Classic 50s work from vocalist Abbe Lane – and a record that's made all the better by some great arrangements from Tito Puente! Abbe's getting past the sexy tricks of other records here – and singing in a dusky tone that works perfect with Tito's tight, choppy, and highly percussive arrangements. The set's got a wonderful blend of Latin and torch – with tracks that include "Take It Easy", "Green Eyes", "The River Seine", "Babalu", "Pan, Amore & Cha Cha Cha", "Noche De Ronda", and "Whatever Lola Wants". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly groovy record! Although bossa nova isn't normally Tito's bag, he does a great job here moving into the format – picking up the pace of his usual group with some snapping beats that create a bit of a bossa flourish, even though the overall sound's still firmly in the New York groove of some of his other albums. The approach makes for a nice sound – almost a meeting of the minds at the Palladium, handled with lots of jazzy touches, thanks to the heavy use of vibes on the session! Titles include "O Pato", "Payaso", "Bossa Nova A La Puente", "Braziliandia", and "Loco Bossa Nova", a hard groover with more of an Afro-Cuban feel! LP, Vinyl record album

The cover's a bit goofy, but the record's one of those great back to basics Latin jazz sides that Tito Puente cut in the 80s – with a group that has Tito on vibes, plus the great Sonny Bravo on piano, Bobby Rodriguez on bass, Jose Maderas on congas, and Mario Rivara on a variety of saxes and flute! LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record – a heck of a lot nicer than Tito's work in the 50s, with a much more hard driving mambo sound, touched by a bit of jazz. The style here's not dissimilar to Tito Puente's work at the time – and titles include "Ay No No No", "A Little Bit Of Mambo", "El Tunel", "My Reverie", "Oh My Pa Pa", "Why Do I Love You", and "Chika Ni Lambo". LP, Vinyl record album

A burner of a set from Tito Puente – very well titled to suit the energy of the session! The tracks are all highly rhythmic numbers – short, but filled with jazzy horn flourishes and the kind of snapping rhythms that made the Puente group one of the biggest crossover favorites of the 50s. Tunes nicely mix up vocals with some more pronounced jazz soloing – getting a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and really keeping up the energy of the record overall. Ray Barretto's on congas – and other players include Vincent Frisaura and Frank LoPinto on trumpets, Gerry Sanfino and Rafael Tata Palau on saxes, Ray Conception on piano, and Robert Rodriguez on bass. A few cuts have lead vocals – sung by Santos Colon – and titles include "3-D Mambo", "Hong Kong Mambo", "Mambo Gozon", "Saca Tu Mujer", "Varsity Drag", and "El Cayuco". LP, Vinyl record album

This one's a bit subdued, but it's still classic RCA material by Tito – with a strong easy Latin vibe, of the sort that went down very big with the Catskills crowd. The record's got plenty of Cha Cha and Mambo Latin jazz tracks, most of which are covers, apart from the originals "Dancing Under Latin Skies", "Port Au Pleasure", and "Acapulco". LP, Vinyl record album

A burner of a set from Tito Puente – very well titled to suit the energy of the session! The tracks are all highly rhythmic numbers – short, but filled with jazzy horn flourishes and the kind of snapping rhythms that made the Puente group one of the biggest crossover favorites of the 50s. Tunes nicely mix up vocals with some more pronounced jazz soloing – getting a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and really keeping up the energy of the record overall. Ray Barretto's on congas – and other players include Vincent Frisaura and Frank LoPinto on trumpets, Gerry Sanfino and Rafael Tata Palau on saxes, Ray Conception on piano, and Robert Rodriguez on bass. A few cuts have lead vocals – sung by Santos Colon – and titles include "3-D Mambo", "Hong Kong Mambo", "Mambo Gozon", "Saca Tu Mujer", "Varsity Drag", and "El Cayuco". Amazing 2CD edition – with the full bonus Dance Mania 2 album, plus rare bonus tracks from both sessions too – a massive 45 tracks in all! CD

