Latin — In Stock — LPs  

Great work by one of the grooviest groups on the LA 60s scene! The Afro Blues Quintet have a blend of soul jazz and Latin styles that's similar to the best 60s work by Cal Tjader, or to records by small combos like the Quartette Tres Bien or The Latin Jazz Quintet. Lots of grooves have a nice... read more

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as congolero Francisco Aguabella comes on hard, hitting strong throughout – and serving up a wicked blend of Latin, funk, and soul! The mid 70s set is a standout recording from Aguabella – done after he left the group Malo, and one... read more

Excellent compilation of some of the best tracks recorded by the Alegre All Stars. One of the greatest recording projects in Latin music, the Alegre All Stars was a loose collective of great talents like Charlie Palmieri, Bobby Rodriguez, Chombo, Jo Quijano, Kako, Johnny Pacheco, and lots of... read more

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Amazing work from a legendary Peruvian guitarist – an electric player who works here with a really wonderful sense of groove – and often an echoey tone that's completely sublime! Most numbers have this bouncy, tropical sort of vibe – but the guitar really gives them all an edge,... read more

Amazing work from Gato Barbieri's legendary exploration of Latin American sounds for Impulse Records – a set that's heavy on Cuban influences, thanks to arrangements from the mighty Chico O'Farrill! The sound is sublime – a bit fuller than some of Gato's other albums in the run, but... read more

A great little album from Ray – even if it is a bit different than some of his other work from earlier years. The feel is kind of 70s R&B, with a jazzy touch, and if you're not looking for straight Latin stuff, this is actually a pretty great album – as Ray gets the group to work... read more

An early 70s killer from Ray – recorded right in the same era as most of his best albums! The feel here is strongly in the salsa mode – as Ray steps effortlessly from the Latin Soul era into a whole new decade of musical magic. And like the best of his 60s work, Ray's salsa cooks at a... read more

A real killer from the legendary Joe Bataan – an album of righteous power that really lives up to the dynamic promise of the title and cover! Joe Bataan's in top form throughout – serving up a blend of Latin grooves and 60s soul influences that few other artists of the time could touch... read more

One of the most soulful records ever recorded by Joe Bataan – a sweet blend of harmony soul and east coast styles, done in a mode that's a bit less Latin than some of his earlier records – but really wonderful overall! The style here is almost late 60s Philly soul – particularly... read more

Far reaching modern salsa and Latin grooves from Bio Ritmo – perhaps their best stuff yet! The group has been impressive all along, but they've progressively gotten better and better, really developing into one of the most exciting and least pigeonhole-able modern groups out there. The... 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 rare rare jam from Willie Bobo – a lively little set with a really mod groove! This pre-Verve album has Willie working in a variety of styles – from straight Latin jazz to a mode that's got some groovier 60s touches – emphasized by a bit of electric guitar on a few numbers, and... read more

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One of the few albums ever issued as a leader by the great Joe Cain – a wonderful Latin arranger with a really mad ear for a groove! Cain's approach is often quite choppy in the rhythms – short, hard, and very very sharp – then topped with sweeter, jazzier lines – played on... read more

Candido cut sooo many great Latin records over the years, spanning a wide range of styles, we have a hard time deciding which we love the best. We like to think this may be his best album from the early part of his career, specifically because it features the master conga player amidst a tight... read more

A mad mix of Latin and funky rhythms – a 70s classic from the Belgian group Chakachas! The album's best known for its title hit "Jungle Fever" – an insane cut that features heavy drums, choppy guitar, and a stop/start action that's peppered with sounds of female pleasure! ... read more

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A Latin monster – and one of our favorite albums from the New York scene! The record is the only one we've ever seen from pianist Earl Coleman – and it's a groove-happy fiesta that's every bit Spanish Harlem at its best. Earl's piano is flowing and free, and the band grooves through... read more

One of the best boogaloo sessions of the late 60s – and an early expression of genius from Johnny Colon! The album's got an electric bass sitting right at the middle – plucking with strong and soulful lines that set the pace for the record from the very first note. Johnny's hip young... read more

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Great stuff – and a very sharp album cut by Willie during the Latin soul era, featuring a bunch of tracks that veer more towards the boogaloo side of things than his later albums! The groove is nice and hard – stripped down with the youthful energy that Willie brought to the scene at... 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

An amazing little record from Willie Colon – one that has him stepping forth into the limelight as both singer and leader – after years of working with better-known vocalists like Hector LaVoe and Ruben Blades! But even more than the vocals the thing we really love here are the... read more

