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2 tremendous 70s albums from Eddie Benitez -- both of them a great mix of jazz, funk, and Latin soul! Eddie's style here is totally great, and very unique -- a laidback approach to the groove that has echoes of the Chicano soul coming out of LA in the early 70s -- but which is often a lot more ...

Joe Bataan is alive and well -- and to our ears, the king of Latin Soul is sounding better than he has in decades! This tasty little set really takes us back to Joe's classic work for Fania -- but it's also got a slightly different twist -- one that shows a new younger appreciation of the funk ...

One of the funkiest Mexican groups at the end of the 60s -- a hard-hitting combo who could almost go head to head with any American ensemble of the funky 45 generation! Rabbits & Carrots work in a mostly-instrumental mode here -- a style that has just a slight element of Latin in the rhythms, ...

Recent genius from the true king of Latin Soul -- the mighty Joe Bataan, sounding every bit as great now as he did back in the day! Bataan gets some very hip backing from Los Fulanos -- a Barcelona-based combo who help recreate the tight sound of Joe's early grooves from the late 60s, with just a ...

A nice little album, and one with a very messed up Latin groove -- one that's partly funky Impulse, partly Chicano soul. Gary Saracho leads the group on acoustic and electric piano -- and the rest of the ensemble includes soprano sax, electric guitar, timbales, bass, and an assortment of other odd ...

An incredible record and very unique -- cut around the same time as Arsenio's rare boogaloo album for Tico Records! Like that session, this one has a style in which Arsenio is featured in a larger group -- playing with a raspy edge that really steps out in front of the fuller instruments and ...

Killer Latin soul! This record is one of the hardest to find from the late 60's boogaloo era, and it's a massive stormer filled with tasty grooves! The band is small and tight, with a 2-sax frontline, for an extra-soulful sound. Vocals are in English and Spanish, and the album wails away like a ...

A great Ray Barretto album from 1972 -- one that beautifully showcases the master percussionist as he effortlessly shifts between Latin soul and 70's salsa styles! The group's nice and lean -- with Adalberto Santiago on vocals, Papy Roman on trumpet, Louis Cruz on piano, and the great Andy ...

A real killer from the legendary Joe Bataan -- an album of righteous power that really lives up to the dynamic promise of the title and cover! Joe Bataan's in top form throughout -- serving up a blend of Latin grooves and 60s soul influences that few other artists of the time could touch -- ...

The Soul of Spanish Harlem -- and the upbeat sound of the Joe Cuba Sextet -- a hard-to-find album recorded just before the dawn of the classic Latin soul era! This one has been underappreciated for years, which is a shame, because it's got a lot of very nice grooves with that tight Joe Cuba Sextet ...

A Latin monster -- and one of our favorite albums from the New York scene! The record is the only one we've ever seen from pianist Earl Coleman -- and it's a groove-happy fiesta that's every bit Spanish Harlem at its best. Earl's piano is flowing and free, and the band grooves through tracks that ...

One of the grooviest records ever recorded -- and pretty darn rare, too! The Moon People -- aka Los Astronautas -- were a Latin Soul studio band who played behind some of the other killer recordings on the Speed Label. They're best known for their sock-boogaloo instrumental "Land Of ...

A nice jammer from the "second wind" period of CTI -- and a strong return to Latin jazz for Ray! The set's a great mixture of smooth CTI electric funk and Latin-oriented grooves -- and it features work by Ray on congas and percussion, plus a list of players that includes Tito Puente, ...

A killer album of hard instrumental Latin soul tracks -- one of the few albums ever done by funky reed player Mauricio Smith! On the set, Smith plays flute, alto, and soprano sax -- and the record's filled with short little groovers that have a nice choppy sound, and lots of heavy conga work by ...

An excellent album by Latin Soul arranger Harvey Averne! This set is miles ahead of Harvey's work from the 60s -- a heavy set of 70s grooves that has a lot of Chicano rock influences, and which mixes together percussion, electric guitar, soulful vocals, and plenty of other tasty instrumental ...

Killer Latin soul from one of the all-time greats -- a collection of greatest hits from Mongo Santamaria, but a set that's every bit as essential as his full length albums for Columbia! Most of the cuts on the album were arranged by Mongo's key right-hand man -- the great Marty Sheller, who was an ...

