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Some hard-cooking salsa from the legendary Cortijo – a set that seems to be from later years, but which has all the sparkle of his classic early work! The horns are nice and tight, and inflected with some of the more modern touches crafted in 70s New York and Puerto Rico – and vocals... read more

Classic sounds from Cortijo and Ismael Rivera – one of the best 60s teams in Latin music! The grooves are filled with lots of lively percussion – that great small combo sound that Cortijo did so well at this point – and Rivera's got a wonderfully soulful way with the vocals... read more

A rare early Latin session from Charles Fox – an artist who's best known for his TV and film soundtrack work of the 70s – but who really cooks nicely on this sweet 60s set! The album's got an all-star crew – including flute from Johnny Pacheco, and rhythms from Louie Ramirez... read more

It's always a treat to hear from the team of Kako and Totico – and this album's no exception! The pair have a way of coming up with lively interplay right from the start – the energy that would formerly build over time in Kako's early jam session records, nicely brought to the... read more

Kako and Totico do way more than jump start the car with this killer collaboration – and really make the record burn brightly with a classic 70s salsa sound! There's lots of dark twists and turns to the set – not just from the horn parts and the way they roll along the grooves easily... read more

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An early classic from the great Raphy Leavitt – one of the leading underground lights of the 70s salsa scene, especially if you get away from the Fania/Tico side of the universe! There's a strong sense of soul to the record right from the start – one that comes more from the delivery... read more

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Beautiful spare sounds from Noro Morales – and an album that really lets you hear his amazing work on the piano! Most of the album simply features Noro's playing, backed by bass and percussion, and no other orchestration – a really stripped-down setting that's even more spare than the... read more

A pretty darn obscure one – with a wild cover, wild title, and a goofy looking bandleader who definitely had a great sense of humor! Pijuan leads the group, sings, and plays organ – and the record's a weird mix of groovy 60s pop, shing-a-ling/boogaloo tracks, and other Latin groovers. ... read more

Very early work from the team of Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz – a stone cooker that shows that they were perfectly matched, right from the start! The rhythms are super-tight – way more so than on later recordings – and the instrumentation has all the jazzy flourishes that really... read more

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An early cooker from the young Bobby Valentin – a record cut even before his initial outings for Fania, and done with the same trumpet-heavy groove! There's a raw crackle to the set that's mighty nice – not really Latin soul, but the kind of small combo energy you'd find in the... read more