JULIO GUTIERREZ - PROGRESSIVE LATIN

Julio Gutierrez for Gema from 1960.
The title says it all for this groundbreaking heavyweight descarga session...Highly recommended.
Has anyone out there got a copy of Gutierrez's "Havana BC" they want to sell me?If so leave me a message in the comments.

Progressive Latin should be considered a classic of Latin jazz if it isn't already. "Cosa Buena" cooks, and "Closing Time" is a slower bossa nova with flute and horns that captures the mood of a good night out at its end. "Yambambe," an Afro rhythm behind mostly piano, sounds more sophisticated than its simple construction. "El Altiplano" is supposed to be an Incan melody with Afro elements. In any case, vocal interjections pave the way for a longer descarga where a variety of intriguing elements (horns, flute piano, even organ) work together in their own weird ways and combinations. The "Route 66" theme arrangement is a coup; the sax and flute are recorded gorgeously, and the piano and conga pace it ideally, with brief drum solo breaks. "Sad City" is a haunting flute piece, while "Guantanamera" has an interesting change but there is only so much one can expect from this tune. "Malaguena" is another long descarga that gets a little wild. Progressive Latin is something of a masterpiece from the great arranger Julio Gutierrez. Tony Wilds

What impressed me most about this album is Julio's use of space and the length of the tunes, considering that in the era when it was recorded, 2 1/2 minute tunes were standard. Great musicians like El Negro Vivar (trumpet) and Chombo Silva (sax) were able to beautifully stretch out over an almost post-bop/Afro-Cuban jazz setting. There is some serious blowing on this disc. This is another essential Latin jazz gem from the late 50s/early 60s.
Jose Rizo

SONNY STITT - PRIMITIVO SOUL

Sonny Stitt for Prestige from 1964.
Ronnie Mathews, Piano ; Leonard Gaskin, Bass; Herbie Lovelle, Drums; Osvaldo Martinez,Bongos ; Marcelino Valdez, Conga.

Inexplicably this has never been reissued which is a shame as it's a great jazz lp with an authentic latin feel."Slave Maidens" and "Barefoot Ball" do it for me every time but the rest of the album is cracking.

AMG review:Excellent soul jazz and blues numbers by alto and tenor saxophonist Sonny Stitt, who plays with almost unrelenting energy and drive throughout this session. This was a typical date, but Stitt's earthy playing moved it beyond cliche and convention.

NAOYA MATSUOKA & WESING - FIESTA FIESTA

Naoya Matsuoka and Wesing for Discomate Japan from 1979.
"Pao De Acucar" is a 100mph brazilian flavoured fusion banger;"Take 645" keeps the latin feel but slows it down - big in jazz funk circles back in the day.
The rest of the lp is pretty much run of the mill Jap jazz funk apart from the nauseating "Fiesta Fiesta" with its cod reggae sound and girlie vocals-truly hideous stuff.

JACK WILSON - EASTERLY WINDS

Jack Wilson for Blue Note from 1967.
Jack Wilson-Piano;Lee Morgan-Trumpet;Garnett Brown-Trombone;Jackie McLean-Alto;Bob Cranshaw-Bass;Billy Higgins-Drums

This is now oop and seems to have slipped thru the net in blogland. I've ripped the 97 Toshiba EMI cd reissue for this post.
Tough set of tunes best known for the rug cutter "On Children" .You just can't fail with a line up like that!
AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Easterly Winds provides an excellent contrast to Jack Wilson's first Blue Note album, Somethin' Personal. Where his label debut was cool and romantic, Easterly Winds is a brassy, funky collection of soul-jazz and hard bop with instant appealing. Wilson keeps the tone fairly diverse, both in his originals and covers. After hitting hard with the funky opening pair "Do It" and "On Children" (both of which illustrate that he was familiar with contemporary soul), he quiets the mood with a nice version of Johnny Mandel's "A Time for Love." On the second half, he turns in soul-jazz ("Easterly Winds"), straight hard bop ("Frank's Tune") and the charmingly lyrical "Nirvanna." Throughout it all, Wilson is subtle and tasteful, allowing trumpeter Lee Morgan and alto saxophonist Jackie McLean their time in the spotlight; trombonist Garnett Brown has a couple of nice moments as well, while bassist Bob Cranshaw and Billy Higgins lend solid rhythmic support. It's another impressive, enjoyable effort from one of the most underrated pianists on Blue Note's '60s roster.

