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, and guitar from Carlos' brother Jorge – all matched by some incredible horn work from trumpeter Forrest Bachtel and a young Hadley Caliman – sounding especially great here before his solo years as a jazz artist! The legendary Francisco Aguabella is on conga, and tracks include "Momolombo", "Oye Mama", "I'm For Real", "Midnight Thoughts", "Hela", and "Latin Bugaloo". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful 70s Latin soul from the legendary Bay Area combo that included Jorge Santana, Luis Gasca, and Coke Escovedo – all players who'd go onto great solo fame on their own, working together here as a youthfully inventive group that really set the tone for the west coast sound of the decade! This first album's a masterpiece in the California Latin Soul style – a sweet blend of Latin, jazz, funk, and rock that took up where the New York groups left off at the end of the 60s. The tracks are all pretty long – with some extremely tight instrumental playing, and plenty of room for long jamming solos. But the best part is the vocals – sung by Arcelio Garcia Jr, with a sweet style that's totally excellent. You probably already know that if you've heard the band's big hit "Suavecito", which is included here in a longer version than the original single – but you'll also hear that on the tracks "Cafe", "Pana", and "Peace". CD also features a bonus track – the single edit of "Suavecito". CD

Excellent work from this hip west coast Latin combo! "Suavecito" is one of the greatest Latin-inflected pop ballads of all time – a sweet little tune with a really catchy hook, and a harmony sound that's right out of Spanish Harlem! "Nena" is a faster groover with a nice jazzy flourish – tight, breezy, and very sweet! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as congolero Francisco Aguabella comes on hard, hitting strong throughout – and serving up a wicked blend of Latin, funk, and soul! The mid 70s set is a standout recording from Aguabella – done after he left the group Malo, and one of the best west coast takes on the modes that scene was changing up from New York at the time – really transforming the sound of contemporary Latin with a trans-genre vibe that was easily some of the most revolutionary music of the period. Rhythms are acoustic, but there's a nice dose of electric energy too, thanks to some sweet keyboards. Some cuts have English vocals, others are instrumental – and titles include "Hitting Hard", "I Wanna Know", "Cisco", "Image of a Star" and a nice version of Edu Lobo's "Casa Forte". LP, Vinyl record album

Lost Latin funk from the Bay Area scene of the 70s – and an album that may well blow away better-known work by groups like Malo, Azteca, or El Chicano! The album's near-perfect right from the start – and brings in plenty of New York elements to the groove, thanks to the inclusion of a heady amount of jazz alongside the soul, Latin, and funk elements in the grooves! The legendary Teo Macero produced and arranged – and really takes a lot of care in the studio to focus the overall energy of the tremendous talents on the record – players who include Hadley Caliman on flute and tenor, Steve Marcus on soprano sax, Benny Velarde on timbales, and Francisco Aguabella on congas – plus the trio of Cesar, Mark Levine, and Merl Sanders on keyboards. Most numbers have this really full, flowing groove – jazzy, but with a strong emphasis on the rhythms – and often touched with some great work on guitar that echoes the Santana-inspired sound of the generation, yet never in a rock way at all. Linda Tillery sings vocals on a few numbers, but the main focus is definitely instrumental – and the whole album's great – with cuts that include "See Saw Affair", "Azucar", "Descarga", "The Devil & Montezuma", "Gotta Get Away", and "Bridges". CD

