A deep dive into the world of Puerto Rican music in the years before salsa and Latin Soul – overflowing with the sounds and styles that also helped forge a huge new wave of expression on the New York scene as well! The package does a great job of pulling together tracks that really get at this prehistory of more familiar Latin modes – beginning with rare tracks from the 78rpm years, then focusing on killer album cuts from the late 50s and early 60s – grooves that were helping Puerto Rico to rival Cuba in terms of fresh rhythms and razor-sharp instrumentation! Just about all of this work has been out of print on any format for many years – including CD – and the package does a great job of tracing the line from San Juan up to New York – with a selection of 44 tracks by artists who include Humberto Morales, Bobby Capo, Orquesta Panamericana, Noro Morales, Cesar Concepcion, Cortijo, Roy Rosario, Ismael Rivera, Chiquitin Garcia, Angel Luis Torruellas, Cuarteto Puerto Rico, Roberto Casillas, Lou Perez, and others. CD

By this point in his career, Ray Barretto certainly was Indestructible – one of the biggest Latin leaders of his day, working at the forefront of new trends and new sounds! This fact is wonderfully displayed by the front cover, which shows Ray unbuttoning his shirt and taking off his Clark Kent-styled glasses to reveal a Superman costume underneath – and apart from this easy gimmick, the album itself is a straight ahead Latin jammer, with no tricks, no silliness – just a perfect early 70s salsa sound! Arrangements are by Eddie Martinez, Louie Cruz, and Louie Ramirez – and titles include "Ay No", "La Orquesta", "El Hijo Do Obatala", "Indestructible", "La Familia", and "El Diablo". LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions – but there's also lots of heavy funk at the bottom – with basslines that drive most numbers along boldly, really raw percussion played with a nice sense of spontaneity, and these super-tight keyboards and guitars that you might find in American funk! The mix of modes is very much in the best spirit of contemporary groups like Chakachas or Lafayette Afro Rock Band – and titles include "Caballo Negro", "Lupita", "Baila Chibiquiban", "Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!", "One Note Samba", "Cuba Libre", and "El Condor Pasa". LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions – but there's also lots of heavy funk at the bottom – with basslines that drive most numbers along boldly, really raw percussion played with a nice sense of spontaneity, and these super-tight keyboards and guitars that you might find in American funk! The mix of modes is very much in the best spirit of contemporary groups like Chakachas or Lafayette Afro Rock Band – and titles include "Caballo Negro", "Lupita", "Baila Chibiquiban", "Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!", "One Note Samba", "Cuba Libre", and "El Condor Pasa". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Classic work from one of the real giants of Venezuelan music in the 70s – the mighty singer Tabaco, an artist with a style that was every bit as soulful and righteous as any of the salsa greats on the New York scene at the time! Tabaco heads up his own groups here, and has a way of creating these lean, bold groups that are fantastic – heavy basslines, jazzy piano, and plenty of percussion – all topped with vocals that really send the whole thing over the top, and which should have seen the singer hit much bigger global fame on the Latin scene! Titles include "Ponte En Ritmo", "Lino", "Imolle", "Cuando Llora El Indio", "Yo Soy Sonero", "El Tren De Porky", "San Juan Guaricongo", "A Millet", and "Casamiento". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic tracks from two ultra-rare labels from the New York scene – the Latin Soul empire Speed Records, and the super-tight Fonseca label – which provided a real mainline to Puerto Rican grooves at the time! Both labels cut some of the hardest-hitting Latin tracks of the time – music that was often rawer and more unbridled than material for other indies, like Tico or Fania – and the tracks here are from some of the obscure albums issued by both imprints, and some even-rare 7" singles – all with an upbeat groove, and a sound that's much more the Latin groove of the streets uptown, instead of the bigger ballrooms down in midtown. Titles include "Descarga Los Bravos" by Kent Gomez, "Asi Asi Descarga" by Mike Hernandez & Su Sonora Casino, "El Bembe" by Terrible Frankie Nieves, "Milton's Jala Jala" by Milton Zapata, "Palos Bravos De St John" by Orquesta Oliveri, "Yemaja" by Kent Gomez, "Palacio Descarga" by Danny Palacios, and "Melao Melaito" by Orquesta Oliveri. LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Eddie Palmieri never seems to dim at all as the years go on – and, if anything, the genius only seems to flower even more – finding new ways of expression that maybe even blow away some of Eddie's classic work from the 60s and 70s! This set is amazing – a fantastically modern refiguring of Latin roots – with elements that stretch back to Palmieri's earliest charanga years and his Latin jazz rebirth, but used in ways that are very different – and very striking throughout! The lineup remains relatively small on most numbers – with very heavy focus on piano, percussion, and bass – but Eddie also makes great use of key guests who include Alfredo De La Fe on violin, Donald Harrison on alto, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and Joe Locke on vibes. Titles include "Locked On", "Cuervas Y Tumbao", "Wise Bata Blues", "La Cancha", "Augustine Parish", "Life", "Samba Do Sueno", and "Jibarita Y Su Son". CD

The second album recorded by Cuban vocal legend Ibrahim Ferrer in the wake of the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon – and maybe the best! Ferrer's vocals are superb throughout – and the production is relatively stripped down, and never too intrusive – even when producer Ry Cooder is getting some time on the tracks on guitar. To our ears, the best musical element may be the bassist Cachaito – whose rock-solid lines ground everything perfectly – on titles that include "No Tiene Telarana", "Naufragio", "Fuiste Cruel", "Boquinene", "Boliviana", and "Hay Que Entrarle A Palos A Ese". This new version features fresh mastering by Ry Cooder, a shifted song order, and unreleased tracks that include "Ojos Malvados", "Me Voy Pa Sibanicu", "Mujer", and "Ven Conmigo Guajira". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a few great 70s albums from Luis Gasca – a funky jazz player, but one who draws on a lot of Latin influences too – all in this sweet soulful mode that echoes some of the hippest Bay Area sounds of the time! Arrangements are done with help from Joe Gallardo – who also plays trombone on the record – amidst a very hip lineup that includes Joe Henderson and Hadley Caliman on tenor and flutes, Oscar Brashear and Eddie Henderson on trumpets, George Duke and Mark Levine on electric piano, David Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The record includes a great track called "New Orleans Strut", plus the cuts "Dr Gasca", "A Love Supreme", and "I Was Born To Love You". (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent session – very much in the mode of Eddie's groundbreaking work from the early 70s, when he was mixing together some incredibly complicated piano lines with newer styles of Latin jazz. The album's about half vocal, half instrumental – with a very strong jazz component that's made even better through the percussion work of Milton Cardona and Francisco Aquabella. Eddie's piano is the real treat, though – and it's incredible on tracks like "Just A Little Dream", "Azucar", "La Libertad", and "Verdict On Judge Street". The album does have one semi-weak number called "Humpty Dumpty", a smoother soul track – but you can skip over it and enjoy the rest of the great jazz! LP, Vinyl record album