A monster! If you buy one Latin record this year – make it this one – because it's one of the greatest ever recorded! Ray's late 60s Acid album is a landmark recording – a sublime mixture of Latin jazz, percussion, and soul – grooving hard in a variety of styles, and always hitting the money on every single track. The title cut "Acid" is one of those tunes you'll be playing until you're locked up in a nursing home – and the rest of the record is equally great – with cuts like the bouncy groover "Soul Drummers", the tasty boogaloo "El Nuevo Barretto", and the extended "Espiritu Libre", a great Latin jazz track, with very "out" piano! CD

Candido cut sooo many great Latin records over the years, spanning a wide range of styles, we have a hard time deciding which we love the best. We like to think this may be his best album from the early part of his career, specifically because it features the master conga player amidst a tight jazz lineup, who leave him plenty of room to solo and just plain get down doing his thing. Dick Hyman's on organ, Joe Puma's on guitar, and Ernie Royal's on trumpet, with George Duvivier and Charlie Persip in the rhythm section. 8 tracks in all, including "Afro Blue", "Caravan", "Softly But Blue", "Blue Lou", "Blue Prelude", "Bongo Baby", "Blue Dirge" and "Candido Cocktail". LP, Vinyl record album

A really burning record from the Venezuelan scene at the height of its musical growth – and an album that seems to echo the blend of Latin and rock styles that were happening on the American west coast at the time – but with a nicely different vibe! Guitars and keyboards come into play with plenty of percussion and jazzy instrumentation – and the result is a sound that's wonderfully funky at times, and also compressed in a way that's different from the longer jams of some of US groups. Yet there's also all these weird little twists and turns – that almost-experimental vibe that you'll hear in Venezuelan groovers from the period – great surprises along the way, on titles that include "Caliente", "Amor Y Felicidad", "Escandalo", "Semilla", "Vete", "Sinfonia Numero 20", and "No Te Olvides Del Senor". LP, Vinyl record album

Youthful cumbia from Los Golden Boys – a combo with a spirit that really lives up to their name – and which is served up here with some very cool use of organ next to more familiar cumbia rhythms! The instrument is lean and spacey – almost otherworldly – and the quality makes for a record that's very unique, almost as if Saturn Records had decided to do a co-release with Discos Fuentes! In addition to the "boys" in the group, the lineup also features some vocals from female singer Amparo Muniz – on titles that include "Cumbia Y Beso", "Cumbia De Juventud", "Cumbia De La Mariguana", "El Buena Vida", "Si Me Quieres", "A Volar Moscas", "El Ano Viejo", and "Vengan A Baila". LP, Vinyl record album

Coco Maria hosts a mighty cool radio show on BBC Worldwide – one that showcases all sorts of unusual Latin music hybrids that have come up over the years – including a good range of contemporary music, such as the tracks featured on this really well-done compilation! The music here has echoes of older Colombian, Tropical, and Afro-Cuban modes – but often served up with really inventive arrangements and instrumentation that turn things completely around – not in any sort of Latin remix style, but with more of a groove that shows what some of the more unusual Latin hybrid combos have been working on! Titles include "Children's Favourite" by Guess What, "Lepidoptera" by Iko Cherie, "El Bravo" by Candeleros, "Vamonos Cocos" by Raz Olsher, "Off The Groove" by Ronald Snijders, "Always Ready To Smile" by Juan Hundred, "Seguimos Sonriendo" by Acid Coco, and "Sacudete" by Lola's Dice. CD

A really top-shelf album from Justo Betancourt – a perfect illustration of the power of his vocals at their height! The set's got a really classic 70s salsa feel – a horn-heavy groove that almost effortlessly flows from a combo of strong players, topped by majestic vocals from Justo – stretching out soulfully with these wonderful inflections, timings, and turns that go far beyond the simple lyrics of the tunes. The record's almost a casebook study in the way that the Fania singers of the 70s could be completely expressive without resorting to any sort of over-emotive cliches – a new level of Latin masculinity in song, served up here with impeccable arrangements by Javier Vazquez. Titles include "Pa Bravo Yo", "Psicologia", "Oyeme Cantar", "Guaguanco Ta Moderno", "Adios Felicidad", "Catano", and "Una Audiencia Muerta". CD

Well, in our opinion, Cal went Latin right from the start, practically. Still, this "Goes Latin" LP is one of his best of the genre from the old days, and features a host of great players like Lonnie Hewitt, Chombo Silva, Mongo Santamaria, Paul Horn, and Willie Bobo. The album includes Cal's semi-hit "Black Orchid", plus "Mi China", "Bonita", "Contigo", and "Mambo At The M". Very nice, with a sound that would become Cal's trademark in the years right after this album. Cal Tjader Quintet is a great little Latin session from Cal – recorded with extra percussion from Benny Velarde and Luis Miranda, plus rhythm from the Duran brothers, Manuel (piano) and Carlos (bass). The groove's nice and heavy, pretty driving on most cuts, a perfect foil for Cal's jazzy vibes. Titles include "A Minor Goof", "Laura", "Lullaby In Birdland", "Undecided", and Cal's classic reading of Tito Puente's "Philadelphia Mambo". (Jazz, Latin) CD