Two Latin funk classics – back to back in a single set! First up is the self-titled Azteca album – a crowning moment for the west coast Latin scene in the 70s – a wonderful Bay Area set that brings together some of the best talents working on that scene at the time! The set's got a great blend of modes – Latin soul, touches of funk, and plenty of the jazzy inflections you'd expect from a lineup that includes Coke Escovedo on timbales, Paul Jackson on bass, Lenny White on drums, George Muribus on Fender Rhodes, Tom Harrell on trumpet, and Victor Pantoja on congas! Vocals are by Pete Escovedo – who brings in a heady soulful sound to the set – and the vibe is a bit like work by Malo or El Chicano, but even more jazz-based overall! Titles include "Peace Everybody", "Empty Prophet", "Can't Take The Funk Out Of Me", "Azteca", "Ah! Ah!", and "Mamita Linda". Next is Pyramid Of The Moon – a really special record from a really special group – one of two sublime 70s gems from Azteca – a wicked blend of jazz, funk, Latin, and soul – all put together by a young Coke Escovedo! Coke's ostensibly the leader of the group, but there's also a richly collaborative feel going on – a style that brings together jazz players like Tom Harrell on trumpet, Mel Martin on saxes, George Muribus on Fender Rhodes, and Flip Nunez on organ – and Latin players like Victor Pantoja on congas, Coke Escovedo on timbales, and Pete Escovedo on added percussion. In fact, the set's a key early example of the strength of the Escovedo family – and like their best later efforts, the set really stretches out and pushes the boundaries of conventional genres. There's also some great guest work from Lenny White on drums, Mike Nock on keyboards, and Neal Schon on guitars – and vocals are by a range of singers who really keep things fresh. Titles include "Red Onions", "Mazatlan", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "Mexicana, Mexicana", and "Love Is A Stranger". CD

Classic work from Willie Colon – the "payoff" of his youthful hoodlum routine, and a hard-hitting batch of salsa tunes pulled from earlier records – all in a package that defines his groove of the 70s! Hector LaVoe's on vocals with Willie's group – and he's also standing with Willie on the cover, a nice image that has the two of them dressed as big-time gangsters, standing next to a Rolls Royce! (Wonder what it cost them to rent that for the cover shoot?) But more important than Willie's perpetuation of himself as the bad boy of Latin music, is the overall sound of the record – fierce salsa, with a really strong approach that's as bold and proud as the image which supports it. Solid all the way through, and tracks include "El Malo", "Jazzy", "El Titan", and "Che Che Cole", a nice groover. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from Willie Colon – the "payoff" of his youthful hoodlum routine, and a hard-hitting batch of salsa tunes pulled from earlier records – all in a package that defines his groove of the 70s! Hector LaVoe's on vocals with Willie's group – and he's also standing with Willie on the cover, a nice image that has the two of them dressed as big-time gangsters, standing next to a Rolls Royce! (Wonder what it cost them to rent that for the cover shoot?) But more important than Willie's perpetuation of himself as the bad boy of Latin music, is the overall sound of the record – fierce salsa, with a really strong approach that's as bold and proud as the image which supports it. Solid all the way through, and tracks include "El Malo", "Jazzy", "El Titan", and "Che Che Cole", a nice groover. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the finest Peruvian grooves of the 60s and 70s – served up by three different groups headed by reedman Nilo Espinosa, plus a few other combos as well! Nilo's got a way with a groove that's totally unique – a bit soul jazz a times, influenced by bossa at others, and sometimes even moving into sweet electric fusion – always with a very pronounced sense of rhythm that makes nearly all of his numbers into the kind of groovers that can easily traverse the globe far from their roots in the Peruvian scene! The package features work from the mid 60s Los Hilton's, the early 70s Bossa 70, and the mid 70s Nil's Jazz Ensemble – the last of whom have been favorites for years with crate-diggers, due to their use of electric keyboards and very tasty drums! Titles include "Here Come The Hilton's" and "Sherezade" by Los Hilton's; "El Gato", "Think", "Get Out Of My Way", and "Las Mariopsas" by Bossa 70; "Reflexiones", "Summer Love", "Hard Work", "Looking For A Blues", and "Somos Nada" by Nil's Jazz Ensemble; "El Bueno El Feo Y El Malo" by Nilo Espinosa Con Los 007; "Light My Fire" by Charlie Guerrero; "Gotas De Miel" by Nilo Espinosa Y Orquesta; and "People Got To Be Free" by Charlie & Many. CD

