Fania All-Stars with Hector Lavoe
Artist: Fania All-Stars
El Rumbero del Piano
Artist: Eddie Palmieri

Grand master Palmieri and his ensemble, usually a tentet or slightly larger, explore punchy horn charts, the "son" song form, hot percussion grooves, a Mexican folk and straight jazz tune, and the infectiously distinctive Latin jazz (no one plays montuno better) or "Afro-World" (Palmieri's definition) music that few have mastered. Certainly no... Read More

Mr. Bongo
Artist: Jack Costanzo

Afro Cuban compiles some of Jack Costanzo's best tracks, showcasing Costanzo's powerful bongos and Eddie Cano's piano. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide Read More

Sobre el Fuego
Artist: India
Community Score: 10.00

India's Sobre El Fuego is a dynamic set of traditional New York salsa. The fact that India doesn't shake things up much at all is actually a benefit -- her rich voice and percolating, infectious music prove that "traditional" doesn't mean "conventional." Sobre El Fuego is about as entertaining as New York salsa can get. ~ Terry Jenkins, All... Read More

Coleccion Mi Historia
Artist: Elis Regina
Buena Vista Social Club
Artist: Buena Vista Social Club
Community Score: 7.37

This album is named after a members-only club that was opened in Havana in pre-Castro times, a period of unbelievable musical activity in Cuba. While bandleader Desi Arnaz became a huge hit in the States, several equally talented musicians never saw success outside their native country, and have had nothing but their music to sustain them during... Read More

Afro Blue: The Picante Collection
Artist: Mongo Santamaria

In assembling its own "Mongo's Greatest Hits" entry, Concord Picante had only a slim catalog of four albums, a narrow time frame, and one of Mongo's less incendiary phases to choose from. But they stuck with a purist concept, avoiding pop covers and experiments, targeting Mongo's vintage standards and numbers that conjure some of the old... Read More

Oye Como Va: The Dance Collection
Artist: Tito Puente

Given Tito Puente's staggeringly prolific output on recordings, obviously no single disc can sum it up, so Concord Picante sensibly calls this compendium a "dance" collection. With the aim to keep the mambos, guajiras and cha-chas moving and grooving foremost in mind, there is still a great deal of variety in this CD -- powerhouse big-band... Read More

Fania All-Stars with Ismael Miranda
Artist: Fania All-Stars

This excellent sampler includes recordings of Fania All-Stars, but focusing on the ones member Ismael Miranda vocalized in, in live and studio settings. Featuring "Que Barbaridad" (with Héctor Lavoe), this compilation captures Ismael Miranda in his heyday, with the label's dream team of singers, musicians, and bandleaders. ~ José A. Estévez,... Read More

Fania All-Stars with Willie Colon & Ruben Blades
Artist: Fania All-Stars
Community Score: 4.00
Calle Salud
Artist: Compay Segundo

Compay Segundo is one of the legends of Cuban music. When he started playing the clarinet in the municipal band of Santiago de Cuba as a teenager, the world was just recovering from World War I. Segundo is one of the musicians who shaped the Cuban son style. More recently, he was a major contributor to 1999's surprise hit Buena Vista Social... Read More