Brilliant brown-eyed soul from Ray Camacho – an artist who was previously known for more border-styled work with his Teardrops band, but who steps out here with a surprisingly great blend of electric jazz and boogie! The approach is wonderful – a real re-direction of Ray's earlier groove into even more soulful territory – handled with that unique fusion that was happening in just a few of the best Texas spots, like the scene in Austin at the time. The album's equal parts soul and funk, but still has a few Latin roots too – and had this gem come out on Fantasy Records at the time, it would have pushed Ray and group into much headier territory. But we're also happy the set's been undiscovered for so many years (consider it our little secret) – and titles include "Reach Out", "Diggin Deep", "Shake What You Got", "Nobody But You", "Nothing But A Party", and "What A Day". CD

A mid 80s studio set from the Fania All Stars – and proof that the group was still going great at this time – almost reverting to their older modes of the early 70s, and shaking free of the more electric, more soul-based styles that group was using during their time at Columbia Records! The style here is very much in the spirit of the group's roots – long tracks that spin out with plenty of space for all the collaboration that made the Fania All Stars not only unique in Latin music, but a real model of artistic cooperation that other genres could certainly share! The group for this date includes vocals by Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Adalberto Santiago, and Hector Lavoe – and titles include "Por Eso Yo Canto Salsa", "Usando El Coco", "El Rey De La Puntulidad", and "La Tierra No Es Pa La Guerra". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning tribute to one of the real giants of Colombian music in the 70s – the legendary Fruko, a man who almost singlehandedly kick-started a new groove for the decade! Fruko was clearly inspired by the hip late 60s sounds of New York – but his work here is almost headier and more powerful – as he seems to reach deep into the Colombian soil, to come up with a rootsy blend of piano and percussion that really drives most of the tunes – as the horns soar over the top, and the vocals urge the whole proceedings on with a sense of rawness that was almost disappearing from the scene up north as the 70s salsa boom took over. The collection is very well-done, with detailed notes on the man and his music – in support of 20 smoking tracks that include "El Coco", "Dame Un Break", "Bang Bang", "El Expresidiario", "Va A Llover", "La Loteria", "Fruko Presidente", "Caifaz", "Pa Los Bomberos", "Canto A Panama", "Algo Pa Goza", "Perlas Negras", and "Oriza". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool Japanese version of this mighty groover from the great Nico Gomez! Nico's known for his harder pounding tracks that have become favorites with the funky crowd, but this stellar album shows that Nico could also work in jazzier territory when he wanted to – as the album's a wonderful batch of tunes that mix together Latin, groovy, and bossa styles! There's some very nice wordless female vocals on a few cuts, scatting along with a warm breezy feel – and other tracks feature vibes, or guitar, sax, and other strong instrumental elements – with more than enough punch to be funky at a few points. The whole thing's as groovy as groovy can be – with a sound that's past bossa, and way more than any fake easy instrumental attempt at the genre – a real peep into the mad mind of Nico Gomez, and proof that his albums are always worth tracking down! Titles include "Din Din Din", "Aquarela", "Samba De Rio", "Saudade Do Rio", "Agua", "Rio", and "O Barquinho". CD

A very cool Japanese version of this mighty groover from the great Nico Gomez! Nico's known for his harder pounding tracks that have become favorites with the funky crowd, but this stellar album shows that Nico could also work in jazzier territory when he wanted to – as the album's a wonderful batch of tunes that mix together Latin, groovy, and bossa styles! There's some very nice wordless female vocals on a few cuts, scatting along with a warm breezy feel – and other tracks feature vibes, or guitar, sax, and other strong instrumental elements – with more than enough punch to be funky at a few points. The whole thing's as groovy as groovy can be – with a sound that's past bossa, and way more than any fake easy instrumental attempt at the genre – a real peep into the mad mind of Nico Gomez, and proof that his albums are always worth tracking down! Titles include "Din Din Din", "Aquarela", "Samba De Rio", "Saudade Do Rio", "Agua", "Rio", and "O Barquinho". LP, Vinyl record album

Lost grooves from Spanish Harlem – an incredible set of Latin Soul from The 107th Street Stickball Team! With a name like that, the group certainly aren't as well-remembered as contemporaries like Joe Bataan or Willie Colon, but they've got a soulful groove that definitely fits the style of the time – a sweet uptown blend of Harlem soul and Latin rhythms – with the same blend of sweet soul ballads and uptempo groovers you'd find on some of Bataan's classic albums for Fania Records! Bobby Marin put the whole album together, with a tight groove that's very similar to his work for Speed Records – played here by a group that includes Orlando Marin, Louie Ramirez, Ozzie Torrens, and Joey Pastrana – all kings of Latin Soul at the time! Vocalists include Butch Johnson and Danny Agosto – but there's a real group feel to the record, with lots of harmonies behind the lead – the kind of streetcorner soul you might have heard while catching a stickball game on one of the side streets up north of Harlem. Titles include "Toma Guajira", "Look To Me", "You Put A Hurt In My Heart", "Rhythm & Soul", "Mojo Shingaling", "Barbara With The Kooky Eyes", "Tell Her I Love Her", and "Let Me Do My Thing". CD features 3 bonus tracks by The Nitty Sextet, all previously unissued – "Nitty Boo Boo", "Something New", and "Say Listen". CD

