Possibly the greatest album ever from Angel Canales – a 70s salsa classic through and through, and one with great links between the New York scene and Canales' Puerto Rican roots! The tunes are wonderfully heartfelt throughout – sung with a youthful sense of soul that's far different than some of the more emotive modes of previous generations of Latin singers – in a way that really scored big with the younger generation at the time, and which makes Canales one of the key forces helping to change the sound of the music in the 70s. Instrumentation is nice and tight – acoustic small combo work with two trombones, trumpet, baritone sax, flute, piano, bass, and percussion – under musical direction by Juan Torres. Titles include "Lejos De Ti", "Perico Macona", "La Hiedra", "Sol De Mi Vida", "Sabor Los Rumberos Nuevos", and "El Cantante Y La Orquesta". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking killer from Latin trumpeter Bobby Quesada – recorded during the Latin soul era, with vocals from Luis Rodriguez – and titles that include "Ritmo Canga", "Boogaloo Jala Jala", "Pelu Y Pelao", "Guaguanco A Las Mamis", "Pollo Frisao", and "Sueltame Ya". LP, Vinyl record album

The group's led by Elvin Torres, features vocals from Mariano Civico and Wichy Cortez, and saxes from Carlos Carrera and Paco Pepe – on titles that include "Ni Presto Ni Fio", "Ranchito Mio", "Despertar", and "Dale Machete". LP, Vinyl record album

With the Louie Ramirez Band. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Cheesy name – but a great set! And although "Blue Note" is in the title and the label, the package actually brings together a bunch of rare Latin sides from other labels in the Capitol/EMI camp – like World Pacific, Liberty, & Roulette. The overall groove is really wonderful – with a lively Latin jazz sound that's nicely spaced out, and a really rich selection of material that's pretty hard to find otherwise. Titles include "Soul Cha" by Joe Torres, "Latin Fever" by Jack Costanzo, "Agua Dulce" by Jazz Crusaders, "African Fantasy" by Bobby Montez, "Favela" by Clare Fischer, "La Bruja Negra" by Joe Torres, "Ritmo Bobo" by Sonny Stitt, "Blue Sands" by Charles Kynard & Buddy Collette, and "Trinidad" by Willie Bobo. 14 cuts in all – and a nice groove throughout! CD

With selections by Chico Buarque, Joao Bosco, Milton Nascimento, Elba Ramalho, Gal Gosta, MPB4, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Kick-ass early work from the great Tom Ze – recorded in the beginning of the Tropicalia years, but with a style that shows Ze sitting on the fence between rock/pop and some of his madder later work! The style's still pretty hard to describe, and listening to the music, you can hear how much of an influence Ze must have had on the styles of Caetano Veloso and Os Mutantes – whose work from 1969 is echoed in many of the songs on the album. There's lots of weird organ, arranged in kind of a swirling psychedelic way that reminds us of songs from the early Mutantes album, or from the Tropicalia Ou Panis et Circensis album from 1968. Ze wrote all the tracks, and titles include "Sabor De Burrice", "Camelo", "Gloria", "Curso Intesivo De Boas Maneiras", "Parque Industrial", and "Profissao De Ladrao". A great cover, and a rare rare relic! LP, Vinyl record album

Killer Latin from South American drummer Frank Hernandez – easily the king of the scene on his side of the globe! Frank's taking a key cue here from the harder sound of the New York scene of the time – and the record's overflowing with great little tracks that mix together heavy percussion, sinister piano, and soulful chorus vocals that leap and dance along with the grooves. A few cuts are instrumentals, done with some great horn work in place – and the whole album's a cooker that can't be denied! Includes a great remake of "El Pito", plus "Dame Tu Carino", "Sabor A Miel", "Potpourri Judio", "Cafe", "Bombonchara", "Rumba Brava", and "Dulce Veneno". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer album from the Fania All-Stars – one that's quite different than most of their other work at the time, with an open-ended jam session feel that really takes us back to the old days! The group here is really just a sextet – the core combo used to launch the group name on Columbia Records – and the session is one that was originally done for Columbia in 1976, when Gene Page had to cancel a studio date, and the band got the chance to jam by themselves in the studio! The result is a groove that's strongly jazzy, with lots of descarga energy – played by a group that features Johnny Pacheco on flute, Papo Lucca on piano, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Ray Barretto on congas, Bobby Valentin on bass, and Roberto Roena on bongos and assorted percussion. Roena sings on one track, but most of the set is instrumental – with nice long cuts that include "The War Gods", "Seis Con El Mismo Sabor", "Vento Conmigo", "Taxi To Aguadilla", and "Guajira Para Los Pollos". LP, Vinyl record album

