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A tremendous overview of Carribean sounds from the 50s through the 70s – served up with exactly the kind of depth and care we've come to expect from the folks at Soul Jazz Records! The collection goes way past the obvious – and way past any obvious cliches as well – to really dig deep and draw some strong lines between the grooves of nations like Cuba, Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and St Thomas – all of whom are represented by really rhythm-heavy and uncommon sounds! Most numbers are heavy on percussion, but also show a bit of jazz and soul influence as well – the continuing influence of American styles on the sounds of the area, but always taken in by the local talents, and made into something new entirely. There's a number of heavy groovers here that lie somewhere in the territory between Jazzman mambo reissues and Honest Jon's compilation cuts – and titles include "I'll Be Right There" by Techniques, "Pa Los Obreros" by Frank Ferrer, "Elegua" by Gina Martin, "Nassau Cha Cha" by Andre Toussaint, "Saturday Night Reggae" by Mark Holder, "My Conversation" by Slim Smith, "The Queen Sings Calpyso" by Lord Brynner, "Chango" by Celia Cruz, "Canela" by Peanuts Taylor, "Repentino" by Grupo De Experimentation, "Pa Coco Solo" by Fajardo, "Don't Blame It On Elvis" by Fabulous McClevertys, "Mambo Caliente" by Bebo Valdes, and "Vitalolgy" by Duke Of Iron. Also includes a great documentary on DVD – Mirror To The Soul, the story of the British Pathe record label in the West Indies!

A tremendous overview of Carribean sounds from the 50s through the 70s – served up with exactly the kind of depth and care we've come to expect from the folks at Soul Jazz Records! The collection goes way past the obvious – and way past any obvious cliches as well – to really dig deep and draw some strong lines between the grooves of nations like Cuba, Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and St Thomas – all of whom are represented by really rhythm-heavy and uncommon sounds! Most numbers are heavy on percussion, but also show a bit of jazz and soul influence as well – the continuing influence of American styles on the sounds of the area, but always taken in by the local talents, and made into something new entirely. There's a number of heavy groovers here that lie somewhere in the territory between Jazzman mambo reissues and Honest Jon's compilation cuts – and titles include "I'll Be Right There" by Techniques, "Pa Los Obreros" by Frank Ferrer, "Elegua" by Gina Martin, "Nassau Cha Cha" by Andre Toussaint, "Saturday Night Reggae" by Mark Holder, "My Conversation" by Slim Smith, "The Queen Sings Calpyso" by Lord Brynner, "Chango" by Celia Cruz, "Canela" by Peanuts Taylor, "Repentino" by Grupo De Experimentation, "Pa Coco Solo" by Fajardo, "Don't Blame It On Elvis" by Fabulous McClevertys, "Mambo Caliente" by Bebo Valdes, and "Vitalolgy" by Duke Of Iron. Also includes a great documentary on DVD – Mirror To The Soul, the story of the British Pathe record label in the West Indies!

A tremendous overview of Carribean sounds from the 50s through the 70s – served up with exactly the kind of depth and care we've come to expect from the folks at Soul Jazz Records! The collection goes way past the obvious – and way past any obvious cliches as well – to really dig deep and draw some strong lines between the grooves of nations like Cuba, Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and St Thomas – all of whom are represented by really rhythm-heavy and uncommon sounds! Most numbers are heavy on percussion, but also show a bit of jazz and soul influence as well – the continuing influence of American styles on the sounds of the area, but always taken in by the local talents, and made into something new entirely. There's a number of heavy groovers here that lie somewhere in the territory between Jazzman mambo reissues and Honest Jon's compilation cuts – and titles include "I'll Be Right There" by Techniques, "Pa Los Obreros" by Frank Ferrer, "Elegua" by Gina Martin, "Nassau Cha Cha" by Andre Toussaint, "Saturday Night Reggae" by Mark Holder, "My Conversation" by Slim Smith, "The Queen Sings Calpyso" by Lord Brynner, "Chango" by Celia Cruz, "Canela" by Peanuts Taylor, "Repentino" by Grupo De Experimentation, "Pa Coco Solo" by Fajardo, "Don't Blame It On Elvis" by Fabulous McClevertys, "Mambo Caliente" by Bebo Valdes, and "Vitalolgy" by Duke Of Iron.

A killer set from the legendary Cachao – recorded during some lesser-known years in the 80s, but done with a rich sound that really hearkens back to his Havana roots! Most tracks are instrumental descargas, with a very bass-heavy groove – recorded in a way that really lets you hear Cachao's key contribution to the music – that way he has of really inspiring other players to give their best! Instrumental solos are great too – jazzy moments from Fajardo on flute, Bobby Martinez on sax, and Roberto Luis Rodriguez on trumpet – but Cachao's clearly the main star of the set, and he gets in some simply amazing lines that show he was not sleeping even at this quiet point in his career. Titles include "Bocachaby", "Panchin", "Walpataca", and "La Pausa De Cachao".