A great lineup – with sax and flute from Mauricio Smith, who also directed the group! Arrangements by Smith, Marty Sheller, and Oscar Hernandez – and titles include "Quiero Paz", "Colombia Quiero Saber La Verdad", "Felicidad", "Los Cantos Del Monte", and "Dalida Tiene Salsa". LP, Vinyl record album

A contemporary legend in Latin music – one that was done in collaboration with the film of the same name – organized by Ry Cooder, directed by Wim Wenders, and put forth as a reminder to America that Cuban culture was still going strong, even decades after we turned our backs on the nation! The "social club" in the title is well-put – as there's a relaxed, easygoing approach to the music here – warmly collaborative efforts from some of the greats of the scene in Havana – many of whom were able to enjoy renewed global attention, thanks to the efforts of the record and film. The lineup features Ruben Gonzalez on piano, Eliades Ochoa on guitar, Cachaito on bass, and Guajiro on trumpet – plus famous vocal contributions from Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, and Omara Portuondo. Titles include "Chan Chan", "Dos Gardenias", "El Carretero", "Candela", "Viente Anos", "El Cuarto De Tula", "De Camino A La Vereda", "Murmullo", and "Orgullecida". CD

A great live Santana set, recorded in Japan in '73 and never released on vinyl in the US! The band here is at their peak, and this set features a nice large lineup that includes Tom Coster, Richard Kermode, Doug Rauch, Armando Peraza, Jose Chepito Areas and Michael Shreve, plus Leon Thomas on vocals! Some tracks show the clear influence of Miles' electric jazz recordings from the same period, while others have a hardcore Latin percussion base, and as you can imagine there's no shortage of full on guitar pyrotechnics and jamming on all the band members' parts. Most of the group's tracks that have entered classic status are here, but the moments that shine the brightest are the lesser known numbers and extended passages where the group really gets into the groove! Includes "A 1 Funk", "Gypsy Queen", "Oye Como Va", "Yours Is The Light", "Batuka", "Xibaba", 'Waiting", "Free Angela", "Samba De Sausalito", "Mantra", "Kyoto", "Incident At Neshabur" and "Toussaint L'Overture". (Rock, Latin) CD

A contemporary legend in Latin music – one that was done in collaboration with the film of the same name – organized by Ry Cooder, directed by Wim Wenders, and put forth as a reminder to America that Cuban culture was still going strong, even decades after we turned our backs on the nation! The "social club" in the title is well-put – as there's a relaxed, easygoing approach to the music here – warmly collaborative efforts from some of the greats of the scene in Havana – many of whom were able to enjoy renewed global attention, thanks to the efforts of the record and film. The lineup features Ruben Gonzalez on piano, Eliades Ochoa on guitar, Cachaito on bass, and Guajiro on trumpet – plus famous vocal contributions from Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, and Omara Portuondo. Titles include "Chan Chan", "Dos Gardenias", "El Carretero", "Candela", "Viente Anos", "El Cuarto De Tula", "De Camino A La Vereda", "Murmullo", and "Orgullecida". LP, Vinyl record album

Youthful cumbia from Los Golden Boys – a combo with a spirit that really lives up to their name – and which is served up here with some very cool use of organ next to more familiar cumbia rhythms! The instrument is lean and spacey – almost otherworldly – and the quality makes for a record that's very unique, almost as if Saturn Records had decided to do a co-release with Discos Fuentes! In addition to the "boys" in the group, the lineup also features some vocals from female singer Amparo Muniz – on titles that include "Cumbia Y Beso", "Cumbia De Juventud", "Cumbia De La Mariguana", "El Buena Vida", "Si Me Quieres", "A Volar Moscas", "El Ano Viejo", and "Vengan A Baila". LP, Vinyl record album

Coco Maria hosts a mighty cool radio show on BBC Worldwide – one that showcases all sorts of unusual Latin music hybrids that have come up over the years – including a good range of contemporary music, such as the tracks featured on this really well-done compilation! The music here has echoes of older Colombian, Tropical, and Afro-Cuban modes – but often served up with really inventive arrangements and instrumentation that turn things completely around – not in any sort of Latin remix style, but with more of a groove that shows what some of the more unusual Latin hybrid combos have been working on! Titles include "Children's Favourite" by Guess What, "Lepidoptera" by Iko Cherie, "El Bravo" by Candeleros, "Vamonos Cocos" by Raz Olsher, "Off The Groove" by Ronald Snijders, "Always Ready To Smile" by Juan Hundred, "Seguimos Sonriendo" by Acid Coco, and "Sacudete" by Lola's Dice. LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy little collection of funk rock tracks from Mexico – one that features a number of surprising grooves we'd never heard before! There's not much to go on from the cover, but most of these numbers appear to be from the late 60s or early 70s – and the overall vibe is heavy rock, but with a touch of soul – so that most of the rhythms end up coming out nice and funky! Titles include "The Funky Chicken", "Pais Tropical", and "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose (edit)" by Rabbits & Carrots; "Buscando La Felicidad" by Las Moskas, "Soul Sintonia" by Jae's Soul, and "Push & Pull" by Los Litos Barrientos. (Funky Compilations, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album