Darn nice record by Tito – and one with a soulful 60s feel, hinted at by the "en Harlem" in the title. The record's not really a Latin soul album, but it's got certain groovy 60s elements that are done very very nicely. Includes great Latin versions of "Downtown" and "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", plus the tracks "Mi Trompeta Tropical", "Rumba En El Patio", "Bluesette", and "Carnaval En Harlem". Also features Santos Colon on vocals on a number of tracks. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set of Latin Soul from the New York scene of the late 60s – a record that's every bit as wonderful as boogaloo classics on labels like Fania and Cotique, but which never got released at the time! The production quality is wonderful – with the mighty Bobby Marin heading up the whole set, and channeling the talents of a fantastic all-star lineup – which includes both Charlie Palmieri and Richie Ray on piano, Tito Puente on timbales, Bobby Rodriguez on bass, and Louie Ramirez on vibes – plus vocals from Jimmy Sabater and Willie Torres, who really give the record a lot of soul! The set's a mixture of instrumentals and vocal numbers, in English and Spanish – and titles include "Something New", "Nitty Boo Boo", "Would You Believe Me?", "Rice And Beans", "Dixie's Mambo", "Fun City Hippy", "Say Listen", "A Fool Like Me", "Papel De Bambu", and "Shingaling Now Boogaloo Later". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite LPs from Chico, son of the great Von Freeman, and carrier of the torch of that great jazz family that included modernist drummer Bruz and leftfield funk jazz guitarist George. The group here includes Cecil McBee on bass, Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, Steve McCall on drums and Tito Sampo on percussion, and though the record references the AACM on the back, the playing has the less of the playful sensibilities many recordings from the AACM have and more of the searching spiritual quality of a post-Coltrane effort. The first side is a lengthy duet between Chico and bassist McBee, while the second side is the quintet recorded live, with some dynamic group interplay that recalls a Strata East type sound. LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record from Charlie Palmieri – and one of his oddest! The "electro" in the title refers to a strange tinny organ that Charlie plays on many cuts on the record, a cool little instrument that gives the songs a nice twist. The backing's pretty great in the classic Coco Records mode – with strong salsa grooving, and a list of players that includes Tito Puente, Manny Oquendo, Roberto Roena, Cortijo, Cachao, and Andy Gonzalez. The record features a groovy little funk number called "The Taxi Driver" – plus Latin numbers like "Para Caracas Me Voy", "Maracaibo Oriental", "Salazon", and "Las Negritas De Carnaval". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive record – and an instant legend the day it was released! Masters At Work host the beautiful meeting of a host legendary artists – Roy Ayers, George Benson, Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Jocelyn Brown, Vince Montana, and others – all united in a magical session that brings Latin firmly back to the dancefloor with the power and majesty of the best 70s recordings! The whole thing's amazing – a fantastic mix of Latin, funk, jazz, and house that's inspired a whole new generation of musicians – and which has still yet to be duplicated years later! Includes the massive remake of "I Am the Blackgold of the Sun", plus "Runaway", "Sweet Tears", and the great cover of Bob James' "Nautilus". CD

A great set from Rebbie Jackson – a batch of 80s groovers that's way different than work from siblings Michael or Janet – and done with a percolating sort of vibe that's quite different from some of the core projects of the rest of the Jacksons universe! Wayne Henderson handled most of the production for the set, and brings in a nice sense of class that pushes the work far from too-commercial soul – that strong balance that always makes his name on a record one key reason to check it out! There's still a bit of Jackson influence on the vocals – as Rebbie gets help from Michael, Tito, and Randy Jackson – alongside additional guest vocals from Gary Glenn, Patryce Banks, Maxie Anderson, and The Weather Girls. Titles include "Centipede", "Play Me", "Open Up To My Love", "Hey Boy", "Come Alive It's Saturday Night", "Ready for Love", and "A Fork In The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

Percussionist Sabu Martinez is one of the all-time greats of Latin music – and this record is probably the rarest he ever cut! The album came out of Sweden, where Sabu was residing during the 70s – enjoying some success as an expatriot jazz player in the European scene. The album mixes Latin grooves and hard funk in a way that's rarely been duplicated, and which has ensured Sabu a place in the funk hall of fame for all time! Breakbeat fanatics have always sought out the album for the cuts "All Camels Hump" and "My Cristina" – but the whole thing's a stunning batch of hard percussion grooves, and it's well worth its rare reputation! Other tracks include "Para Ti, Tito Rodriguez", "Martin Cohen Loves Latin Percussion", "My Son Johnny & Me", and "Wounded Knee". LP, Vinyl record album

