All Categories — All Formats  

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 of the best west coast takes on the modes that scene was changing up from New York at the time – really transforming the sound of contemporary Latin with a trans-genre vibe that was easily some of the most revolutionary music of the period. Rhythms are acoustic, but there's a nice dose of electric energy too, thanks to some sweet keyboards. Some cuts have English vocals, others are instrumental – and titles include "Hitting Hard", "I Wanna Know", "Cisco", "Image of a Star" and a nice version of Edu Lobo's "Casa Forte".

A legendary bit of Latin from the New York scene of the 60s – recorded by a host of youthful players working under the direction of percussionist Montego Joe! The group's name is a contraction of "Harlem Youth" – a program in which all players participated, as part of an effort to get kids involved in music uptown – spearheaded by Montego Joe, whose guidance in the set is greatly appreciated! There's a strong Latin Soul vibe running through the set – but one that's different than Joe's other work, a bit more rootsy at times, given all the percussion in the lineup – but warmed up nicely with bits of guitar, trumpet, and alto sax. The album's filled with great groovers – including the classic "Welcome To The Party", and the amazing "Oua-Train" jazz cut, which has a slightly spiritual feel. Other tracks include "Feed Me Good", "Barrets Bag", "Tico", "Ngoma", and "Santa Cruz".

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

Very cool and groovy bossa piano jams, given a modern twist by this Japanese group with one foot in the past and one foot in the future. Includes their great remake of Sivuca's arrangement of "Ain't No Sunshine", plus "Bayu Bayu", "Call Me Mr. Vibes", "Mambo Parisienne", and lots lots more.

A soaring stormer from the Spanish Harlem Orchestra – a contemporary group, but one who plays with some really classic Latin jazz modes! The group's always been great, but this may well be their best album to date – full of rich tones, bold colors, and tight rhythms that keep things lively throughout – all recorded in a no-nonsense way that reminds us of those excellent Latin jazz sessions we used to love from the Cubop label. Pianist Oscar Hernandez is at the head of a lineup that features two trumpets, two trombones, sax, flute, and plenty of percussion – on cuts that include "Linda", "Nuestra Cancion", "Si Me Quieres Te Quiero", "Son De Corazon", "La Salsa Dura", "La Fiesta Empezo", and "El Negro Tiene Tumbao".

One of Dizzy Gillespie's finest Afro-Cuban moments! The material on this album has been issued under a few different titles over the years, but this is the early Afro package – the one that features a beautiful David Stone Martin cover, and a title that really gets at the Latin influences in the material. The centerpiece of the record is a side-long workout on the "Manteca" theme, played by Diz and a group that includes Lucky Thompson, Wade Legge, Charlie Persip, and Jose Mangual – all grooving hard in a sound that virtually defines the term of cubop! The other tracks on the album are great too – versions of "Caravan", "Con Alma", and "Night In Tunisia" – all done in a Latin jazz mode, with some nice flute solos by Gilberto Valdes.

Late 80s Latin from Mongo Santamaria – but still pretty darn nice! The set's got Santamaria stretching out in the rhythms a bit more from the early days – and also picking up some of the jazz flavors of the Concord label as well – but overall, the proceedings are still quite tight, thanks to arrangements from maestro Marty Sheller! The group's not too large, and features alto and flute from Bobby Porcelli, trumpet from Ray Vega, and tenor and flute from Mitch Frohman – all players who bring some nice solos to the set. Titles include "Soca Me Nice", "Day Tripper", "Tropical Breeze", "Kathy's Waltz", "Cubop Alert", and "Con Mi Ritmo".

A great cubop revival date – one that has Mongo Santamaria working with the great Dizzy Gillespie – all really opening up on some long live tracks that go quite a bit farther than bop/Latin sets like this from the late 40s! The tracks are all nicely extended, with lots of room for solos – and other players include Toots Thielemans on harmonica, Doug Harris on tenor and flute, and Allen Hoist on alto flute and baritone – all great players who really make a lot out of the energy set down by Mongo. Titles include "Summertime", "Afro Blue", "Virtue", and "Mambo Mongo".

Classic early European material by Dizzy Gillespie – recorded in Paris in the early 50s, and featuring backing by players that include Don Byas, Wade Legge, Jean-Jacques Tilche, and Bill Clark. The groove runs from straight bop to swing, with touches of Cubop in the mix, thanks to conga work by Humberto Canto Morales. There's a total of 21 tracks in all – and this is the best-ever compilation of the material we've ever seen, especially as much of it was issued on smaller eps, and always gets cast over different sets when it comes out. Titles include "Cognac Blues", "Sabla Y Blu", "Lullaby In Rhythm", "Blue Moon", "Mama's Blues", "Taking A Chance On Love", and "Moon Nocturne".

A masterpiece of Latin jazz – and one of the truest expressions of the genre we can think of! The album's quite unique, especially for the time – a spare, stripped-down presentation of Latin-influenced jazz – a sound that has its roots in the cubop experiments of a decade before, but which comes off here with even more dynamic energy! Sabu's sound is quite different from the more staid styles of the cha cha/charanga generation at the time of this recording – and thanks to his own heavy conga, percussion from Louie Ramirez, trumpet from Marty Sheller, and alto sax from Bobby Porcelli, the whole album bristles with electricity and excitement. The horn solos are given plenty of room to do their thing – space you might find more on Blue Note or Prestige – and Sabu adds in some great sparer percussion bits too. Titles include "The Oracle", "Breakin' It In", "Flipping", "Nica's Dream", "Otra Vez", and lots lots more great ones!

Great Cuban grooves, with some heavy trumpet in the lead – as you'd guess from the sparkling cover of this vintage album! The set's got a nice raw feel throughout – and the strong use of lead trumpet almost gives some of the cuts the feel of Dizzy Gillespie's cubop experiments from the late 40s! Other numbers add in some great raspy saxophone (alto?) – which furthers the jazzy sound of the record, as proceedings continue with kind of a tighter take on the jazz descarga style. Wonderful throughout – and the group runs through Latin versions of some non-Latin tracks, like "Mack The Knife", "Almost Like Being In Love", and "It's All Right With Me" – plus other Latin material like "Es Diferente", "Leche Con Ron", "Cha Cha Cha De Los Pollos", and "Mucho Humo".