(Funky 45's, Latin) 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of Cal Tjader's best late 50s dates for Fantasy Records – thanks to some smoking tenor sax from Jose "Chombo" Silva! The album has Cal working in the very comfortable territory of San Francisco's Blackhawk Nightclub – in a combo that also features familiar players Vince Guaraldi on piano, Al McKibbon on bass, Willie Boby on drums, and Mongo Santamaria on congas – all musicians who'd previously helped Tjader hit some of his best Latin grooves! But the addition of Silva on a few tracks here really makes the set crackle – giving it a gutsy, soulful fee that you don't always get on some of Tjader's other records. Tracks are longish – and titles include the nice original "Bill B", plus jazzy versions of "I Love Paris", "Blue & Sentimental", and "Night In Tunisia". (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

A standout classic from trumpeter Luis Gasca – and a set that may well be the artists' most complete musical vision of the 70s! The group here is larger than on previous records, and Gasca's dropped a bit of his Latin roots in exchange for a soaring, slightly spiritual sound put together by arranger Don Menza – who's really at the top of his game here! There's a perfection and poise that's almost like CTI or Kudu at their best – almost a bit above the usual Fantasy Records session like this from the 70s, too! Other players include Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Menza and Hadley Caliman on reeds, Patrice Rushen on keyboards, and Harvey Mason on some mighty nice drums – which makes for more than a bit of funk in the mix. Titles include the sweet vibes/Rhodes number "Kathy", the stepper "Sara", and the tracks "Visions", "The Way I Feel Sometimes", "Patrice", "Collage", and "Night People". (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime mellow work from Cal Tjader – vibes mixed with strings mixed with Latin percussion – a nicely laidback take on his classic 50s sound! The core group is still one of Cal's Latin best – with Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo on percussion – and many tracks have some great flute work by Paul Horn, snaking through the mellower grooves with a sound that's sad and soulful. Titles include "Stella By Starlight", "Ode For Margo", "Martha", "Spring Is Here", and "Star Eyes". (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

Funky Latin grooves from Sheila Escovedo – recorded in the decade before she hooked up with Prince and dropped the "scovedo" from her last name – when she was part of a hip Bay Area scene that also included her brother Pete! The album's got a great blend of funky fusion and Latin styles – served up with a sound that's right up there with the best on Fantasy Records from the time – a really unique fusion of modes that shows just how much trading of styles was going on in that scene during the 70s. Billy Cobham produced, with a definite ear for the percussion in the group – and the rest of the group features Mark Soskin on keyboards, Ray Obiedo on guitar, and some added horns to flesh out the sound nicely. Pete plays timbales, Sheila's on congas, and titles include "Bittersweet", "Clean Air", "Solo Tu", and "Fantasy Junction" – plus a nice version of Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice Prestige 2-fer collecting two early sides Mongo cut for Fantasy in the late 50s. The first, released under the title Mongo, is a no-nonsense batch of Latin jazz tracks, arranged by himself and Francisco Aguabella, who's sort of the co-leader of the group on the set! Players include Emil Richards, Paul Horn, Armando Pereza, Carlos Vidal, and Willie Bobo – and as you can imagine by that lineup, there's plenty of heavy duty percussive action! Jose Chombo Silva plays a bit of tenor – and titles include "Chano Pozo", "Mazacote", "Los Conguitos", and "Afro Blue". Yambu, another of Mongo's great early records, is the second LP of the set. It's got a spooky Afro-Cuban sound, and a great assortment of drummers that includes Francisco Aquabella, Carlos Vidal, Willie Bobo, and Modesto Duran. The overall vibe is much more traditional than Mongo's other albums – and there's none of the pop Latin jazz of his years at Columbia records, or his "Watermelon Man" era at Riverside. Cuts include "Mi Guanguanco", "Timbales & Bongo", "Yeye", and "Columbia", and the sound is nice and raw. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Mongo's great early records, with a spooky Afro-Cuban sound, and a great assortment of drummers that includes Francisco Aquabella, Carlos Vidal, Willie Bobo, and Modesto Duran. The overall vibe is much more traditional than Mongo's other albums – and there's none of the pop Latin jazz of his years at Columbia records, or his "Watermelon Man" era at Riverside. Cuts include "Mi Guanguanco", "Timbales & Bongo", "Yeye", and "Columbia", and the sound is nice and raw. LP, Vinyl record album

A confusing title, but a wonderful little record! The album's as much a Herbie Mann Latin session as it is a record by Johnny Rae – which is probably why the album's titled as such – and the group on the set features Rae on vibes, Herbie on flute, Jack Six on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums, Bobby Corwin on piano, and Jose Mangual, Patato Valdes, and Victor Pantoja on an assortment of Latin and African percussion. The groove is tremendous – Latinized jazz, but with a real tension between the heavy percussion on the bottom and the ligher flute and vibes on the top – especially on the album's more tribal, African-styled numbers. The "suite" features 7 tracks in all – 5 composed by Herbie ("Sorimao", "Beouin", "Sudan", "Ekunda", "Guinean"), plus a version of Sonny Rollins' "St Thomas", and the track "Jungle Fantasy" by Noro Morales. (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album