Tag: Latin
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Joe Bataan, Singin’ Some Soul, 1969 on Fania
Wonderful full-length album from Joe Bataan, the “King of Latin Soul,” released by Fania in 1969. Yes, that is the same “Crystal Blue Persuasion” that was a hit for Tommy James and the Shondells. “Young, Gifted, and Brown” is directly inspired by Nina Simone’s “Young, Gifted and Black” which debuted in 1969 as well. This…
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Dr. Buzzard’s Original “Savannah” Band, self-titled, 1976 on RCA Victor
This one was great fun to find. Originally released in 1976, this is an album that gets sampled frequently, perhaps most famously (in my collection at least) by A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Fugees, and M.I.A. It’s kind of swing / big-band / latin jazz influenced early disco, which led to more interesting…
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Bobby Hutcherson, Montara, 1975 on Blue Note
Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s ~13th album on Blue Note – west coast Latin jazz. Recorded in LA (Record Plant) in August 1975 and produced by Dale Oehler. Hutcherson passed in 2016. My copy is part of the Vinyl Me Please Anthology The Story of Blue Note Records (2024 edition) which reproduces the mid-70s Blue Note labels.
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La Lupe, Queen of Latin Soul / Reina De La Canción Latina, 1968 on Tico
Guadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond – aka La Lupe – was a Cuban singer who emigrated from Cuba in the early 60s. (According to Wikipedia, while performing in Havana, she earned fans including Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Marlon Brando – can’t vouch for any of that). She performed and recorded…
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Ray Barretto, Acid, 1968 on Fania
Barretto played with Charlie Parker, José Curbelo and (for four years) Tito Puente. His debut on Fania records, it’s a great boogaloo recording bringing latin jazz to rhythm & blues. “Deeper Shade of Soul” was sampled by Urban Dance Squad on their debut single back in 1990. My copy is the 2023 Vinyl Me Please…
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Oscar Peterson, Soul Español, 1968 on Limelight.
Oscar Peterson, Soul Español, 1968 on Limelight. Limelight was a Mercury subsidiary for well know Jazz artists – originally headed by Quincy Jones. Some folks see this as too trendy an LP, trying to jump on a samba / Latin bandwagon but I love it