September 20 - Show #95

Theme: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez
Song-Artist-Album-Label


Djelimady rumba – Afrocubism: Elíades Ochoa, Toumani Diabaté, et al. – Afrocubism – World Circuit/Nonesuch

El son te llama – Orchestra Baobab & Ibrahím Ferrer – Specialist in All Styles – World Circuit/Nonesuch

Afro – The Ipanemas – Afro Bossa – Far Out Recordings

Monte adentro – Mongo Santamaría – Afro Roots – Prestige

Afro – Mongo Santamaría – Afro Roots – Prestige

El rumbón (the party) – Chucho Valdés – Briyumba Palo Congo (Religion of the Congo) –Blue Note

Tres negros – Omar Sosa – Afreecanos – Otá Records

Brazil – Mark Weinstein – Jazz Brasil – Jazzheads

Maramoor mambo – Bobby Matos & his Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble – Beautiful as the Moon –Lifeforce Jazz Records

Los aretes de la luna – David Sánchez – Compilation Latin Jazz La Combinación Perfecta – Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

El toro – Gabor Szabo – Compilation From Latin… to Jazz Dance Vol. 5 – Rare Grooves Recordings

Ibérico Jazz – Quinteto Montelirio – Ibérico Jazz -Las Producciones de Antoliano Toldos 1967/72 – Vampi Soul

Camel walk – The Latinaires – El Barrio -The Bad Boogaloo Nu Yorican Sounds 1966/70 –Fania

Green Onions – Jack Costanzo & Gerry Woo – Compilation Latin Soul Descarga & Boogaloo – Manzana Producciones Discográficas

Forever song – Mosquitos – Mosquitos – Bar None Records

Valencia – Josh Rouse – El Turista – Yep Roc Records

Lágrimas de amor – Vinicius Cantuária & Bill Frisell – Lágrimas Mexicanas – eOne Music

Te amo, I love you – Ely Guerra – Sweet & Sour, Hot Y Spicy – Higher Octave Music

Bueninvento – Julieta Venegas – Bueninvento – Ariola/BMG

Barataria – Palo Viejo – Estás Aquí Ahora – Self-produced album: www.myspace.com/paloviejo


Highlights of the show:

Latin Soul had an awesome first part of the show, if not the whole show!, tonight, being dedicated to the Afro influence in Latin and Brazilian music, which is a lot to say actually. Among all those great tunes, two of them by Mongo Santamaría, out of his album “Afro Roots”. Next, you may read the review from Fernando González from the Editorial Reviews of Amazon.com



Released by the label Prestige in 1989. A compilation of Cuban conguero Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria's first two albums for Fantasy Records, Afro Roots features not only an all-star percussion section, including Willie Bobo, Francisco Aguabella, Carlos Vidal, and Armando Perazza, but also musicians such as flutist Paul Horn, vibist Cal Tjader, and saxophonist Jose "Chombo" Silva. This disc also includes the original version of Santamaria's classic "Afro-Blue" (a simmering, sensual reading featuring Horn). The music, closer to traditional Cuban music than to any notion of Latin jazz, sounds as fresh and engaging as when it was recorded, in 1958. The set includes nods to traditional Afro-Cuban religious ritual music ("Afro-Blue," "Bata," "Imaribayo") and classic rumba ("Chano Pozo," "Meta Rumba," "Yambu," "Columbia") but also conga ("Conga Pa Gozar"), merengue-rumba ("Che-Que-Re-Que-Che-Que"), and an elegant but forceful mambo ("Mazacote," featuring Tjader). – By Fernando González, from Editorial Reviews at Amazon.com

September 13 - Show #94

Theme: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez

Song-Artist-Album-Label


Besito pa ti – La Lupe – Compilation Lo Mejor de La Lupe – EMI Latino

Don’t squeeze the peaches – Jack Costanzo & Gerry Woo – Latin Percussion with Soul – Vampi Soul

Latin Soul Square dance – Joe Bataan & Los Fulanos – King of Latin Soul – Vampi Soul

El manisero – Anita O’Day – Compilation Latin Jazz – Jazzclub/Verve

It’s not unusual – Willie Bobo – Compilation Latin Jazz – Jazzclub/Verve

Trinidad – Willie Bobo – Compilation Latino Blue -Blue Note Jazz con Sabor Latino – Blue Note

Mambo Inn – Grant Green – The Latin Bit – Blue Note

The bullfighter from Madrid – Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra & Quintet – Jazz Flamenco – RCA/BMG

(Se acabó) la malanga – Bobby Hutcherson – Montara – Blue Note

Mini Skirt – Mambo Zombies – Mambo Zombies – Self-produced album: MamboZombies.com

You belong to my heart (Solamente una vez) – Esquivel and his Orchestra – Latin-Esque – RCA/BMG

Andalucía – Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica – The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel – Self-produced album: www.orchestrotica.com

Somewhere over the rainbow – Peter MacDonough – The Wizard of Oz -A Latin Jazz Suite – Self-produced album: www.petermacdonough.com

Candombe – Antonio Restucci – Crisol – Petroglyph Records

Samba de Orpheus – Grant Green & Big John Patton – Iron City – Savoy Jazz

Ticket to ride– Manfredo Fest/Os Sambeatles – Os Sambeatles – Fermata/BBR

Help – Manfredo Fest/Os Sambeatles – Os Sambeatles – Fermata/BBR

Arroz con cocolón – Yuri Juárez – Afroperuano – Saponegro Records

Sonido amazónico – Los Mirlos – Back to Peru -The most complete compilation of
Peruvian underground 64-74 – Vampi Soul

La valse créole – Jaime Cuadra & Pamela Rodríguez – Cholo Soy 2 – Quadrasonic Ideas

Mediterráneo – Joan Manuel Serrat – Compilation Cantautores – Ariola/BMG

Pongamos que hablo de Madrid – Joaquín Sabina – Compilation Cantautores – Ariola/BMG


Highlights of the show:

Latin Soul presented today an original Esquivel composition and two renditions to different tunes by him. Following, you may see a review by Mark Betcher from http://artworkbymanicmark.blogspot.com/2011/09/latin-esque-esquivel-and-his-orchestra on the album “Latin-Esque”, originally released by RCA in 1961.