A Latin soul party – beyond compare! The album's a completely wonderful live set that really captures the energy, excitement, and warm sociability of the hip New York scene at the end of the 60s. The music is stunning – a freewheeling blend of jazz, soul, and Latin themes – played with effortless ease by a lineup that includes Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Bobby Quesada, Louie Ramirez, Ralph Robles, and some of the other heavy-hitters of the Latin soul years. (Just imagine trying to get so many jazz or rock talents together on one stage – it would never happen!) The album's incredible – and even the spoken introductions and crowd noise really help set the feel of the era's mighty magic power! Titles on this first volume include "Country Girl-City Man", "Mi Gusta El Son", "Sabor Sabor" and "Guatacando". Firey stuff, and one of their best records! LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work – one of Charlie's best albums of the 70s! The album's a straight salsa set, but it's done with a truly pummeling level of energy that kicks in from the first note – really blasting in with some strong statements by the band, then letting loose on longer tracks than usual, all of which have Charlie's jazzy touch firmly in place! Arrangements are all wonderful – done by Charlie, Roy Roman, and Bobby Valentin – and vocals are by Menique and Julito Villot. Includes the instrumental track "Melodica In F" – which features Charlie playing some very weird melodica – plus "Arroz Con Bacalao", "Tiene Sabor", "Consuelate", and "No Puedo Mas". LP, Vinyl record album

The third volume in this very groovy series takes a distinct Brazilian turn – and opens up into a sparkling set of bossa jammers and hard jazzy numbers that are extremely well-selected for the set! Not all the tracks are Brazilian in origin, but they are all hard to find – and the groove's extremely solid throughout! Tracks include "Quo Vadis Samba" by Goykovic-Novacek, "Carcara" by Tempo Trio, "Tim Dom Dom" by Joao Donato, "Jangal" by Dom Um Romao, "Batucada Sergiu" by Luis Carlos Vinhas, "Grand Nite For Swinging" by Mary Lou Williams, "Consolacao" by Larry Willis, "Influencia Do Jazz" by Bossa Tres, "Mudei De Idea" by Osmar Milito, "Un Sabor Latino" by Ricardo Marrero, "Cobranca" by Carlos Penha, and "Tema Pro Lins" by Rosinha De Valencia. Lots more, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Anabis", "Stella, Pete, Ronnie", "Tributo Peruchin", "La Pastora", and "La Maquina Del Sabor". CD

Miguelito Valdes is reunited with his old boss, Machito, in an LP of tightly orchestrated "Afro-boleros", as the liner notes call them. All of the material is vocal, in the style that Machito was doing with his larger group of the late 50s. Titles include "Africanerias", "Black Coffee", "Sabor", "Mi Tumbao", and the groovy "Blen Blen Blen". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious recordings in the excellent Jazz Is Dead series – and one that marks a long-overdue return for Garrett Sarracho – an artist who gave the world the excellent En Medio album for Impulse Records in the early 70s – but who has mostly kept his talents underground for the past few decades! Here, Saracho is really majestic on piano – and brings in all sorts of currents from Latin jazz, which makes for a very different sound than some of the leaner records in this series – heavy percussion, soaring horns, and all sorts of other wonderful elements – served up next to the core contributions of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The duo have definitely let Sarracho loose to explore his own musical vision, and the record is very much his own – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Trucha", "The Gardens", "Altitude", "White Buffalo", "Sabor Del Ritmo", "El Cambio Es Neccesario", "73", and "Calo". CD

One of the most ambitious recordings in the excellent Jazz Is Dead series – and one that marks a long-overdue return for Garrett Sarracho – an artist who gave the world the excellent En Medio album for Impulse Records in the early 70s – but who has mostly kept his talents underground for the past few decades! Here, Saracho is really majestic on piano – and brings in all sorts of currents from Latin jazz, which makes for a very different sound than some of the leaner records in this series – heavy percussion, soaring horns, and all sorts of other wonderful elements – served up next to the core contributions of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The duo have definitely let Sarracho loose to explore his own musical vision, and the record is very much his own – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Trucha", "The Gardens", "Altitude", "White Buffalo", "Sabor Del Ritmo", "El Cambio Es Neccesario", "73", and "Calo". LP, Vinyl record album

Lost grooves from Spanish Harlem – an incredible set of Latin Soul from The 107th Street Stickball Team! With a name like that, the group certainly aren't as well-remembered as contemporaries like Joe Bataan or Willie Colon, but they've got a soulful groove that definitely fits the style of the time – a sweet uptown blend of Harlem soul and Latin rhythms – with the same blend of sweet soul ballads and uptempo groovers you'd find on some of Bataan's classic albums for Fania Records! Bobby Marin put the whole album together, with a tight groove that's very similar to his work for Speed Records – played here by a group that includes Orlando Marin, Louie Ramirez, Ozzie Torrens, and Joey Pastrana – all kings of Latin Soul at the time! Vocalists include Butch Johnson and Danny Agosto – but there's a real group feel to the record, with lots of harmonies behind the lead – the kind of streetcorner soul you might have heard while catching a stickball game on one of the side streets up north of Harlem. Titles include "Toma Guajira", "Look To Me", "You Put A Hurt In My Heart", "Rhythm & Soul", "Mojo Shingaling", "Barbara With The Kooky Eyes", "Tell Her I Love Her", and "Let Me Do My Thing". CD features 3 bonus tracks by The Nitty Sextet, all previously unissued – "Nitty Boo Boo", "Something New", and "Say Listen". CD