A real breakthrough album from Roberto Roena and his Apollo Sound combo – a record that showed the world that this scrappy little group could stand head to head with the giants of the 70s salsa years! As on other records, there's a strongly percussive vibe throughout – bongos from Roena, plus timbales, conga, and other percussion – all topped by a great horn section that features two trumpets, tenor, trombone, and flute – all of whom hit some wonderfully jazzy moments at time, filling in the set with some great tropical shades and colors! Vocals are by Tito Cruz and Sammy Gonzalez, and a number of well placed percussion and horn solos on just about every track. Titles include "Traicion", "Cucarachita Cucarachon", "En Mis Rosales", "Que Se Sepa", "Ese Soy Yo", and "Herencia Rumbera". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent little set from Tito – recorded in the late 50s for Tico, with a groove that's harder than much of his 60s work for United Artists! The lineup includes some nice jazzy vibes work on a few tracks – and the album includes the great percussive track "Suena Tu Bongo (Beat Your Bongo)", plus other nice ones like "Ritmo y Melodia", "Tom & Jerry", and "Asi Na Ma". LP, Vinyl record album

An early 70s session from Celia Cruz & Tito Puente – but one that's recorded with much rootsier touches than you might guess from the date! The album's kind of a precursor to Celia's further rise in the 70s salsa scene in New York – and offers up a nice reworking of older themes and sounds, put together here with a sense of clarity that stands out from some of the earlier Cruz/Puente collaborations. The mighty Joe Cain produced, and arrangements are all by Tito – on titles that include "Vaca Pinta", "De Noche", "Bonco", "Tatalibaba", "Extrano Amor", "Mi Rico Son", and "A Todos Mi Amigos". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically dark Morricone score! Morricone originally wrote this material for the film Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio, the third part of Dario Argento's cult terror trilogy – and until the release of this reissue, only 2 of the tracks ever made it to the public, on a rare single issued by Cinevox in 1971. The leadoff track – "4 Mosche Di Vellutto Grigio (titoli)" – is actually a bit funky, with some very heavy drums and cascading fuzzy guitar riffs that sound very nice. Then, the record moves into spookier material – like the cut "Come Un Madrigale", and a number of self-titled themes – all of which feature strange harpsichord work, dark orchestral passages, and some very spooky production work! Fortunately, the score ends on an upbeat note – a hard driving, beat group sounding version of the main theme that's a nice cap to the whole package! LP, Vinyl record album

Great 60s material from Tito Puente – one of those key Tico sides that have him really changing his sound up for the decade, and working with a slightly leaner vibe than his RCA recordings a few years before! Tito's not in boogaloo mode here, but he's definitely got an ear towards some of the younger, small combos who were showing up on the scene – and hit this sharpness that was as if he were reborn again – a great move, even though as "the king", he could have rested on his laurels! Titles include "Batacumba", "Malanga Con Yuca", "Donde Vas", "Gata Miau, Miau", "Africa Habla", and the classic "Oye Como Va", one of Tito's all time greatest! LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully jazzy work from Tito Rodriguez – and further proof that his live albums are often some of the best he ever recorded! The set's got an earthy feel that's quite different than some of Tito's studio albums – still that tight groove he brought to Latin music at the end of the 50s, but a looser, freer quality too – one that comes through not only in the great horn passages in the group, but also in the way the rhythms cascade and open up – in a groove that must have been very appealing to Palladium dancers. Titles include "Double Talk", "Te Comiste Un Pan", "Satin & Lace", "Mama Guela", "El Mundo De Las Locas", and "El Sabio". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange one for Sonny Stitt – but also a real gem! The album has Sonny, who'd been working for the Roost/Roulette label, coming together with other jazz players in the same boat, plus Latin musicians who were recording for the related Tico label. Moishe Levy never made such a good talent judgement as he did with this session – which features an all-star Latin jazz jam that includes the likes of Ray Barretto, Joe Cuba, Junior Mance, Les Spann, Billy Taylor, Wild Bill Davis, Barry Galbraith, Walter Perkins, and Tito Puente. The organ of Davis is a particularly great touch – odd for a Latin session, but creating a cool groove on the best tracks, and a nice way to touch back with a soul jazz sound. Stitt's tone is right out front, and never sounded better – making us wish he'd recorded a few more albums in this manner! Titles include "Duketation", "Twana", "Icey Stone", "Let My People Split", "Samba De Orfeo", "Liberian Love Song", and "Handkerchief Head". Very hip stuff – and organized by Henry Glover, which might be part of the explanation for that! LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Tito Chicoma's in great territory here – hard-swinging late 60s Latin grooves, all somewhat in the mode of early work from the great Bobby Valentin! As with Valentin during his trumpet playing years, Tito's set up here with a fair bit of boogaloo grooves – Latin soul sounds that are a perfect backdrop for his tight horn lines, which dance nicely between the vocals too! There's also some of the promised cumbia tracks from the title, but even those seem to have a bit of a soulful spin – in the best mode of Peru's Mag Records during the time. Titles include "El Diri Bop", "Pata Pata Paelada", "La Contamanina", "Dale U", "La Ciguena", "La Cebolla", "Mr Trumpet Man", and "Felipon". LP, Vinyl record album

