A great return to form for the legendary Cachao – and a session that seeks to recapture the Cuban Jam Session energy of his recordings from a few decades before! Production is by Andy Garcia, and is somewhat more sentimental than in the old days – although certainly still free from any sort of Buena Vista Social Club cliches that would come in later years – and overall, the lineup of players stays nicely faithful to the classic 60s sound, but perhaps expands it with a bit more fullness. Cachao is on bass and a bit of vocals – and other artists include Francisco Aguabella on percussion, Justo Almario on tenor, Chocolate Amenteros on trumpet, Paquito D'Rivera on clarinet, and Nestor Torres on flute. Titles on this first volume include "Mi Guajira", "Lindo Yambu", "Mambo", "Isora Club", "Al Fin Te Vi", "Cachao's Guiro", and "Descarga Cachao". CD

A great return to form for the legendary Cachao – and a session that seeks to recapture the Cuban Jam Session energy of his recordings from a few decades before! Production is by Andy Garcia, and is somewhat more sentimental than in the old days – although certainly still free from any sort of Buena Vista Social Club cliches that would come in later years – and overall, the lineup of players stays nicely faithful to the classic 60s sound, but perhaps expands it with a bit more fullness. Cachao is on bass and a bit of vocals – and other artists include Francisco Aguabella on percussion, Justo Almario on tenor, Chocolate Amenteros on trumpet, Paquito D'Rivera on clarinet, and Nestor Torres on flute. Titles on this second volume include "Los Tres Golpes", "Descarga A", "El Timbalero Travieso", "Africa Suite", "Cunde Echa Un Pie", and "Bemba E Cuchara". CD

An incredible collection of records – a series of albums that forever changed the sound of Latin music around the world! These five sets were all cooked up in the changing Cuban scene at the start of the 60s – where musicians were getting looser and freer, with a sound that was quite different than the tighter big bands of a few years before – strongly influenced by changes in American jazz, including the jam session mode that was big on record during the 50s! In a way, these sides are an answer to that – as they feature all-star musicians coming together on long, more spontaneous tracks – often in smaller combos with heavy influence on rhythm, and lots of work from the key soloists on the dates. Each record has a different leader, but often some of the same musicians – and there's some especially great work on trumpet and tenor by other members of the group – at a level that went on to influence the small combo sound of artists like Joe Cuba, the grooves of the Latin Soul/boogaloo scene, and even the all-star American groups like the Alegre All Stars and Fania All stars in years to come. Records 1 and 2 feature leadership by Julio Gutierrez, record 3 is led by Nino Rivera, record 4 (the most famous) is led by bassist Cachao, and record 5 is led by flautist Fajardo. Great box set – all CDs in small LP-styled sleeves with original art – alongside a 96 page booklet of notes and photos! CD

A strangely wonderful Latin set with a very drum-heavy approach! Cuban percussionist Walfredo plays in a large group with Louie Belson on the regular kit and "moog drum" – and the rest of the group features strong Latin players like Francisco Aguabella, Clare Fischer, Emil Richards, and Cachao. Very nice stuff, with a strong groove that you wouldn't expect from the usual Pablo material. Titles include "Ecue", "Salsa In Cinco", "Sentido En Seis", and "Javilla". LP, Vinyl record album

Very very cool 4CD set of classic Latin material, packed inside of a nifty cigar-box cover, with an extra 112-page booklet of notes! The set's perfect if you're just getting into Afro Cuban music – but also pretty darn great even if you're already a fan, as the selection and packaging are exquisite. There's far too much music on the set to mention in this small space – but let us just tell you that the 4 CDs in the package all focus on a different side of Cuban music: Jazz, Vocals, Percussion, and Cuban Traditions. Each track comes with lavish notes and information that's helpful to novices and experts alike – and some of the artists include Cachao, Roberto Faz, Issac Delgado, Tito Gomez, Merceditas Valdes, Arsenio Rodriguez, Sexteto Habenero, Beny More, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Irakere. The jazz CD alone is enough to blow your mind – and that's only the beginning! CD

