Coco Maria hosts a mighty cool radio show on BBC Worldwide – one that showcases all sorts of unusual Latin music hybrids that have come up over the years – including a good range of contemporary music, such as the tracks featured on this really well-done compilation! The music here has echoes of older Colombian, Tropical, and Afro-Cuban modes – but often served up with really inventive arrangements and instrumentation that turn things completely around – not in any sort of Latin remix style, but with more of a groove that shows what some of the more unusual Latin hybrid combos have been working on! Titles include "Children's Favourite" by Guess What, "Lepidoptera" by Iko Cherie, "El Bravo" by Candeleros, "Vamonos Cocos" by Raz Olsher, "Off The Groove" by Ronald Snijders, "Always Ready To Smile" by Juan Hundred, "Seguimos Sonriendo" by Acid Coco, and "Sacudete" by Lola's Dice. CD

Coco Maria hosts a mighty cool radio show on BBC Worldwide – one that showcases all sorts of unusual Latin music hybrids that have come up over the years – including a good range of contemporary music, such as the tracks featured on this really well-done compilation! The music here has echoes of older Colombian, Tropical, and Afro-Cuban modes – but often served up with really inventive arrangements and instrumentation that turn things completely around – not in any sort of Latin remix style, but with more of a groove that shows what some of the more unusual Latin hybrid combos have been working on! Titles include "Children's Favourite" by Guess What, "Lepidoptera" by Iko Cherie, "El Bravo" by Candeleros, "Vamonos Cocos" by Raz Olsher, "Off The Groove" by Ronald Snijders, "Always Ready To Smile" by Juan Hundred, "Seguimos Sonriendo" by Acid Coco, and "Sacudete" by Lola's Dice. LP, Vinyl record album

Bravo Brubeck, indeed – as this great live set not only has the Brubeck quartet in Mexico, working through some surprising Latin-themed tunes – but also includes some added percussion and guitar, which brings a whole new dimension to their sound! The album's still got the core Brubeck approach at its heart – with Dave on piano, Paul Desmond on incredible alto sax, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums – but the quartet finds a way to really open up on these numbers, and expand their sound into new modes – as they'd done on some of their Japanese and Eurasian explorations. A number of tunes are Latin American numbers, re-arranged in a modern way by Brubeck – and titles include "Cielito Lindo", "Sobre Las Olas", "Nostalgia De Mexico", "Poinciana", "Estrellita", and "Alla En El Rancho Grande". CD features the bonus track "Frenesi". CD

With Frank Morgan on alto, Sonny Bravo on piano, Bobby Rodriguez on bass, Tito Puente and Orestes Vilato on timbales, Johnny Rodriguez on bongos and percussion, and Joe Madera on congas and percussion. LP, Vinyl record album