A stone 70s classic from Carlos Santana's lesser-known brother – a set that effortlessly brings together Latin and soul, often with the same sort of vibe as the Coke Escovedo records on Mercury from the same time! Jorge plays guitar, but lead vocals are from Richard Bean (of Malo and Sapo fame) – often in a sweetly crackling style that's kind of a smoother 70s update of Latin Soul modes from a few years before. Tunes are all lively, with nice hooks – never too uptempo, and carried off with a jazzy edge on most numbers. Titles include "Sandy", "Seychells", "Nobody's Perfect", "Love The Way", "We Were There", and "Tonight You're Mine". CD

Excellent work from Setenta – a Parisian combo who work with a great blend of Latin roots and funk – served up with lots of percussion at the core, topped with Fender Rhodes and other keyboards from jazz genius Florian Pellissier! The acoustic percussion and electric keys are perfectly balanced – as you might find on a mid 70s album from Mongo Santamaria, but with a different flavor too – given that these guys explore some Afro roots in their music as well, which creates shifting patterns of rhythms throughout the set. Most tracks have vocals, and titles include "If We Ever Get There", "Permiso", "Mecanica Bestial", "DIA (parts 1 & 2)", "Materia Negra", and "Llego El Malo". LP, Vinyl record album

Label sampler with cuts by Faces, Captain Beefheart, Halfnelson, Malo, Dionne Warwick, Little Richard, Kenny Young, America, Ry Cooder, Peter Yarrow, Judy Collins, Doug Kershaw, Jerry Garcia, Crazy Horse, and Tracy Nelson. LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of obscure salsa from New York, recorded for the tiny Solo label, and featuring a very tight band with Luis Santos on conga, Arturo Santos on timbales, and vocals by Juan Lanfranco and Pedro Lombillo. The groove's pretty heavy on most tracks, and titles include "El Barrilito", "La Revolucion De Cristo", "Kum Ba Yah", "Pueblito Espanol", and "Carino Malo". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer bit of Latin funk from the west coast scene of the 70s – the only album we've ever seen from Sapo, but a set that almost blows away the efforts of bigger groups like Malo or El Chicano! There's a bit more funk in the mix here than in some of the group's contemporaries – a leaner, more soulful sound that's totally great – and topped with these cool compressed vocals from singer Richard Bean, who's got a very distinctive approach! The rhythms are wonderful – and the album explodes with great tracks that combine equal parts Latin, funk, and soul – all in a way that really lives up to the best promise of such a combination – and never falls too heavily on one or the other side of the fence. Titles include the killer break track "Been Had", the slamming electric jam "Ritmo Del Corazon", the fast modal groover "It's The Music", and the massive "Sapo's Montuno", with some very lively solos! Other cuts include "Nina", "Get It On", and "Can't Make It". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer bit of Latin funk from the west coast scene of the 70s – the only album we've ever seen from Sapo, but a set that almost blows away the efforts of bigger groups like Malo or El Chicano! There's a bit more funk in the mix here than in some of the group's contemporaries – a leaner, more soulful sound that's totally great – and topped with these cool compressed vocals from singer Richard Bean, who's got a very distinctive approach! The rhythms are wonderful – and the album explodes with great tracks that combine equal parts Latin, funk, and soul – all in a way that really lives up to the best promise of such a combination – and never falls too heavily on one or the other side of the fence. Titles include the killer break track "Been Had", the slamming electric jam "Ritmo Del Corazon", the fast modal groover "It's The Music", and the massive "Sapo's Montuno", with some very lively solos! Other cuts include "Nina", "Get It On", and "Can't Make It". CD

A stone 70s classic from Carlos Santana's lesser-known brother – a set that effortlessly brings together Latin and soul, often with the same sort of vibe as the Coke Escovedo records on Mercury from the same time! Jorge plays guitar, but lead vocals are from Richard Bean (of Malo and Sapo fame) – often in a sweetly crackling style that's kind of a smoother 70s update of Latin Soul modes from a few years before. Tunes are all lively, with nice hooks – never too uptempo, and carried off with a jazzy edge on most numbers. Titles include "Sandy", "Seychells", "Nobody's Perfect", "Love The Way", "We Were There", and "Tonight You're Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Tower Of Power, Santana, Grateful Dead, Taj Mahal, Hot Tuna, New Ridgers Of The Purple Sage, Boz Scaggs, Malo, Cold Blood, and more CD

... CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Benny Green on piano and Russell Malone on guitar. CD

The image on the cover really gets at the feel of the set – as the instrumentation here features simply percussion, electric guitar, and flute – all used in really inventive, highly rhythmic ways! There's a lilting groove to the set that recalls earlier rhythms from the South African scene – but the use of guitar and phrasing of the flute are also showing a stronger influence from jazz – maybe not the modern modes of a group like The Blue Notes, yet still a key cultural shift that really makes the album a legendary one from the scene at the time! Titles include "Soul Of Africa", "Jolly Journey", "Malombi Walk", "Sibathathu", "Abbey's Body", "Umkhosi", "Ngivulele", and "Emoubane". LP, Vinyl record album

A really early experiment in mixing South African styles with jazz – a set that's maybe more strongly on some of Township modes of the years before than a few of the other key modern projects of the time! Instrumentation often has pennywhistle in the lead on solos, used in a way a funky flute might on an American jazz set – and the rhythms often have raw hand percussion, mixed with warmer riffing currents on electric guitar – creating this sense of balance that gives the whole record a hell of a lot of charm! The sound is nice and lean, in a really great way – and titles include "Abbey's Mood", "Lousy Fever", "A Tribute To Birds", "Blues After Lunch", "Grab This For Me", "Root Of Africa", "Vuma Mbari", and "Jikeleza". LP, Vinyl record album

Bruce Brucato, Geoffrey Fitzhugh Perry, and George Puleo on guitar. CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Tom Reinhardt on bass, Bruce Brucato & George Puleo on guitar, Tom Schuman on piano, and Ted Reinhardt on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A landmark album in the history of South African jazz – a set that marks a real shift in the way the music was put together, and maybe a new sort of sophistication that would really mark the scene in years to come! The album's not the first recording from pianist Gideon Nxumalo, but it definitely represents a shift in his sound – longer tracks that often have a slow-building sense of shape and spirit, as the more rhythmic modes of earlier years are opened up and relaxed in favor of some of the larger sound of the tracks and solo space. Yet if you're worried about the record not having a groove, don't fret, as there's plenty of that in here too – just in ways that really make the album stand out strongly in a modern jazz idiom. The session details have been lost to the shifting sands of time, but in addition to Gideon's piano, there's guitar, alto, tenor, trumpet, and flute on the record – on titles that include "Early Mart", "Frustration", and "Slow Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unique musical talents we've heard in years – finally given his due in this wonderful collection of work from the late 70s and early 80s! Alain Peters works in a style that's beyond description – a global mix of elements from both the Caribbean and Africa, but often given a slight South Asian spin, given that Alain spent a fair bit of time exploring the cultures of the Indian Ocean – which he weaves here into a hypnotic blend of percussion, guitar, and extremely evocative French language lyrics! Rather than stepping on and pilfering from a range of cultures – Peters is instead a unique citizen of the post-colonial world, and allows himself a boundary-less space to stretch out beyond any simple generic descriptions. If we had to try to relate this music to anything, we might say that it's at the level of some of the most perfect experiments on the Saravah Records label – with a similarly haunting, live-changing vibe. Titles include "Mange Pou Le Coeur", "La Rosee Si Feuilles Songes", "La Peche Bernica", "Wayo Manman", "Rest'La Maloya", and "Ti Pas Ti Pas N'Arriver". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure Polish date from the great Gustav Brom – the Czech bandleader known for his great grooves for MPS and Supraphon! The styles here are something of a mixed bag – with some tunes that are straight swinging big band, mixed with a few others that show more of the jazz rock influence that Brom's become famous for over the years. Obviously, these latter tracks are the ones that really catch our ears – especially the funky "U Jazu Pod Mostem", which has a real MPS-like feel, and some great funky piano and sax – or "Malovane Sane", which has lots of electric guitar jamming around at the bottom of the groove! Other tracks include "American Patrol", "Chanson D'Amour", "Bogdan Boogie", and "Mahalia". CD

