Fania Records

Bobby Paunetto - El Sonido Moderno: The Modern Sound of Bobby Pauneto (1965) {Fania Records 463 950 8006-2 rel 2010}
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© 1965, 2010 Mardi Gras Records / Fania Records | 463 950 8006-2
Jazz / Latin / Tropical / Boogaloo / Vibes / Marimba

A vibes player who had learned at the feet of Cal Tjader, then recruited a band of Latin virtuosos, Bobby Paunetto recorded a gem of Latin jazz with 1968's El Sonido Moderno: The Modern Sound of Bobby Pauneto. Although Latin crate diggers may know Paunetto's name from the uptempo-but-jazzy dancefloor chestnut "Why Is Woody Sad?," the LP is a far more subdued affair, trading on Paunetto's fluid solos along with a few vocal turns from Willie Torres (a favorite go-to singer in salsa circles) and a pretty fair band.

Pete Rodriguez - Right On! Ahi Na' Ma! (1971) {Fania Records ‎463 950 6035-2 rel 2010}
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© 1971, 2010 Fania Records / Código Music ‎| 463 950 6035-2
Boogaloo / Latin / New York Salsa

Pete Rodriguez was part of a wave of Nuyoricans who came of age in the early '60s twilight of the mambo era. The boogaloo sound was just starting to bubble up in El Barrio (East Harlem) amongst this generation of Nuyorican bandleaders, and Rodriguez's group was on the very front line, alongside the Joe Cuba Sextet and Ricardo 'Richie' Ray. Pete had one of the great boogaloo bands of all time; he truly generated high-calibre energy on the dance floor.

Various Artists - El Barrio Latin Funk: Nuyorican Funk 1968-1976 (2012) {Fania Records}
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© 1968-76, 2012 Fania Records / Codigo Music | 8 46395 07134 4
Latin / Funk / Boogaloo / Latin Soul / Salsa / Tropical

Latin funk neither begins nor ends with War, as good as they were. Latin artists from East L.A. to Spanish Harlem – and Puerto Rico to Colombia, for that matter – were getting groovier and earthier throughout the '60s, and the results were wide-ranging and usually just as sparkling as any developments within commercial R&B. The Fania label, as the home to most of the best Latin artists of the '60s and '70s, pumped out much more than its fair share of funky Latin tracks, and although most of them were never in-the-pocket like James Brown, the instrumentalists were just as good.

The 1989 album “Guasasa” is the last studio album for the Fania Six, the Fania All Stars offshoot created in 1976 by Columbia Records for marketing purposes. It features their rhythm section comprised of: Johnny Pacheco, Ray Barretto, Bobby Valentín, Roberto Roena, Nicky Marrero and virtuoso pianist Papo Lucca. Clearly intended as a Latin jazz set, this album actually bears a more dance-oriented style (as in instrumental salsa, so to speak) as opposed to this band’s earlier, bolder California Jam date. While the former date was actually a real jam session, here they work with formal charts, calculated solo spots and a less-relaxed ambience that actually belies the laid-back feel of the album.

Azuquita Y Su Orquesta Melao - Pura Salsa (1975) {Fania 773 130 096-2 rel 2006}
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© 1975, 2006 Vaya Records / Fania Records | 773 130 096-2
Latin / Salsa / Tropical

A lot has changed since 1976. One thing that hasn't is the radical, boundary pushing style of Azuquita's music, and his constantly innovative Orquesta Melao. Remastered and re-released by the Fania label 30 years later, Pura Salsa sounds as funky, edgy, and hip as it ever did. From the psychedelic guitar-driven hippie-salsa of "California," to the samba-son crossover (cuica, triangle and all) of "Coco de Maria," to the down-and-dirty funk/guajira "Cuarto Bate," Azuquita was not one to leave well enough alone. Like the Sly & the Family Stone of salsa, Azuquita was among the first to throw the genre into the musical stew pot of the '70s to see what might come out.

Willie Colon - El Malo (1967) {Fania 773130029-2 rel 2006}
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© 1967, 2006 Fania Records / Emusica Records | SLPCD-347
Jazz / Boogaloo / Salsa / Latin Jazz / Tropical / Trombone / Vocals

Great stuff – and a very sharp album cut by Willie during the Latin soul era, featuring a bunch of tracks that veer more towards the boogaloo side of things than his later albums! The groove is nice and hard – stripped down with the youthful energy that Willie brought to the scene at the time – and the record features great vocals by Hector Lavoe, Yayo El Indo, and Elliot Romero. Features the wonderful piano-bassed groover – "Jazzy" – which spirals out with descarga-like energy! Other great tracks include the boogaloo numbers "Skinny Papa", "Willie Baby", "Willie Whopper", and "El Malo" – but the whole album's a winner!