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 Rebillot – and there's a nice choppy approach to the tracks that keeps the whole thing fresh! Titles include "Live Oak", "Patcham", "Panache", "Green Moss", and "The Lady From Nine Flags". Very groovy cover, too – with images of ladies from around the world, illustrating the Nine Flags concept! (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

The Downtown Scene is a plenty groovy one – thanks to heavy percussion from Ninapinta, and some great jazzy backings from Jimmy Wisner! The album's a blend of Latin Soul, Latin jazz, and other mod 60s styles – all wrapped together with Verve-like perfection, with supporting players who include Clark Terry on trumpet, Artie Kaplan on sax and flute, Willie Rodriguez on percussion, and Jimmy Wisner on piano and organ! The tunes are jaunty, jumpy, and plenty darn soulful – all instrumental, and with just the sort of hip sound we're always searching for on records like this, but never find done so well. Many tunes are covers, but they're really transformed – and titles include "Downtown", "Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter", "1-2-3", "The In Crowd", "Help", "It Ain't Me Babe", and "Hang On Sloopy". (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album