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A lost boogaloo classic! This is one of the rare few records to come out on the tiny Speed label during the 60s – a hotbed of production for some of New York's most unique Latin Soul sides. Like other albums on the label, this set is a nicely messed up batch of tracks that shifts ...

A contemporary Latin combo, but one with a really unique feel as well – a mix of 60s charanga modes, 50s Cuban roots, and some definite modern phrasing! The group has a really wonderful blend of flute, violin, trombone, tres, and percussion – and congolero Hector "Papote" ...

Great instrumental grooves from Fajardo – played with a group that's a bit fuller than the usual charanga, but which keeps things lean and tight throughout! Fajardo's flute is at the lead of all tracks – played with a style that's quite sharp, even when sweet – this edge that ...

Amazing flute work from the legendary Fajardo – a player who was right up there with Pacheco in his pre-percussion years! The set's got a great sharp edge right from the start – a quality that might well come from the production, but which definitely keeps things from ever sounding too ...

Titles include "Cansancio", "Hay Que Mintir", "Nuestras Vidas", and "Siempre De Ti". ...

One of the rarest albums by Pete Rodriguez – and key set of music well deserving of the title Latin Soul Man! The album catches Pete at the end of his Latin Soul years – still working in a very catchy blend of boogaloo material, but also stepping into the transitional salsa sounds of ...

A stunning portrait of one of the best young artists on the New York Latin scene at the end of the 60s! Johnny Colon initially cooked up a groove with a run of some really important Latin Soul albums – and here, as the 70s come on, he's moving into smoking salsa territory with all the ...

One of the most soulful records ever recorded by Joe Bataan – a sweet blend of harmony soul and east coast styles, done in a mode that's a bit less Latin than some of his earlier records – but really wonderful overall! The style here is almost late 60s Philly soul – particularly ...

Another departure for Pacheco – as he kicks off the 70s with a set of funky instrumental tunes! The tracks on this set are quite different from either his earlier charanga records, or his later salsa ones – and sparkle with the kind of "soul meets Latin instrumental" style of ...

A really top-shelf album from Justo Betancourt – a perfect illustration of the power of his vocals at their height! The set's got a really classic 70s salsa feel – a horn-heavy groove that almost effortlessly flows from a combo of strong players, topped by majestic vocals from Justo ...

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Ruben Blades's first album – recorded shortly after his arrival in New York from Panama, with top-notch backing by the band of Pete Rodriguez! The album's an interesting one, in that it catches Ruben shortly before the salsa era, singing in a mix of styles that reminds us of some of Jimmy ...

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The Fania All Stars pay tribute to older Latin great Tito Rodriguez – in a set of shorter tracks that's really the group's first true outing in the studio! The format here is quite different than the earlier live albums cut by the group – a sound that's a bit more focused, and without ...

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A lost slammer from the Fania catalog of the 60s – the one and only album from the highly dynamic Lenni Sesar! Lenni's got a sound that's quite different from other Latin leaders of his time – very jazzy overall, especially on the uptempo numbers on the set – with a really full ...

Killer stuff! This rare boogaloo album is a monster batch of tracks by one of the best combos working the New York scene in the late 60s. The New Swing Sextet were extremely youthful, and at their best moments, they had a great raw sound the mixed Latin Soul and Latin Jazz into an extremely tasty ...

Great obscure boogaloo album recorded on Decca (and if you know this stuff, you know how hard the Decca albums are to find!) The record indeed lives up to the title in its excitable moments, with some firey playing and an all around propulsive atmosphere, but there are also some pretty delicate ...

Plenty of sabor here – a great deep groove that comes from the tight trumpets and punched-up percussion of the group! The album's heavy in montuno modes – and rolls around strongly with a really sharp vibe throughout – even on some of the mellower tracks, which still have this ...

Killer Latin soul from Pucho and crew – and an album that's one of their greatest! The record is also one of the earliest by the group, and it features a different lineup than later ones – with William Bivens on vibes, Claude Bartee on tenor, and Vince McEwan on trumpet. There's a bit ...

Blazing trombone, brilliant vocals, and some really inventive rhythms – one of those sweet 60s sets that show why Mon Rivera was way more than just another Latin leader! The tight use of trombones and trumpet almost makes the record a precursor to salsa at some level – but at another, ...

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 ...