Tight and soulful grooves from the team of Pete and Sheila Escovedo -- a set that still has elements of the pair's Latin roots, but which also explodes in a flurry of funk, soul, and fusion moments too! As with their first Fantasy album, the duo have Billy Cobham on deck to produce -- giving the ...

One of Mongo's great early records, with a spooky Afro-Cuban sound, and a great assortment of drummers that includes Francisco Aquabella, Carlos Vidal, Willie Bobo, and Modesto Duran. The overall vibe is much more traditional than Mongo's other albums -- and there's none of the pop Latin jazz of ...

A classic Machito session from the 50s -- with stunning arrangements by Mario Bauza and AK Salim! The record is a beautiful batch of Latin jazz tracks that shine with a sound that's unlike anything else Machito was doing at the time -- and the band wails hard, with soloists that include Cannonball ...

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 ...

An insanely wonderful album of Latin percussion -- the only album we've ever seen from Cuban percussionist Lazaro Pla, aka Manteca -- a date recorded in Miami in the 70s, and filled with lots of raw percussion jams! There's a massive amount of bongo work here, mostly in a very spare setting -- but ...

Landmark work from Eddie Palmieri -- a stunning performance by his Harlem River Drive band, recorded live before a very wild crowd at Sing Sing Prison! The feel here is a blend of the sound heard on the legendary Harlem River Drive album -- a unique fusion of Latin, soul, and political ...

Killer stuff! This is Ocho's fourth album -- after their first 3 for United Artists -- and like those classics, it's a hard-jamming set with a real NuYorican feel! There's some very firey work on both tenor and alto sax -- cutting soulful solos over the grooves, in a style that gives the album a ...

An important early album from Eddie Palmieri -- one in which he introduces the "mozambique" rhythm -- essentially a conga-styled approach to the tune, and one that features a lot more percussion than on his earlier sides! The group that supports him is strong enough to carry off the ...

Stone lost Latin funk! This is Candido's rarest -- and it's a killer batch of conga-heavy grooves, recorded in the late 60s for Solid State, and featuring a very groovy set of mod Latin arrangements by Joe Cain. The band features organ, guitar, bass, horns, and some upfront conga solos from ...

Great stuff -- and a very sharp album cut by Willie during the Latin soul era, featuring a bunch of tracks that veer more towards the boogaloo side of things than his later albums! The groove is nice and hard -- stripped down with the youthful energy that Willie brought to the scene at the time -- ...

A strange one, and one of Sabu's rarest! The record is mostly Latin, but also has a bit of an "exotica" tinge to it -- and unlike the other records by Sabu, which treat him more like an accomplished jazz musician, this one seems to refer to him more as an earthy savage, especially in the ...

An excellent lost Latin Funk album from the early 70s west coast scene -- featuring a group led by Latin pianist and promoter Cesar Ascarrunz -- and including some of the greatest Latin and jazz players from the San Francisco scene at the time! Big names on the session include Francisco Aquabella, ...

Monster Latin jazz and boogaloo -- all the way through! The album's a rare gem from the short-lived Latin Soul years on Decca -- cut by Ozzie Torrens, and featuring a great Latin lineup that includes Louie Ramirez on vibes, Charlie Palmieri on piano, and Manny Duran on trumpet -- all swinging in ...

With his horn-rimmed glasses and short hair, Pijuan should be a big-time square -- but as you'll on this album, he's a heck of a cooker, and leader of one of the grooviest Puerto Rican bands of the 60s! The album's got a very swinging feel -- one that mixes together a number of different Latin ...

Nice stuff from Willie -- maybe not as hard and funky as his early 70s work, but very nice in kind of a Latin Club mode, thanks to some great production by Wayne Henderson! Includes his classic take on "Always There" -- which is a great dancefloor jazz jammer -- plus Henderson's groovy ...

Bobo Motion is groovy motion -- heard here on one of Willie's best albums for Verve from the late 60s -- a really unique blend of jazz, Latin, and soul-based rhythms! The set's even tighter than some of Willie's other Verve records -- and like the classic Uno Dos Tres, it's got some nicely greasy ...

A rare meeting between percussionist Sabu Martinez and reedman Sahib Shihab -- both American players, but working here in a really unique European setting! The tracks are filled with great percussion from Sabu -- that legendary groove he first laid down on Blue Note and Alegre albums years back -- ...

