Latin / Caribbean

AKA: How to be a hit with the ladies.

  • The Aggressors - Reggae Steadae Go The Aggressors - Reggae Steadae Go

    The budget Marble Arch label from the UK is one that I have a sort of love/hate relationship with. It’s one of those labels that some people actually try to collect the entire run even though in reality 85% of the releases on it are terrible. Here is their stab at a Reggaesploitation […]

  • Los Strwck: La Doctoriza Los Strwck: La Doctoriza

    For the last 15 years I have been trying to find out what Los Strwck translates to in English to no avail. I suspect it loosely means “Mariachi Fuzz Box”. I found this LP in East L.A. in the early 90’s and it’s dropped many a jaw over the last 15 years. The tunes start […]

  • Los Grillos - Mi Destino Es Como El Viento Los Grillos - Mi Destino Es Como El Viento

    The sheer amount of non-(North) American records located in the greater Los Angeles area is mind boggling to say the least. One week I’ll come across a grip of Eastern European prog/folk records, the next week some Calypso 78s…just this past week I found a handful of Aboriginal field recordings and a stack of 20 […]

  • Dave Barretto: Para Mis Hermanos Dave Barretto: Para Mis Hermanos

    Fans of Ralfi Pagan should appreciate this gem of a song from a dollar bin rescue, “What You Never Had To Lose”. Shadow Morton produces and he recreates a true New York soundscape from 1974. Check out Tito Puente’s heavy rock riff on the timbale and the way it takes you back to […]

  • Swinging Stars - Party Time Swinging Stars - Party Time

    After a fire destroyed their popular club The Green Grotto along with all their equipment, the Swinging Stars from Dominica quickly came back on top again. It’s hard to imagine they had ever been better than on this record from 1978 because it’s really superb Cadenze in a jam mode, with excellent guitar and keyboard […]

  • Al Collie and the VIPS - The First of May Al Collie and the VIPS - The First of May

    Al Collie and the VIPS was the houseband of “the IN spot in Nassau, the swinging Buccaneer Lounge at the Flagler Inn Hotel on beautiful Paradise Island.” The band played the typical mix of Calypso, almost-reggae and soul that features on so many private hand-out records from countless “In spots” on the Islands of the […]

  • Rhythm Accompaniment - Rhythm Accompaniment Rhythm Accompaniment - Rhythm Accompaniment

    This record looks to be from the early sixties and was released on Columbia’s budget Harmony subsidiary. It provides rhythm accompaniment for dancers, singers, musicians, instructors and children. Essentially it is a record of drumbeats in a number of different styles. You get fox trots, rock and roll, polka and waltzes on […]

  • Various: Si, Para Usted Various: Si, Para Usted

    I’m not just reviewing this because I got a free promo. Nor am I reviewing it because Waxing Deep’s Dan Zacks (the taste-maker responsible for this CD) is an “e-bud” who I’ve sent dead birds to. Waxidermy is above such collusion. I am reviewing this because it’s awesome. Now, I’ve never been to Cuba… much […]

  • Eddie Gomez - Caribbean Rendezvous Eddie Gomez - Caribbean Rendezvous

     This album would be a perfectly OK record of mambos & cha chas but for one thing.  It was released on Crown, yuck.  As is reasonably common knowledge, most of Crown’s records sounded G+ to VG- even before they had been played, their pressings are that low quality.  This album is no different unfortunately, looks […]

  • Manny Corchado: Aprovecha El Tiempo Manny Corchado: Aprovecha El Tiempo

    Manny Corchado is probably now best known for his brash boogaloo tracks “Pow Wow” and “Chicken and Booze,” which go for good money in OG, 7-inch format. Burned out on boogaloo, though, I bought this album hoping to hear some of the more interesting Latin sounds that timbales player Manny Corchado and his orchestra cooked […]

  • Various - Cumbias Y Gaitas de Colombia Various - Cumbias Y Gaitas de Colombia

    Housed in an incredibly nice cover with a unique pre-historic Flinstone vibe (the drum, the model, the hair…), this record contains several outstanding cumbias. I thought the following cumbia (eh, or Gaita?) from this record is a nice one to post because it features a great hot-jazz guitarist who at one point goes out of […]

  • Stratos 1 Stratos 1

    I wish I knew exactly where these guys came from. I always like it when a record has you looking at the world map for cues (and when it gives you an urge to travel). Anyway, they are from one of “the islands” and what they do is way cool. And loud. Six party tracks […]

  • Los "TEEN-AGERS" Los “TEEN-AGERS”

    The title of this record immediately reveals a certain insecurity on the part of the producers as to what exactly they were marketing here. You wonder why Los is cursive, why “TEEN-AGERS” is between quotation marks, and why there’s a dash between TEEN and AGERS. These kids sure look like teenagers. They even live up to the […]

  • Infinite Love Experience - Love Will Never die Infinite Love Experience - Love Will Never die

    I’m guessing these guys were from the Dominican Republic, since the back cover has an advertisement for a Dominican disco album, but I’m not sure. The cover is as vague as can be, with many typ-o’s and bold stickers to re-arrange the tracklisting. Luckily the music is quit good, with a typical island mix of […]

  • Carlos Malcolm - Ska Mania Carlos Malcolm - Ska Mania

    Carlos Malcolm and his Afro-Lamaican Rhythms rock out on 11 tracks, infusing jazz and mento with the ska sound. Favorites include the title track, “Wings Of A Dove”, “Skokian”
    check out “Tiptoe”

  • Charlie Palmieri - Either You Have It Or You Don't Charlie Palmieri - Either You Have It Or You Don’t

    Boogaloo and jazzy too, this Alegre release doesn’t turn up often. Produced by Pancho Cristal for a division of Roulette. I’m digging “Fat Papa’s Descarga”, “Boogaloo-Mania”, the groovy “Fat Papa” and jazzy “Either You Have It Or You Don’t”

  • Eduardo Davidson - Le Chien Eduardo Davidson - Le Chien

    Creepy cover for a creepy sounding album by a trend setter.
    conducted and produced by Leroy Holmes ?!?
    Bugaloo, frisson & sambas,
    but what you really want is the r&b sounds of
    “Mueva El Dinero” & the puppy dawg song “Le Chien (El Perro)”

  • Lisa: No Lo Sabes Todavia Lisa: No Lo Sabes Todavia

    As near as I can tell by trying to read the notes on the back of this lp with my non-existant understanding of Spanish, “Lisa” is from Cuba via Florida. I guess Lisa is either a very uncommon name where she comes from, or she was a Madonna-like mega-star who achieved single name recognition. Anyhow, […]

  • Frank Cardona y sus Alegres Tejanos Frank Cardona y sus Alegres Tejanos

    This is an oddball Tejano band on Diamante Records, featuring a dubious vocalist known only as “Mario”. They play a cool variety of styles, from ballads to hard organ driven cumbias, and loud clangy ranchera. Then definitly have some afro-mex rythms working in a few tracks, and they do a pretty rippin “Funky […]

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