with a style that's quite sharp, even when sweet – this edge that... read more

Amazing flute work from the legendary Fajardo – a player who was right up there with Pacheco in his pre-percussion years! The set's got a great sharp edge right from the start – a quality that might well come from the production, but which definitely keeps things from ever sounding too... read more

A key 70s moment of pride for the New York Latin scene – and one of a number of crucial live sets cut by the legendary Fania All Stars! The group were invited to play a three day music festival in Zaire in 1974 – timed to coincide with the Rumble In The Jungle Ali/Foreman fight –... read more

The Fania All Stars pay tribute to older Latin great Tito Rodriguez – in a set of shorter tracks that's really the group's first true outing in the studio! The format here is quite different than the earlier live albums cut by the group – a sound that's a bit more focused, and without... read more

Pachanga and plenty more – thanks to a nice blend of rhythms that really make the album sparkle! Instrumentation is heavy on horns, and not the usual mix you might expect from a pachanga album – and the percussion kicks along strongly on most numbers, grooving a good number of tracks... read more

The Latin Kick – with a jazzy groove! Gerardo Frisina's long been one of our favorite talents on the international groove underground, and like his labelmate and sometime musical partner Nicola Conte, he's got a way of crafting tracks that are awash in classic jazz touches. Frisina himself... read more

A wicked dip into Colombian music – focused around the work of two true giants of the scene! CD1 features 21 massive tracks from Fruko – one of the hardest-hitting artists working in Colombia in the 70s – often in a sound that starts out in New York salsa, but takes all these... read more

A legendary record from one of the most unique Latin groups of their time! In an early 70s world where many Latin combos were going for class and poise, the Ghetto Brothers moved in another direction entirely – working here with a fair bit of electric guitar alongside more familiar Latin... read more

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions... read more

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions... read more

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The coolest grooves we've ever heard from percussionist Henri Guedon – a really wonderful blend of Latin, Caribbean, and jazz-based influences – all filtered into a very special sound! There's plenty of percussion at the core, but there's also some sweet keyboards too – used... read more

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A legendary bit of Latin from the New York scene of the 60s – recorded by a host of youthful players working under the direction of percussionist Montego Joe! The group's name is a contraction of "Harlem Youth" – a program in which all players participated, as part of an... read more

A legendary bit of Latin from the New York scene of the 60s – recorded by a host of youthful players working under the direction of percussionist Montego Joe! The group's name is a contraction of "Harlem Youth" – a program in which all players participated, as part of an... read more

A legendary Latin funk album – spearheaded by Eddie Palmieri! The record is a landmark crossover album from the early 70s – cut at the end of the Latin soul era, but featuring that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk. The grooves are all... read more

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A tasty bit of salsa with a modern charanga twist – a groove that's a fair bit like Tipica 73 at times, but a bit less standard! La Sensual really have a playful sense to their music – one that lets the mix of violin, flute, and piano leap around creatively – sometimes following... read more

A killer of a mid 70s album from Hector Lavoe – recording here as a solo act after his split from the Willie Colon group, but still with strong backings and musical supervision from Willie himself! The style here is very similar to the last few albums Lavoe recorded with Colon – a... read more

A classic bit of 70s salsa gold from vocalist Hector Lavoe – a record done in close collaboration with Willie Colon, with whom Lavoe had worked on a great run of albums during the late 60s and early 70s! The set's got a slightly warmer and more straightforward feel than some of Willie's... read more

A classic bit of 70s salsa gold from vocalist Hector Lavoe – a record done in close collaboration with Willie Colon, with whom Lavoe had worked on a great run of albums during the late 60s and early 70s! The set's got a slightly warmer and more straightforward feel than some of Willie's... read more

A tribute to the famous romantic singer Felipe Pierela – once known as the Bolero Star Of The Americas! Given Hector LaVoe's warmth and charisma at the time, he was a perfect choice for such a project – and working here with producer Willie Colon, Hector steps into an older mode of... read more

Smoking salsa, but with a heartbreaking undercurrent – thanks to the vocals in the set! The grooves are already great – raw, youthful 70s material, played by a group who are clearly excited to be stepping out into fresh territory – but when the vocals come into the mix, things... read more

An early classic from the great Raphy Leavitt – one of the leading underground lights of the 70s salsa scene, especially if you get away from the Fania/Tico side of the universe! There's a strong sense of soul to the record right from the start – one that comes more from the delivery... read more

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Moncho Lena really cooks here on timbales – leading a tight little combo that easily rivals Tito Puente's group of the time! There's a jazzy flourish to most numbers here – as the group is driven by Moncho's rhythms, then opens up on trumpet and piano! Hector Rivera handles the keys,... read more

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Beautiful brown-eyed soul from the Ohio scene of the 70s – just the sort of record you might have expected to hear from East LA or Spanish Harlem back in the day – but even more amazing to come from Cleveland! The group are a Latin combo at the core, but they've soaked up plenty of... read more

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Wonderful work from this New Orleans combo – a Latin act that feels like they'd be much more at home in the Spanish Harlem scene of the 60s, especially given the soulful undercurrents of this set! On previous releases, the group already showed a great talent for crafting just the right sort... read more

Funky fusion with plenty of Latin touches – a really compelling set from the Nicaraguan scene of the 70s! The album's got the same criss-crossing of influences you'd hear in some of the best Bay Area projects of this type – no surprise since Jose Chepito Areas is a key member of the... read more

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A sweet mix of Spanish and Cuban styles – as Pedrito Martinez takes on some older flamenco tunes, but in ways that have a really old school Havana sort of sound! Pedrito's vocals are served up with plenty of soul – and backed with tight guitar from Nino Josele, whose dexterity on the... read more

Percussionist Sabu Martinez is one of the all-time greats of Latin music – and this record is probably the rarest he ever cut! The album came out of Sweden, where Sabu was residing during the 70s – enjoying some success as an expatriot jazz player in the European scene. The album... read more

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A great indie set from pianist Felix Morales and his Orchestra Capri – a small combo who play with a really lively salsa-based sound – cooking things up nicely in a way that's a bit different from some of the work on Fania or Tico at the time! The group's got three trumpets on top of... read more

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Great stuff – and one of the purest examples we can find of the Latin piano style of the great Noro Morales! Noro plays here without any of the trappings of some of his other records – just working with a small rhythm combo on an all-instrumental set – with tremendous solo work... read more

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