A crackling live set from Tito Puente – recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1977, and more of a straight Latin jazz set than most of his other work of the 70s! The performance is really wonderful – classic Tito without any other trappings at all – Puente in the lead on timbales and vibes, working with a lively large group who are clearly schooled in the stylings of the mambo years of the 50s, but who bring a much more contemporary feel to their music overall! There's no electric instrumentation at all – and players include Mauricio Smith on flute, Richard Pullin on trombone, and Albert Shikaly on tenor. Frank Figueroa sings a bit on the performance, but the main focus is instrumental – and titles include "Oye Como Va", "Tito's Odyssey", "Delierio", "Babarabatiri", "Pare Cochero", and "El Rey Del Timbal". CD

A heavy groover from Tito Puente – recorded in a back to basics style, but with a hard percussive edge! The sound here has plenty of jazzy touches – almost in the mode of Tito's funky big band records of the mid 70s, but with less of the funk or the large group touches – almost a 70s jazzy update of his best work from earlier years! The set is proof that Puente could keep his fire burning brightly even through many years of changes in Latin music – and the set features titles that include "Batuka", "China", "Palladium Days", "Nina Y Senora", "Para Los Rumberos", and "El Catire". LP, Vinyl record album

A late date from Tito Puente, but a great one too – one of his sublime sessions for Concord Records during the 80s – done with a rock-solid approach to Latin jazz! Puente really hits on all burners during these years – free of gimmicks, or any need to sound too modern – and instead moving back into a jazzy style that's almost more classic than any of his records from years back! Of course, the recording style is more modern – but never with any 80s gimmicks at all, just in ways that let the players open up even more than usual on their solos – a good thing, given that the lineup features Mitch Frohman on reeds, Robbie Kwock on trumpet, Sam Burtis on trombone, and Sonny Bravo on piano – and we're also guessing some arrangements too. Titles include "Airegin", "Pent Up House", "Picadillo A Lo Puente", "All Blues", "Lambada Timbales", and "Ode To Cachao". CD

The record that may well push Devon Gilfillian over the top – and a set that might also set a whole new standard in soul music as well! Devon's got a way of embracing the sensual presence of male soul stars from years back, while also presenting himself with a fragile, open quality that's really unique – one that comes through in the slight crackle of his vocals, and in the way the backings handled by producer Jeremy Lutito really fit the mode of the lyrics – this style that's crisply contemporary, but which feels as if it's come from a really special place in the spectrum – uniquely suited to the needs of Devon's vocals and lyrics. Titles include "Follow The Leader", "Brown Sugar Queen", "All I Really Wanna Do", "The Recipe", "Right Kind Of Crazy", "Imma Let My Body Move", "Love You Anyway", and "Let The Water Flow". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the cheapo look of the cover, as the set's a classic batch of gems from the Trojan Records catalog – 2CDs worth of material, with 55 titles that go way past the obvious hits – served up in a great mix of rocksteady and early reggae modes, and filled with the kind of tunes that instantly bridged the space between Kingston and London at the end of the 60s! The package takes off from a mainstream Trojan set from back in the day, and offers the much deeper dig that we love from the Doctor Bird label – tunes that make the whole thing more of a journey of discovery than you might guess from the simple statement of the title. Tracks include "Build It Up" by Tito Simon, "Sweet Sensation" by The Melodians, "This Is Reggae Music" by Zap Pow, "Floating" by Greyhound, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "Liquidator" by Harry J Allstars, "Elizabethan Reggae" by Boris Gardiner & The Love People, "I Need Your Sweet Inspiration" by The Pioneers, "Red Red Wine" by Tony Tribe, "Think About That" by Dandy Livingston, "Down In The Boondocks" by Delroy Williams, "Reggae From The Ghetto" by John Holt, "Yesterday Man" by Nicky Thomas, "Who's That Lady" by Paris Connection, and lots lots more! CD

