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Joe Cuba Sextet – Wanted Dead Or Alive (Bang Bang! Push Push Push!) (1966)

  May 26, 2021 ,

Joe Cuba Sextet – Wanted Dead or Alive (Bang! Bang! Push, Push, Push) 1975 Fania/Tico Repress SLP-1146, Mono mix |||  1966 (Original release) You can’t really talk about the Latin boogaloo without mentioning the song “Bang! Bang!”. The Joe Cuba Sextet had been around the flourishing New York scene for a while by this time, and had a bunch of records under their collective belts, so you can’t exactly call this a ‘breakthrough album.’ But the song – allegedly written … Continue reading

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Ray Barretto – Barretto Power (1970) (2020 Craft Records)

  May 22, 2021

Ray Barretto – Barretto Power (1970) Original release, Fania Records This reissue, 2020 Craft Recordings CR003300 Have I mentioned how fantastic it is that the Fania catalog is finally being curated with the respect and attention to quality and detail that the music deserves?  After decades of crap CD remasterings, brick-walled for iTunes, Concord records has acquired the rights along with the family of labels Fania acquired when they bought out their competition (e.g. Alegre, Tico) and has been contracting … Continue reading

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Marion Brown – Porto Novo (1969) (2020 RSD Org Music)

  May 14, 2021 ,

Marion Brown – Porto Novo Original release 1969 as Polydor 583 724 Reissued in 1975 as Arista/Freedom AL 1001 This reissue, 2020 ORG Music / Freedom (ORGM-2149) I thought a change of pace was warranted here to correspond with a new chapter in my life.  Marion Brown played pretty “free” but he could still swing as well as squonk.  He made this album a few years after moving to Europe in the late 60s.  It’s hard at times to believe … Continue reading

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Joe Cuba Sextet – Vagabundeando (Hangin’ Out) (1964)

  April 28, 2021 ,

Joe Cuba Sextet – Vagabundeando! (Hangin’ Out) 1964 Tico Records SLP-1112 1990s CD reissue (undated) The Good Doctor has been busy shaping young minds and maybe some hearts in recent days, toiling away on a class where I hopefully provoke them to think about music in different ways than they had before.  And while there is almost always a soundtrack involved, I have precious little time to share it with you all.  Here is another offering from the Joe Cuba … Continue reading

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Roland Haynes – 2nd Wave (1975) (2020 Black Jazz / Real Gone Music)

  April 10, 2021 ,

  It’s a total coincidence (or is it?) that my first two posts about the Black Jazz reissues have been by keyboardists, without any brass or reeds in their band. Weird, eh? This record, “2nd Wave” is great stuff by a one-and-done mysterious key tickler, Roland Haynes. There are actually two Fender Rhodes players here, so that should be welcomed by those of you for whom there is Never Enough Rhodes.  Not much is known about Roland Haynes, a situation … Continue reading

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Juan Formell y Los Van Van – Vol. III (1974)

  March 25, 2021 ,

Juan Formell & Los Van Van Juan Formel & Los Van Van (Vol. III) Label: Egrem – CD 0128 Series: Coleccion Juan Formell Y Los Van Van – Vol. III Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Special Edition Cuba, 1995 Genre: Latin, Funk / Soul Style: Funk, Son, Salsa, Cubano Well, dear friends, I had planned to post something special for my birthday, which was two weeks ago, but being the notorious party animal that I am, time went out the window … Continue reading