A wonderfully expanded reissue of this South American rock treasure from the early 70s – key recordings by Eduardo Mateo, easily one of the most enigmatic musicians to ever record on the Uruguay scene! Although once a member of some harder-edged rock acts in the 60s, Mateo is surprisingly warm and gentle on these tracks – slightly folksy at times, but also with echoes of candombe in the percussion of some of these tunes – a unique cross-cultural blend that's made even better through production that's sweetly compressed, but also wonderfully clean and simple. There's an earnest, personal feel to these tunes that reminds us a lot of the work of Alzo & Udine – or Alzo, solo – spare use of percussion underneath acoustic guitar, topped by vocals that really have a way of grabbing us, even when we can't understand the lyrics! Given Mateo's temperament and unreliability in the studio, the original album in the set was more of a "collection" put together by his producer – and it's expanded on greatly here with the addition of 8 more bonus tracks recorded at the end of the 60s – a few live tracks, and a number of other collaborations that follow the spirit of the main album. The package features a wonderful 44 page booklet, loaded with notes and photos – and titles include "Yulele", "Quien Te Viera", "Uh Que Macana", "Nina", "Tras De Ti", "Por Que", "La Chola", "Esa Cosa", "Blues Para El Bien Mio", "Margaritas Rojas", "Hombre", and "Mumi". CD

A great reissue that pairs together 2 obscure west coast sides from the 50s – both of them featuring some of the scene's best players, caught in a very different setting! The first 6 tracks on the set are from a 10" LP that originally appeared on the Skylark label under the leadership of drummer George Redman. Redman's playing and leadership are fine, but the real strength of the set is its work by Bob Gordon on tenor sax and Herbie Harper on trombone – coming together here beautifully in the deft style used often on the Nocturne recordings by both players. Titles include "Babette", "Sonny Boy", "Moer Blues", "Slow Mood", and "Just George". The remaining 5 tracks on the set are from Reflections In Jazz – an even hipper set led by Bob Enevoldsen on both valve trombone and tenor – and featuring Marty Paich on piano and accordion, Larry Bunker on vibes, and Red Mitchell on bass. Enevoldsen's work on the valve trombone is really great here – as well-spaced and timed as that of Bob Brookmeyer in the period – but also given some interesting inflections, due to the use of vibes and accordion, which seem to bring out even more harmonics in the session. Titles include "Topsy", "Loaded With Bass", "Iron Works", "Blues & Rhythm", and "Don't Be That Way". CD