New recordings of bossa classics – done in a sparkling modern style, but still with a relatively classic groove. Roberto Menescal arranged most of the tracks, and also plays guitar on many numbers – and performers include Marcos Valle, Claudette Soares, Leny Andrade, Cladia Telles, Tito Madi, Os Cariocas, and Carlos Lyra. Includes "Samba De Aviao", "Pode Ir", "Samba De Verao", "Nos E O Mar", "O Barquihno", "Chega De Saudade", and "Lobo Bobo". Nice stuff, and kind of in the Lumiar vein. CD

A massive batch of boogaloo gems – all wrapped up in one mighty package! Tico Records was one of the first great New York indie labels to focus on Latin music in the postwar years – and by the time of the huge late 60s boom in the world of Latin Soul, the label were definitely in a great position to turn out some killer work from a variety of artists! Some of the label's artists were aging, but reinvigorated by the energy of the younger generation – who also got access to the top shelf Tico presentation, as they brought in some of the best soul styles from East Harlem to trim things down from the larger Latin ensembles of the previous generation, and really send things home with a funky sort of groove. This set's a great overview of these key years at Tico – and titles include "Sock It To Me" and "Psychedelic Baby" by Joe Cuba, "Tighten Up" and "The Horse" by Al Escobar, "Fever" by La Lupe, "Be's That Way" and "Bobo Do That Thing" by Willie Bobo, "El Watusi" and "Babalu" by Ray Barretto, "Hit The Bongo" and "Coye Como Va" by Tito Puente, "My People" by Joe Panama, "Come An Get It" and "The African Twist" by Eddie Palmieri, "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In" by Celia Cruz & Tito Puente, "Madrid" by Candido, "Times They Are A Changin" by Jimmy Sabater, "El Pito" and "Bang Bang" by Joe Cuba, "Fat Mama" and "TP's Shing A Ling" by Tito Puente, and "Yes I Will (part 1)" by Gilberto Sextet. LP, Vinyl record album

A huge dip into the massive Latin catalog of Fania Records – served up here with selections from four different DJs on four of the CDs – followed by a set of remixes on the fifth CD! The cuts are straight on the first four – and the package features 70 classics from the boogaloo era forward – work from Lenni Sesar, Fania All Stars, Seguida, Willie Rosario, Charlie Palmieri, Roberto Roena, Tito Puente, Louie Ramirez, Orchestra Harlow, The Latinaires, Ray Barretto, Lebron Brothers, Dave Cortez, George Guzman, New Swing Sextet, Eddie Palmieri, and dozens of others! Then, CD5 features 13 more tracks in contemporary remixes by Nicola Conte, Quantic, Joe Claussel, 4Hero, and others – work by Pete Rodriguez, Hector Lavoe, Noro Morales, Willie Colon, Johnny Pacheco, Ralfi Pagan, and others. CD