Includes tracks by Tito Puente, Joe Cuba, Cachao, Bobby Tauneto, and more. CD

Although Hubert Laws went onto cut some pretty snoozy fusion records in later years, these early Atlantic albums find him playing with a great soul jazz groove, laying down nice slightly-funky flute solos with a very good groove. The group on the Laws of Jazz includes a young Chick (then called "Armando") Corea on piano, then a much more Latin-tinged player – and the rest of the group includes Richard Davis on bass and Bobby Thomas on drums. Laws' flute is the main solo vehicle – and tracks include "Bimbe Blue", "Miss Thing", "All Soul", and "Black Eyed Peas & Rice". A great little set of Latin jazz! At the time of Flute By-Laws, Hubert Laws was playing with Mongo Santamaria's group – and for this second solo outing, Laws borrows a lot of grooves from Mongo's bag, and also hits a few tasty lines of his own. There's some killer tight Latin numbers with a groovy 60s feel – like "Bloodshot", "Let Her Go", "Baila Cinderella", and "No You'd Better Not" – plus some other tasty jazz numbers like "Mean Lene" and "Strange Girl". Players include a host of Latin jazz crossover talents like Chick Corea, Jimmy Owens, Garnett Brown, and Ray Lucas – as well as strict Latin players like Cachao and Victor Pantoja – and the album's one of Laws' best ever! CD

A great little record from Charlie Palmieri – and one of his oddest! The "electro" in the title refers to a strange tinny organ that Charlie plays on many cuts on the record, a cool little instrument that gives the songs a nice twist. The backing's pretty great in the classic Coco Records mode – with strong salsa grooving, and a list of players that includes Tito Puente, Manny Oquendo, Roberto Roena, Cortijo, Cachao, and Andy Gonzalez. The record features a groovy little funk number called "The Taxi Driver" – plus Latin numbers like "Para Caracas Me Voy", "Maracaibo Oriental", "Salazon", and "Las Negritas De Carnaval". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly heavy-duty set from bassist Lonnie Plaxico – featuring a few tunes that get nice and funky, next to others that open up in a sweetly soulful mode! The drummer on the set – Lionel Cardew – has a nice kick on the kit on the more upbeat numbers, giving the group a full-on feel that really sets the stage for plenty of action. And on the mellower numbers, Plaxico's taking on more of the rhythms – curving the tunes with his warm tones on the bass, and bringing out some nice work from trumpeter Alexander Norris and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland. Titles include "A Shorter Take", "Jumping Jacks", "Cachao's Dance", "Senor Silver", and "Along Came Benny". CD

A fantastic look at one of the biggest contributions that Cuba ever made to music in the 20th Century – the rise of the jam session and descarga scene in Havana right before the revolution – a moment that saw an already-great style get even better in the hands of a few key musicians! Afro-Cuban sounds were nothing new to that city, but as the 50s moved on, the players on the scene adopted lots of influences from American jazz – and were really opening up in ways that were as open and expressive as they were fiercely collaborative – moving past the idea of a tighter ensemble with a star leader, and instead bringing together smaller groups with soloists that really got lots of space to do their thing – as did the percussionists, who really drive the music here! Most of the tracks feature some sort of vocals, but also have plenty of standout solos too - and the set features a huge amount of tracks by Cachao in his prime, plus lots more by Julio Gutierrez, Walfredo De Los Reyes, Rolando Aquila, Fajaro, Nino Rivera, and Chico O'Farrill – served up here with a total of 55 tracks on 3CDs. CD

Excellent collection of tracks from Salsoul's great Latin series from the mid 70's! Despite the "disco" in the title, most of the tracks on here are straight salsa, and the LP features tracks like "Bamboleate" by Libre, "Trompeta En Montuno" by Chocolate, "Adelante" by Cachao, "Kimbo Kimbisa" by Graciela, "Anabacoa" by Grupo Folklorico, and "Chico & The Man" by Joe Bataan. Lots of stuff that's hard to find on vinyl, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A late date from Tito Puente, but a great one too – one of his sublime sessions for Concord Records during the 80s – done with a rock-solid approach to Latin jazz! Puente really hits on all burners during these years – free of gimmicks, or any need to sound too modern – and instead moving back into a jazzy style that's almost more classic than any of his records from years back! Of course, the recording style is more modern – but never with any 80s gimmicks at all, just in ways that let the players open up even more than usual on their solos – a good thing, given that the lineup features Mitch Frohman on reeds, Robbie Kwock on trumpet, Sam Burtis on trombone, and Sonny Bravo on piano – and we're also guessing some arrangements too. Titles include "Airegin", "Pent Up House", "Picadillo A Lo Puente", "All Blues", "Lambada Timbales", and "Ode To Cachao". CD