A solid 70s session from Willie Colon – a combination of a few tracks from previous efforts, mixed with other new ones, all featuring lead vocals by the wonderful Hector Lavoe! The work on the album's the kind that was so influential at the time, it's almost hard to hear how important it was... read more

One of the last classic efforts from the team of Willie Colon and Ruben Blades – a subtle but effective set of tracks that showcases both Blades' increasingly political concerns and the growing pan-Latin sound of Colon! The core approach is still mostly salsa, but you can hear plenty of... read more

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An obscure little album from Jack "Mr Bongo" Constanzo – his only entry into the Latin Soul genre, and a really nice batch of grooves! Jacko's working here with singer Gerrie Woo – who sings in English on about half of the album's tracks, giving the set a nice pop-styled... read more

The group were certainly doing something right – as this album has Joe Cuba's sextet at the top of their game, easily showing why they were one of the best groups on the New York scene of the 60s! The album's a pivotal one in the development of Latin Soul – as it sports the incredible... read more

A Latin classic from the word "bang"! This album was the one that busted Joe Cuba out of the Latin ghetto – into the sound of 60s soul, early funk, and beyond. The record's a stone winner – filled with boogaloo tracks delivered by Joe's firey young sextet, a killer ensemble... read more

Loads of salsa classics from this great bassist – including "Chipi Chipi", "Sun Sun Babae", "El Frutero", "Ven Morena", "Para Chango", "Monta Mi Caballo", and "El Manicero".... read more

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A great little back to basics effort from the Fania All Stars – one that shakes off some of the electric and clubby influences that were creeping in during their years at Columbia, and returns the group to a mostly salsa groove! The sound here is bold and bright throughout –... read more

A landmark album – one that has the Fania All-Stars playing in a Latin club style that greatly influenced dance music for years to come! The title "Cross-Over" might make you think of this one as a sell-out attempt, but it's not – it's a brilliant effort by the New York Latin... read more

After a disastrous attempt at recording a live show, the Fania All-Stars went in the studio with guests like Billy Cobham and Manu Dibango and created their funkiest and one of their finest albums of the seventies! A few cuts are more straight Latin sounding, some of these tracks have a nice hard... read more

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Oh, the feeling here is more than good – as the album's a stunner from the legendary Jose Feliciano, the kind of set that never fails to make us smile when we hear it! Jose's really evolved here from his earliest days – going even farther past the genius of his late 60s work for RCA,... read more

A dozen hard early 60s Latin numbers – performed by Rene Grand and his combo, with some occasional vocals by Frankie Rodriguez – but also a number of great instrumentals with a sweet jazzy finish! The groove is very strong, with lots of mambo jazz in the mix, and a hard New York groove... read more

Heavy funk from the Mexican scene of the early 70s – a great little combo that blends together equal parts soul, rock, and jazz! Grupo Oz are clearly influenced by some of the jazzier groups going down on the west coast Latin scene of the time – and like many of those groups, they also... read more

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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Very nice Irakere album, and one that's on a par with their 2 Columbia albums from around the same time. The lineup's expanded a bit more than usual, and players include leader Chucho Valdes, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera, Oscar Valdes, and Jorge Varona. Tracks are long, with 4 originals by... read more

A landmark album from this powerhouse Cuban group of the 70s – their first record issued formally to an American market, and quite possibly their greatest effort of the decade! The sound here is a lot more focused than on the group's Cuban sessions from previous years – not commercial... read more

A smoking descarga session from the 60s – one of the best albums ever by percussionist Kako! The album explodes with wonderful jazzy playing, and features 4 very long tracks that are stuffed with great solo work on piano and sax – bubbling over in heavy percussive excitement, with the... read more

An amazing album that's one of the greatest-ever descarga sessions to come out of the New York scene! The album's supposedly a tribute to pianist Noro Morales – but it's got a fire and energy that goes way beyond even Morales' best work, one that has the group recording in a long-format... read more

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This famous Latin combo hits the early 60s, and lays down a stock session of pachanga and charanga cuts, infused with lively guitar parts, and some lovely female vocals. Tracks include "Yo No Se", "Cafe Y Pan", "The Don Jose Pachanga", "Pachanga Pa'Gozar",... read more

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A lost treasure – one of the few albums ever cut by this fantastic Latin Jazz ensemble, an ultra-hip group led by congolero Juan Amalbert, with a modal vibes/piano groove that's simply wonderful! The combo were one of the hippest early 60s Latin acts – and took equal part inspiration... read more

A beautiful little record from Hector Lavoe – one deepens his sound and emotion, but manages to do so without going into any schmaltzy territory! Some tracks here are full-on groovers, and others are mellower – but even these have a depth of feeling that really commands our attention... read more