Amazing lost funk from Sabu Martinez -- rare work recorded in Sweden in the early 70s, and some of his heaviest work ever -- as great, if not better than, his legendary Afro Temple album! The tunes are all long and very jamming -- fierce Latin funk numbers that feature Sabu on a range of ...

One of the grooviest groups of the Latin Soul scene -- but they'd have to be, given their name! The Latin Souls are a vocal group with a really soulful feel -- a great link between the earlier harmony sounds that were bubbling under in Spanish Harlem, and some of the hipper rhythms that were ...

Frank's definitely got a new sound on this album -- one that's even groovier than before! The record still has Hernandez hitting that hard New York Latin groove that make all his 60s sets so nice -- but he's also working here in a more instrumental mode, and one that's got more than a few jazzy ...

A fantastic little album of Latin Soul -- a perfect example of why Pete was known as the "King Of The Boogaloo" during the 60s! The group's having a non-stop party on the album -- breaking it hard with heavy piano lines, rumbling bass underneath the grooves, tight timbales, and some ...

A monster album of 70s salsa -- and one that has bad boy Willie Colon taking the Latin world by storm -- forging the new sound that would push him and the New York scene into the frontline of 70s Latin! Willie's got a strength on the set that's very much in keeping with his machine gun pose on the ...

A stunning album from Orquesta Harlow -- one of their wildest of the 60s, and filled with delights! The record starts with this strange sound of a train pulling into a station, then rolls into a massive boogaloo groove that really sets the pace for the album -- hitting hard with some heavy ...

Brilliant early work from a young Willie Colon -- a true hustler if there ever was one! The album has an amazing energy that really bridges a number of Latin scenes -- it's part descarga jamming, part Latin soul, and part traditional Latin -- put together with a no-nonsense approach that makes the ...

Seminal early work from the legendary Joe Cuba -- highly percussive Latin tracks, served up in a small combo mode that really helped pave the way for the Latin Soul generation! Joe's shaking off most of Latin tradition here -- going for a tightly focused sound that features plenty of timbales and ...

Killer stuff all around! This album's a monster -- one of Ray's greatest, with the same sort of Latin Soul groove heard famously on his classic Acid LP. The record has Ray cutting across many genres -- blending Latin, soul, jazz, and a slight bit of funk -- all into a set of grooves that never ...

After a disastrous attempt at recording a live show, the Fania All-Stars went in the studio with guests like Billy Cobham and Manu Dibango and created their funkiest and one of their finest albums of the seventies! A few cuts are more straight Latin sounding, some of these tracks have a nice hard ...

One of our favorite Latin soul albums ever -- a rollicking mix of upbeat party tracks, gentle ballads, and more -- all handled with the undeniable magic that is Joe Bataan at his best! The album kicks off with the fantastic groover "Subway Joe" -- a hilarious tune about Joe trying to ...

A smoking descarga session from the 60s -- one of the best albums ever by percussionist Kako! The album explodes with wonderful jazzy playing, and features 4 very long tracks that are stuffed with great solo work on piano and sax -- bubbling over in heavy percussive excitement, with the best Latin ...

Funky Latin breaks and very groovy grooves -- the kind of record that you hear for only a second, and say "oh yeah, this is the stuff!" Coke were an obscure Florida combo who mixed together Latin, funk, and soul -- served up in a crossover style that's halfway between the sound of the ...

Supposedly the end of Willie Colon's early "crime" career -- as the title and cover imply that he's finally been brought to trial! Don't worry about Willie being beaten down, though, because the music on the album is every bit as fierce and powerful as ever -- and features a number of ...

A solid 70s session from Willie Colon -- a combination of a few tracks from previous efforts, mixed with other new ones, all featuring lead vocals by the wonderful Hector Lavoe! The work on the album's the kind that was so influential at the time, it's almost hard to hear how important it was from ...

Fierce and funky grooves from the glory days of the NuYorican scene! The album's a killer -- filled with uptempo tracks that mix together Latin funk, jazz, and salsa -- into an electrified groove that burns mightily across all the tracks! The album's got a great blend of electric keys and funky ...

An insanely wonderful bit of Latin funk! The groove is super heavy, and falls somewhere in between NuYorican soul and Chicano Power rock -- with a sound that's pretty close to Black Sugar, but a little bit more psychedelic, due to the heavy guitars and keyboards in the grooves. Hard congas take ...