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. LP, Vinyl record album

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. CD

If you dig Latin Soul, you can't get better than this – a chock-a-block set filled with classic groovers from the 60s! The set's one of the finest in Harmless Records' exploration of the classic sounds of the New York underground, and it's stuffed with goodies that define the unique crossover Latin and Soul styles of Spanish Harlem in the 60s. Every cut's a winner, and the CD's an instant groove party from the very first note. How could it not be? With cuts like "Subway Joe" by Joe Bataan, "The Fuzz" by Dianne & Carole & The Latin Whatchamacalits, "Mercy Mercy Baby" by Ray Barretto, "Hey Sister" by Monguito Santamaria, "Arrecotin Arrecotan" by Cortijo & Ismael Rivera, "Pete's Boogaloo" by Pete Rodriguez, "Cab Driver" by Charlie Palmieri, "Take A Trip" by The Latin Blues Band, "Jive Samba" by Jack Costanzo & Gerrie Woo, "Out Of My Mind" by Orlando Marin, and "Descarga Boogaloo" by Tico All Stars. CD

A killer album by the self-appointed King Of The Boogaloo! Pete's late 60s sides for Alegre are some really incredible records – and this album's one of the best of the bunch, stuffed with tight groovy tracks that really have the whole band going to town! Percussion steps around piano, bass, and vocals with incredible ease – and most cuts have English lyrics, done in a very catchy, party-type style that makes the album swing instantly. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Guagaloo", "Pete's Boogaloo", and "Do the Boogaloo". If someone asked you what the definition of Latin Soul was, this would be the album to play for them! LP, Vinyl record album

Plenty happenin' here – a wealth of boogaloo grooves, mad Latin jazz riffs, and lots lots more – all served up on a platter that's easily one of the most cooking ever from trumpeter Willie Rodriguez! Like other releases on the Fonseca label, there's a nicely messed-up groove going on – a style that easily shifts between different Latin modes in search of the rawest sound possible – without any thought of mainstream convention, or the sort of straighter-laced sounds that might have played with the suburban crowds. Willie's band is clearly nice and youthful, and more than willing to follow his leadership – working equally well on both the English and Spanish language tunes on the set. Titles include "Boogaloo Hay", "Sansuyo", "Mi Guajira", "Mi Shingaling", "The Clock", "What You Want Is Boogaloo", "7th Ave Train", and the very tasty "Descarga El Bravo"! LP, Vinyl record album

Loads of Fania classics from the 60s boogaloo years – including "Bang Bang" by Joe Cuba, "The Meditation" by TNT Band, "Riki Chi" by Joey Pastrana, "My Dream" by Harvey Averne, "Gypsy Woman" by Joe Bataan, "Make It With You" by Ralfi Pagan, "Fortuna" by King Nando", and "I Like It Like That" by Pete Rodriguez. LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record – one of Houston's most successful for Prestige! The album follows strongly in that late 60s pre-funk mode that Prestige was cooking up – tight and groovy, with electric bass dropped into the mix, electrifying things a bit, but still really just grooving in a souped-up 60s soul jazz mode. Houston rises to the style wonderfully – and the rest of the group include Sonny Phillips on organ, Billy Butler on guitar, and Buddy Caldwell who throws in some great conga work! Includes a nice boogaloo cut called "Hey Driver!", with some chanted vocals by the band, plus the tracks "Hard Times" and "Jamilah", which have a very nice groove! LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of boogaloo and Latin Soul killers – with work by Bobby Valentin, New Swing Sextet, TNT Band, Gilberto Sextet, Joe Bataan, and Johnny Colon! LP, Vinyl record album

