Bravo Brubeck, indeed – as this great live set not only has the Brubeck quartet in Mexico, working through some surprising Latin-themed tunes – but also includes some added percussion and guitar, which brings a whole new dimension to their sound! The album's still got the core Brubeck approach at its heart – with Dave on piano, Paul Desmond on incredible alto sax, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums – but the quartet finds a way to really open up on these numbers, and expand their sound into new modes – as they'd done on some of their Japanese and Eurasian explorations. A number of tunes are Latin American numbers, re-arranged in a modern way by Brubeck – and titles include "Cielito Lindo", "Sobre Las Olas", "Nostalgia De Mexico", "Poinciana", "Estrellita", and "Alla En El Rancho Grande". CD features the bonus track "Frenesi". CD

A strange 60s chapter in the career of trumpeter Chet Baker – but one that we sure like a heck of a lot! These sides were recorded as an answer to the big success of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass over at A&M Records – and for the sessions, Chet's trumpet was backed by jaunty, brassy arrangements penned by Jack Nitzsche. And while it might be easy to dismiss the tunes as copycat sound-a-likes, they're really not – as Nitszche brings in a much fuller groove to most of the numbers than Herb Alpert ever did – more of a sunny LA pop feel that has the whole group really gliding along on bold waves of sound all topped off by Baker's horn – sounding stronger and more confident here than on most of his other recordings of the 60s! There's a definite Latin undercurrent to most of the numbers, but also a fair bit of mainstream pop instrumentation as well – a style that's bolder and not nearly as compressed as the A&M approach to Tijuana – and one that explodes with some youthful LA energies! 10 numbers in all, including "Flowers On The Wall", "Mexico", "Hot Toddy", "El Paso", "Come A Little Bit Closer", "Speedy Gonzales", "Cuando Calienta El Sol", and "24 Hours To Tulsa". (Now Sound, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant late album from British tenor giant Tubby Hayes – one of his last true studio sessions, and a free-thinking album by a quartet that included Mike Pyne on piano, Ron Matthewson on bass, and Tony Levin on drums. Hayes' tenor talents are as strong as ever – imaginative and firey and with a tone that most other British players never reached – but he's also picking up some late 60s elements of freedom, and playing with his style a bit, in kind of an edgey way that creates more tension than usual for a set by Tubbs. The tracks are long and very creative original compositions – and the album's a true masterpiece that shows the wealth of talent bubbling on the UK jazz scene during the mid to late 60s. Titles include "Trenton Place", "Blues In Orbit", "Mexican Green", "Dedication To Joy", and "The Second City Steamer". CD

A groovy 60s session from vibist Cal Tjader – and an excellent little Latin set, with a mixture of bossa nova and Latin jazz that goes way beyond the promise of the title! The great Clare Fischer arranged the set – and if you know his work with Cal, you know that he's got a wonderful approach to jazz that works perfectly with Tjader's unique phrasing – a spacious sensibility, and a great sense of timing – one that always ensures the tunes sparkle with a sweetly stepping groove. Fischer plays piano on the record – and other players include Laurindo Almeida on guitar, Paul Horn on reeds, Johnny Rae on timbales, and Milt Holland on percussion. Titles include "Choro E Batuque", "Nao Diga Nada", "Elizete", "Imagen", "Vai Querer", and "Que Tristeza". LP, Vinyl record album

A previously unissued live recording from Dave Brubeck and his classic quartet – Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums1 CD

Bill Frisell on acoustic and electric guitars, with Vinicius Cantuaria on vocals, percussion, and acoustic guitar. (Latin, Jazz) CD

One of our favorite albums ever by Kenny Dorham – and a really different session than his usual studio work! The album captures Kenny in a relaxed live setting, with a bit more dirt on his horn than usual – blowing with a tone that's much more open and a bit less poised – in the company of a really great group that features JR Monterose on tenor, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Bobby Timmons on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Arthur Edgehill on drums. The CD features a total of 17 tracks in all – titles from the original LP, plus rare extra material, and some bonus alternate takes – all remastered by Rudy Van Gelder. Titles include Dorham's boppish "Mexico City", plus other enigmatic compositions like "Monaco" and "Hill's Edge", and tracks that include "Round Midnight", "Riffin", "My Heart Stood Still", and "NY Theme". CD

