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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 ...

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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 ...

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 ...

A extremely rare album that Eric Dolphy recorded with the Latin Jazz Quintet -- a rare Latin-based side of Dolphy's career, and a set that's a bit different than the Prestige album by the same pairing! This set features a slightly different lineup of the LJQ -- one that includes Louie Ramirez on ...

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 ...

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 -- ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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- ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

One of Mongo Santamaria's best albums from the 70s -- and one of his funkiest too! The record's got a sweet electric groove that sounds mighty nice next to the Latin jazz arrangements on the set -- almost in the feel of some of Candido's funky work from the time, but possibly even heavier! Justo ...

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 ...

An excellent early session from Candido -- and one of his first to move from straighter Latin into a much groovier vein! The session's done in collaboration with Lalo Schifrin -- who was also working for Roulette at the time -- and it's got a style that links Candido's older 50s-styled Latin conga ...

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 ...

An early 70s killer from Ray -- recorded right in the same era as most of his best albums! The feel here is strongly in the salsa mode -- as Ray steps effortlessly from the Latin Soul era into a whole new decade of musical magic. And like the best of his 60s work, Ray's salsa cooks at a level ...

Pete Terrace challenges Pete Rodriguez for the title of "King Of The Boogaloo" in this live set recorded at Chez Jose in New York! The album's got a few tracks that say boogaloo, but which aren't -- but that's still ok with us, because the bulk of the set is a hard grooving batch of ...

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 ...

A wicked album of Latin Soul tunes -- recorded by Harvey Averne, one of the heaviest hitting producers of the New York scene of the late 60s! The album's one of the few that Harvey issued under his own name, and it features him on piano and vibes, working with arrangements by Marty Sheller, and a ...

An amazing album that's one of the greatest-ever descarga sessions to come out of the New York scene! The album's supposedly a tribute to pianist Noro Morales -- but it's got a fire and energy that goes way beyond even Morales' best work, one that has the group recording in a long-format approach ...

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 effortlessly ...

A landmark in 70s jazz and Latin -- one of 2 legendary sets cut during the decade by composer/arranger Bobby Vince Paunetto -- easily one of the most unique voices of his generation! Bobby's got an approach to melody that's all tied up in the rhythms -- one that has most of the instruments in the ...

An excellent set from Tito -- very funky, unlike most of his other work from the time! The record has a great electric vibe to it -- thanks to a hip bass player in the group, to Charlie Palmieri, who plays organ and electric piano on the record, and to Tito himself, who's never sounded better, ...

An obscure classic from the Latin Soul generation -- the standout set recorded by the young Chollo Rivera and his strangely-named group The Latin Drives! The set's got equal parts soul and equal parts Latin -- in a way that's similar to some of Joe Bataan's albums for Fania from the same time -- ...

A real 70s classic from Pete Conde Rodriguez -- a set that has the singer's warmly soulful voice really soaring in a set of strong salsa backings penned by Papo Luca, Louie Cruz, and Jose Febles! There's a cohesiveness here that other records by Pete sometimes lack -- a sense of the proud, full ...

Sweet LA Latin soul from the great El Chicano! The album's still very much in the classic mode of their early years -- with smoking organ and firey guitar chopped up by heavy timbales and percussion -- and the band grooves hard in a stone Chicano groove that's great on just about every cut! ...

Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco join forces with vocalist Justo Betancourt and pianist Papo Lucca -- the latter of whom was making plenty big waves in music with Sonora Poncena at the time! Pacheco's the leader of the group on flute and percussion, but Lucca's piano has plenty of force in the set ...

A really pivotal album in the career of Mongo Santamaria -- one that has Mongo stripping down the groove, kicking up some jazz, and mixing together soulful styles that brought him to the top of the Latin crowd of the 1960s! There's a tightness here that goes beyond any of Santamaria's previous ...

A Puerto Rican equivalent of the Fania and Alegre All Stars -- and a group that works with equally hard-driving energy! The overall format is mighty tight -- a great trumpet and trombone section, perched nicely on heavy rhythms from a group that features Papo Lucas on piano, Tony Sanchez on drums, ...

Orchestra Harlow's answer to the Who's Tommy -- Hommy, a Latin Opera, and one of the few concept albums we know from the New York Latin scene of the time! The tracks are fairly short, and they're separated by short "interludes" throughout the album that feature some cool spoken bits that ...

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 ...

A stormer from the days when the New York scene was bursting all over, and Ray Barretto had a big contract with Atlantic. Ray dropped his first name for the albums, and emerged as the sexy "Barretto", at the helm of a tight Latin club sound that was part disco part salsa, and very nicely ...

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 ...