Gil plays Jimi? Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes", "Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of Sand". Plus, the CD features 4 bonus alternate tracks – not on the original album! CD

Gil Evans on - piano and electric piano, Lew Soloff, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Shunzo Ohno, and Miles Evans on trumpet, George Adams on tenor saxophone, Chris Hunter on alto saxophone, Howard Johnson on tuba, baritone saxophone, and bass clarinet, Tom Malone on trombone, Hiram Bullock on guitar, Pete Levin on synthesizer, Mark Egan on electric bass, Adam Nussbaum on drums, and Mino Cinelu on percussion. CD

Readings from "Malombra", "Piccolo Mondo Antico" and "Piccolo Mondo Moderno" by Elena Da Venezia and Franco Graziosi. 7-inch, Vinyl record

The last album that Jimmy Heath ever gave the world – and a record that makes us miss him even more – as the whole thing takes Heath back to that spectacular mix of solo expressionist, thoughtful composer, and sensitive arranger territory of his best early years! And if you want proof of Jimmy's warm, open spirit – the set begins with a one minute bowed bass solo before Heath's horn even comes into play – then works sublime magic on a number of original numbers, and a few well-chosen classics – all put together by Jimmy as a "ballads" album, but in a way that's hugely different from some of the more facile songbook sessions of over-recorded standards. Instead, the Heath arrangements throughout are wonderfully fresh, and have a soulful quality that really blows us away – more than even on some of his other late records, which is what makes this final session so bittersweet. The core group features Kenny Barron on piano, Monte Croft on vibes, Russell Malone on guitar, and Lewis Nash on drums – and the set features vocals from Gregory Porter on one track, and Cecile McLorin Salvant on another – and Wynton Marsalis blows a trumpet solo on a third track. Titles include "Ballad From Upper Neighbors Suiter", "Left Alone", "Inside Your Heart", "La Mesha", "Con Alma", "Fasion Or Passion", and "Don't Explain". LP, Vinyl record album

Diana Krall on vocals and piano, Russell Malone on guitar, and Christian McBride on bass. CD

A piano trio, but one with a very modern ear – a group from that school of groups who've emerged in the years after the early recordings of Robert Glasper – graced with a very similar 21st Century sense of rhythm and sound! It's clear that these guys grew up on more than jazz, as the way they put together the tunes is very fresh and untraditional – yet also not overly gimmicky, as in some of the bigger-name crossover trios of the past decade or so. The trio features Gael Bourgeault on Fender Rhodes and piano, Leo Debroise on bass, and Victor Dubois on drums – and the set also features guest guitar, trumpet, and vocals from a female singer – who each appear on different tracks. Titles include "Half Moon Night", "777", "LGFI", "Kamalodo", "Pedrocha", and "Catamandelo". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest sets that Duke Pearson ever recorded – and an all-out Blue Note soul jazz set that's even better than Pearson's classic Sweet Honey Bee! Duke's style is deeper and more farther-reaching here – with echoes of styles used at the time by Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan – carried off with some of the more tightly-arranged modes used by Pearson on his backdrops for other players at the time. The group here includes James Spaulding on alto, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, Garnett Brown on trombone, and rhythm by Gene Taylor on bass and Grady Tate on drums. Tracks have a strong overall focus on the groove – rolling around in that rollicking mid 60s Blue Note style that Pearson helped establish as the label's trademark at the time – but titles are also touched with some of Duke's lighter lyricism, especially on his own solos. Titles include "Make It Good", "Chili Peppers", "Rotary", "Los Malos Hombres", and "Scrap Iron". LP, Vinyl record album