Killer Latin soul from Pucho and crew – and an album that's one of their greatest! The record is also one of the earliest by the group, and it features a different lineup than later ones – with William Bivens on vibes, Claude Bartee on tenor, and Vince McEwan on trumpet. There's a bit more of a pop Latin influence here than on some of the funk outings – but the jazz component is equally high, and even numbers like "Goldfinger" and "Walk On By" come off sounding nice and groovy! The real strength, though, is the original material – which includes the tracks "Vietnam Mambo", "Strange Thing Mambo", and "Just For Kicks", all pretty nice groovers. The album also features a good version of Herbie Hancock's "Cataloupe Island", which is always a treat! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the real standouts in the career of Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz – a record of incredible tightness, and one that set a whole new level for Puerto Rican salsa in the 70s! There's still a few traces here of the Latin Soul years – sometimes in the rhythms, at other times in the record's use of an additional female vocalist – who sings behind Bobby's vocals in a really cool way on some of the best numbers. But the main focus here is really on the tightness of the instrumentation – razor-sharp in the arrangements, and served up in a lean mix of piano, trumpets, and percussion. Titles include a nice slow funk remake of "Fire & Rain", plus "Sondido Bestial", "No Tin Pena", "La Vimari", "Cha Cha Huele Chango", and "Volver". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Mongo's biggest records of the early 70s – and an important early side for Atlantic Records! Moving to Atlantic from Columbia, Mongo hipped things up even more – picking up on important trends in soul, rock, and the Latin underground of the time. Atlantic gave Mongo the freedom to open things up a bit more – and fill his grooves with a bit more funk, jazz, and Chicano soul than heard on earlier albums. The result is a wonderful blend of styles that crackles with electricity from track to track. Arrangements are by Mongo's longtime partner, Marty Sheller – and titles include "Hip Hug Her", "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Hold On, I'm Coming", "On Broadway", and "In A Gadda Da Vida", which is a real trip! LP, Vinyl record album

Sonny Stitt goes Latin – and the results are tremendous! The set's still got all the soulful feel of the best Stitt sessions for Roost, but it brings in some nice Latin rhythms too – inflecting things with that blend of soul jazz and congas you might find over at Prestige or Blue Note, yet also taking things further, too – given the Roost/Roulette connection to the New York Latin scene! Sonny plays both alto and tenor, and gets jazzy accompaniment from Thad Jones on trumpet – but the rhythm section is the real charmer here – and features a young Chick Corea on piano, Larry Gales on bass, and the trio of Willie Bobo, Patato Valdes, and Chihuaua Martinez on percussion! Most tunes are originals – a great change from the usual Latinized standards you might find on a set like this – and Stitt's got this nicely exotic tone in his reeds which is a further highlight of the record – almost a Yusef Lateef inflection at points. Titles include "Are You Listening", "I Told You So", "Chic", "Senor Jones", "Amigos", and "Ritmo Bobo". (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

A strange one for Sonny Stitt – but also a real gem! The album has Sonny, who'd been working for the Roost/Roulette label, coming together with other jazz players in the same boat, plus Latin musicians who were recording for the related Tico label. Moishe Levy never made such a good talent judgement as he did with this session – which features an all-star Latin jazz jam that includes the likes of Ray Barretto, Joe Cuba, Junior Mance, Les Spann, Billy Taylor, Wild Bill Davis, Barry Galbraith, Walter Perkins, and Tito Puente. The organ of Davis is a particularly great touch – odd for a Latin session, but creating a cool groove on the best tracks, and a nice way to touch back with a soul jazz sound. Stitt's tone is right out front, and never sounded better – making us wish he'd recorded a few more albums in this manner! Titles include "Duketation", "Twana", "Icey Stone", "Let My People Split", "Samba De Orfeo", "Liberian Love Song", and "Handkerchief Head". Very hip stuff – and organized by Henry Glover, which might be part of the explanation for that! (Jazz, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest compilations of boogaloo work we've ever stocked – and one that goes way past the bigger names on Fania or Tico, into the underground of small labels from the late 60s! The tunes here are all especially rare – issued originally on labels that include Speed and Ghetto, and brought together beautifully here with an ear for soulful vocals, snapping rhythms, and some of the grooviest styles of the Latin Soul generation! The Speed recordings are especial favorites of ours, because the label had a really great way of setting up a groove, and often broke from more conventional Latin modes to hit some very unique rhythms. But all the work here is totally great – and titles include "Alla Tu" by Conjunto Universal, "Do Your Shing A Ling" by Pijuan, "I'll Be A Happy Man" by Latin Blues Band, "Return To Spanish Harlem" by Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos, "Latin Soul Boogaloo" by Paul Serrano, "One Way Ticket" by The Real Thing, "Symphony Sid In Acapulco" by Frankie Nieves, "Brass Boogaloo" by Sounds Tropicana, "Hippy Skippy Moon Strut" by Moon People, and "Mi Negra Va Gozar" by Paul Ortiz. (Funky Compilations, Latin) 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

A real cooker – filled with tasty Latin grooves! The sound of the barrio is in full effect – from late 60s Latin Soul to early 70s Latin Funk, all very well-selected from a variety of labels, and put together with a range of grooves that will keep your ears dancing all the way through! The tunes go way past the obvious – enough that the album includes a few tracks we've never heard before, the kind of soulful Latin sides that always keep us looking for more. Titles include "Lay An Oz On Me Baby" by The Latin Blues Band, "The New Breed" by Louie Ramirez, "Ponte Duro" by Roberto Roena, "I'm Satisfied" by Joe Bataan, "Yroco" by Jimmy Sabater, "La Verdad" by Cortijo & His Time Machine, "Cisco Kid" by La Crema, "Return To Spanish Harlem" by Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos, "You Need Help" by Mongo Santamaria, and "Yo" by Bobby Valentin. (Funky Compilations, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album