Instrumental Latin from Charlie Palmieri – an indie set from the 80s, but one that almost has the classic feel of some of his first few albums at the end of the 50s! The approach here is similar to those – especially Charlie's work for United Artists – a jazz-inflected approach that has plenty of piano in the lead, supported by bass, timbales, bongos, and congas! Larry's groove is traditional, but also shows some of the freedoms that crept into Latin piano work during the 60s and 70s – and as an added plus, most of these tracks are much longer than in the old days – offering plenty of space for improvisation on the solos! Titles include "Rhumba Rhapsody", "Start The World I Want To Get On", "Mis Amigos EGC", "Adios", "Bajo Los Sombras De Un Pino", and "Muneca". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Charlie Palmieri's best records from the 60s! The session is an obscure one-off done for Atlantic in 1968 – and for some reason, the record was never issued as widely as some of Charlie's other sides for smaller labels during the time, making it one of the most hard-to-find chapters of his career. The tracks are played by a tight little Latin jazz combo – with Charlie on piano, Julian Priester on trombone, and Louis Ramirez on timbales – and the set is filled with some great original tunes that mix together boogaloo rhythms and straight ahead Latin jazz. Tracks include "Bugalu", "Mambo Show", "Panama's Boogaloo", and "Bitter Sweet" – plus a Latin soul instrumental reading of "Up Tight". 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

A 70s corker from Charlie Palmieri – and a record that has him stretching out from piano, playing a bit of organ, and a bit of Fender Rhodes! The tracks are relatively straight salsa, but the use of these different keys really gives them an edge – one that's honed even further by Bobby Nelson, who plays both flute and tenor sax in Charlie's band. The percussion is also quite tight on the set – making for a jumpy groove that hangs on even in the mellower cuts! Titles include "Tema De Maria Cervantes", "Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado", "Cachita", "La Fuente", "El Susto", and "Que te Vas - Pues Vete". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work – one of Charlie's best albums of the 70s! The album's a straight salsa set, but it's done with a truly pummeling level of energy that kicks in from the first note – really blasting in with some strong statements by the band, then letting loose on longer tracks than usual, all of which have Charlie's jazzy touch firmly in place! Arrangements are all wonderful – done by Charlie, Roy Roman, and Bobby Valentin – and vocals are by Menique and Julito Villot. Includes the instrumental track "Melodica In F" – which features Charlie playing some very weird melodica – plus "Arroz Con Bacalao", "Tiene Sabor", "Consuelate", and "No Puedo Mas". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Eddie Palmieri's greatest albums of the 70s – even though it was recorded for a major label! Like a number of his old counterparts in the New York indie world at the time, Eddie made a move to Columbia Records in the late 70s – a shift that should have dampened his soul, but which only served to set him free in a broad wash of new styles! The sound here is fuller than before, but in a really great way – a style that takes the inventive rhythms and piano work of Eddie's earlier albums, and infuses it with that breakout groove of the late Nuyorican generation – a style that was both keenly aware of tradition, yet also able to communicate the local flavor of the New York scene to an increasingly global audience! Most of the album's in a Latin jazz mode, but there's also some great soul touches on the set from time to time – and tracks range from spare, raw percussive numbers to others that have a swirling set of arrangements that really take off. Soloists include Ronnie Cuber and Afredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, plus a great lineup that includes Franceso Aquabella, Dom Um Romao, and the other Palmieri, Charlie, on piano and organ – and most of the vocals are in choro format. Titles include "Spirit Of Love", "Lucumi Macumba Voodoo", "Colombia Te Canto", "Mi Congo Te Llama", and "Highest Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Landmark work from Eddie Palmieri – a stunning performance by his Harlem River Drive band, recorded live before a very wild crowd at Sing Sing Prison! The feel here is a blend of the sound heard on the legendary Harlem River Drive album – a unique fusion of Latin, soul, and political consciousness – and some of the styles of Eddie's own groundbreaking albums of the early 70s – and it's made all the much deeper by its performance in front of an audience who was very receptive to the message of the tracks. All tracks are long and very hip, and titles include the protest poetry cut "Jibaro/My Pretty N*****", plus the groovers "Azucar (parts 2 & 3)", "Muneca", "VP Blues", and "Pa La Ocha Tambo". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic 70s session from Charlie Palmieri – featuring some of his best keyboard solos of the decade, and some very cool work on organ that almost makes us think Sun Ra is in the group! The style is quite unusual, even for Charlie – with a weird sound from his organ that really gives the record an edge – played alongside straighter piano lines, heavy percussion, and lots of warm horn work overall. Charlie's organ really stands out best on the descarga cut "No Esta En Na" and the groovy midtempo "Estoy Friza'o" – but the whole thing's great, and other cuts include "Comelon Hustle", "King Charles", "Dame Tu Corazon", and "Sobando El Piano Merengue". LP, Vinyl record album