A huge run of records from Yma Sumac – presented here in a box that collects just about everything she recorded for Capitol Records in the 50s! First up is Voice Of The Xtaby – legendary vocal work from the postwar years – some of the earliest recordings from the enigmatic Yma Sumac – an artist whose records really laid the groundwork for an entire generation of exotica records to come! Sumac's authenticity has been debated over the years – but there's no denying that she's got this incredible vocal range – a many-octave approach that almost makes her sound like a human theremin – as she works with exotic backings from Les Baxter to offer up a take on Peruvian roots, styled towards a 50s bachelor pad listener! Titles include "Xtaby", "Wayra", "Taita Inty", "Monos", and "Tumpa". Legend Of The Sun is early work from Yma Sumac – with that moody mix of other worldly vocals and semi-Latin instrumentation that made her a popular one with the early exotic crowd. Yma runs up and down the vocal scale, while Moises Vivanco leads the band in a set of crashing dramatic orchestrations with a Peruvian feel. Tracks include "Sunray Surita", "Mamallayi", "No Es Vida", "Ccori Canastitay", and "Kon Tiki". The package features selections from the album Flahooley – one of the more obscure Yma Sumac albums from the 50s – a Broadway production with a larger cast – and much more of a musical than Sumac's other records. Yma really stands out in the show, though – singing a few special numbers with music by Moises Vivanco – but the rest is familiar Broadway modes of the early 50s, penned by Sammy Fain & EY Harburg. Sumac titles include "Najala's Song Of Joy", "Najala's Lament", and "Come Back Little Genie Birds". Mambo is quite possibly our favorite album ever by the enigmatic Yma Sumac – thanks to some lively arrangements by Billy May, who gives the set a swinging jazzy groove! As you might guess from the cover, the style here is more in a Latin jazz mode than some of Yma's other more ethereal work – and that style turns out to be a wonderful fit for Sumac's incredible vocals – creating a batch of driving tunes that swing nicely, yet still have a spooky exotic sound on the top! Titles include "Bo Mambo", "Taki Rari", "Goomba Boomba", "Malambo No 1", and "Five Bottles Mambo". Inca Taqui is an early 10" LP – on which Yma Sumac sings chants of the Andes – and authentic or not, the sound's pretty darn great! The record's in the same format as her other early work for Capitol – tunes written by Moises Vivanco, who also conducts the backings in a dramatic early 50s style that's perfect for Yma's wonderful voice! And whether or not these tunes are actually the ones that all the cats in Peru were singing up in the mountains, they still sound pretty darn great as a key part of postwar exotica! Titles include "Incachao", "Llulla Mak'Ta", "Chuncho", "K'Arawi", and "Cumbe-Maita". Legend Of The Jivaro is one of Yma's more "historical" records – and the notes say that the album is "the rare plum of authenticity". We don't know if we'd go that far, but we can tell you that the record features Yma performing songs of the legendary Jivaro headhunters! Supposedly, Yma learned them in her "South American jungle-home", but we keep wondering why the headhunters took the time to teach her, when they could have been shrinking her head. Tracks include "Yawar", "Shou Condor", "Aullay", "Sumac Soratena", and "Hampi". Last up is Fuego Del Ande – one of the most obscure albums by vocalist Yma Sumac – and one of the most compelling too! The album has Yma working in the Andean style of her earlier 10" albums for Capitol – working with Moises Vivanco on a set of tunes that have a much more traditional and almost folkloric style than some of her work with Les Baxter. Titles include "Clamor", "Dale Que Dale", "Llora Corazon", "Gallito Caliente", "La Molina", and "Flor De Canela". CD