Laurindo Almeida on guitar, Charlie Byrd on guitar, Joe Byrd on bass, and Chuck Redd on drums. (Jazz, Latin) CD

Groundbreaking Latin Jazz – and an essential 2LP set! The album brings together classic work for Norman Granz' Verve and Clef labels in the cubop mode – including Dizzy Gillespie's Manteca Suite, Machito's Afro-Cuban Suite, titles by Chico O'Farrill, and others recorded in 1949 and arranged by Rene Hernandez. Players include Machito, Charlie Parker, Diz, Mario Bauza, Eddie Bert, Flip Phillips, Chano Pozo, and Jos Mangual – and the quality of the work unifies the sessions wonderfully, even though they were recorded separately over a 5 year period. LP, Vinyl record album

Charlie Parker in a Latin mode – one of those ideas that shouldn't work that well, but does – and went on to influence a whole generation in jazz! Parker's alto and Latin rhythms are an amazing combination – rhythms that move even more frenetically than regular bop modes – and a horn that simply soars over the top, driven on by their inspiration – and hitting these grooves that few later Latin jazz musicians could ever hope to touch! Much of the material here is in a small group mode – in contrast to the fuller charts on some other Parker cubop recordings from the time – with players who include Walter Bishop on piano and a young Kenny Dorham on trumpet. Titles include "Mama Inez", "Estrellita", "Tico Tico", "Fiesta", and "Un Poquito De Tu Amor". (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

One of Charlie Palmieri's best records from the 60s! The session is an obscure one-off done for Atlantic in 1968 – and for some reason, the record was never issued as widely as some of Charlie's other sides for smaller labels during the time, making it one of the most hard-to-find chapters of his career. The tracks are played by a tight little Latin jazz combo – with Charlie on piano, Julian Priester on trombone, and Louis Ramirez on timbales – and the set is filled with some great original tunes that mix together boogaloo rhythms and straight ahead Latin jazz. Tracks include "Bugalu", "Mambo Show", "Panama's Boogaloo", and "Bitter Sweet" – plus a Latin soul instrumental reading of "Up Tight". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s corker from Charlie Palmieri – and a record that has him stretching out from piano, playing a bit of organ, and a bit of Fender Rhodes! The tracks are relatively straight salsa, but the use of these different keys really gives them an edge – one that's honed even further by Bobby Nelson, who plays both flute and tenor sax in Charlie's band. The percussion is also quite tight on the set – making for a jumpy groove that hangs on even in the mellower cuts! Titles include "Tema De Maria Cervantes", "Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado", "Cachita", "La Fuente", "El Susto", and "Que te Vas - Pues Vete". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare killer! Charlie Palmieri cut this album for the mostly-R&B Gone label in the years before moving onto straight Latin labels – and the session's a rare treat with a very unique sound! Charlie is out front on piano, and the overall sound is straight Latin jazz, with lots of firey piano work, in a manner that you don't always get on some of Charlie's other albums. Johnny Pacheco plays bongos and conga, and the whole thing cooks nicely – with some very strange arrangements and odd percussion at times – making for a set that's both off-kilter, but nicely stripped down and grooving! Titles include "Ponce", "Cuban Love Song", "Take Me In Your Arms", "Pavanne", and "I'll Never Be The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Massive work – one of Charlie's best albums of the 70s! The album's a straight salsa set, but it's done with a truly pummeling level of energy that kicks in from the first note – really blasting in with some strong statements by the band, then letting loose on longer tracks than usual, all of which have Charlie's jazzy touch firmly in place! Arrangements are all wonderful – done by Charlie, Roy Roman, and Bobby Valentin – and vocals are by Menique and Julito Villot. Includes the instrumental track "Melodica In F" – which features Charlie playing some very weird melodica – plus "Arroz Con Bacalao", "Tiene Sabor", "Consuelate", and "No Puedo Mas". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic 70s session from Charlie Palmieri – featuring some of his best keyboard solos of the decade, and some very cool work on organ that almost makes us think Sun Ra is in the group! The style is quite unusual, even for Charlie – with a weird sound from his organ that really gives the record an edge – played alongside straighter piano lines, heavy percussion, and lots of warm horn work overall. Charlie's organ really stands out best on the descarga cut "No Esta En Na" and the groovy midtempo "Estoy Friza'o" – but the whole thing's great, and other cuts include "Comelon Hustle", "King Charles", "Dame Tu Corazon", and "Sobando El Piano Merengue". LP, Vinyl record album

