A legendary crossover Latin album from the mid 70s! Percussionist Rafael Cortijo leads a killer group that mixes Latin jazz, salsa, and 70's soul instrumentation into a groove that's still being touted highly today – a classic Nuyorican sound that's only slightly electric, but has a really pulsating groove throughout. There's some especially great horn work on the album – tight and jazzy, but in a really fresh way – and production is by Harvey Averne, who really knows how to get the sound right! Titles include the killer cut "Gumbo", plus "Baila Y Gozo", "Carnaval", "La Verdad", and "La Tercera Guerra". CD

Some of the best work ever from Puerto Rican percussionist Rafael Cortijo Verdejo – sides recorded in New York for the Ansonia label, at a time when Cortijo's music was even more rootsy than it was a decade before! The material here marks a renewed sense of tradition in players of Cortijo's generation – almost a back-to-basics mode that was their answer to the hybrids of the late 60s – a style that often has Rafael focusing even more on the rhythms at the bottom of the tracks, and leaving behind some of the fuller orchestrations of the 50s. The mighty Kako joins in on percussion on a number of tracks too – and singers include Chivirico Davila and Johnny Vega – on titles that include "Chiviriquiton", "Tele Tele Ya", "La Madama", "Que Linda Te Ves", "Tu Y Tu Guarapo", "Quien Fuel El Primero", "Echando Un Pie", "Alegria Bomba Es", "Dorotea", "Dudando", and "El Negrito Bailador". Comes with great notes in Spanish and English, too! CD

Features Cortijo in the lead on timbales and congas – with vocals by Ismael Rivera – plus Eddie Perez and Hector Santos on sax, Roberto Roena on bongos, and Martin Quinones on congas! LP, Vinyl record album

Killer combo work from the legendary Cortijo – and just the kind of set to show why he was easily one of the sharpest Latin leaders of the 60s! The emphasis here is on heavy rhythms – the sort that set the dancefloor on fire right from the start, but keep things compelling through a really sophisticated criss-crossing of percussion passages, basslines, and horns! Vocals are by a young Ismael Rivera, who's already got that well-developed sense of soul in his tone – and titles include "Bailala Bien", "El Negro Bembon", "Huy Que Pote", "El Satelite", "El Chivo De La Campana", and "Con La Punta Del Pie Teresa". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the many great late 50s stormers from Cortijo – and a record that features vocals by Ismael Rivera, Nelson Pinedo, and Roy Rosario. The tracks are a mix of styles, but they all have a fairly traditional Afro-Cuban groove. Titles include "Que Coco", "El Mantequero", "Micaela", "Maria Teresa", and "Borinquen". And just in case you were wondering, the cover of this one is green, with Cortijo alone, hitting a conga! LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Nelson Pinedo with Cortijo and his combo and Sonora Matancera, Johnny Lopez with Sonora Matancera, Ismael Rivera with Cortijo and his combo, Joe Valle with his orchestra, and Celio Gonzales with Sonora Matancera. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic dip into one of the coolest Latin labels of the 70s – the short-lived but incredible Coco Records – an imprint that was arguably even hipper than Fania, Alegre, or some of the other bigger indies of the time! The label was the brainchild of Harvey Averne – who you'll probably know from great work of his own on Fania and Atlantic – and by the time of the mid 70s run of records from Coco, he'd already soaked up plenty of experience on the uptown Latin scene in New York, and was really open to creating the kind of place where the best artists were free to experiment. The result was that Coco had a way of handling styles like the growing Latin funk movement of the time, while also letting older artists really open up with newly visionary music that might have gotten shut away on more commercial imprints. And while the tracks on this set are just the tip of the iceberg, they definitely offer up some of the real highlights of Coco Records – titles that include "Heavy Duty" by Barrio Band, "Cimarron" by Orquesta Cimarron, "Nunca Contigo" by Eddie Palmieri, "Girl From The Mountain (Tom Moulton disco mix)" by Ralfi Pagan, "C'Mon Baby Do the Latin Hustle" by Fajardo 76, "Mi Ritmo Llego" by Machito with Lalo Rodriguez, "La Verdad" by Cortijo, "Small Folk Reservation" by Toro, and "Azuquita Mami" by Joe Quijano. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fantastic collections we've ever heard from DJ Amir – a set that may well blow away his classic On/Off Track sets for the depth of its spirit and feeling! Amir's been well-known as a crate digger for many years – and while digging for funk, soul, and hip hop on the New York scene, he's also come across plenty of rare Latin nuggets – not familiar salsa or crossover Latin Soul, but instead some much deeper numbers that show just how much spirit and imagination the music had when it was at its best! Most of the numbers here are from late 60s and 70s vintage – and many have this jazzy energy that goes way past just simple grooves, and which instead features the richer colors and complicated motions of some of Eddie Palmieri's music, especially in the 70s. Titles include the previously unreleased "Salsa (parts 1 & 2)" by Fito Foster – plus "Picadillo" by La Moderna Of New York, "Bomba" by Dax Pacem, "Paranoia" by Wayne Gorbea Y Su Conjunto Salsa, "Rogelio Tiene La Salsa" by Chino Y Su Conjunto Melao, "Yo No Bailo Con Juana" by Cortijo Y Kako, "Vete De Aqui" by Joey Aponte, "Asi Asi Descarga" by Mike Hernandez Y Su Sonora Casino, "Tembelque" by Louie Colon, "El Ritmo Soledad" by Orchestra Soledad, and "El Pulpo" by Joey Pastrana. CD

