Latin — CDs  

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 musical skills – a rich array of sounds on congas, timbales, bata, bongos, and other percussion instruments – providing the core grooves for instrumentation on keyboards, trumpets, tenor, and trombone! Most tracks have some sort of vocals, but the focus is often mostly on the instrumentation – and titles include "May Day", "Elegua", "Muevete", "La Tia", "Danzonete", "Calabo Y Bambu", "Hot Blood", and "Batacumbele Te Saluda".

A very different side of the sound of Fania Records – tracks that draw heavily from the club and disco rhythms of the New York scene of the 70s, but serve up the music with a sweet little Latin twist! The set really illustrates the evolution of Latin Soul from the 60s – showing a generation of artists who were equally willing to draw from the styles of their African-American contemporaries on the scene, but in different ways than the Latin artists of a decade before! Most tracks still have a fair bit of Latin percussion in the mix (it's no secret that Latin rhythms were a big influence on 70s disco) – and the selection of cuts is really wonderful – way past the obvious, and in ways that are different than other collections of this nature, including the Nuyorica classics on Soul Jazz. Titles include "Waterbed" by LTG Exchange, "Dance Dance Dance" by Orquesta Novel, "To Be With You" by Jimmy Sabater, "Good Times" by Charanga 76, "Salsa" by Louie Ramirez, "Mambo Rock" by Seguida, "Afro Hustle" by Lou Perez, "Call Me" by Joe Bataan, "Es Un Demonio Ella" by Fausto Rey/Larry Harlow, "My Love Supreme" by Milton Hamilton Crystalized, "Wata Wasuri" by Tito Puente, and "Johnny's No Good" by WRLC.