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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 mixes Latin grooves and hard funk in a way that's rarely been duplicated, and which has ensured Sabu a place in the funk hall of fame for all time! Breakbeat fanatics have always sought out the album for the cuts "All Camels Hump" and "My Cristina" – but the whole thing's a stunning batch of hard percussion grooves, and it's well worth its rare reputation! Other tracks include "Para Ti, Tito Rodriguez", "Martin Cohen Loves Latin Percussion", "My Son Johnny & Me", and "Wounded Knee".

One of the rarest records ever recorded by this legendary percussionist! The set is presented as if it's as exotic as Sabu's Sorcery album – but thanks to a lineup of strong instrumentalists, the session's much more in a Latin jazz mode than the goofy photo on the cover might make you think. The group features congas by Ray Barretto, vibes and trombone by Jack Hitchcock, baritone sax by Cecil Payne, tenor by Gene Allen, and bass by Oscar Pettiford. Most tracks are long, and very jamming – and titles include "Safari", "Nadenga", "Ubas", and "Dawn".

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 mixes Latin grooves and hard funk in a way that's rarely been duplicated, and which has ensured Sabu a place in the funk hall of fame for all time! Breakbeat fanatics have always sought out the album for the cuts "All Camels Hump" and "My Cristina" – but the whole thing's a stunning batch of hard percussion grooves, and it's well worth its rare reputation! Other tracks include "Para Ti, Tito Rodriguez", "Martin Cohen Loves Latin Percussion", "My Son Johnny & Me", and "Wounded Knee".

One of the most unique sessions ever cut for Blue Note – an album of very traditional Afro-Cuban jamming, led by percussionist Sabu Martinez! The music on the album's comprised mostly of percussion – plus some occasional guitar, bass, and vocals shouted by Sabu, and group members that include Arsenio Rodriguez, Ray Romero, and Willie Capo. The whole thing's incredibly haunting – and about as different from the average Blue Note hardbop set as you could get! Titles include "Simba", "Aggo Elgua", "Tribilin Cantore", "Asabache", and "Billumba-Palo Congo".

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!

The rarest of all of Art Blakey's percussion group projects – and quite possibly the best, too! The session features Blakey at the head of a strong mix of jazz and percussion players – with Art Taylor and Philly Joe Jones on the regular drum kit, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Ray Bryant on piano, and a host of assorted percussion work by the likes of Ray Barretto, Sabu Martinez, Victor Gonzalez, Julio Martinez, and others. The resultant sound is incredible – very full, rich, and earthy – and done in a way that interweaves African and Latin percussion styles with straighter American jazz! A few cuts have chanting by Blakey and Sabu – and titles include "The Feast", "Mirage", "Lamento Africano", "O'Tinde", "Swingin Kilts", "Dinga", "Reflection", and "Aghano".

A true orgy in rhythm from Art Blakey – a set that not only features his drums next to the kit of Art Taylor, but which also adds in a bevy of other percussionists – including Sabu Martinez, Patato Valdez, and Jose Valentine! Joe Jones and Specs Wright also bring in additional jazz drums – making for more drummers than you might even find in a high school band – all working together with amazing qualities in sound, sometimes even melodic amidst all of the rhythms. Lighter lyrical touches are provided by Herbie Mann's flute, and Ray Bryant throws in some great lines on piano – underscoring the grooves in a nice way. Titles on this first volume include "Buhaina Chant", "Split Skins", and "Toffi".

An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso") that has Blakey and Jo Jones on drums, joined by Sabu Martinez on bongos and Charles Wright on tympani and gong. Ray Bryant snakes some soulful piano through the set and Oscar Pettiford is on bass and cello – and the overall feeling of the side is similar to some of Blakey's work in the format for Blue Note – like the albums Afro-Drum Orgy or Holiday for Percussion. Side two has straight hard bop, played by Blakey's 1957 combo that included Jackie McLean and Bill Hardman – and the group grooves hard on a classic reading of "Nica's Tempo", plus the cuts "D's Dilemma" and "Just For Marty".