Amazing work from the New York underground of the late 60s – an album that's as magical as its title implies! Latin definitely goes psychedelic on this one – burning through a cloud of smoke with a brilliant blend of soul, jazz, and the hipper rhythms of the Spanish Harlem scene at the... read more

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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

A great little project that's very much in the same spirit as the Havana Cultura project on Brownswood – a set that features British producer Mala working with a host of contemporary Cuban musicians – all in a groove that takes their roots, and pushes them very firmly towards the future!... read more

An excellent album of Latin material from Herbie Mann – and proof that he's equally great in just about any setting! The album's a rare Columbia Records outing from Herbie – but it's easily one of his greatest of the 60s, thanks to some really smoking arrangements from Oliver Nelson... read more

A killer bit of Latin jazz from the 70s – one of the first records issued under the name of percussionist Ray Mantilla, and a really smoking set that features funky flute from Jeremy Steig, bass from Eddie Gomez, and both drums and keyboards from the mighty Joe Chambers! The tunes have a... read more

A killer little set from Les McCann – one of his greatest records of the 60s, thanks to a fair bit of Latin Soul influences! The album's got a groove that's much grittier than Les' other work – a solid, soulful emphasis on bottom rhythms – which are mostly in a boogaloo and shing-... read more

IThe great early 70s solo album from Ismael Miranda! Ismael fronting his own excellent Orquestra here – singing lead vocals and playing a bit of percussion, with an ensemble that includes Nicky Marrero on timbales, Nelson Gonzalez on tres, Oscar Hernandez on piano, and Carlos De Leon on... read more

Ismael Miranda is standing proud at the start of the 80s with this great little set – bringing some new boldness into his work, and recording in the expanded salsa sound of Fania at the time! The record augments basic salsa backings with some larger orchestrations on a number of tunes –... read more

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Colombian music, both classic and contemporary – as a group of older all-star players comes into contact with Will "Quantic" Holland! The set's easily one of the most smoking Latin-styled projects we've heard from Quantic so far – recorded in Colombia with work from Fruko,... read more

A stunning album from Orquesta Harlow – one of their wildest of the 60s, and filled with delights! The record starts with this strange sound of a train pulling into a station, then rolls into a massive boogaloo groove that really sets the pace for the album – hitting hard with some... read more

A great testament to the depth and versatility of Orquestra Harlow in the 70s – and a record that shift easily between traditional modes and more contemporary styles! Larry Harlow is at the top of his game here – working with careful sensitivity on some of the more fragile numbers, but... read more

A great early record by Larry Harlow's famous combo – every bit the "smokin" set that the title might imply! Harlow and the group are in full force here – ripping through a set of short tracks that really groove with a darkly percussive edge. There's a surprising amount of... read more

A great little album of boogaloos and hard Latin tracks – one of the few rare gems on the long-lost Speed label. The set features the work of the Orquesta Olivieri, led by trumpeter Herbie Olivieri, and featuring more trumpet, piano, and percussion, plus lead vocals by Angelo Jiminez and... read more

Beastly salsa from Orquesta El Macabeo – a record that bursts out with power right from the start – soaring forth at a level that almost knocks out most classic salsa records we can think of! This youthful group just keeps getting better and better with each new release – and... read more

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With vocals by Rafael De Jesus, and trumpet and flute from Luiz Perico Ortiz!... read more

A darn tough one to find – and one of Charlie Palmieri's best records from the 60s! The session is an obscure one-off done for Atlantic in 1968 – and for some reason, the record was never issued as widely as some of Charlie's other sides for smaller labels during the time, making it... read more

A real scorcher from Eddie Palmieri – as much a transition as a superimposition – and the kind of record that would have a huge impact on Latin jazz in the 70s! Eddie's got one foot in the small group styles of his 60s work, but he's also reaching forward in a mode that's rootsy and... read more

Landmark work from Eddie Palmieri – a stunning performance by his Harlem River Drive band, recorded live before a very wild crowd at Sing Sing Prison! The feel here is a blend of the sound heard on the legendary Harlem River Drive album – a unique fusion of Latin, soul, and political... read more

Ahhhhh . . . The wonderful sounds of Joey Pastrana – the hip Latin Soul bandleader who was known to the kids as "Hot" Pastrana! This album's one of his best for Cotique – a strong mix of boogaloo numbers and straighter Latin tracks, all played with the kind of fire that was... read more