NEW ALBUM FROM MARK WEINSTEIN

The mighty Mark Weinstein ,the man behind the heaviest afro cuban lp ever made - "Cuban Roots" - is back with a new release featuring the talents of none other than Omar Soso.
Check out his excellent blog here to read all about Mark's latest album "Tales From The Earth" and then go to Mark's MySpace page to hear an exclusive preview of some of the wonderful music he has recorded.
Check it out. It is magic music!

TOM HARRELL - AURORA

Tom Harrell for Adamo from 1976.
Tom Harrell -Trumpet,Flugelhorn;Bob Berg-Tenor;Barry Finnerty-Guitar;Mike Wolff-Piano;Mike Richmond-Bass;Lenny White-Drums;Muhammed Abdullah-Congas

Harrell's first solo lp and what a stormer.Check out "While There's Time" for a slamming neo hard bop destroyer.
All Killer No Filler.

MANTECA - RITMO Y SABOR

Lazaro Pla aka Manteca for Sound Triangle from 197?
Super heavyweight percussion/descarga session from Pla plus Patato Valdes and Nelson "Flaco"Padron(Cachao on Bass???).
If you liked Puente in Percussion this will blow you away.Just check out the ridiculous breaks on "Afro Funky" and "Cosas De Manteca" to get a flavour of how good this is.
Percussionists who were lucky enough to witness Manteca play the bongos with this group, relate tales of an enormous man who could ignite a near riot by simply coming forward from the rhythm section to the front of the stage playing wild rhythms that became more and more complex as the audience cheered him on.
Lazaro Pla, known as Manteca, was a master "bongosero" who first rose to fame in 1940s Cuba when he was a featured attraction with the great pianist and composer Ernesto Lecouna and the renowned Cuban Boys, a leading exponent of the Cuban musical wave who gained international recognition and subsequently toured the globe.
Although Manteca is found on many recordings originating from Cuba, only a very small amount of material exists of him as a featured soloist or as the leader of a small combo.
These famed sessions took place in the United States - Miami to be exact, sometime in the early 1970s. This was a very unique session indeed as two other Cuban expatriates join Manteca in the studio - two of his early admirers who grew up listening to his rhythms: master percussionists Carlos "Patato" Valdes and the amazing Nelson "Flaco" Padron producing these two of the finest examples of incendiary Cuban percussion ever recorded.The remainder of this session's musicians are unquoted. (I've heard it suggested that the legendary Cachao could be on bass but this remains unconfirmed).

BLACKCLASSICAL / MONOHUB - 70 YEARS OF BLUE NOTE

70 cuts in 70 minutes for the 70th anniversary of the mighty Blue Note label.
That was the original premise behind the latest mix from Blackclassical and Monohub and to quote the guys themselves :
"When we set out to do this comp, we wanted to do 70 tracks over 70 mins which looking back was a tad ambitious to say the least and am afraid we failed miserably on both budgets. 35 Tracks listed, 42 Used and some other little incidental bits… Plus it wouldn’t be a BC mix without a lil’bit of spoken word."
What IS so great about this mix is they've managed to avoid all the usual old hackneyed numbers that get rolled out for every fucking Blue Note mix under the sun plus they haven't succumbed to the segued beats formulae and blending of similar styles approach.
So get your sorry ass over to Blackclassical and download this motherfucker of a mix!

