Landmark recordings from the Cuban scene of the late 50s – free-jamming descarga sessions led by bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez! The tunes on the set forever helped define the sound of Latin music – breaking down the more restrictive styles of earlier years, and giving the players free reign to jam and improvise over tightly crafted rhythmic patterns. Apart from Cachao's great work on bass, the set also features tenor by Emilio Penalver, trumpet by Armando Armenteros, and trumpet by Alejandro Vivar – on titles that include "Descarga Cubana", "Sorpressa De Flauta", "Pamparana", "Trombon Criollo", "Controversia De Metales", and "Guajeo De Saxos". LP, Vinyl record album

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A great return to form for the legendary Cachao – and a session that seeks to recapture the Cuban Jam Session energy of his recordings from a few decades before! Production is by Andy Garcia, and is somewhat more sentimental than in the old days – although certainly still free from any sort of Buena Vista Social Club cliches that would come in later years – and overall, the lineup of players stays nicely faithful to the classic 60s sound, but perhaps expands it with a bit more fullness. Cachao is on bass and a bit of vocals – and other artists include Francisco Aguabella on percussion, Justo Almario on tenor, Chocolate Amenteros on trumpet, Paquito D'Rivera on clarinet, and Nestor Torres on flute. Titles on this first volume include "Mi Guajira", "Lindo Yambu", "Mambo", "Isora Club", "Al Fin Te Vi", "Cachao's Guiro", and "Descarga Cachao". CD

A great return to form for the legendary Cachao – and a session that seeks to recapture the Cuban Jam Session energy of his recordings from a few decades before! Production is by Andy Garcia, and is somewhat more sentimental than in the old days – although certainly still free from any sort of Buena Vista Social Club cliches that would come in later years – and overall, the lineup of players stays nicely faithful to the classic 60s sound, but perhaps expands it with a bit more fullness. Cachao is on bass and a bit of vocals – and other artists include Francisco Aguabella on percussion, Justo Almario on tenor, Chocolate Amenteros on trumpet, Paquito D'Rivera on clarinet, and Nestor Torres on flute. Titles on this second volume include "Los Tres Golpes", "Descarga A", "El Timbalero Travieso", "Africa Suite", "Cunde Echa Un Pie", and "Bemba E Cuchara". CD

One of the few albums ever issued as a leader by the great Joe Cain – a wonderful Latin arranger with a really mad ear for a groove! Cain's approach is often quite choppy in the rhythms – short, hard, and very very sharp – then topped with sweeter, jazzier lines – played on this set by Clark Terry on trumpet, Jerome Richardson on tenor and flute, and Frank Anderson on piano and some especially nice organ lines! Percussion is super-heavy throughout – played by Jose Mangual, Chocolate, and Marcelino Valdes with a vibe that's just right for the rhythms – and additional support is from Cachao on bass and Herbie Lovelle on drums. The grooves are incredible – quite different than anything else on Mainstream Records at the time, and even different than most of the New York scene – and titles include the amazing "It's A Mad Mad Mad Mambo (parts 1 & 2) (also known elsewhere as "Mambo Au Go Go") – a cut that sounds like some sort of crazy avant garde percussion banging, all made to keep in time to a mambo beat, with jazzy organ solos over the top. Other titles include "Mongo Mongo Baby", "Papa Bajo", "Que Paso", "Tanga Pa Katanga", and "Chunga A Go Go". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful Latin vibes from the great Cal Tjader – 8 long tracks recorded live in 1977, but issued here for the first time ever! The sides on the set rank with Cal's best 70s live work – and feature some sublime electric piano work by Clare Fischer, as well as percussion from a young Poncho Sanchez! The tunes are long, stretched out, and a perfect blend of Cal's older Latin jazz vibe with some sweet 70s electric touches – of the sort we've always dug on his other 70s albums for Fantasy. Titles include "Cuban Fantasy", "Descarga Cachao", "Manuel Deeghit", "Guachi Guara", "Tu Crees Que", and "Silenciosa". CD

A fantastic look at one of the biggest contributions that Cuba ever made to music in the 20th Century – the rise of the jam session and descarga scene in Havana right before the revolution – a moment that saw an already-great style get even better in the hands of a few key musicians! Afro-Cuban sounds were nothing new to that city, but as the 50s moved on, the players on the scene adopted lots of influences from American jazz – and were really opening up in ways that were as open and expressive as they were fiercely collaborative – moving past the idea of a tighter ensemble with a star leader, and instead bringing together smaller groups with soloists that really got lots of space to do their thing – as did the percussionists, who really drive the music here! Most of the tracks feature some sort of vocals, but also have plenty of standout solos too - and the set features a huge amount of tracks by Cachao in his prime, plus lots more by Julio Gutierrez, Walfredo De Los Reyes, Rolando Aquila, Fajaro, Nino Rivera, and Chico O'Farrill – served up here with a total of 55 tracks on 3CDs. CD

