One of the few albums ever issued under the name of Emil Richards – an important percussionist on the LA scene, and one who played on countless jazz albums and other sessions over the years! This set has Richards working almost exclusively on vibes – as a rare outing for the mostly-rock Del-Fi label, done in a mode that seems to challenge the Latin jazz styles that Cal Tjader was developing at the time on Fantasy Records! And as a bit of a surprise, Emil's working with a similar group to Cal's – one that includes Francisco Aquabella on congas, Cuco Martinez on timbales, and Marcelino Valdez on other percussion instruments – alongside a core trio that features Richards' vibes with Al McKibbon's bass and Paul Moer's piano. The tunes are filled with lots of great modal moments – and titles include "Little Niles", "Green Dolphin Street", "Friday The 13th", "Oh Very Well", "Half & Half", and "Yazz Per Favore". (Jazz, Latin) CD

A fantastic collection of music from Cuba – not the jazzy descarga styles that led to salsa, nor the more romantic singers that are maybe some of the nation's best-known artists – but instead a wealth of work that mixes raw percussion and vocals to support the spiritual practice of santeria! The music here represents a shifting spiritual culture that was taking place in the Caribbean during the 20th Century – as African and Spanish ideas were coming into play with each other – forming new modes of understanding, which also led to new musical practices as well! Many of these recordings were done at the same time that larger, more polished orchestras were dominating the Cuban scene – but they represent rootsier, rawer recordings that often just have percussion and vocals as the dominant force – sometimes quite a surprise when you might hear a bigger star as part of the lineup. As with every collection on the Fremeaux label, the package offers up a lot of music for the price, and a very detailed set of notes in both French and English – with a total of 66 tracks in all – including work by Chano Pozo, Miguelito Valdez, Celina Y Reutilio, Mongo Santamaria, Celia Cruz, Sabu, Arsenio Rodriguez, Julio Gutierez, and others – as well as a set of field recordings done on acetate in 1940! CD

The first full album from Bio Ritmo – a contemporary Latin combo with a smoking, jazzy sound! The group have a tightness that reminds us of mid 70s Fania Records – or some of the best indie label albums coming out of the Puerto Rican scene – lots of heavy rhythms at the bottom, well-crafted horn parts, and soaringly soulful vocals in Spanish, sung by Rei Alvarez. At the time of its release, the set was a real surprise – one of the first in a scene of younger musicians who were really doing a great job of spinning fresh takes on classic Latin modes – and years later, it's still one of the best! Titles include "Hermano", "El Rayito", "Atrevete", "La Hamaca", and "El Cambio". 2LP version features bonus live tracks as well! LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little album – despite what might be a gimmicky concept! The set offers up Latin versions of Jewish tunes – but even that's not much of a gimmick, when you consider how important the Jewish audiences were to the growth of Latin music in the New York in the 50s and 60s. From DJs like Symphony Sid, to vacationers at the Catskills, to dancers in classes at Arthur Murray on Long Island or the Palladium in Manhattan, the Jewish audiences were some of the strongest for the New York Latin acts – and it's no surprise that you get albums like this cropping up to address the situation! Calle's group is a fine Latin jazz ensemble, and they've got a clarinet in the mix on a few tracks, snaking away in an almost klezmer-like fashion over the piano/percussion grooves of the album. Players include a rock-solid batch of Latin and jazz musicians – including Charlie Palmieri on piano, Ray Barretto on congas, Willie Rodriguez on timbales, Clark Terry on trumpet, and Doc Cheatham on trumpet – plus John Cali on lute – the real name of Juan Calle, who also did all the arrangements. Ed Powell sings a bit of vocals, but most of the action here is instrumental – and very much in the best Riverside Latin mode of the time, but with a Jewish twist! Titles include "Papirossen", "Beltz Mein Shetele Betlz", "Die Greene Koseene", "Frilach A Nacht", and "Yossel Yossel". CD

The title here definitely gets it right – as Locobeach work in a trippy blend of old school cumbia modes – which is maybe no surprise for a group whose members also worked in Los Amigos Invisibles and Chicha Libre! The sound here mixes plenty of surf-styled guitar with percolating rhythms, strong keyboard lines, and even a bit of accordion – a leaner take on some of the Colombian styles of years back – and recorded with a definite ear for some of the more offbeat sides of the spectrum, especially on cuts that amp up the psychedelic production even more! Titles include "Six On The Stairway To Seven", "Javelin", "The Devil Is A Charmer", "We Haven't Been Introduced", and "Mira Quien Llego". (Global Grooves, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of music from Cuba – not the jazzy descarga styles that led to salsa, nor the more romantic singers that are maybe some of the nation's best-known artists – but instead a wealth of work that mixes raw percussion and vocals to support the spiritual practice of santeria! The music here represents a shifting spiritual culture that was taking place in the Caribbean during the 20th Century – as African and Spanish ideas were coming into play with each other – forming new modes of understanding, which also led to new musical practices as well! Many of these recordings were done at the same time that larger, more polished orchestras were dominating the Cuban scene – but they represent rootsier, rawer recordings that often just have percussion and vocals as the dominant force – sometimes quite a surprise when you might hear a bigger star as part of the lineup. As with every collection on the Fremeaux label, the package offers up a lot of music for the price, and a very detailed set of notes in both French and English – with a total of 66 tracks in all – including work by Chano Pozo, Miguelito Valdez, Celina Y Reutilio, Mongo Santamaria, Celia Cruz, Sabu, Arsenio Rodriguez, Julio Gutierez, and others – as well as a set of field recordings done on acetate in 1940! CD

Here's a party that we'd love to be invited to – a festive gathering of bongos and other percussion – served up in a mix of different cuts from a surprising array of sources! The music moves from Latin, to exotica, to jazzy modes – and while percussion is at the core of every cut, there's also plenty of other great elements too – flute lines, organ, guitar, vibes, and vocals at points too – all delivered with a sense of spirit that's totally great! Jack "Mr Bongo" Costanzo is the main star of the set – and delivers tunes that include "Inspector Bongo", "Escuadron De Policia", "Boyle Heights", and "Cigarillo" – and other tracks include "The Idea Of The Greater Age" by Sun Ra, "Wild Percussion" by Tak Shindo, "Singing Bongos" by Rene Hall, "Where's Tim's Guitar" by Jill Kroesen, "Cinco Sin Titulo" by Herb Schoenbohm's Quintet Ipanema, and "Bongo Birthday Surprise" by Nicholas Carras. CD features bonus tracks that include "Jungle Duck" by Nicholas Carras, and "Sunny" and "My Sadness" by Herb Schoenbohm's Quintet Ipanema. (Now Sound, Latin) CD