A stunning set from the great Ray Perez – the Venezulan pianist and Latin bandleader who cut some killer records back in the day, but hardly ever got the global fame he deserved! As with some of Ray's other gems from the time, the music here is nicely offbeat – partly in that small combo New York mode of the Joe Cuba generation, but titled in all these nicely fresh directions with inventive arrangements and offbeat production – all perfect to get the best sort of energy out of Ray's cool combo – a lineup that features two trumpets, piano, bass, drums, and plenty of percussion! Titles include "San Juan Guariacongo", "Tengo Control", "Uvas Verdes", "Como Me Voy A Reir", "Mi Sonsito", "Chocolate", "Como Bagk", and "Linda Cancion". LP, Vinyl record album

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Here's a party that we'd love to be invited to – a festive gathering of bongos and other percussion – served up in a mix of different cuts from a surprising array of sources! The music moves from Latin, to exotica, to jazzy modes – and while percussion is at the core of every cut, there's also plenty of other great elements too – flute lines, organ, guitar, vibes, and vocals at points too – all delivered with a sense of spirit that's totally great! Jack "Mr Bongo" Costanzo is the main star of the set – and delivers tunes that include "Inspector Bongo", "Escuadron De Policia", "Boyle Heights", and "Cigarillo" – and other tracks include "The Idea Of The Greater Age" by Sun Ra, "Wild Percussion" by Tak Shindo, "Singing Bongos" by Rene Hall, "Where's Tim's Guitar" by Jill Kroesen, "Cinco Sin Titulo" by Herb Schoenbohm's Quintet Ipanema, and "Bongo Birthday Surprise" by Nicholas Carras. CD features bonus tracks that include "Jungle Duck" by Nicholas Carras, and "Sunny" and "My Sadness" by Herb Schoenbohm's Quintet Ipanema. (Now Sound, Latin) CD