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Slamming Latin from drummer Frank Hernandez -- a real 60s cooker that grooves with the best from New York at the time! The group's really got the "ritmico" component of the set down strongly -- as the percussion is fast, frenetic, and really dominates the arrangements -- so much so that ...

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 ...

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 ...

Candido cut sooo many great Latin records over the years, spanning a wide range of styles, we have a hard time deciding which we love the best. We like to think this may be his best album from the early part of his career, specifically because it features the master conga player amidst a tight ...

Eddie Palmieri's work for the Coco label is some of his best of the 70s, and this album is no exception -- and while the title may call the record "unfinished", it sounds pretty darn well done to our ears -- far better than most other Latin sides of the time! The album includes a moody ...

Like many albums made by Latin players during the 50s, this is kind of a straight Latin effort in parts, dressed up in Calypso guise to try to get higher sales. Johnny Carisi directed the whole project -- and it would have a nice Latin jazz sound, were it not for the occasional intrustion of ...

Malo may be evolving a bit, but they're still right in the pocket as far as we're concerned! This excellent west coast Latin ensemble mixes together jazz, funk, soul, and slight touches of Chicano rock -- into a heavy groove that was one of the best-conceived at the time. Jorge Santana lays down ...

Sockin soul work from Mongo Santamaria -- a real killer of an album, with a dope 70s sound! The album features Mongo hitting a nice blacksploitation mode -- fuller arrangements than before, plus lots of electric touches on guitar, bass, and keyboards. Marty Sheller did most of the arrangements -- ...

Tight 80s Latin from Mongo Santamaria -- a set that still has him working with longtime maestro Marty Sheller -- in a mix of older Latin modes and a few slightly more modern touches! The group here is somewhat large, but the sound is nice and lean -- a groove that's heavy on Mongo's congas, with ...

Madly romping Latin from this obscure group led by pianist Phil Moore III -- a combo who effortlessly groove through a blend of boogaloo, Latin jazz, and plenty of percussion-heavy exotica -- all in a style that's very much their own! There's a loose and free feel here that's far different than ...

Despite the "for lovers" in the title, this is a fairly lively set of cha cha tracks by Tito Puente, with a feel that's in keeping with the best of his 50's work. Like the other Tico recordings, this record's got a harder sound than some of his RCA albums, and is much closer to the New ...

A monster! If you buy one Latin record this year -- make it this one -- because it's one of the greatest ever recorded! Ray's late 60s Acid album is a landmark recording -- a sublime mixture of Latin jazz, percussion, and soul -- grooving hard in a variety of styles, and always hitting the money ...

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 ...

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 ...

Smoking Latin from the Peruvian scene -- one of the best-remembered groovers from the nation at the time, and a set that almost rivals the best hard Latin albums New York had to offer in the 60s! The cover lists all tunes as being descargas, but there's also a distinct Latin Soul/boogaloo ...

An incredible album of Latin Funk -- recorded in Peru during the early 70s, but right up there with the best from New York and LA at the time! The record has a fantastic style that blends together electric instrumentation, acoustic percussion, and some sweetly soulful lyrics -- in English on all ...

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 ...

One of our favorite Ray Barretto albums of the 60s -- a real gem from the pre-Latin Soul years! The album's a clear attempt to cash in on the cash in on the James Bond craze of the time -- issued by United Artists, who were releasing the Bond films, but also had Ray under contract during the ...

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 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 ...

Stone slamming boogaloo -- and one of the greatest albums from a young Bobby Valentin! Bobby's really cooking on all burners here -- mixing together a bit of Latin jazz with a headier, trippier style of Latin soul -- one that features lots of sinister undercurrents in the rhythms, making for a ...

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 ...

Stunning stuff -- and one of the best-ever Latin soul albums of all time! Despite the fact that Eddie Cano's earlier albums are more in a Latin easy mode, this late 60's side for Dunhill is totally smoking -- and probably his greatest album ever! Forgive the superlatives, but we're totally ...

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 lost treasure -- one of the few albums ever cut by this fantastic Latin Jazz ensemble, an ultra-hip group led by congolero Juan Amalbert, with a modal vibes/piano groove that's simply wonderful! The combo were one of the hippest early 60s Latin acts -- and took equal part inspiration from the ...

A darn tough one to find -- and one of Charlie Palmieri's best records from the 60s! The session is an obscure one-off done for Atlantic in 1968 -- and for some reason, the record was never issued as widely as some of Charlie's other sides for smaller labels during the time, making it one of the ...

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 ...

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 ...

Massive work from the great Bobby Valentin -- his first-ever album, issued back when he was a jazzy trumpeter! The record offers the "best in boogaloo" -- as the cover states -- and features a very mod mix of tunes that really gets at the mish-mash crossover energy of the Spanish Harlem ...

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 -- ...

One of the wildest albums in the history of Latin music -- a crazy batch of Latin soul tunes made by Louie Ramirez under the alter ego of Ali Baba! The album starts with Ali saying "I hope you buy this album. I need the bread to buy a couple of camels. You see, I haven't had a hump in about ...

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 ...

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 ...

Stone funky Latin soul from the younger member of the Santamaria family! Black Out is one of Monguito's greatest -- a hip album of groovy late 60s tracks that perfectly blend the Latin and soul sides of the Spanish Harlem scene. Marty Sheller handled arrangements on some of the album's best cuts, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Perfect proof that the New York Latin Soul sound of the 60s had moved to LA during the 70s! El Chicano are a wonderful blend of styles -- from sweet harmony soul, to breezy West Coast Latin, to 70s electric funk, and a whole lot more. This early album's a wonderful slice of east side soul -- and ...

A very unique little record -- and one with a sublime blend of Latin, soul, and vocal styles! The record's a fair bit more sophisticated than most other efforts like this from the 60s -- thanks to a strong batch of talents that includes Gil Fuller on arrangements, Phil Moore III on piano, Leni ...

A legendary crossover Latin album from the mid 70s! Percussionist Rafael Cortijo leads a killer group that mixes Latin jazz, salsa, and 70's soul instrumentation into a groove that's still being touted highly today -- a classic Nuyorican sound that's only slightly electric, but has a really ...

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 ...

Fierce and funky grooves from the glory days of the NuYorican scene! Seguida only ever cut this one album, but it'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 ...

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 fantastic record, and one of our most treasured Latin Soul albums from the late 60s! Ray Terrace leads a totally sharp little Latin combo through a host of originals and soulful covers, and the real highlight of the record is Willie Torres, who sings English vocals in a very deep soulful style ...

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 ...

Easily the greatest collection of Colombian grooves we've ever seen -- a beautifully-done package from Soundway Records, and one that lives up to the high standard we first found in their compilations of African and Panamanian funk! This time around, the focus is on the legendary Discos Fuentes -- ...

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 classic vocal set from Justo Betancourt -- sung to arrangements by Bobby Valentin and Javier Vazquez, both of whom really set him up with some nice little tracks! The album is Justo's first solo album for Fania away from the group La Sonora Matancera, and it's mostly traditionally styled -- with ...

One of our favorite Latin jazz albums ever -- and a truly amazing record! Bobby Pauntteo, aka Bobby Vince Paunetto, is probably best known for his groundbreaking Latin fusion albums of the NuYorican era -- but this rare gem from the 60s shows that he was a really forward thinker, even at a younger ...