An incredible collection – and one that fills in a crucially under-documented side of the New York dancefloor generation – the wealth of special mixes and edits that were made for that city's important DJs for their own use in clubs! The package sorts through a mountain of never-issued acetates, and goes way past conventional disco or rare club collections – to showcase the special mixing talents these DJs brought to their re-presentation of the material – which was usually done on tape, then pressed onto acetate discs for their own private use! Those rare treasures are brought forth here – in a beautiful package that's also overflowing with fantastic notes that finally give this lost history its due – all handled by Al Kent – who's a hell of a mixer himself, as well as an underground club historian. Vinyl part 2 features five full records – all with lots of space for the tracks to stretch out – and titles include "My Number's Up (Tee Scott rmx)" by The Salsoul Orchestra, "The Love Bug Done Bit Me Again (David Todd rmx)" by Skyliners, "LA Sunshine (Robert Ouimet rmx)" by Aura, "Love Has Come My Way (Jim Burgess rmx)" by Tony Valor Sound Orchestra, "Handsome Ma (Bobby DJ Guttadoro rmx)" by Sparkle Tuhran & Friends, "Love Thang (Tee Scott rmx)" by First Choice, "Burn Me Up (Jellybean Benitez edit)" by Kay Gees, "Love Is The Message (Tee Scott rmx)" by Brooklyn Express, "Changes (Jellybean Benitez rmx)" by Chain Reaction, "J'Ouvert (Frank Sestito rmx)" by John Gibbs & The Jam Band, "By The Way You Dance (Bobby DJ Guttadaro rmx)" by Bunny Sigler, "It's Good For The Soul (Walter Gibbons disco madness version)" by Salsoul Orchestra, and "It's A Better Than Good Time (Walter Gibbons rmx)" by Gladys Knight & The Pips. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest sets we've ever seen on Spanish Harlem – a collection that goes way past the Latin Soul hits, to dig deep in the uptown underground at the end of the 60s! The package is compiled with gems from the Fania catalog, but rally moves past the obvious – going for some of the more obscure artists who recorded singles for some of the smaller Fania-held labels – and often focusing on tunes that drew more from late 60s soul and funk than they did from any Latin rhythms of the time. The singers are especially wonderful – and often hit a vibe that's right up there with some of Joe Bataan's best of the period – richly soulful, but often deeply personal too – never as polished as chart soul, and often showing a grittier, more realistic style that's totally great – especially when mixed with instrumentation as tight as this! Titles include "Reflections Of My Life" by 125th Street Candy Store, "On Old Broadway" by 107th Street Stickball Team, "Don't Be Afraid" by Lebron Brothers, "Central Park" by Harvey Averne Dozen, "Heaven" by Tito Ramos, "Your Smile" by Parris, "Some Lonely Heart" by Ronnie Marks, "There's No Girl" by Olivieri, "Maria Maria" by King Nando, "Already Satisfied" by Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos, "Nitty Boo Boo" by The Nitty Sextette, "Lonely Has Been My Day" by Ralphie & The Latin Lovers, "I'm Gonna Leave You" by Russell Cohen & The New Yorkers, and "Ain't No Big Thing" by Ralfi Pagan. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds made from very little at all – mostly focused on the Kenyan nyatiti instrument, set up next to spare percussion and chanted vocals – all with a very hypnotic sound! The nyatiti has this very resonant quality – lute-like, but with a depth that almost feels gong-like at times – played fast alongside equally quick percussion, which then urges the vocals on with amazing energy! The set features both a-sides and b-sides of singles – work that includes "Akida" by Olon, "J Nayau" by Tito Omondi, "Ohala" by Okelo Mugubi, "Odhiambo Otieno" by Opondo Mugoye, "Onyiego Obara" by Nyawaga Mgele, and "Aduor" by Captain Oluoch. LP, Vinyl record album

Well, in our opinion, Cal went Latin right from the start, practically. Still, this "Goes Latin" LP is one of his best of the genre from the old days, and features a host of great players like Lonnie Hewitt, Chombo Silva, Mongo Santamaria, Paul Horn, and Willie Bobo. The album includes Cal's semi-hit "Black Orchid", plus "Mi China", "Bonita", "Contigo", and "Mambo At The M". Very nice, with a sound that would become Cal's trademark in the years right after this album. Cal Tjader Quintet is a great little Latin session from Cal – recorded with extra percussion from Benny Velarde and Luis Miranda, plus rhythm from the Duran brothers, Manuel (piano) and Carlos (bass). The groove's nice and heavy, pretty driving on most cuts, a perfect foil for Cal's jazzy vibes. Titles include "A Minor Goof", "Laura", "Lullaby In Birdland", "Undecided", and Cal's classic reading of Tito Puente's "Philadelphia Mambo". CD

One of the greatest soundtracks we've ever heard from Piero Umiliani – an incredibly groovy record from the very first note! The score's got a fantastic mix of groovy scoring, jazzy bits, and cool little vocals – spare organ lines that set the tune on most numbers, stepping basslines to set the rhythms, and scatting lyrics from I Cantori Moderni – a group who make the act of counting to 5 sound incredibly cool! The feel is quite similar to Umiliani's sublime Sweden Heaven & Hell soundtrack (and at one point, you even can hear the guy with the funny voice from "Mah Na Mah Na") – and the music is exactly the kind of wonderful stuff that first got us digging Italian film scores so many years ago. This great reissue adds a bunch of previously unreleased tracks to the original – a whopping 34 tracks in all – 14 from the original album, plus 3 stereo bonus cuts, and another 17 mono tunes. Titles include a few versions of the main theme, plus "Titoli Coda", "Luna Di Piero Agosto", "Bambola Omicida", "Interludio Azzurro", "Cinque Bambole", and "Danza Jazz Moon". CD