MALO - DOS

Malo for Warners from 1972.
Hadley Caliman (Saxes), Jorge Santana (Guitar), John L. Watson (Vocals), Francisco Aguabella (Percussion Vocals), Bill Atwood (Trumpet), Jorge Bermudez (Conductor), Forrest Buchtel (Trumpet), Arcello Garcia (Percussion), Arcello Garcia (Vocals), Mike Heathman (Trombone), Richard Kermode (Keyboards), Tom Poole (Trumpet), Rick Quintanal (Drums), Raul Rekow (Percussion), Alex Rodriguez (Trumpet), Leo Rosales (Percussion), Jose Santana (Violin), Richard Spremich (Drums), Pablo Tellez (Bass), Pablo Tellez (Percussion)

Super heavy all killer no filler latin session which blows the shit out the amg review here:
Malo's second album was cut with a lineup that had been reorganized following their debut. It's a little slicker than their first LP and the material isn't as strong. It's nonetheless a strong and invigorating rock/Latin jazz fusion, boasting some really hot playing, both in the ensemble work and improvisation. The six cuts, save one, all run more than five minutes, the closing "Latin Boogaloo" approaching ten minutes in length. Often this is closer to rockified salsa music than it is to the salsified rock music of lead guitarist Jorge Santana's brother, Carlos Santana. Occasional dives into sentimentality, as on the opening part of "I'm for Real," with its floating violin and percussive tinkles, are more than compensated for by some smoking Santana leads, particularly on the hyperactive "Held." "I'm for Real" was the cut most likely to follow up on the success of their "Suavecito" single, both because it was sung in English and because it had traces of the same kind of smoochy soul. Again, it wasn't too typical of the album as a whole, which combined several tributaries of pop with imagination and high levels of musicianship. Sometimes this was stretched out with jamming much more intelligent and fully thought-out than most lengthy, instrumental-oriented rock cuts, particularly on "Latin Boogaloo." . ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

TITO PUENTE - PUENTE IN PERCUSSION

I ripped this last week in WAV format as a favour for someone who had a big influence on my record buying many years ago.I'd forgotten just how good it is so I figured I ought to stick it up here again.
Reposted from July 06
Tito is joined by Willie Bobo,Patato Valdez and Mongo Santamaria on this super heavyweight percussion rinse out from 1956 and it really rocks.Check out the pneumatic drill on the cover to get an idea of what a banging set of percussion workouts this is.
Killer Driller Ear Hole Filler-Hardcore stuff beginning to end.

CLAUDIO MEDEIROS , VICTOR M & FRIENDS - ROTATION

Claudio Madeiros for Nucleus USA from 1975.
Killer Brazilian funky fusion set on an obscure little label out of San Francisco.
Big tune on this is "Soar" but rest is just as good with that lovely bubbling clavinet sound on most of the tunes.If you like early 70s Azymuth,Donato,Valle and the like you'll love this.
Dusty Groove review(where it's now unavailable):
A fantastic batch of jazzy grooves featuring Claudio Medeiros and Victor M of the group Made In Brasil, plus other associates from the Bay Area fusion scene of the 70s! The record's got a strong mix of mellow tunes and funkier ones with touches of Brazilian jazz and CTI fusion swirled together in a San Francisco sunny mode. The set includes the incredible groover "Soar", which has nice moog bubbling through a jazzy midtempo groove and features many other great tunes like "Cachaca", "Generous", "Green Olives", "Grape Woman", and "Rotation"

DON SEBESKY - GIANT BOX

Reposted from OIR september 07.
I was lucky enough to pick this up on a Japanese cd reissue yesterday so here's a sonically improved rip of this CTI bomb which sounds better than my original vinyl rip.
Don Sebesky for CTI from 1973.I avoided this like the plague for 30 years imagining it to be all that was bloated and bland from CTI which sure churned out some shite in it's time.Then I saw it posted last year at Le Blog de Pekis ripped @128 from the jap cd.And I downloaded it to see if my preconceptions were right.They were not.It was fantastic!Absolutely fucking fantastic!!
From the Axelrod sounding "Psalm 150" and "Semi-Tough" ,the gorgeous "Song to a Seagull" to the banging fusion of "Firebird/Birds of Fire"(Mahavishnu Orchestra meets Stravinsky head on)this really is....All Killer,No Filler.

