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

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A monster! If you buy one Latin record this year – make it this one – because it's one of the greatest ever recorded! Ray's late 60s Acid album is a landmark recording – a sublime mixture of Latin jazz, percussion, and soul – grooving hard in a variety of styles, and... read more

One of Ray Barretto's hardest-hitting salsa albums of the 70s – a raw set of grooves that's got Ray moving away from the playfulness of the Latin Soul years, into a more righteous mode that's easily guessed at from the title of the set! The vibe here is very straightforward – with Ray... 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

Amazing work from the Spanish Harlem underground of the late 60s! From the title, to the cover, to the beautiful blend of songs, this album perfectly sums up the rich energy and raw power bubbling in the NuYorican scene of the time – effortlessly blending together soul, Latin, jazz, and funk... 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

A landmark album from Joe Bataan – so great, that it made the entire record company change its name! The record has Joe really bursting out after his seminal Latin Soul work of the late 60s – blending Latin rhythms and American soul into a whole new style of music – one that Joe... 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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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

Groovy groovy Latin soul from Willie, with the requisite mix of originals and pop/soul covers that you'd find on the best of his Verve albums. There's a nice instrumental version of "It's Not Unusual", plus other groovers like "Spanish Grease", "Blues In the Closet",... read more

Incredible work by Willie Bobo – a slamming record of hard funky instrumentals, one that sounds different than any of his other albums! The record's a killer all the way through – a mixture of Latin and deep 70s funk, one of the few perfect fusions of the styles, held up beautifully... read more

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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

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

An excellent early session from Candido – and one of his first to move from straighter Latin into a much groovier vein! The session's done in collaboration with Lalo Schifrin – who was also working for Roulette at the time – and it's got a style that links Candido's older 50s-styl... read more

One of Candido's funkiest albums! The record's got a similar sound to Candido's great albums for Blue Note and Solid State – with short, hard funky tunes that have a really great 70s edge! Chico O'Farrill did the arrangements, and the record chops along nicely with some very funky tracks... read more

An excellent bit of Latin groove – one of our favorite crossover boogaloo sets from the 60s, and easily some of the greatest work ever by Jimmy Castor! And yes, this is the same Jimmy Castor who's known for his funk albums of the 70s – but back in the day, he was open-minded enough to... 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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Funky Latin breaks and very groovy grooves – the kind of record that you hear for only a second, and say "oh yeah, this is the stuff!" Coke were an obscure Florida combo who mixed together Latin, funk, and soul – served up in a crossover style that's halfway between the sound... read more

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

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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

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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

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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

A rare European-only album from Xavier Cugat – his first-ever German session, recorded as a sound library date for the Intersound label! The style is a sweet mix of Cugat's roots with the German instrumental modes that have been copying his vibe over the years – with arrangements from... read more

A tight album of jazzy Latin pop, recorded at the tail end of the 60s – with a nice feel that's different than some of Xavier's earlier work. We'd almost be tempted to say there's some Latin soul in the mix – as the tunes include a number of 60s covers, done in a bright and Latiny... read more

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Tight Latin Funk from El Chicano – a bit slicker than some of their earlier albums, and with tracks that are a tad weak, but there are still plenty of fine moments. The title track "Pyramid" is a wonderful Latin groover – all instrumental, and in a slow Chicano funk mode... read more

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A lively set of west coast Latin from Pete Escovedo – recorded for Concord's Crossover subsidiary, with a sound that mixes electric fusion and acoustic jamming! The feel here is a bit more 80s than some of Escovedo's earliest albums – especially in its use of keyboards – but the... read more

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

A Latin soul party – beyond compare! The album's a completely wonderful live set that really captures the energy, excitement, and warm sociability of the hip New York scene at the end of the 60s. The music is stunning – a freewheeling blend of jazz, soul, and Latin themes –... 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

One of the greatest solo albums ever issued by Latin jazz trumpeter Luis Gasca – a set that really expands on his debut for Atlantic Records, and which brings in a whole host of early 70s west coast Latin influences! The style here is very laidback and open – a bit like some of the... 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

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

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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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 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

An incredible album of Latin funk – the only-ever record from this west coast combo headed by the legendary Benny Velarde! Benny's a name that you might recognize from earlier, straighter Latin dates for Fantasy – or for countless studio work during the 70s – but here, he's... 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

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

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... 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

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Very groovy work from Chico – still very Latin at the core, but with lots of light 60s touches on top, ala the work of Gary McFarland, or some of the other groove-conscious arrangers for Verve and Impulse! Players on the set include Art Farmer, Clark Terry, JJ Johnson, Seldon Powell, and Pat... read more

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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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

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

A great record of mambo tracks from Prado and his orchestra! Tracks include "The Whistling Mambo", "Pachito E-Che", "Cuban Mambo", "Perdido", "Pianola", and "Mambo Jambo". Some of the songs have vocals and each have really nice moments!... read more

Perez Prado at his best – sock-hard, with a choppy groove that's supported by some great percussion and really nice orchestrations! The feel here is in his best 50s mode – and possibly even better, as the recording quality on the set is great, and the mambo-focus makes for an album... read more

One of the greatest albums by this funky Latin combo! The record differs from some of their earlier Prestige albums in that the tracks are longer, more instrumental, and have a hard fuzzy electric groove. The band jams hard in a way that's more like some of the funk combos of the early 70s, than... read more

One of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound, and a lot more drive to them than some of Tito's other work for the label. Ray Bryant wrote the great track "Cuban Fantasy", and Tito contributed most of the other tunes on the... 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

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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 monster album of Latin soul – arguably the greatest record ever cut by Hector Rivera! The record's a rare cooker that never lets up at all – a non-stop boogaloo party that definitely lives up to its swinging cover image – and which is quite different than most other albums from... 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