A Venezuelan group, one who are living in Paris – and work here with a criss-crossing of styles that really reflect that global journey! The music definitely has echoes of older Venezuelan styles, but maybe served up in a more impressionistic version – with a dream-like quality at times, as the instruments come together airily, often getting a nicely moody vibe in the production – which was partly done by Malcolm Catto, who also mixed the record. There's a really lovely female singer in the mix – with a lightness that's almost more like a bossa vocalist at times – and the instrumentation is both electric and acoustic, but often delivered at a level that make it hard to figure out where one begins and one ends. Titles include "Lloviendo En Guatire", "Yo Soy Mi Rio", "Tonada Del Guante", "Transmutada", "Vuelve", "Pajaro", and "Machurucuto". (Global Grooves, Latin) CD

A second serving of rare 78s from Tito Puente – killer material from his earliest years, beautifully brought to light on this overstuffed 2CD package! The tunes show Tito in a wide variety of settings – working with vocalist Vincentico Valdes on many cuts, and also supporting the lovely DeCastro Sisters on a few rare numbers too – all alongside other instrumental numbers that are filled with the kind of hard-driving percussion that Puente always brought to his music – the infectious blend of drums, timbales, and congas that makes his music grab you from the get-go! 40 tracks in all – with titles that include "Mambo Night", "Rainfall", "Luna Yumurina", "Salta Perico", "Santo Suarez", "Mambo En Blues", "Yambu Pa Gozar", "Batanga", "Nueva Vida", "Si Me Dices Que Si", "Palabras Calladas", "Tu Mi Amor Divino", "Guaguanco En Tropicana", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Este Es Tumbao", "Penjamo", "Cuero Na Ma", and "Cuban Nightingale". CD