Latin -- Recently Added  

An excellent bit of funky acoustic Latin from South America -- with a sound that's quite unique! At some level, these guys sound like acoustic guitar-driven US Latin soul acts -- like Jose Feliciano or Alzo & Udine -- but at another level, there's a lot more complicated instrumentation going ...

Early 70s psychedelia from Sevile's Flamenco -- a group that's by no means a traditional flamenco music group by any stretch of the imagination -- actually a hard grooving 5 piece that mixed psyche, folk and Latin rock impressively! Fuzzed out guitars, heavy organ grooves and bass, boisterous ...

One of the greatest albums by this funky Latin combo! The record differs from some of their earlier Prestige albums in that the tracks are longer, more instrumental, and have a hard fuzzy electric groove. The band jams hard in a way that's more like some of the funk combos of the early 70s, than ...

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 ...

Two of Ray Barretto's earliest albums, both recorded for the Riverside label at the start of his career! Latino has an approach to Latin jazz that's certainly informed by the charanga sound of the New York scene in the early 60s -- but one that's also opened up a bit more to new ideas -- bits of ...

A spicy mix of Latin styles from the Peruvian scene of the late 60s -- a wonderfully mixed up batch of modes that goes way beyond the more familiar grooves of the New York scene! The work here is a bit like some of the most inventive styles from Colombia and Panama at the same time -- music that ...

Lost grooves from Spanish Harlem -- an incredible set of Latin Soul from The 107th Street Stickball Team! With a name like that, the group certainly aren't as well-remembered as contemporaries like Joe Bataan or Willie Colon, but they've got a soulful groove that definitely fits the style of the ...

An excellent batch of descarga tunes -- very much in the same spirit as Cachao's groundbreaking Cuban work of the early 60s! The format is very loose and free -- similar to some of the Grupo Folklorico y Experimental albums on Salsoul, or to some of the harder Latin jazz sides on the LPV label at ...

A spicy mix of Latin styles from the Peruvian scene of the late 60s -- a wonderfully mixed up batch of modes that goes way beyond the more familiar grooves of the New York scene! The work here is a bit like some of the most inventive styles from Colombia and Panama at the same time -- music that ...

Killer salsa work from Peru -- rare albums from Mag Records by Los Kintos & Sonora Nelson Ferreyra -- on a single CD! We haven't seen a heck of lot of compilations of material from the Peruvian salsa scene of the 60s & 70s, and this set has tightly grooving material -- loads of wonderful ...

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, ...

Heavy funk from the Peruvian scene -- the massive first album from Cosa Nostra, and a burning blend of soul, Latin, and psychedelic influences! Cosa Nostra clearly come from the rock end of the spectrum, but have picked up plenty of funky grooves along the way -- and hit a genre-blending style ...

Excellent bit of west coast Latin fusion -- featuring an all star band that includes such massive talents as Pete Escovedo, George Muribus, Paul Jackson, Lenny White, Coke Escovedo, and Victor Pantoja. The groove is nice and smooth, with a Bay Area early 70s sound on the production tip -- and in a ...

A brilliant set of jazzy Latin fusion -- one of Willie Bobo's best of the 70s, and a seminal crossover LP! The album takes the heavy Latin soul of Willie's earlier work, and gives it a sweet 70s twist -- adding in larger arrangements, impeccable production, and plenty of space to let the jazzy ...

Jazzy goodness from Eddie Palmieri -- a recent set that shows him still burning strong after a stunning 50 years in Latin music! The arrangements are spare, but extremely creative -- well-penned jazz charts that allow Eddie plenty of modern moments on the keys of the piano, but which also always ...

Killer early work by the Fania All Stars -- caught live at the legendary Cheetah club, which was the heart of the New York salsa scene at the start of the 70s! The album is easily one of the best by the group -- and features long tracks that really capture the jamming intensity that occurred on ...

A legendary Latin funk album -- spearheaded by Eddie Palmieri! The record is a landmark crossover album from the early 70s -- cut at the end of the Latin soul era, but featuring that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk. The grooves are all nice and ...

A landmark album from Joe Bataan -- so great, that it made the entire record company change its name! The record has Joe really bursting out after his seminal Latin Soul work of the late 60s -- blending Latin rhythms and American soul into a whole new style of music -- one that Joe called "Sal ...

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 rare Atlantic session from Latin legend Louie Ramirez -- and one of his tightest and hardest-hitting albums of the pre-Latin Soul years! The record features Louie really grooving hard with a group co-led by Ozzie Torrens -- one that mixes just the right amount of jazz into the mix to keep things ...

A real turning point for Joe Bataan -- and the beginning of his funky Latin sound of the 70s! The album was one of the first in Joe's "Salsoul" style -- a sweet blend of Latin rhythms, late 60s Latin soul influences, and some of the hipper styles bubbling through the NuYorican scene. A ...

Amazing work from the New York underground of the late 60s -- an album that's as magical as its title implies! Latin definitely goes psychedelic on this one -- burning through a cloud of smoke with a brilliant blend of soul, jazz, and the hipper rhythms of the Spanish Harlem scene at the time. ...

