A burner of a set from Tito Puente – very well titled to suit the energy of the session! The tracks are all highly rhythmic numbers – short, but filled with jazzy horn flourishes and the kind of snapping rhythms that made the Puente group one of the biggest crossover favorites of the 50s. Tunes nicely mix up vocals with some more pronounced jazz soloing – getting a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and really keeping up the energy of the record overall. Ray Barretto's on congas – and other players include Vincent Frisaura and Frank LoPinto on trumpets, Gerry Sanfino and Rafael Tata Palau on saxes, Ray Conception on piano, and Robert Rodriguez on bass. A few cuts have lead vocals – sung by Santos Colon – and titles include "3-D Mambo", "Hong Kong Mambo", "Mambo Gozon", "Saca Tu Mujer", "Varsity Drag", and "El Cayuco". Amazing 2CD edition – with the full bonus Dance Mania 2 album, plus rare bonus tracks from both sessions too – a massive 45 tracks in all! CD

A crossover Latin Funk classic – with the kind of soaring guitar/organ grooves that were the brilliant sound of the 70s for the West Coast scene, a whole new way of playing Latin Soul that blew away the New York sound of the late 70s. Titles include "Persuasion", "Evil Ways", "Savor", "Jingo", "Soul Sacrifice", and "Shades of Time" – plus previously unreleased material from the original sessions and a live set from Woodstock. (Rock, Latin) CD

Killer work from this Latin funk combo from the 70s – a group who were supposedly formed to open for Santana at a concert in Nicaragua, then went on with a searing legacy of their own! The music definitely owes a bit to the Bay Area Latin sound of the period – a blend of traditional percussion and rhythms with more psychedelic instrumentation – including plenty of great organ lines and guitar, and just the right use of horns as well! About half the album's instrumental, and the vocal tracks feature excellent work from singer Janette Barnes – on titles that include "Valle Del Ayatimbo", "La Taa Yo", "Que Rico", "Atardecer", and "Zumbale". LP, Vinyl record album