By the mid 70s, the New York Latin scene was boomin' so large it could easily fill venues like Yankee Stadium – as you'll hear on this excellent live set from the Fania All-Stars, a monster record that easily ranks with the best live Latin sides of the time – like Eddie Palmieri at Sing Sing, the Tico-Alegre All Stars at Carnegie Hall, or Mongo Santamaria at Yankee Stadium! Tracks are nice and long – a real mix of soul and Latin, with slight funk and electric touches – and players include Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Bobby Valentin, Mongo Santamaria, Ricardo Ray, and Roberto Roena. Vocals are by a host of singers that include Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera, and Celia Cruz. Manu Dibango also joins the group for the track "Congo Bongo", a great long number in which he does a hot little solo! Other tracks include "Bemba Colora", "Hermandad Fania", and "Echate Pa'Lla". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful spare sounds from Noro Morales – and an album that really lets you hear his amazing work on the piano! Most of the album simply features Noro's playing, backed by bass and percussion, and no other orchestration – a really stripped-down setting that's even more spare than the usual Latin album of this nature! The album's very mellow – but has a good late night Latin groove throughout – thanks to this pronounced bassline that really grabs up the bottom end of the sound spectrum – leaving Noro to work on the keys up top. Titles include "Flores Negras", "Tres Palabras", "Tiempos Viejos", "Silencio", "Perfume De Gardenias", and "Palmeras". 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

A massive batch of boogaloo gems – all wrapped up in one mighty package! Tico Records was one of the first great New York indie labels to focus on Latin music in the postwar years – and by the time of the huge late 60s boom in the world of Latin Soul, the label were definitely in a great position to turn out some killer work from a variety of artists! Some of the label's artists were aging, but reinvigorated by the energy of the younger generation – who also got access to the top shelf Tico presentation, as they brought in some of the best soul styles from East Harlem to trim things down from the larger Latin ensembles of the previous generation, and really send things home with a funky sort of groove. This set's a great overview of these key years at Tico – and titles include "Sock It To Me" and "Psychedelic Baby" by Joe Cuba, "Tighten Up" and "The Horse" by Al Escobar, "Fever" by La Lupe, "Be's That Way" and "Bobo Do That Thing" by Willie Bobo, "El Watusi" and "Babalu" by Ray Barretto, "Hit The Bongo" and "Coye Como Va" by Tito Puente, "My People" by Joe Panama, "Come An Get It" and "The African Twist" by Eddie Palmieri, "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In" by Celia Cruz & Tito Puente, "Madrid" by Candido, "Times They Are A Changin" by Jimmy Sabater, "El Pito" and "Bang Bang" by Joe Cuba, "Fat Mama" and "TP's Shing A Ling" by Tito Puente, and "Yes I Will (part 1)" by Gilberto Sextet. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's as overflowing with energy as the vibrant image on its cover – one of those rare late 60s gems from the Venezuelan scene, from a time when that nation's fortunes were really on the rise, and records like this were a proud declaration of all of its power and promise! Jesus Gomez borrows heavily from some of the big Latin modes of the time, but really gives the music his own sort of special twist – using some of the slightly offbeat elements you might find in the music of some of his contemporaries, like Ray Perez – and turning some nice tricks with the rhythms on key cuts. Titles include the great "Mamita", plus "Ritmo Sabroso", "Sueno De Ilusion", "Amor Falso", "El Rey Del Timbal", "Elida", and "Mi Musa". LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a record of Latin Jazz – recorded in the UK, but with a vibe that puts the whole thing right up there with some of the most inventive American albums of a few years before – such as Latin jazz classics by Sabu Martinez, Cal Tjader, or Eddie Palmieri! Robin Jones is the leader, and plays drums and timbales here – and the group are a tight sextet who work with no vocals at all – just flutes and saxes from Olaf Vas, a great talent who really shades in the sound – plus piano and Rhodes from Ian Henry, bass from Percy Borthwick, and percussion from Simon Morton and Tony Uter. Given the lack of other instrumentation, there's a fantastic focus on the percussion, reeds, and piano – and the whole thing's a cracker through and through, with titles that include "Africa Revisited", "Urubu", "Con Fuego", "Denga", and "Sucio Mambo". LP, Vinyl record album

