Mongo cooks mightily – working here at the Montreux Jazz Fest in 1971, with a soaring group that's even more spiritual than any of his records in the 60s! There's definitely a dose of Latin Soul in the mix, but there's a fiercer, more righteous quality to the album too – thanks to the presence of players like Carter Jefferson on tenor and flute, Roger Glenn on vlute and vibes, and Ray Maldonando on trumpet – soloists who really know how to soar at the right moments. The percussion's a bit more rootsy too – showing Santamaria's concern with classic Afro-Cuban sounds at the time – and alongside Mongo's congas, you'll also hear percussion from Steve Berrios and Armando Pereza. Marty Sheller handles the arrangements – and titles include "Come Candela", "Climax", "Disappear", "Marty's Tune", "I Wanna Know", and "Cloud Nine". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album of Latin grooves from Shorty! The record is one of his best, and features a whopping array of percussionists – including Carlos Vidal, Modesto Duran, and Mike Pacheco all coming into play with Shorty's west coast style of arrangements, tweaked greatly here to pick up an Afro Cuban sound. Players include Bud Shank, Bill Holman, Frank Rosolino, Herb Geller, and Bob Cooper – and the album is very similar to Perez Prado's Voodoo Suite album, which was also recorded for RCA around the same time. Includes the cuts "Un Poco Loco", "Manteca", "Viva Puente", and the extended suite "Wuayacanjanga". (Jazz, Latin) CD

A wonderful album of Latin grooves from Shorty! The record is one of his best, and features a whopping array of percussionists – including Carlos Vidal, Modesto Duran, and Mike Pacheco all coming into play with Shorty's west coast style of arrangements, tweaked greatly here to pick up an Afro Cuban sound. Players include Bud Shank, Bill Holman, Frank Rosolino, Herb Geller, and Bob Cooper – and the album is very similar to Perez Prado's Voodoo Suite album, which was also recorded for RCA around the same time. Includes the cuts "Un Poco Loco", "Manteca", "Viva Puente", and the extended suite "Wuayacanjanga". (Jazz, Latin) CD

A great collaboration between Perez Prado and trumpeter Shorty Rogers – one in which Rogers' solos sparkle brilliantly over the top of Perez's tight Latin rhythms – all in a style that's as moody as it is evocative and rhythmic! Side one features the extended "Voodoo Suite" – a side-long track that builds nicely on rootsy Latin rhythms that are much freer than Prado's pop work of the 50s – and which features a growing jazz horizon at the edges, filled with players who include Bud Shank on alto and flute, Bob Cooper on tenor, Shelly Manne on drums, and Pete Candoli on trumpet – in a larger section underneath Shorty Rogers' solos. Side two features shorter tracks recorded a year later – a bit more in the standard Prado mode, but still with a really dynamic feel, and contributions from jazz players like Candoli and Rolf Erikson on trumpets, Willie Maiden on tenor, and Jay Hill on trombone. Titles include "Music Makers", "In The Mood", "St. James Infirmary", and "Jumpin At The Woodside". LP, Vinyl record album