Includes 31 tracks by Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colon, Eddie Palmieri, Perez Prado, Santana, Hector Lavoe, Larry Harlow, Cachao, Ray Barretto, Alegre All Stars, Cheo Feliciano, and more! CD

A real lost chapter in the career of vibist Dave Pike – an obscure one-off Latin session recorded for Decca in the mid 60s! The album was done in the years between Pike's first few early jazz sides and his later tripped-out sessions for MPS and Vortex – and features Dave leading a groovy combo that has a really playful approach to the work. Players include trumpeter Dave Burns, flautist Hubert Laws, guitarist Atilla Zoller, and a young Chick Corea – as well as Latin instrumentalists that include Willie Bobo, Patato Valdez, and Israel Cachao Lopez. The tunes include a number of really strong originals that push the format of such a set – stretching past simple Latinized cover tunes, and displaying the ear for modal and global grooves that would mark some of Pike's best later years! Titles include "Dream Garden", "Latin Blues", "Montuna Orita", "Aphrodite", "Not A Tear", "Mambo Dinero", and "Baby". CD

A surprisingly heavy-duty set from bassist Lonnie Plaxico – featuring a few tunes that get nice and funky, next to others that open up in a sweetly soulful mode! The drummer on the set – Lionel Cardew – has a nice kick on the kit on the more upbeat numbers, giving the group a full-on feel that really sets the stage for plenty of action. And on the mellower numbers, Plaxico's taking on more of the rhythms – curving the tunes with his warm tones on the bass, and bringing out some nice work from trumpeter Alexander Norris and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland. Titles include "A Shorter Take", "Jumping Jacks", "Cachao's Dance", "Senor Silver", and "Along Came Benny". CD

A killer all-star session – very much in the tradition of the legendary work by the Alegre All Stars! Like their albums, this one's a hard-hitting assemblage of some of the best Latin players at the time – including Kako, Charlie Palmieri, Cachao, Bobby Rodriguez, Victor Paz, Louie Ramirez, and many others – a great lineup that really makes the whole thing cook nicely! The album's got two long descarga tracks – "Descarga In K" and "Descarga De Cueros Y Vientos" – plus some shorter tracks that feature lively vocals by Azuguita – including "Eloisa", "Mi Tierra Natal", and "Lloro Tu Partida". Nice cartoony cover, too! CD

Massive! By now, the 2 volumes in Soul Jazz's Nu Yorica series are among some of the most legendary Latin titles we've ever stocked – and this incredible "prequel" to the series is every bit as essential! As the title indicates, the compilation digs back into the early days of the New York crossover Latin scene – taking some of the best examples of mambo, descarga, Latin Soul, and Latin Jazz tracks from the old days! The set list is impeccable, and the compilation's one of the best we can recommend for someone who's looking for a sample of classic Latin grooves. The liner notes are great, and tracks include "Tito On Timbales" by Tito Puente, "Together" by Ray Barretto, "The Word" by Harvey Averne, "El Pito" by Joe Cuba, "Horsin Up" by Orchestra Harlow, "The Oracle" by Sabu Martinez, "Se Formo El Bochinche" by Arsenio Rodriguez, "My Spiritual Indian" by Eddie Palmieri, "Druma Kugi" by Mongo Santamaria, and "Descarga Cachao" by Tito Rodriguez. CD

A great set of Latin grooves – more of a freewheeling collection of heavy jazzy numbers, pulled from rare LP sources, than the sleepy sort of overview of "masters" than you might expect from the title! There's some great gems from the New York scene of the 60s on here – surprisingly well selected, in a style that takes the set way past some of Rhino's more "beginner-oriented" Latin sets. Titles include "El Senor Sid" by Bobby Vince Paunetto, "Africa" by Silvestre Mendez, "Kush" by Chocolate, "Jazz Pachanga" by Ray Barretto, "Sibony" by Cachao, "Flamenco Ain't Bad" by Sabu Martinez, "Hot Pants Road" by Ocho, "Chino" by Tito Puente, "Que Mambo" by Francisco Aguabella, "His Groove" by Eddie Cano & Nino Tempo, and "Ochosi Om Mi" by Mark Weinstein. 18 cuts in all! CD