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 stone cooker from Rene Grand -- much heavier and harder-hitting than some of his other records from the time -- and a set that's done with plenty of jazzy touches! The group's a small combo, and they pack a tight punch that recalls similar work by labelmate Joe Cuba during the time -- a stripped- ...

One of Eddie Palmieri's greatest albums of the 70s -- even though it was recorded for a major label! Like a number of his old counterparts in the New York indie world at the time, Eddie made a move to Columbia Records in the late 70s -- a shift that should have dampened his soul, but which only ...

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 ...

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 ...

Stunning soul from the great Joe Bataan -- a really groundbreaking mix of modes that's right up there with the best of the Spanish Harlem scene of the late 60s! The album is Joe Bataan's debut for the Fania Records label -- and the start of an incendiary run of Latin classics that forever changed ...

One of the greatest Tito Puente albums from the 50s, and a spare percussion jam session that's right up there with his legendary Puente In Percussion album! The group features Mongo Santamaria, Bill Correa, Julito Collazo, and Enrigue Marti on percussion with Tito -- and the only other additional ...

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 ...

One of Candido's funkiest albums! The record's got a similar sound to Candido's great albums for Blue Note and Solid State -- with short, hard funky tunes that have a really great 70s edge! Chico O'Farrill did the arrangements, and the record chops along nicely with some very funky tracks that ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

The one and only album we've ever seen from this ultra-hip Latin Soul combo -- an outfit that has a sweet swinging sound, soulful lead vocals, and some nicely tripped-out guitar! The style here is a bit different than some of the other New York groups of the time -- as these guys bring the focus ...

The rebirth of the Afro-Cuban groove on the New York scene of the 70s -- a dozen recordings in the "new traditionalist" sound of the time! After the boom of the Latin Soul sound of the late 60s, and the rise of salsa in the early 70s, there was also a "back to basics" movement ...

One of Mongo's biggest records of the early 70s -- and an important early side for Atlantic Records! Moving to Atlantic from Columbia, Mongo hipped things up even more -- picking up on important trends in soul, rock, and the Latin underground of the time. Atlantic gave Mongo the freedom to open ...

Gilles Peterson in Havana -- not digging older tracks, but working with a great array of contemporary players in a killer double-length set of grooves! The music here is all freshly recorded, but echoes with 50 years of Cuban styles -- initial modern modes of the postwar years, experiments of the ...

Early work by the Lebron Brothers -- and a Latin Soul gem that's as groovy as its name! The group have a young, free, genre-blending approach on the record -- easily tripping through a mix of Latin rhythms and 60s soul influences, delivering lyrics in both English and Spanish, often with a good ...

One of the few albums ever issued as a leader by the great Joe Cain -- a wonderful Latin arranger with a really mad ear for a groove! Cain's approach is often quite choppy in the rhythms -- short, hard, and very very sharp -- then topped with sweeter, jazzier lines -- played on this set by Clark ...

A great little album of boogaloos and hard Latin tracks -- one of the few rare gems on the long-lost Speed label. The set features the work of the Orquesta Olivieri, led by trumpeter Herbie Olivieri, and featuring more trumpet, piano, and percussion, plus lead vocals by Angelo Jiminez and Felix ...

Killer Latin dancefloor material! Compiled by Brit Latin DJ Gerry Lyesight, and filled with loads of storming cuts that we don't see elsewhere, wrapped up into one lovely package with the usual BBE high standards! There's 14 cuts, and titles include "Tumba El Quinto" by Hector Rivera, ...

One of the weirdest, coolest Latin Soul albums we've ever heard -- the only offering ever from the duo of Dianne & Carole -- two female singers who come off with a great deal of enthusiasm on the set! That's our way of saying that the ladies are a bit rough on the vocals -- but that's also ...

A huge range of live work from Irakere -- tracks recorded live in their native Cuba, but also in Montreux and Newport as well! The material here is all from 1978, and some of it is most likely work that appeared on the group's self-titled album for Columbia Records in the US -- but given that a 6 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Oooooo-weee -- a monster album by one of our favorite talents of the Latin soul era! Monguito Santamaria had a really great way of putting the electric bass right up front in his tracks -- kicking things up with a bouncing groove that's as sock-boogaloo as boogaloo can get, and which makes for ...

A fresh new groove from The Fania All Stars -- one that definitely has them picking up some of the Spanish elements mentioned in the title -- the fusing them into the tight mix of Latin, club, and jazz they were doing at Columbia Records in the late 70s! These new elements are often light -- a bit ...

Latin dancefloor grooves from the Peruvian scene -- a bunch of it with a pretty intense, steamy and tightly grooving style -- up there some of the great work coming out NYC or Havana during the period! The common thread is that the artists worked for the Mag Records label -- and also, an ...

Latin sounds from Peru -- killer work in the tradition of better known classic era salsa, booglaloo and other Latin styles -- with some leftfield touches! This is the third in the series of All Star compilations from the Mag Records label -- this one mostly centered around the mid 60s -- a pretty ...