Latin — All Formats  

A Latin soul treasure from Bobby Matos – quite different than his straighter jazzy work of recent years, and a stone cooker to rival the best of the New York indies in the late 60s! Like cookers on Fania and Cotique, the set's got a groove that's rooted in descarga – with loads of great percussion and jazzy instrumentation – then mixed with a heady dose of late 60s Spanish Harlem soul, which means that there's some good boogaloo elements on the set that really start things on fire – a massive groove that goes way beyond standard Latin, and which has made the record a treasure for years! Nearly ever cut's a killer – and titles include "Raices", "Mambo Maxims", "Trailo A Casa", "Caliente Y Grasoso", "Up In Alfred's Pad", and "Ritchie's Boogaloo". Essential

A lovely little take on the flamenco sound of Spain – one that pairs the guitar of Paco De Lucia with that of Ramon De Algeciras, and adds in a bit of larger orchestrations as well! The tunes are hardly "hits" in the American mode – more famous numbers that are recast beautifully here in the instrumental interplay of the two acoustic musicians – working with a complexity that's mindblowing, yet a sense of focus that really drives the record forward with a lot more power than most of their contemporaries. The orchestrations are relatively lean – no brassy cliches here – and are really used mostly to flesh out the sound a bit, with some nice richness around the edges. Titles include "Celos", "Los Pescadores De Perlas", "Tango De La Rosa", "Si No Me More", and "El Amore De Laura".

A pair of Spanish guitars take on the sound of Latin America – as the great Paco De Lucia and partner Ramon De Algeciras run circles around a host of traditional and folklore tunes! The pair of guitars are very dynamic – and handle both complicated rhythm and melody throughout – with a dexterity that's not only amazing because of Paco's youthful powers on his instrument, but also because the pair of players can work together so seamlessly too! Titles include "El Jarabe Tapatio", "Manana De Carnaval", "Granada", "Malaguena Salerosa", "Tomo Y Obligo", and "Fina Estampa".