AMG on the case:

This may have been Creed Taylor's most ambitious single project. As the cash was flowing in the wake of Deodato's massive "2001" hit, Taylor rounded up almost every headliner on CTI's roster, had house-arranger Don Sebesky write big-thinking charts for them, and gave Sebesky top billing and two LPs of space. Two decades later, the lineup reads almost like a gathering of the gods -- Freddie Hubbard, Randy Brecker, Hubert Laws, Paul Desmond, Joe Farrell, Grover Washington, Jr., Milt Jackson, George Benson, Bob James, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral, all on one album. Thankfully the musicmaking lives up to the billing. Everything that gave CTI its distinctive sound and identity is here -- the classical adaptations (Stravinsky's Firebird is merged shotgun-style with John McLaughlin's "Birds of Fire"), elaborate orchestrations and structuring, pop-tune covers, plenty of room for the star soloists to stretch out in a combo format. The stars all come out to shine; Desmond sounds especially inspired in a shimmering "Song to a Seagull" and Hubbard and Washington burn furiously on the appropriately-titled "Free as a Bird." And Sebesky was given a flyer to experiment; hence the wild extended swarms of freeform strings on "Firebird" and Laws' fancy Echoplexed winds on "Fly." The two original LPs were gathered in a classical-style box, complete with a booklet of photos and an interview with Sebesky, but the austere CBS CD reissue condenses everything onto a generic single disc. However less ostentatious, Giant Box still ranks as a sensational coup and a reminder of how potent CTI was at its peak. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

Piano/Electric Piano/Organ/Accordion/Clavinet: Don Sebesky (piano on "Semi-Tough" electric piano on "Firebird/Birds of Fire", "Song To A Seagull, "Free As A Bird" organ on "Semi-Tough" accordian on "Free As a Bird", "Circles" clavinet on "Semi-Tough")Piano/Organ: Bob James (piano on "Vocalise" piano solo on "Free as a Bird", "Circles" organ solo on "Psalm 150", "Semi-Tough")Bass/Electric Bass/Piccolo Bass: Ron CarterDrums: Billy Cobham (on "Firebird/Birds of Fire", "Psalm 150", "Semi-Tough") Jack DeJohnette (on "Song to a Seagull", "Free as a Bird", "Vocalise", "Fly", "Circles")Vocal: Jackie Cain and Roy Kral (on "Psalm 150") Don Sebesky (on Introduction to "Psalm 150", vocal solo on "Fly")Horns and Woodwinds: 16 in all including Randy Brecker, trumpet and flugelhorn Garnett Brown, trombone 3 trumpets, 5 trombones, 2 French horns, five sax/flutes, one tubaGuitar: George Benson (solo on "Semi-Tough") Harry Leahey (on "Firebird/Birds of Fire")Percussion: Airto (on "Firebird/Birds of Fire", "Circles", "Semi-Tough") Rubens Bassini (conga on "Psalm 150") Dave Friedman Phil Kraus Ralph McDonald (on "Psalm 150")Saxophone: Paul Desmond (alto solo on "Song to a Seagull", "Vocalise") Joe Farrell (soprano solo on "Circles") Grover Washington, Jr. (alto solo on "Semi-Tough" soprano solo on "Free As A Bird")Vibraphone: Milt Jackson (solo on "Vocalise")Trumpet/Flugelhorn: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet solo on "Firebird/Birds Of Fire", "Psalm 150" flugelhorn solo on "Free As A Bird")Flute/Soprano Saxophone: Hubert Laws (flute solo on "Firebird/Birds Of Fire", "Fly", "Circles")Violin: 14Cello: 4Harp: Margaret RossConcert string bass: Homer MenschVocal background: Lani Groves, Carl Caldwell, Tasha Thomas
The interlude between "Fly" and "Circles" is performed by Jack DeJohnette, Ron Carter, Joe Farrell, and Hubert Laws.

Reissued in Japan on cd but tough to find-no vinyl reissues.

EMILIANO SALVADOR - 2

Emiliano Salvador for Areito Cuba from 1980.
Emiliano Salvador-Keyboards,Melodica,Arrangements;Trumpets-Arturo Sandoval,Manuel Mirabal,Andresito Castro,Andres Castro;Trombones-Enrique Perez,Geovani Mancebo;Bass-Eduardo Ramos;Percussion-Robero Garcia, Jose Quintana (Chango);Drums,Percussion-Frank Bejerano.

Cuban jazz kicks ass!
Check out the bangers "Luna Wanestein","Poly" and one of my all time raves "Son En 7/4"!
Groove to the swinging "Cancion Isela" and "Con Sabor.."
Fall asleep to the bolero "Tengo".
Well 5 out of 6 ain't bad!
All Killer No Filler.....almost!