70s work from Machito – still very much in the mode of his classics from earlier years, but with an undeniable punch on a few numbers, thanks to the smoking salsa groove of the Coco Records label! The album's got one really standout track entitled "Macho" – a 13 minute descarga number that spins out with lots of different changes, and which features some nice electric jazzy touches! Harvey Averne produced the entire session, with a nice undercurrent of Latin soul – and the album also features Charlie Palmieri on both organ and piano. Other tracks include "Mi Ritmo Llego", "Soy Salsero", "No Seras Para Mi", and "Desilusion". LP, Vinyl record album

70s issue of this classic – a great blend of Puerto Rican roots and some of the more sophisticated modes going down in the New York scene of the 60s – and a classic pre-salsa album from Mon Rivera! Rivera's got a small combo here who represent the hippest Alegre players of the time – both Charlie and Eddie Palmeri on piano, Mark Weinstein on trombone, and the legendary Kako on timbales – all backing up Mon with a sound that's rootsy, but which still has a fair bit of jazz as well. Styles include jazzy mambo and the plebochanga, a style that combines the plena and charanga – and overall, the album's got a really bouncy approach to the grooves – piano and percussion carrying most of the work, as vocals and horns come in over the top to sort things out a bit! Titles include "La Plechanga De Trabalengua", "Monina", "Una Plena", "Como Esta Pita", "En Casa De Pepe", and "La Cuca". LP, Vinyl record album

A really deep dive into the world of electrified Peruvian music – one that's put together not only with a killer collection of tracks, but also some really detailed notes that expand on this wonderfully unique hybrid of styles! Rhythms are often in the territory of cumbia from slightly farther north in the South American scene, but given all sorts of rootsier percussion touches – then mixed with electric guitar and thin keyboards, of the sort that you'd normally expect to hear on a 60s surf record – yet reworked here with a uniquely tropical vibe! The approach is often more instrumental than vocal, but you'll hear plenty of voices on the set too – sometimes just calling out to urge on the instrumentalists in the combos – on titles that include "La Hamaca" by Los Cisnes, "Humo En La Selva" by Los Invasores De Progreso, "Selva Virgen" by Los Zheros, "Descarga Royal" by Los Royals De Pucallpa, "Baila Bonito" by Ranil Y Su Conjunto Tropical, "El Pasito De Miriam" by Grupo Siglo XX De Rioja, "La Palmerita" by Fresa Juvenil De Tarapoto, and "Recordando Aguaytia" by Sonido Verde De Moybamba. (Global Grooves, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album that shaped Latin jazz for years to come! The format of the set borrows heavily from the previous Cuban Jam Session LPs, but gives it a real New York twist that made the Alegre albums much stronger overall – and much more influential in a wider spectrum. A core group fo well-known players – Charlie Palmieri, Johnny Pacheco, Kako, Jose Chombo Silva, and others – come together in the studio magically – setting egos aside, and bringing their best work to the table in a hard-jamming style that defined the crackling jazz-based "descarga" style of the time. In addition to that, the production style has lots of conversation and hanging out sounds between the tracks, really setting the feel for the album with a great spirit that goes on to touch the music as well! A treasure that's still one of the best examples of the jam session at work – and with titles that include "Soy Feliz, "Ay Camino Y Ven", "Almendra", "Para Ti", and "Estoy Buscando a Kako". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work from the obscure Andres and his combo – one of those Venezuelan salsa treasure that never saw that much exposure up here back in the day – different than Colombian and Puerto Rican records that formed a much bigger part of the New York scene! Yet the vibe here is every bit as great as any of those albums – a rock-solid interpretation of the best salsa modes of the time, but in a way that's nicely fresh, compared to some of the bigger American Latin labels – maybe a bit more playful in approach, with plenty of lively numbers throughout. Vocals are by Nano Gran and Yira – and titles include "Canuto", "Llanto De Luna", "Rico Y Sabroso", "Linda Caraquena", "La Mazucamba", "El Jibarito", "Yo La Mata", and "Condicion". LP, Vinyl record album