A great meeting of talents in the studio – as Ismael Rivera sings lead vocals for Kako's smoking combo, complete with congas by Patato Valdez! The sound here is a great – rootsy and highly percussive on the bottom, yet smooth on the top thanks to Ismael's vocals – sung here in a style that's slightly soulful, and reaching out with a good degree of personal inflection. The whole thing's a nice precursor to more popular salsa modes of the 70s – and titles include "La Cumbita", "Moti-Agua", "Cantar Maravilloso", "Mi Negrita Me Espera", and "El Truquito". LP, Vinyl record album

A dozen tracks. CD

... CD

The second volume of legendary Fania in the Leyendeas De La Fania series – featuring hard driving salsa and soulful Latin sounds from the fertile 70s years at the label – with numbers by Ismael Rivera, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz & Tito Puente, Charlie Palmieri, Bobby Valentine, La Lupe, Joe Bataan, Pete Rodriguez and more!. t's great mix of Fania hits andl and some perhaps lesser known numbers that are just as incredible. "Me Tienes" by Ismael Rivera", "Chonqui" by Willie Colon, "El Hablador" by Sonora Poncena, "Coco" by Charlie Palmieri", "Para Puerto Rico Voy" by Joe Bataan, "Sin Tu Carino" by Fania All Stars, "Tinicue" by Celia Cruz & Tito Puente and more. CD

A full-on set from the mighty Fania All-Stars – a session that matches some of the larger arrangements of their Columbia Records albums, but which also returns the group to more of a salsa-focused groove! Tracks are somewhat short – none of the jam sessions of the group's earliest years – but the sound is top-shelf all the way through, and a lot more classic than you'd guess from the cheesy cocaine image on the cover! Group members include Papo Luca on piano, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Roberto Roena on bongos, Yomo Toro on cuatro, and Lewis Khan on trombone – and singers include Hector Lavoe, Adalberto Santiago, Willie Colon, Ismael Rivera, and Celia Cruz. Titles include "Semilla De Amor", "Bilongo", "La Montana", "Rosa En El Fango", "Mi So Den Boso", and "Nina". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little live album from The Fania All Stars – one that's recorded a few years after their classic sets at the Cheetah, Red Garter, and Yankee Stadium – but which still burns with the same sort of energy! The groove here has a bit more of a straighter salsa approach – as you'd guess from the date – but the record still features the cream of the crop of the New York scene, coming together with a masterful sense of power and togetherness! Vocalsits include Justo Belancourt, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, and Ismael Rivera – and titles include "Felicitaciones", "Ahora Si", "Publico Corriente", "Toro Mata", "El Nazareno", "Cucala", and "Yo Soy La Candela". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful soundtrack to one of the most important films to Latin music in the 70s! This double-length set features a huge array of work from the movie – not only important musical bits, both live and in the studio, but also snippets from TV, concert introductions, and lots lots more that show the range and cultural impact of the early 70s New York scene – stretching way past a simple understanding that you might have from other records! Players include Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Pacheco, and Bobby Valentin – and tracks include "Drum Story", "The Sugar Cane", "Hollywood", "Barrio", "Mi Gente", "Congo Bongo", "Slave Ship", "African Village", and "Soul Makossa". Also features guest appearances by Geraldo Rivera, Dezi Arnaz, Ismael Quintana, Carmen Miranda, and Al Jolson! LP, Vinyl record album

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 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

Music by Justo Betancourt, Bobby Cruz & Richie Ray, Hector Lavoe, Pete Rodriguez, Celia Cruz, Roberto Roena, Ismael Rivera, and others. CD

By the mid 70s, the New York Latin scene was boomin' so large it could easily fill venues like Yankee Stadium – as you'll hear on this excellent live set from the Fania All-Stars, a monster record that easily ranks with the best live Latin sides of the time – like Eddie Palmieri at Sing Sing, the Tico-Alegre All Stars at Carnegie Hall, or Mongo Santamaria at Yankee Stadium! Tracks are nice and long – a real mix of soul and Latin, with slight funk and electric touches – and players include Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Bobby Valentin, Mongo Santamaria, Ricardo Ray, and Roberto Roena. Vocals are by a host of singers that include Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera, and Celia Cruz – and titles on this first volume include "Pueblo Latino", "Mi Gente", and "Soy Guajiro". CD

A legendary look at the sounds of Puerto Rico – one that brings together tracks from a time when the island was really hopping with fresh new rhythms, served up by a host of young, soon to be important leaders – music that's every bit as powerful as work coming from Havana and New York at the time! The rhythms here are slightly different – with some bomba and plena thrown into the mix, served up with plenty of percussion too – all at a level that would have a huge influence on Latin music for decades to come! The package features detailed notes that provide the sort of background and information that some of the leaner Latin reissues of previous years never had – and titles include "Cortaron a Elena" by Cortijo (as Canario & Su Grupo con Raful), "En Orbita" by Baltazar Carrero, "Habla Cuembre" by Los Caballeros Del Ritmo, "El Plenero" by Mon Rivera Y Su Orquesta, "Dejalo Que Suba" by by Cortijo (as Canario & Su Grupo con Raful), "Belinda" by Chivirico, "Cucala" by Cortijo Y Su Combo con Ismael Rivera, and "Ron Con Coco" by Mon Rivera Y Su Orquesta. 30 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album