A completely solo album from Pat Metheny – but one that still sparkles with the same sort of energy as his fuller group sessions for ECM! At a point when Pat could be content to simply scrawl a few simple lines on the strings of his guitar, he instead does a great job of complicating things here – working with a bit of overdub to explode in fuller sounds that are totally great – played on acoustic and electric guitars, including 6, 12, and 15 stringed versions – as well as a bit of bass. Titles include "Hermitage", "Daybreak", "Sueno Con Mexico", "New Chautauqua", and "Country Poem". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums ever by Kenny Dorham – and a really different session than his usual studio work! The album captures Kenny in a relaxed live setting, with a bit more dirt on his horn than usual – blowing with a tone that's much more open and a bit less poised – in the company of a really great group that features JR Monterose on tenor, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Bobby Timmons on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Arthur Edgehill on drums. The album features a really wonderful take on Dorham's boppish "Mexico City", plus other enigmatic compositions like "Monaco" and "Hill's Edge" – and versions of "Round Midnight" and "Autumn In New York". LP, Vinyl record album

Loads of Blue Note classics – titles that include "Song For My Father", "The Cape Verdean Blues", "Pretty Eyes", "Que Pasa", "Mexican Hip Dance", "Nutville", "Jody Grind", and "Serenade To A Soul Sisters". CD

One of the most unique entries in the "city experiment" series from Ropeadope – a long-running project that's featured work from Philly, Detroit, and Chicago – and which makes a mighty nice stop in the current scene in Mexico City! This set's as jazzy as the others, but also has a special sort of energy of its own – not older Mexican styles, as you might expect – but these inventive rhythms that showcase a post-jazz approach to the group – often with lots of percussion dancing along with electric elements in the rhythms – still opening up to solo space from some of the members of the group. The lineup's a quintet – with German Bringas on saxes and mini-trumpet, Erik Deutsch on keyboards, Jeronimo Gonzalez on bass and Jarana, Todd Clouser on guitar, and Orestes Gomez on drums – and Guadalupe Galvan delivers a bit of spoken word on the session too. Titles include "I Feel Love", "Bored Folks", "Kooks", "Swan Song", "Poza Rica", "Talkin Mexico City", and "De Buche". CD

A killer set from funky drummer Leo Acosta – a Mexican musician, but one who draws plenty of influence here from the New York scene – before turning the whole thing into a set of weird and wild sounds that are very much his own! Leo's clearly got some Latin soul vibe going on here – but the rhythms are often a bit more complex, as are the arrangements – with all sorts of interesting elements coming in and out of the songs, both from a vocal and instrumental perspective – although the record is definitely focused more on the latter! There's a fair bit of funky moments that remind us of those later funk records that Perez Prado cut for Orfeon – and titles include "Alma Latina", "Carga Pesada", "Rencorosa", "Todo Termino", "La Novia Hippie", "Noches De Viaje", "Mi Guitarra", and "El Campeon". (Latin, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

From Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass ; "The Lonely Bull", "Mexican Shuffle", "Whipped Cream", "Lollipops And Roses", "A Taste Of Honey", "Spanish Flea", "Tijuana Taxi", "Zorba The Greek", "What Now My Love", "So What's New?", "The Work Song", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Casino Royale", and from Herb Alpert ":Route 101", "Fandango", "Rise", "Rotation", "Diamonds", "Keep Your Eye On Me", and "Making Love In The Rain". (Now Sound, Jazz) CD

