Gonzalo Rubalcaba on piano, Reynaldo Melian on trumpet, Felipe Cabrera on electric bass, Jack DeJohnette & Julio Barreto on drums & Charlie Haden on bass. (Jazz, Latin) CD

A set that really gets at the full spectrum of the boogaloo groove – not just the Spanish Harlem sounds of the Latin Soul generation – but also the deeper roots of the style from across the USA! "Boogaloo" is a term that most folks use to refer to that New York uptown fusion of Latin rhythms and soulful vocals – and while the NYC styles were key to its fame, the music also burst forth from lots of points west, too – and came together in a flurry of fast rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, and hard-driving vocals that made for a completely infectious blend! This package is a fantastic testament to that mad musical moment – and is overflowing with a selection of gems that goes way past the obvious – not the Fania Records catalog that usually shows up on other boogaloo releases, but a huge batch of tracks from small labels and indie singles too. Titles include "Skate Boogaloo & Karate Too" by Lee Harris, "Block Party" by Jimmy Castor, "Boogaloo #3" by Roy Lee Johnson, "Do The Boo-Ga-Loo (part 1)" by Tom & Jerroo, "Playing It Cool" by Hector Rivera, "Ready Steady Go" by Prince & Princess, "Bar Kays Boogaloo" by The Bar-Kays, "What I Feel" by Richie & The PS 54 School Yard, "Have Some Boogaloo" by Timmy Thomas, "Bugalu" by Charlie Palmieri, "Boogaloo (part 1)" by The Bob & Earl Band, "Me & You Doing The Boogaloo" by Lou Courtney, "Boogaloo Zoo" by Shirley Butler, "Bugaloo Party" by Harold & Connie, "Boogaloo Investigator" by The Exotics, "Funky Funky Boogalo" by Jimmy Brown, and "Let's Do The Funky Boogaloo (part 1)" by Barry Jones. (Funky Compilations, Latin) CD

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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

Top Soul indeed, as Fusion is a hip Chilean funk band from the early 70s – one who take plenty of influence from American grooves, but also bring in their own soulful elements as well! The sound here is somewhere between Kool & The Gang and Banda Black Rio – with quite a bit of the blend of the latter, especially in the way more local percussion riffs fill out grooves that have a solid grounding in American funk! Instrumentation listed is tenor, guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums – but there's clearly a lot more horns too, as well as some very hip percussion – played in ways that are almost more Brazilian than straight Latin – with a really fluid sensibility that jams nicely with the grooves. There's a slight bit of vocals on the record, but most of the album is instrumental – and titles include versions of Sly Stone's "Thank You" and The Crusaders "Way Back Home" – plus "Dedos", "Balada De Matias", "Dee Blooz", "Para Toda La Gente", "Pulsearas", and "Lamentation". (Jazz, Latin) 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 no-nonsense salsa session from trombonist Rubby Haddock. Titles include "A Mi Jibarita", "Una Pausa", "El Amor", "Perla Querida", and "Maria Teresa". LP, Vinyl record album

Pucho and the gang hit the seventies, and lay down some hard Latin funk in a very blacksploitation mode! The centerpiece of the album is a 15 minute medley of three tunes from Superfly – "Superfly", "Pusherman", and "Freddie's Dead" – all sewn together with a soulful electric groove that's a nice extension from the band's earlier style on Prestige. The Pazant Brothers are still in full force on the horns, and the album features other great work on electric piano, congas, flute, electric guitar, and vibes. The track "S'cusa S'cuas (Why)" features vocals by Marilyn Johnson – and other nice ones include "Judy's Moods", "One More Day", and "Oak Hursts Art". LP, Vinyl record album

A great live Santana set, recorded in Japan in '73 and never released on vinyl in the US! The band here is at their peak, and this set features a nice large lineup that includes Tom Coster, Richard Kermode, Doug Rauch, Armando Peraza, Jose Chepito Areas and Michael Shreve, plus Leon Thomas on vocals! Some tracks show the clear influence of Miles' electric jazz recordings from the same period, while others have a hardcore Latin percussion base, and as you can imagine there's no shortage of full on guitar pyrotechnics and jamming on all the band members' parts. Most of the group's tracks that have entered classic status are here, but the moments that shine the brightest are the lesser known numbers and extended passages where the group really gets into the groove! Includes "A 1 Funk", "Gypsy Queen", "Oye Como Va", "Yours Is The Light", "Batuka", "Xibaba", 'Waiting", "Free Angela", "Samba De Sausalito", "Mantra", "Kyoto", "Incident At Neshabur" and "Toussaint L'Overture". (Rock, Latin) CD

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