One of our favorite Latin jazz albums ever – and a truly amazing record! Bobby Pauntteo, aka Bobby Vince Paunetto, is probably best known for his groundbreaking Latin fusion albums of the NuYorican era – but this rare gem from the 60s shows that he was a really forward thinker, even at... read more

The title says "ugh!" and there's lots of that in this record! Perez plays in that tight hard way that he used on his best 50s recordings, making his trademark grunt of "ugh!" as the songs change rhythms – in a style that the notes describe as "the only vocal baton... read more

Groovy late 60's record in which the great Latin bandleader takes his style into a whole new bag, baby! Some of the stuff on here is straight Latin, but most of the cuts are weird Latin soul instrumentals, with a range of material that includes Brazilian stuff (Deodato's "Cabo Frio" and... read more

Mucho cha cha here – the reigning rhythm on the New York Latin scene at the end of the 50s – played by Tito Puente and group with some nicely jazzy styles! The combo features some excellent horn work alongside the percussion – both sax and trumpet sections, plus some leaner flute... read more

A smoking set of work from Tito Puente – four classic albums, wrapped together in a single package – with a bonus album of rare material too! First up is Cuban Carnival – one of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound,... read more

Another tasty batch of short firey Latin tracks from Tito's immediate post-RCA years! The cuts are a nice mix of mambo jazz numbers and guarachas, with a few cha chas thrown in – and they all have that tight raw sound that made Tito's Tico work so much better than most of his 50s stuff. ... read more

One of Joe's best albums from the 60s, and a lively batch of Latin tracks done up in some of the favorite flavors of the day – pachanga, bolero-cha, bossa nova, and the weirdo "wobble-cha"! The title cut's a "wobble cha" groover with English lyrics about Latin music... read more

An excellent session of exotica-tinged Latin jazz – put together by pianist Don Ralke, and featuring some great work from flute player Buddy Collette – in a spirit that's very similar to Collette's own classic Jazz Heat Bongo Beat album! The set's also got some great bongo work by Jack... read more

Some of the tightest funky 70s jamming ever – a lost gem from Ray & His Musical Court, a group that perfectly fuses JB/Horny Horns funk with beat-heavy Afro-Cuban groove! Ray and the group are one of the more obscure funky combos of the era, and it's a damn shame, because the group's... read more

A killer set of heavy Latin numbers from the great Hector Rivera – hiding under the guise of a simple dance record! Back in the late 50s and early 60s, Hector was always getting tagged for the big fads by labels – and made to produce albums that had him jumping on a dance fad bandwagon... read more

An incredible record and very unique – cut around the same time as Arsenio's rare boogaloo album for Tico Records! Like that session, this one has a style in which Arsenio is featured in a larger group – playing with a raspy edge that really steps out in front of the fuller instruments... read more

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A nice little session of Latin jazz – percussive at the bottom, but with an overall jazz mambo feel that's similar to early 50s work by Chico O'Farrill. Tracks are shortish, but have some nice solos by unnamed players – and titles include "Hi Fi Mambo", "Mambo A La... read more

An excellent obscure Mongo Santamaria album – and one that features a nice jazzy groove played by one of Mongo's best groups ever! The band features Joao Donato, the famous Brazilian pianist, doubling up on trombone on a number of tracks – something you never hear on his Brazilian... read more

A great live Santana set, recorded in Japan in '73 and never released on vinyl in the US! The band here is at their peak, and this set features a nice large lineup that includes Tom Coster, Richard Kermode, Doug Rauch, Armando Peraza, Jose Chepito Areas and Michael Shreve, plus Leon Thomas on... read more

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Pete Terrace challenges Pete Rodriguez for the title of "King Of The Boogaloo" in this live set recorded at Chez Jose in New York! The album's got a few tracks that say boogaloo, but which aren't – but that's still ok with us, because the bulk of the set is a hard grooving batch of... read more

One of the most obscure albums ever cut by Latin vibes genius Pete Terrace – and one of the best, too! The album's got a great mix of jazzy and soulful influences – a sound that's a fair bit groovier than some of Pete's other, earlier records – with a hard swinging on most... read more

A fantastic record, and one of our most treasured Latin Soul albums from the late 60s! Ray Terrace leads a totally sharp little Latin combo through a host of originals and soulful covers, and the real highlight of the record is Willie Torres, who sings English vocals in a very deep soulful style... read more

Monster Latin jazz and boogaloo – all the way through! The album's a rare gem from the short-lived Latin Soul years on Decca – cut by Ozzie Torrens, and featuring a great Latin lineup that includes Louie Ramirez on vibes, Charlie Palmieri on piano, and Manny Duran on trumpet –... read more

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