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

A nice little bit of exotica – with a dreamy island feel that mixes organ, electric guitar, vibes, flutes, and percussion – in a groove that's almost like that of a surf combo gone easy, as you might guess from the name of the group. There's no real standouts here, but Joe Cain arranged the set, and he gives it a nicely off-beat sound – as he does on his best pop Latin sides from the time. Titles include "Shango", "The Wayward Wind", "Voodoo Moon", and "Shangri La". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising cooker from Jack Wilson – a player we know mostly for his lightly lyrical work on piano, but who's stepping out here on Hammond – working in a unique two-organ setting with players Genghis Kyle and Henry Cain! The two-organ approach is a great one – as one Hammond seems to be working rhythm while the other takes off on a solo – and vice versa – and the combo's backed by Gene Edwards and John Gray on guitar, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Donald Bailey and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Titles include "For Carl", "Cain's Abel", "Blues N Boogie", "Lonely Avenue", and "My Favorite Things". LP, Vinyl record album

Stone lost Latin funk! This is Candido's rarest – and it's a killer batch of conga-heavy grooves, recorded in the late 60s for Solid State, and featuring a very groovy set of mod Latin arrangements by Joe Cain. The band features organ, guitar, bass, horns, and some upfront conga solos from Candido. Tracks are longer than usual for this sort of album – and there's a lot of strange elements floating through the tracks, in a very nice way! Titles include "Thousand Finger Man", which has some especially firey conga breakdowns, plus "Jump Back", "Soul Limbo", "Tony's Theme (from Lady In Cement)", and "Come On Choo Choo Train". CD

A really fantastic collection of funky jazz from the Mainstream Records label – a funky powerhouse that was maybe only second to CTI in the early 70s – and which had a great way of moving forward older soul jazz players to a sweet electric sound for the new generation! The choice of cuts here is superb – some of our favorites from Mainstream, including a lot of lesser-known gems from their more obscure LPs – packed in a collection that runs for nearly 80 minutes in length, with never a letup on the funky moments! Titles include "El Torro Poo Poo" by Charles Kynard, "Red Clay" by Jack Wilkins, "House Of The Rising Funk" by Afrique, "Naima" by Charles McPherson, "Equipoise" by Roy Haynes, "Quadrivium" by Hadley Caliman, "Mambo Au Go Go" by Joe Cain, "Hot Peppers" by Mauricio Smith, "Mi Hermano" by Blue Mitchell, "Inner City Blues" by Sarah Vaughan, "M'Bassa" by Lamont Johnson, "The Loud Minority (edit)" by Frank Foster, "Babylon" by Buddy Terry, and "Ain't Got Nobody" by Maxine Weldon. CD

Arranged by Joe Cain – with cuts that include "Mas", "Noche De Lluvia", "Otra Vez Adios", "Vas", "Hoy", "Tocame", and "En Un Rincon Del Alma". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Ravi Coltrane on soprano and tenor saxophone, Joe Locke on vibes, Billy Childs and Uri Caine on piano, Mark Feldman on violin, Derek Oleskiewicz on bass, and Gerry Gibbs on drums, bells, and other small instruments. CD

Dave Douglas on trumpet, Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor sax, Josh Roseman on trombone, Uri Caine on piano, James Genus on bass, and Joey Baron on drums. CD

Dave Douglas on trumpet, Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Joshua Roseman on trombone, Greg Tardy on clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor saxophone, Uri Caine on piano, James Genus on bass, and Joey Baron on drums. Tracks are a mix of originals and compositions by Mary Lou Williams. CD