An amazing album that's one of the greatest-ever descarga sessions to come out of the New York scene! The album's supposedly a tribute to pianist Noro Morales – but it's got a fire and energy that goes way beyond even Morales' best work, one that has the group recording in a long-format approach that was very different, and much harder-jamming than any of Morales' recordings from the 50s. The tracks are mostly Morales originals, but you'd hardly recognize them in the way the band takes off from their simple structure – using the room of the full recording to groove hard on the album's best long tracks – "Mi Guajira", "Ponce", and "Vitamina" – all of which are the kind of Latin jammers you buy reissues like this for! Players include Louie Ramirez, Charlie Palmieri, Cachao, and Hector Rivera – and other tracks include "Perfume De Gardenia", "Desvelo De Amor", and "Malditos Celos". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Eddie Palmieri's greatest albums of the 60s – a landmark not just for his career, but for Latin jazz in general! The record features a very prominent electric bass – which kicks up the groove a lot more than on some of Eddie's earlier records, and almost gives the set a Latin Soul feel. Eddie's piano is loose and free – with lots of lyrical touches that seem to be picked up from his records with Cal Tjader – and the group features Cachao on bass, and Cynthia Ellis on lead vocals on a few cuts. The coolest of these is the very groovy boogaloo cut "The African Twist". Other cuts include "Palo De Mango", "Delirio", "Ay Que Rico", and "Busca Lo Tuyo". CD

A really unique little 60s Latin session from Verve – recorded with a surprisingly stripped-down feel that you wouldn't expect from the label, given that they mostly went for a groovier pop-Latin approach at the time! Percussionists Patato Valdez and Totico join with Arsenio Rodriguez, Virgilio Marti, and Cachao for an album of hard percussion tracks with Afro-Cuban chants – done in a really rootsy mode that's a good approximation of Cuban street music, and which recalls some of the classic Panart recordings of the late 50s. Tracks include "Ya Yo E", "Nuestro Barrio", "Aqua Que La Caer", "Dilo Como Yo", and "Rezo Abacua". CD

A real lost chapter in the career of vibist Dave Pike – an obscure one-off Latin session recorded for Decca in the mid 60s! The album was done in the years between Pike's first few early jazz sides and his later tripped-out sessions for MPS and Vortex – and features Dave leading a groovy combo that has a really playful approach to the work. Players include trumpeter Dave Burns, flautist Hubert Laws, guitarist Atilla Zoller, and a young Chick Corea – as well as Latin instrumentalists that include Willie Bobo, Patato Valdez, and Israel Cachao Lopez. The tunes include a number of really strong originals that push the format of such a set – stretching past simple Latinized cover tunes, and displaying the ear for modal and global grooves that would mark some of Pike's best later years! Titles include "Dream Garden", "Latin Blues", "Montuna Orita", "Aphrodite", "Not A Tear", "Mambo Dinero", and "Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A real killer from the mighty Tito Rodriguez – a set that's got him opening up a bit more than usual, with a vibe that reflects some of the changes coming from the younger corners of the Latin scene! The album's got a lively feel, and a bit more jazz than usual from Tito – a flavor that's maybe more like some of the Alegre or Tico albums coming out at the time, and less like some of Rodriguez more crossover albums on United Artists. The album's got two killer descarga numbers – "Descarga Cachao" and "Descarga Malanga" – both of which are hard-hitting, fiercely-jamming tunes that really push past the usual Latin fluff of Tito's albums – and the tracks start with heavy percussion, and feature lots of jazzy solo work. Other titles are nice too – and include "Tremendo Cumban", "Boco Boco", "Sun Sun Babae", and "La Toalla". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark collection – and one that virtually defined an entire generation unto itself! Back in the mid-90s, when this early Soul Jazz collection was first issued – there was a certain strain of Latin music that had been ignored for decades – that unusual fusion of Latin, soul, funk, and jazz that happened mostly in the New York underground of the 70s – at a time when salsa was reigning king, and some of the more soulful currents were getting lost in the shuffle. The work here is wonderful – and thanks to this set, finally has gotten its place in the history book – as a key moment when so many different scenes came together, and made some of the most groundbreaking Latin grooves of the 20th century! The set's got a wonderful book that's really a primer to hip Latin sounds of the 70s – and the 2CD set is filled with gems that include "La Trompeta Y La Flauta" by Cachao, "Gumbo" by Cortijo Y Su Maquina Del Tiempo, "Un Dia Bonita" by Eddie Palmieri and "Macho" by Machito Orchesta – plus "Las Negritas De Caranval" by Charlie Palmieri, "Mamey Colorao" by Ocho, "Aftershower Funk" by Joe Bataan, "Amigos" by Stone Alliance, "Babilonia" by Ricardo Marrero, "Anabaco" by Grupo Folklorico & Experimental, "Little Rico" by Bobby Vince Paunetto, "Condiciones Que Existen" by Eddie Palmieri, "My Friend" by Ricardo Marrero, and "Tornado" by Ocho. CD

A strangely wonderful Latin set with a very drum-heavy approach! Cuban percussionist Walfredo plays in a large group with Louie Belson on the regular kit and "moog drum" – and the rest of the group features strong Latin players like Francisco Aguabella, Clare Fischer, Emil Richards, and Cachao. Very nice stuff, with a strong groove that you wouldn't expect from the usual Pablo material. Titles include "Ecue", "Salsa In Cinco", "Sentido En Seis", and "Javilla". LP, Vinyl record album