This is a marvelous Stereo Action entry from Esquivel. Stereo Action was a series of records RCA issued to help cash in on the emerging "stereo" trend. Each album featured a different artist who may or may not have worked with engineers to get the most out of the "stereo" technology. All of the jackets were made of heavy cardboard with some sort of die-cut that allowed the 4-color printed sleeve that was also made of cardboard, to peek through.

I can't say I love all of the Stereo Action entries and still have others I need to collect to help make comparisons. But, on a few that I have in the collection, RCA tended to mess with channel switching to the point that the "stereo action" becomes annoying. But, this Stereo Action rocks. The music is a great blend of late 50s and early 60s space age, easy listening vocals and ping-pong. Esquivel could arrange so that each tune was interesting and different, yet fit into a theme. Review taken from Mark Betcher at http://artworkbymanicmark.blogspot.com/2011/09/latin-esque-esquivel-and-his-orchestra.html

September 6 - Show #93

Theme: Chin chon chow – Louie Ramírez

Song-Artist-Album-Label



Rundrum – Tómas Einarsson – Compilation Putumayo Presents Latin Jazz – Putumayo Records

Milestones – VW Brothers – Muziek – Patois Records

El alquimista – Pete Rodríguez – El Alquimista – Conde Music

Pop Moish – Bobby Matos & his Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble – Beautiful as the Moon – LifeForcejazz Records

Barcelona – Bill O’Connell – Latin Jazz Fantasy – Random Chance Records

Melodious funk – The Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project – Mambo Influenciado – Cagoot Records

Go East – Jeno Somlai – Let It Go – Self-produced album: www.jenosomlai.net

Brigas nunca mais – Jacob Melchior – It’s About Time – Self-produced album: www.jacobmelchior.com

Nuthern’n like thuther’n – Willis Jackson - Nuthern’n Like Thuther’n – Prestige

Bert’s bossa nova – Bert Kaempert & His Orchestra – Compilation The Bossa Nova

Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms Vol. 5 – Rare Groove Recordings

Minha saudade – Cannonball Aderley – From Latin… to Jazz Dance Vol. 5 – Rare Groove Recordings

Deve ser amor – Herbie Mann – From Latin… to Jazz Dance Vol. 3 – Rare Groove Recordings

A felicidade – Tom Jobim & Vinícius de Moraes – Nova Bossa -Red Hot On – Verve

Surfboard – Roberto Menescal e Seu Conjunto – Nova Bossa -Red Hot On – Verve

The girl from Ipanema – Stan Getz, João and Astrud Gilberto & Tom Jobim – Nova Bossa -Red Hot On – Verve

Las morillas de Jaén – Pedro Iturralde – Jazz Flamenco Vols. 1 y 2 – Hispavox

Nefertiti – Chano Domínguez – NFS New Flamenco Sound – Verve



Highlights of the show:

Latin Soul aired the closing track of Pete Rodríguez’s 2008 album ‘El Alquimista’. From an impressive album, this last track was an impressive moment in the early stages of the show tonight. Next, you may read the review from this album from cdbaby.com



Trumpeter, vocalist, percussionist and composer Pete Rodriguez has played with some of the best musicians in the world, including many of Latin music’s luminaries, such as Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, La India and Tito Puente, including singing on Puente’s Grammy and Latin Grammy winning album, Mambo Birdland. Pete is the son of Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, a music legend in the Latin music world who gave “Lil’ Pete” the responsibility of directing his 12-piece orchestra while also playing the trumpet and singing. While excelling in the Latin field, Pete also pursued his love for jazz and has been fortunate to have performed with such high profile bandleaders as Eddie Palmieri, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Chico O’Farril, and Carlos “Patato” Valdez, including performing on Eddie Palmieri and Brian Lynch’s Grammy-winning album, Simpatico. Pete is currently performing internationally with Eddie Palmieri as well as with both the nonet and all-star big band of the legendary Afro-Cuban jazz bandleader Bebo Valdez.

Pete’s recently recorded third CD, El Alquimista/The Alchemist, has just been released. El Alquimista/The Alchemist includes all original compositions, featuring Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanchez, as well as Luis Perdomo, Henry Cole and Ricky Rodriguez. His debut CD, Mind Trip, released in 2006, received critical acclaim, garnering the attention of, among others, jazz great Kenny Barron, who said the following about Pete’s playing and compositions on Mind Trip:
“He possesses a full rich sound on both trumpet and flugelhorn and his technique is incredible…. [But] it is as a composer that his development is even more amazing. The melodies he writes are full of complex and quirky rhythms, making unusual dips and turns. … Each of the original compositions, of which there are eight, on this CD is a unique entity unto itself, full of surprises and strange twists and turns. However, one can be assured that Mr. Rodriguez does have a full grasp of the history of the jazz tradition. One need only listen to his reading of Mal Waldron’s beautiful ballad ‘Soul Eyes,’ or Herbie Hancock’s tone poem, ‘Dolphin Dance,’ to hear his respect and love for tradition. I, for one, look forward to many more musical statements from this evolving young artist.” Review from cdbaby.com.