Wild guitar from Luther Johnson – an obscure earlier session recorded with a nicely gritty feel, and a fair bit of funk in the rhythms too! The group's billed as the Muddy Waters Blues Band – and Muddy appears to be on the record, although the notes are a bit lean – and the album features a number of great instrumentals, with really ripping guitar solos – plus a few vocal tracks too. The record's got a raw sound that's more of a Delmark Chicago blues vibe than a Chess Records one – and titles include "Top Of The Boogaloo", "Sting It", "Natural Wig", "Blues For Hippies", "Remember Me", "Snake", and "Sad Day Uptown". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever western collection of work from Japanese jazz giant Jiro Inagaki – a great saxophonist in his own right, and a real master of the groove with his Soul Media band! The double-length set is overflowing with gems from the golden age of Jiro and that group – tunes that effortlessly mix together acoustic and electric elements, with occasional nods to Japanese cultural styles – all at a level that's every bit as groovy as European work from the MPS/Saba generation! Jiro blows tenor, soprano, and flute on the tracks – and other players include the great Norio Maeda on organ, Hiromasa Suzuki on electric piano, and Ryo Kawasaki on guitar – on titles that include "Wandering Birds", "That's How I Feel", "Sniper's Snooze", "Head Rock", "Breeze", "Twenty One", "By The Red Stream", "Back Off Boogaloo", "Theme", "Express", "Barock", and "Painted Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar! The band has a landmark sound that mixes progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that's sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players. Tracks include "Torrid Zone", "Stonescape", "Striation", "1916 – The Battle Of Boogaloo", "Persephones Jive", and "Earth Mother". LP, Vinyl record album

Slinky Hammond organ grooves and feverish boogaloo soul from Kansas City combo Chris Hazlelton's Boogaloo 7 – their first full length studio set after a series of great singles and live album – totally living up to our high expectations! Hazelton is on the Hammond at the center of the sound, giving it a classic jazz funk foundation – but he's a generous bandleader, giving the group plenty of space to shine – with Pat Conway on conga & percussion, Brett Jackson, Nick Rowland & Zak Pischonotte on saxes, Matt Hopper on guitar, Danny Rojas on drums and others. Titles include a nice take on Melvin Sparks's "Bambu", the Hazleton originals "Fryin' Pan", "Turnin' Up The Burner", "The Basement Beat", "Tru-Galu" plus killer cover of Sharon Jones & The Dap-King's modern classic "100 Days, 100 Nights". CD

An incredible collection of records – a series of albums that forever changed the sound of Latin music around the world! These five sets were all cooked up in the changing Cuban scene at the start of the 60s – where musicians were getting looser and freer, with a sound that was quite different than the tighter big bands of a few years before – strongly influenced by changes in American jazz, including the jam session mode that was big on record during the 50s! In a way, these sides are an answer to that – as they feature all-star musicians coming together on long, more spontaneous tracks – often in smaller combos with heavy influence on rhythm, and lots of work from the key soloists on the dates. Each record has a different leader, but often some of the same musicians – and there's some especially great work on trumpet and tenor by other members of the group – at a level that went on to influence the small combo sound of artists like Joe Cuba, the grooves of the Latin Soul/boogaloo scene, and even the all-star American groups like the Alegre All Stars and Fania All stars in years to come. Records 1 and 2 feature leadership by Julio Gutierrez, record 3 is led by Nino Rivera, record 4 (the most famous) is led by bassist Cachao, and record 5 is led by flautist Fajardo. Great box set – all CDs in small LP-styled sleeves with original art – alongside a 96 page booklet of notes and photos! CD

An amazing world of music – rare funk, soul, reggae, and other grooves from Belize – all beautifully compiled in the rich Numero Music style! We're really stunned by the set – as we had no idea at all that Belize had anything going on at this level – and the collection is an amazing surprise to our ears, filled with new delights at each turn, and clearly marking Belize as a new funky capitol on our ever-expanding map of musical understanding. Numero really outdid themselves with this package – going far beyond their already-great collections of work from the Bandit and Capsoul labels – to dig up a range of tracks that have never really made it out to the world at large, but which bubble over with influences from American funk and soul at the time. The notes are great, and the booklet's got plenty of excellent images to back up the writings – but the music is the real star of the set, and is presented on 16 tracks that include "More Love Reggae" and "Boogaloo A La Chuck" by Lord Rhaburn, "Theme From The Godfather" and "Backstabbers" by The Professionals, "Can't Go Halfway" and "Shame Shame Shame" by The Harmonettes, "Things Are Going To Work Out Right" and "Rated G" by The Web, "Funky Jive (parts 1& 2)" by Soul Creations, and "Long Time Boy" by Nadia Cattouse. CD

A pretty darn obscure one – with a wild cover, wild title, and a goofy looking bandleader who definitely had a great sense of humor! Pijuan leads the group, sings, and plays organ – and the record's a weird mix of groovy 60s pop, shing-a-ling/boogaloo tracks, and other Latin groovers. The best track is the lively "Shing A Ling Boogaloo", which has some very sinister piano lines – and other highlights include a groovy take on "Up Up & Away", the drum-heavy "Comparsas", and the swinging "La Bala De Plata". CD