A collection that Milestone issued in 1973 that includes tracks from three of Byrd's early 60s Bossa Nova records – Latin Impressions, Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros and Once More/Charlie Byrd's Bossa Nova. Byrd and his unamplified guitar are joined by Keter Betts on bass and Bill Reichenbach on drums and Latin percussion; other players are also featured. The tracks are mainly composed by the big names of Bossa Nova – Jobim, Powell, Caymmi, Lyra – but there are several Byrd originals as well such as "Azul Tiple", "Bogota", "Mexican Song No 2", and "Amor Flamengo". CD also includes the album Once More! Charlie Byrd's Bossa Nova, a lovely little record from the man who helped Stan Getz find his bossa – and a set that's done with just a bit more backing than usual from Byrd for the time! The album makes nice use of additional percussion, vibes, cello, and a bit of flugelhorn to back up Byrd's work on acoustic guitar – never in a way that dominates too strongly, with just enough added sound to color in the grooves with a slightly deeper tone. Titles include "Presente De Natal", "Three Note Samba", "Limehouse Blues", "Cancao De Nimar Para Carol", "Chega De Saudade", and "Anna". CD

Maybe one of the greatest albums ever from trumpeter Kenny Dorham – a set that has him really stretching out as a musician – not just showing off that impeccable sense of tone that marked his important records of the 50s, but also coming up with new ways of phrasing, and a sometimes-unique approach to rhythm as well! The set's about as all-star as you can get for a Blue Note date of the time – and that's really saying a lot – with the mighty Hank Mobley on tenor, whose work here is as important as Dorham's – and the rock-solid rhythm trio of Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – who perfectly echo Kenny's new sense of changes in his music. Titles include the great "Sunrise In Mexico" – a very unique tune – plus "Buffalo", "Sunset", "Windmill", "Philly Twist", and "Dorham's Epitaph". CD

The great Lalo Schifrin plays piano and leads a crack group of studio players through some larger orchestral material with a nice jazzy feel! The overall approach is similar to Lalo's classic 60s soundtrack work – with nice solos arching out over sweeping strings and orchestral passages, and all tracks written with a good deal of punch, plus lots of little Latiny influences. Easily one of his most perfectly conceived albums of the 60s – and pretty darn tough to find. Tracks are long and titles include "El Salon Mexico", "New Fantasy", "Sabre Dance", and "Prelude #2". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary improvising jazz group from the Mexico City scene – one who really thrived at the end of the 70s in a live setting, but hardly ever recorded any music at all! This set brings together tracks from a rare cassette-only release, and has a power that's undeniable right from the very first note – music that's got the bold richness of some of the best material from the BYG/Actuel series of recordings on the Parisian scene in 1969, and with a frenzied energy that really knocks out most of what was happening in American free jazz at the end of the 70s! The lineup features Henry West on saxes, Ana Ruiz on piano, Claudio Enriquez on bass, and Evry Mann on drums and percussion – and titles include "Hot Dreams", "Clapping Hand 2", "Cold Drinks", "MD", "Hanne IV", and "What Reason". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the pieces "Mikhail Zoetrope (1974)", "Conquest Of Mexico (1973)", "Wind Ko/La (1973)", "Automata Of Al-Jazari (1974)", and "Variations On A Theme By Albert Ayler (1973)". CD

Mindblowing early work from Chet Baker – quite possibly as clear a statement of the young trumpeter's genius as you might hope to find, served up here in a beautiful 10" LP package! The tracks are short, sweet, and very much to the point – but they already display a tremendous approach to the trumpet that was different from any other player – a sound that's recorded cleanly and clearly throughout, without any vocals at all. The great Russ Freeman is on piano, and titles include "The Lamp Is Low", "Russ Job", "Batter Up", "Easy To Love", and "Maid In Mexico". LP, Vinyl record album

A great Japanese issue of this early material from trumpet genius Chet Baker – mostly featuring his quartet with Russ Freeman on piano, Carson Smith on bass, and Larry Bunker on drums! The set features titles that include "Batter Up", "Pavane For A Dead Princess", "Maid In Mexico", "Russ Job", and "No Ties" – and a few alternate takes. LP, Vinyl record album