KENNY BURRELL - UP THE STREET 'ROUND THE CORNER DOWN THE BLOCK

Kenny Burrell for Fantasy from 1974.
Kenny Burrell-Guitar;Jerome Richardson-Flute,Saxes;Richard Wyands-Electric Piano;Andy Simpkins-Bass;Lenny McBrowne-Drums;Mayuto Correa-Percussion

Great mid 70s session from Kenny Burrell with that typical Fantasy fusion sound featuring the old club fave "Up The Street etc" by Onaje Alan Gumbs,a couple of Burrell originals, "Afro Blue" and a closing 9 minute workout of Richard Evans' "Soulero".
Nice!

FRANK WESS - SOUTHERN COMFORT

Frank Wess for Prestige from 1962.
Al Aarons (tp) Frank Wess (ts, fl) George Barrow (bars) Tommy Flanagan (p) George Duvivier (b) Osie Johnson (d) Ray Barretto (cga) Oliver Nelson (arr)
This one's for Reza and all the Oliver Nelson fans out there.
Killer set with a nice latin twist from Frank Wess with arrangements by Oliver Nelson.
"Blues For Butterball" was the hip swinger back in the day and the rest of the album's a treat for the ears.
Here's a review from AMG:
Recorded in 1962, Southern Comfort finds Frank Wess leading an octet that is arranged by Oliver Nelson. Although Nelson was a pleasing saxophonist -- he plays tenor on this vinyl LP -- it was his talents as an arranger that brought him the most attention. And Nelson's attractive arrangements serve Wess quite well throughout this session, which employs Wess on tenor sax and flute, Nelson on tenor sax, George Barrow on baritone sax, Al Aarons on trumpet, Tommy Flanagan on piano, George Duvivier on bass, Osie Johnson on drums, and Ray Barretto on congas. To his credit, Nelson doesn't over-arrange. There is still plenty of room for blowing and improvising, and Wess sounds very uninhibited on everything from the funky, hard-swinging "Blues for Butterball" to lyrical, melodic offerings such as "Gin's Beguine" and "Summer Frost" (both of which are Wess originals). Equally memorable are the octet's interpretations of the standards "Blue Skies" and "Dancing in the Dark."

NORMAL SERVICE WILL BE RESUMED AS SOON AS.....

I finally have my laptop back and running just the way I like it so normal service will be resumed shortly.
In the meantime I've pulled the Santucci Scoppa - Mondo Operai post as it was in WMA format..yea that's what you get when you borrow a computer and don't bother checking the rip settings.My thanks to Greg and his camper van who informed me with such an eloquent comment of this complete cock up. I'll repost it in mp3 format sometime.
For those of you who email me requesting re-posts of dead links : I will occasionally put albums back up but generally it needs a lot of interest from more than a couple of people to do so.So if you ask and it doesn't happen don't be offended.
Look out for a couple of new posts tomorrow...........

MASABUMI KIKUCHI - BUT NOT FOR ME

Masabumi Kikuchi for Flying Disk Japan from 1978.
Masabumi Kikuchi-Piano;Gary Peacock-Bass;AlFoster-Drums;Badal Roy-Tabla;Alyrio Lima-Percussion;Azzedin Weston-Percussion.
Another Blogland exclusive for this one from Japan.
A wonderful piece of piano trio dynamics augmented by percussion (check the enclosed rear sleeve credits).When I bought this I wasn't really taken by it at all....but the more I listened the more the album grew on me and now I'm just blown away by it.
Check out Gary Peacock's "Pumu #1" featuring Badal Roy in full effect embellishing a static motif allowing Kikuchi to go into full flow.
"Circle Dance" is as it sounds and perhaps the acoustic cousin of the fantastic "Circle Line" from Kikuchi's 1981 release "Susto".
The whole lp is great so just download and open your mind....fabulous music...highly recommended.
All Killer No Filler!

CINEMATIC TRAVELS - ANCIENT FUTURE

Cinematic Travels (Ron Trent) for Village Japan from 2007.
and now for something completely different....

