Sweet sounds from the days when Fania Records was one of the greatest things going on the New York scene – and some of its key artists got a chance to work for other labels! This set's one of the best examples of that moment – as Ray Barretto steps out here in some sweet soulful territory for Atlantic Records – on an album that mixes his Latin roots with warmer soul backings that have the same sort of full, rich sound of the best Atlantic R&B of the time. Ray's conga is still part of the sound – especially on the funkier cuts – but the album's also got some strong soul vocals, too – sung by Prince Phillip Mitchell on one of the album's best cuts, and by Cissy Houston and Googie Coppola on a few others. Tracks include "Sting Ray", "Can You Feel It", "What Part Of Heaven Do You Come From", "Stargazer", and "Confrontation". CD

A blend of soulful styles from the mighty Macondo! This self-titled set is pretty hip batch of tracks – sort of a mixture of early 70s LA Latin funk, with some lighter elements of Brazilian music, possibly added into the record by Claudio Slon, who produced the set for Sergio Mendes. The best cuts have hard-jamming organ and guitars, rocking along in an El Chicano mode – but some of the others have mellower vocals that work really well, too! Titles include "Do It To Me", "Wishes", "Get It On Girl", "Sneaking In The Back Door", "Why", "Battery", "Never Thought I'd See You Gone" and "Cayuco". CD

(Soul, Latin) 12-inch, Vinyl record

A beautiful collaboration between vibist Gary Burton and the legendary Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla – a key US release for Astor in the 80s, and a record that helped bring his talents to a whole new audience! The record's actually one of the most sensitive sides that Piazzolla ever recorded – and the presence of Burton's vibes really helps shape a whole new sound for the record – one that still holds onto some of Astor's "new tango" modes, but which also opens up with a freer sense of exploration on both instruments. The group appears to be Astor's own – with piano, guitar, violin, and bass alongside the two main players – and titles include "Vibraphonissimo", "Nuevo Tango", "Laura's Dream", "Operation Tango", and "Milonga Is Coming". (Jazz, Latin) CD

Features John Medeski on organ. CD

During the early 70s, Mongo Santamaria moved to Atlantic records – which was a perfect place for him to expand his groove past the hard Latin soul of his Columbia years, into an excellent sound that mixed funk and Latin and soul and jazz! On these two albums, Mongo is still working with his classic arranger – trumpeter Marty Sheller, the man who knew how to pack an incredible amount of power in one tiny groove! Neal Creque joined Mongo on loan from Pucho's group – and he also contributed a lot of nice tracks to the first album, like his classic "Windjammer", plus "Look Away", "The Whistler", and "Mo' Do". Other players are equally nice – and include Roger Glenn, Armando Peraza, Angel Allende, and Sonny Henry. Other tracks include "Grass Roots", "Conversation In Drums", "Marty's Tune", "Disappear", "Come Candela", "Climax", "Night Crawler", and "March Of The Panther". CD

Two great lost titles from the Atlantic jazz catalog of the 60s! Horizons is a beautiful and oft-overlooked album of modal jazz tracks performed by Chicago jazz musician Ira Sullivan – who normally plays trumpet and tenor, but who also here shows his amazing talent on soprano sax. Sullivan plays in a great style that's almost a pop version of Coltrane's spiralling style on "My Favorite Things" – rolling the notes over and over in a beautiful exploratory style. This format works especially well on the set's longer tracks – like "Ninevah", "Horizons", and "Norwegian Wood" – but the whole thing's pretty great! Little Giant is a rare album by the great west coast Latin trumpeter Luis Gasca, and argubly the best album he ever recorded! The set was recorded in New York during the late 60's, and features a great lineup of musicians that includes Paul Griffin on piano, Joe Henderson on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Mongo santamaria on conga, and Bernard Purdie on drums. The style's a mix of soul jazz, Latin, and bits of modal riffing – and the record features some beautiful large arrangements by Gasca and Mark Levine, in a style that's a bit like some of Duke Pearson's work from the late 60s, but handled with a bit more of an edge. Tracks include "Coisa No. 2", "Afro Blue", "Joy Ride", and "Sweet Pea". 2CDs at a nice nice price! (Jazz, Latin) CD