Features David Sanchez on tenor and soprano sax, Ralph Moore on tenor, Arturo Ortiz on piano, and Richie Flores on percussion. (Jazz, Latin) CD

An all-star trio – with Gonzalo Rubalcaba on piano, with Charlie Haden on bass, and Paul Motian on drums! (Jazz, Latin) CD

A set that really gets at the full spectrum of the boogaloo groove – not just the Spanish Harlem sounds of the Latin Soul generation – but also the deeper roots of the style from across the USA! "Boogaloo" is a term that most folks use to refer to that New York uptown fusion of Latin rhythms and soulful vocals – and while the NYC styles were key to its fame, the music also burst forth from lots of points west, too – and came together in a flurry of fast rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, and hard-driving vocals that made for a completely infectious blend! This package is a fantastic testament to that mad musical moment – and is overflowing with a selection of gems that goes way past the obvious – not the Fania Records catalog that usually shows up on other boogaloo releases, but a huge batch of tracks from small labels and indie singles too. Titles include "Skate Boogaloo & Karate Too" by Lee Harris, "Block Party" by Jimmy Castor, "Boogaloo #3" by Roy Lee Johnson, "Do The Boo-Ga-Loo (part 1)" by Tom & Jerroo, "Playing It Cool" by Hector Rivera, "Ready Steady Go" by Prince & Princess, "Bar Kays Boogaloo" by The Bar-Kays, "What I Feel" by Richie & The PS 54 School Yard, "Have Some Boogaloo" by Timmy Thomas, "Bugalu" by Charlie Palmieri, "Boogaloo (part 1)" by The Bob & Earl Band, "Me & You Doing The Boogaloo" by Lou Courtney, "Boogaloo Zoo" by Shirley Butler, "Bugaloo Party" by Harold & Connie, "Boogaloo Investigator" by The Exotics, "Funky Funky Boogalo" by Jimmy Brown, and "Let's Do The Funky Boogaloo (part 1)" by Barry Jones. (Funky Compilations, Latin) 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

Some of the finest Peruvian grooves of the 60s and 70s – served up by three different groups headed by reedman Nilo Espinosa, plus a few other combos as well! Nilo's got a way with a groove that's totally unique – a bit soul jazz a times, influenced by bossa at others, and sometimes even moving into sweet electric fusion – always with a very pronounced sense of rhythm that makes nearly all of his numbers into the kind of groovers that can easily traverse the globe far from their roots in the Peruvian scene! The package features work from the mid 60s Los Hilton's, the early 70s Bossa 70, and the mid 70s Nil's Jazz Ensemble – the last of whom have been favorites for years with crate-diggers, due to their use of electric keyboards and very tasty drums! Titles include "Here Come The Hilton's" and "Sherezade" by Los Hilton's; "El Gato", "Think", "Get Out Of My Way", and "Las Mariopsas" by Bossa 70; "Reflexiones", "Summer Love", "Hard Work", "Looking For A Blues", and "Somos Nada" by Nil's Jazz Ensemble; "El Bueno El Feo Y El Malo" by Nilo Espinosa Con Los 007; "Light My Fire" by Charlie Guerrero; "Gotas De Miel" by Nilo Espinosa Y Orquesta; and "People Got To Be Free" by Charlie & Many. (Jazz, Latin) 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

70s work from Machito – still very much in the mode of his classics from earlier years, but with an undeniable punch on a few numbers, thanks to the smoking salsa groove of the Coco Records label! The album's got one really standout track entitled "Macho" – a 13 minute descarga number that spins out with lots of different changes, and which features some nice electric jazzy touches! Harvey Averne produced the entire session, with a nice undercurrent of Latin soul – and the album also features Charlie Palmieri on both organ and piano. Other tracks include "Mi Ritmo Llego", "Soy Salsero", "No Seras Para Mi", and "Desilusion". LP, Vinyl record album