Congas - Angel Figueroa/Keyboards - Ron Trent/Percussion - Angel Figueroa, Ron Trent
Piano [Rhodes] - Ron Trent,Programmed By - Ron Trent,Violin - Dorian Chea
One for the come down .....
Here's Ron's view :
Cinematic Travels with the first album released entitled Ancient Future which is an experimental Jazz/World music influenced project I worked on for about a year. It’s combination of live and electronic elements fused together. I got a chance to work with a few great musicans such as Karsh Kale from Tabla Beat Science, Angel Figaroea, a master percussionist who’s played with Herbie Hancock but also Sting, Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaria, and Vinx just to name a few, another featured percussionist Ken Robertson and my friend Gary Durdan from the famous TV show CSI. The album is a fusion of traditional folkloric ryhthms and visual orchestration.

OIR luvs Detroit
All Killer No Filler

THE PRIME ELEMENT - ALBORADA

The Prime Element for Trova Argentina from 1976.
Arranged By - Carlos Franzetti
Electric Piano [Rhodes],Piano,Guitar - Carlos Franzetti ;Bass - Alex Layne , Greg Maker ;Cello - Patricia Akua Dixon ;Congas - Ray Mantilla ;Drums - Omar Clay ;;Flute, Clarinet - Mauricio Smith ;French Horn - Greg Williams ;Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor] - Kenny Rogers , Marvin Blackman Viola - Maxine Roach ;Violin - Carl Ector , Gayle Dixon Clay

First posted at OIR August 06.
Check the line up and be prepared for a latin fusion monster tour de force from Franzetti.So many killer cuts -"Southamelodic","Prime Element","Lola","Aldebaran" and the slammin' "Shave and Haircut".
All Killer No Filler!
Composer/coonductor Carlos Franzetti's musical range seems to know no limits. Symphonic and chamber works, big band, Latin jazz and film scores have all been the focus of his vast talent. Music lovers are bound to know Franzetti's work since this artist has been a major force in the classical music field over the last 20 years. Born in Buenos Aires , Argentina , a young and ambitious Carlos Franzetti, moves to New York in 1974 to pursue a musical career. Soon after his arrival he puts together a group, which he calls The Prime Element . In 1976 they record an album entitled ' Alborada '.This unique session is a musical journey that immediately represents all aspects of Franzetti's talent as an arranger, composer and musician. Seeking his own style, developing his versatility and translating it into a intelligent deep mix of fusion, spiritual-modal jazz and soul. The result is this rare beautiful gem. Franzetti is a complete jazz artist and an innovator. He created a mature masterpiece at such young age, and after thirty years it can be labeled as timeless.

QUINTETTO SANTUCCI SCOPPA - LOOKING AROUND

Cicci Santucci and Enzo Scoppa Quintet for Fly from 1971.
Cicci Santucci -Trumpet;Enzo Scoppa -Tenor;Bruno Briaco -Drums;Franco D'Andrea-Piano;Bruno Tommaso-Bass
Another bomb from Italy!
Is it Library? Is it Jazz ? Who cares with music this good!
All Killer No Filler.

JACK COSTANZO - COSTANZO , CANO & BONGOS !

Jack Costanzo for GNP from 1956.
Jack Costanzo: Bongos and Leader/ John Anderson, Paul López, Tony Terran: Trumpets
Willy Gallardo: Timbales/ Manuel Ochoa (Kaskara): Vocals and Maracas /Eddie Gómez: Claves/
Ramón Rivera: Conga/Eddie Cano: Piano/Ernesto Montez: Bass/Marda Saxon: Vocal