Beautiful work from Arsenio Rodriguez – recorded in New York in the early 60s, with a sound and style that's a bit more subtle than some of his other albums – but a sound that's totally great! Singers include Raffi Martinez, Israel Castro, and Chewi Rivera – and the arrangements ...

The cover alone should be enough to tell you this is a cooker – as Cortijo and Kako go head to head on heavy percussion, working a heavy traditional groove despite the later date of the album! Rhythms are strongly in the plena and bomba modes – with timbales and congas dominating, as ...

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 ...

Killer Cuban sounds from Cachao – a set that's definitely done with the "feeling" promised in the title! Jazz is at the core of the set – lots of great instrumental interplay between piano and percussion, tres and trumpet, and bass, of course – guiding the whole thing ...

Classic descarga from the inventor of the genre – a host of Cuban recordings from the legendary Cachao! And sure, we love Cachao's revival in later years – but it's this material that still gets us moving the most – his rich blend of Cuban rhythms and jazz instrumentation 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 "La ...

A legendary bit of Latin from the New York scene of the 60s – recorded by a host of youthful players working under the direction of percussionist Montego Joe! The group's name is a contraction of "Harlem Youth" – a program in which all players participated, as part of an ...

A really unique chapter in the career of percussionist Willie Bobo – a rare one-off album for Blue Note – done with a sweet Cali vibe all the way through! Bobo plays his usual percussion, but also sings a bit too – in this charming style that's never too overdone – a deeply ...

Classic Cuban jazz material from the group of trumpeter Rolando Aquilo – done in a style that's a bit tighter than some of the other Jam Session albums from the time, but still plenty darn great! Rolando's trumpet is firmly in the lead on most tracks, but the overall presentation is still ...

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, ...

Great stuff – and one of the purest examples we can find of the Latin piano style of the great Noro Morales! Noro plays here without any of the trappings of some of his other records – just working with a small rhythm combo on an all-instrumental set – with tremendous solo work ...

Moncho Lena really cooks here on timbales – leading a tight little combo that easily rivals Tito Puente's group of the time! There's a jazzy flourish to most numbers here – as the group is driven by Moncho's rhythms, then opens up on trumpet and piano! Hector Rivera handles the keys, ...

Tight trumpet and lively rhythms – an overlooked killer from the legendary Chocolate! The set's got a nice mix of roots and 60s New York modes – a bit of a sparkle on the trumpets, but plenty of rough edges on the rhythms – all sewn together by soulful vocals from Filberto, ...

A Latin classic from the word "bang"! This album was the one that busted Joe Cuba out of the Latin ghetto – into the sound of 60s soul, early funk, and beyond. The record's a stone winner – filled with boogaloo tracks delivered by Joe's firey young sextet, a killer ensemble ...

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 ...

Killer sounds from Cortjio and his classic combo – a group who really helped to redefine the sound of Latin music in the 60s! The group here is at their early best – working with bold vocals from Ismael Rivera right up front – in a mix of tracks that definitely lives up tot he ...

Funky fusion with plenty of Latin touches – a really compelling set from the Nicaraguan scene of the 70s! The album's got the same criss-crossing of influences you'd hear in some of the best Bay Area projects of this type – no surprise since Jose Chepito Areas is a key member of the ...

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions ...

A seminal bit of Latin funk from the Bay Area scene of the early 70s – the second album from Malo, and an even harder-hitting jam session than the first! The group are really in top form here – taking off with Santana-inspired riffs that are filled with heavy percussion, soaring organ, ...

A a great little set from Ismael Rivera on Tico! Ismael heads up this tight group that offers perfect backing to his soaring soulful vocals. The whole thing's got really nice percussive groove set up by the timbales, congas and bongo – one that propels the soaring vocals with the tightest ...

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Possibly the greatest album ever from Angel Canales – a 70s salsa classic through and through, and one with great links between the New York scene and Canales' Puerto Rican roots! The tunes are wonderfully heartfelt throughout – sung with a youthful sense of soul that's far different ...

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 ...

Ahhhhh . . . The wonderful sounds of Joey Pastrana – the hip Latin Soul bandleader who was known to the kids as "Hot" Pastrana! This album's one of his best for Cotique – a strong mix of boogaloo numbers and straighter Latin ones, all played with the kind of fire that was ...