Brilliant early work by one of the sharpest bandleaders of the Latin Soul era! A young Joey Pastrana leads his sharp little combo through a stunning mix of Latin jazz, Latin soul, and descarga tracks – all with the kind of hard playing, jazzy grooves, and dark edges that characterized a lot of the best late 60s albums on Cotique. There's a nascent salsa groove on here that bubbles forth amidst some more stripped down Latin soul numbers – making for a really winning album overall, one that's got loads and loads of solid tunes! Tracks include "That's How Rumors Start", "Yehco De Rumbon", "Ricki Chi", "Orquesta Pastrana", "King Of Latin Soul", "Dance Donna", and "Cotique All Stars". Great stuff by one of the most-overlooked talents of the late 60s! CD

A killer set of Latin Soul from the New York scene of the late 60s – a record that's every bit as wonderful as boogaloo classics on labels like Fania and Cotique, but which never got released at the time! The production quality is wonderful – with the mighty Bobby Marin heading up the whole set, and channeling the talents of a fantastic all-star lineup – which includes both Charlie Palmieri and Richie Ray on piano, Tito Puente on timbales, Bobby Rodriguez on bass, and Louie Ramirez on vibes – plus vocals from Jimmy Sabater and Willie Torres, who really give the record a lot of soul! The set's a mixture of instrumentals and vocal numbers, in English and Spanish – and titles include "Something New", "Nitty Boo Boo", "Would You Believe Me?", "Rice And Beans", "Dixie's Mambo", "Fun City Hippy", "Say Listen", "A Fool Like Me", "Papel De Bambu", and "Shingaling Now Boogaloo Later". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most soulful albums ever recorded by Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers – a set that really shows the changing sound of Latin music in the late 60s – with some fresh vocals added to the group by Jackie Soul! Jackie only sings on a few cuts, but really brings in a raw Spanish Harlem vibe – one that gives the set a bit more of a Fania/Cotique sort of groove than usual – even when the group are leaping ahead on tight instrumentals – tunes that really sparkle with piano from Neal Creque, vibes from Willy Bivens, and tenor sax from Claude Bartee! Vocal gems include "Shuckin & Jivin", "CC Rider", and "You Are My Sunshine" – instrumental tracks include "Return To Me", "Swing Thing", "Maiden Voyage", and "How Insensitive". LP, Vinyl record album