Not so much an introduction to Latin jazz, as it a wonderful collection of Latin-tinged tunes from the mighty catalog of Blue Note Records – and not just New York and Cuban Latin grooves, but also a fair bit of bossa nova and Brazilian sounds too! The 3CD package is overflowing with goodness – and titles include a range of killer Blue Note gems from the 60s – plus related cuts from labels like Capitol, Liberty, and World Pacific. The groove changes nicely throughout the set, and the instrumentation is superb – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Sandalia Dela" by Duke Pearson, "Chitlins Con Carne" by Kenny Burrell, "Loie" by Ike Quebec, "Samba De Orfeu" by Charlie Rouse, "Bossa For Baby" by Hank Mobley, "South Of The Border" by Lou Donaldson, "Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso" by Sabu Martinez, "Minors Holiday" by Kenny Dorham, "Congalere" by Horace Parlan, "Ghana" by Donald Byrd, "Latin Fever" by Jack Costanzo, "No Problem" by Jerome Richardson, "Girl From Ipanema" by Lou Rawls, "Rojo" by Bobby Hutcherson, and "Thousand Finger Man" by Candido. 38 tracks in all!

Wonderful mellowness recorded by Art during the 70s – a beautiful little session done in Stockholm with some really great touches! At the beginning, things start out in typical Farmer ballad mode, but as the album moves on, Sabu Martinez comes in with some added percussion – and the lineup of guitar, bass, and two drummers picks things up with a nice little pace. The whole thing hits its stride on the tune "Green Witch" – a track that has a slight Latin pulse on the bottom, and which almost threatens to go modal – but enjoys its skittish approach to percussion and the way it keeps things edgey! Other tracks include "Smiling Billy", "A Bitty Ditty", and "A Sleeping Bee".

A groovy dream come true – the complete studio recordings of German bandleader Peter Herbolzheimer – easily one of the funkiest European talents of the 70s! Although Herbolzheimer's got a clunky name, his sound is incredibly fluid and tight – a large group approach to funk that rivals some of the best American work of his time – including classics from Lalo Schifrin, Johnny Pate, and other key maestros of the blacksploitation era. Peter's got a way of taking a large group of players and really making them groove – a sound that's kind of an electrified extension of the styles first laid out at MPS by the Clarke-Boland Big Band, but served up with a hipper, funkier 70s approach to rhythm. Like the CBBB, Herbholzheimer's groups often feature American players – such as Art Farmer on trumpet or Herb Geller on saxes – alongside more familiar MPS talents like Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, Dieter Reith on organ, Ferdinand Povel on flute, Jiggs Whigham on trombone, and Sigi Schwab on guitar – joined by the legendary Sabu Martinez on a few of the best sessions here! The 4CD set is a massive discovery in music – as it features not only Herbholzheimer's Rhythm & Brass albums for MPS and Polydor, but also records under the group names Certain Lions & Tigers and The Galactic Light Orchestra. The package features a whopping 8 albums in all – Soul Condor, Time Travellers Galaxis, Waitaminute, Wide Open, Hip Walk, Touchdown, and I Hear Voices – most of which have never been reissued before – a whopping 61 long funky jazz tracks!

A bold, brilliant record from one of the funkiest ensembles of the 70s – and proof that Peter Herbolzheimer could groove as great in a live setting as he could in the studios of MPS! The session's done in a style that's right in keeping with the combo's famous studio sets of the early 70s – full, tight formation from the whole group – a mixture of acoustic horns and electric rhythms – with loads of heavy organ and electric piano from Dieter Reith, driven forward by some soulful congas from Sabu Martinez! Horn players inlcude Benny Bailey and Ack Van Rooyen on trumpet, Jiggs Whigham and Herbolzheimer on trombones, and Ferdinand Povel on alto, flute, and soprano sax – all wrapped up beautifully over funky arrangements of "Peoytl", "That's Live", "The Catfish", "Corean Chick", "PM", and "Head Egg" – all prime MPS groovers from the 70s.

Amazing live work from this legendary MPS group – electric funk mixed with plenty of horns – all in a hard-grooving big band style that nobody else could match at the time! Peter Herbolzheimer may not be a household name on this side of the Atlantic, but back in the day he was one of the coolest cats working in the European scene – and on records like this, he shows an amazing talent for blending electric grooves and soulful horn solos – all in a blend that takes the Clark Boland Band ethos to a new 70s generation! Rhythms come from a group that features two electric pianos, and a bit of organ – by Dieter Reith and Horst Muhlbrandt – guitar from Peter Catherine, electric bass from Gunter Lenz, and congas from Sabu Martinez – and the horns are even heavier – with alto and flute from Ferdinand Povel, trombone from Ake Persson and Jiggs Whigham, and trumpets from Kenny Wheeler, Art Farmer, Ack Van Rooyen, and Palle Mikkelborg! Tunes are nice and tight, and plenty darn funky – and titles include a tasty take on Weldon Irvine's "Mr. Clean", plus the tracks "Hoops", "Scenes", and "Don't Speak Now".