Hard as nails latin banger - All Killer No Filler - highly recommended!
"Abaniquito" was the dance floor destroyer back in the day - you needed an oxygen mask after cutting the rug to that one!
Here's a review by John Child:
Dubbed "Mr. Bongo" by the eminent jazz critic Leonard Feather, Jack Costanzo is credited with introducing the bongos into American popular music when he joined Stan Kenton's band in 1947.
He deliberately emulated the trumpet conjunto format of Cuba's La Sonora Matancera to achieve the album's fat sound and tips his hat to the group by covering their hit "Melao de Caña". Personnel include the incredible pianist Eddie Cano and trumpeter Paul López, who wrote most of the arrangements and features on "Caravan" and "Just One Of Those Things". Jack describes Eddie as"an exciting soloist taking after the master Noro Morales, who played like a conga drum player and I know the pianos yelled for help when he hit them." Eddie particularly shines on the novelty "Chopsticks Mambo". In fact, we are spoilt for Cano solos, by my count, he features on another six tracks. Jack's keeps his soloing to a minimum, but the driving "Abaniquito" showcases a fine example of his hard-hitting bongo pyrotechnics. Singing lead vocals on Mr. Bongo are Kaskara (Manuel Ochoa) and Jack's wife at the time, Ohio-born Marda Saxon. Kaskara was born in Holguin, Cuba, and relocated to the US in 1945 where he worked with Pérez Prado and René Touzet prior to his association with Costanzo.

POTTER & TILLMAN - SPACE RAPTURE

Potter & Tillman for Poet Records from 1981.
Rare private press album on a jazz funk tip from Potter and Tillman which has also been referred to/known as "Steinway & Sons"
Not my usual bag but there's a few bombs on here in the shape of "New Anniversary Waltz" and "Sing A Simple Song Of Praise" plus the two intro cuts.
One for the soul boys in 81...and probably now for many of the followers of OIR(or possibly not given only 3 comments against 200+ d/loads in first 2 days)

LES MCCANN LTD - MCCANNA

Les McCann for Pacific Jazz from 1964.
Best album Les ever did imo which features the mighty latin dancefloor bomb "McCanna".
Les plays with his LTD trio, plus the added percussion of Willie Correa, who plays bongos, conga, and timbales on the album for a strong latin feel that's missing from Les' other recordings.5 cracking originals,couple of standards(just love the rolling "St James Infirmary")and a stomping Mancini-Mercer tune.
Can't believe this has never got a reissue.
All Killer No Filler.

KATHRYN MOSES - MUSIC IN MY HEART

Kathryn Moses for PM Records from 1979.
Kathryn Moses Vocals,Flutes & Saxophones ;Doug Riley Pianos ;Robert Piltch Guitars
Erica Goodman Harp ;David Piltch Basses ;Terry Clarke Drums ;Buff Allen Drums
Don Alias Percussion

And another one for the flute freaks this time from the vaults of PM Records who were responsible for some of the most hard ass fusion committed to vinyl-think Steve Grossman , Stone Alliance ,Elvin Jones.Well,here's something a little different from them.
"Music In My Heart" was the big tune back in the day for the likes of Paul Murphy and Chris Bangs along with the funky "Lucky Duck".
Dusty Groove had it on a blink and miss it cd reissue from Celeste(now oop) so here's their review.My post is ripped from the original long gone vinyl:

The second album from Kathryn Moses a sweet mix of warm vocals, funky flute, and even a bit of sax! Kathyrn's as great a singer as she is an instrumentalist and the album offers equal parts of her talents stepping out with a style that's often a bit funky at the bottom, with an electric mixture of flute, guitars, percussion, and bass. Gene Perla produced the record, and it's got a fair bit of choppy grooves that are right up there in the best PM Records mode more proof that the Canadian scene could groove nicely when it wanted.

PHAROAH SANDERS - LIVE !

Pharoah Sanders for Theresa from 1981.
Pharoah Sanders-ts John Hicks-p Walter Booker-b Idris Muhammad-d

4 Tracks recorded live in San Francisco the highlight being a 14 minute "You Got Have Freedom" which Pharoah shreds ,puts through the mangle and then gives a total rinse out -the crowd going mad and all this years before Peterson elevated the tune to jazz dance classic.
"Pharomba" is taken at a far more stately pace and and in total contrast to the original which was the only good cut on the frankly excrable "Love In Us All".
"It's Easy To Remember" gets a pleasant enough reading and personally I could loose the overlong and tedious "Blues for Santa Cruz" but you can always skip it if you agree.
Evidence reissued this on cd,remastering it and adding a bonus track-my rip is from the original vinyl.If you like it buy the cd - you know it makes sense and you'll get 21 minutes extra of "Doktor Pitt".