A great little record from Charlie Palmieri – and one of his oddest! The "electro" in the title refers to a strange tinny organ that Charlie plays on many cuts on the record, a cool little instrument that gives the songs a nice twist. The backing's pretty great in the classic Coco Records mode – with strong salsa grooving, and a list of players that includes Tito Puente, Manny Oquendo, Roberto Roena, Cortijo, Cachao, and Andy Gonzalez. The record features a groovy little funk number called "The Taxi Driver" – plus Latin numbers like "Para Caracas Me Voy", "Maracaibo Oriental", "Salazon", and "Las Negritas De Carnaval". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fantastic collections we've ever heard from DJ Amir – a set that may well blow away his classic On/Off Track sets for the depth of its spirit and feeling! Amir's been well-known as a crate digger for many years – and while digging for funk, soul, and hip hop on the New York scene, he's also come across plenty of rare Latin nuggets – not familiar salsa or crossover Latin Soul, but instead some much deeper numbers that show just how much spirit and imagination the music had when it was at its best! Most of the numbers here are from late 60s and 70s vintage – and many have this jazzy energy that goes way past just simple grooves, and which instead features the richer colors and complicated motions of some of Eddie Palmieri's music, especially in the 70s. Titles include the previously unreleased "Salsa (parts 1 & 2)" by Fito Foster – plus "Picadillo" by La Moderna Of New York, "Bomba" by Dax Pacem, "Paranoia" by Wayne Gorbea Y Su Conjunto Salsa, "Rogelio Tiene La Salsa" by Chino Y Su Conjunto Melao, "Yo No Bailo Con Juana" by Cortijo Y Kako, "Vete De Aqui" by Joey Aponte, "Asi Asi Descarga" by Mike Hernandez Y Su Sonora Casino, "Tembelque" by Louie Colon, "El Ritmo Soledad" by Orchestra Soledad, and "El Pulpo" by Joey Pastrana. CD

An incredible double-length set from Soul Jazz – a collection of Latin tunes that's easily as important as their groundbreaking NuYorica collection from a decade before! Like that one, most of the work here is from the 70s – and showcases a time in New York Latin when the music was really opening up to new changes – not just the Latin Soul modes picked up in the previous decades, but also new elements of jazz, funk, disco, and even some more traditional styles from Cuba and Puerto Rico. The grooves aren't just standard Latin, but often have some very surprising bits in the mix – funky instrumental riffing, soulful vocals, and more – all often in a mode that's perfect for the dancefloor! 2CD set features 23 tracks in all – with titles that include "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by Louie Ramirez, "Tighten Up" by Al Escobar, "Snidely Whiplash" by The Alexander Review, "Joe Cuba's Madness" by Joe Cuba, "Control" by Ismael Quinones, "Abidjan" by Ray Barretto, "Porcupine" by Nature Zone, "Soul Makossa" by Johnny Zamot, "No Nos Pararan" by La Charanga 76, "Sorongo" by Cortijo, "Mala Calunga" by Johnny Sedes, "Angustia Maternal" by Willie Colon, "Mai Kinshasa" by Jose Mangual, "Shoot The Pump" by J Walter Negro & The Loose Jointz, "Mi Mambo Conga" by Eddie Palmieri, "Om Marrero" by Seguida, "Alex Mambo" by Machito, "Dancin & Prancin" by Candido, "El Bollinski En D7" by Charlie Santiago & Eddie Montalvo, "Doug's Room" by Mauricio Smith, and "I Had A Friend" by The Family Affair. CD

A deep dive into the world of Puerto Rican music in the years before salsa and Latin Soul – overflowing with the sounds and styles that also helped forge a huge new wave of expression on the New York scene as well! The package does a great job of pulling together tracks that really get at this prehistory of more familiar Latin modes – beginning with rare tracks from the 78rpm years, then focusing on killer album cuts from the late 50s and early 60s – grooves that were helping Puerto Rico to rival Cuba in terms of fresh rhythms and razor-sharp instrumentation! Just about all of this work has been out of print on any format for many years – including CD – and the package does a great job of tracing the line from San Juan up to New York – with a selection of 44 tracks by artists who include Humberto Morales, Bobby Capo, Orquesta Panamericana, Noro Morales, Cesar Concepcion, Cortijo, Roy Rosario, Ismael Rivera, Chiquitin Garcia, Angel Luis Torruellas, Cuarteto Puerto Rico, Roberto Casillas, Lou Perez, and others. CD