Amazing Latin soul – and the first record ever by the youthful George Guzman! The grooves kick in from the word "go" – with strong electric bass setting the scene, and lots of dark, descending blue notes – copped from 60s soul and jazz influences, and crafted perfectly to fit the Spanish Harlem sound of the time! Lyrics are mostly in English, and nearly every track is a mad groover – of the sort that will make your stereo perk up its too-tired ears! Trust us, this one's a gem – a record we'd recommend to anyone – and filled with wonderful tracks like "Lazy Boogaloo", "French Boogaloo", "Herba Buena", "Chant Of The Isles", "Marilu", and the goofy "Banana Freak Out"! LP, Vinyl record album

A cool collection of very unusual grooves from Argentine composer/guitarist Rodolfo Alchourron – part of a generation of groundbreaking musicians in his homeland that also included Lalo Schifrin and Gato Barbieri – yet unlike those artists, a talent that never achieved greater global fame! The first album here – the initial Santa Y Clarificacion set – is very much like something Lalo Schifrin might do, but even more offbeat – as it's a weird blend of jazzy instrumentation, funky rhythms, and spacious sounds that would definitely be right at home in a film score – yet which stretch out even more in the expanded space of the album's long tracks! Instrumentation includes Organ, tenor, alto, flute, and some great electric bass and drums – really romping at the bottom, and driving the tunes along wonderfully. There's a bit of wordless vocals at a few spare points – breezily grooving along – on titles that include "Clarificacion", "El Stanabancos", "No Divaguen", "Melopea", and "Pajaros Sueltos". The second album – Santa Y Clarificacion – has a similar groove, but one that goes out even more – almost a touch more of a fusion influence at points, although there's still some great horn charts that continue a soundtrack vibe. Horns cascade beautifully, falling into some great chord changes and washes of color that really warm things up – and titles include "Vals Trunco", "Esas Dos Cosas Benditas", "Casi Un Tango", "Vals En La Muy Sostenido", and "Algunos Dias Alguna Noches". (Jazz, Latin) CD