Sabroso! The Afro-Latin Groove is a terrific 18-track collection of Latin jazz recorded between 1954 and 1972. Many of the songs here are making their debut appearence on CD, and several of the artists here -- including major artists like
Willie Bobo -- are underrepresented on disc, so this is a helpful way to round up cool, groove-oriented cuts by the likes of Bobo,
Willie Rosario,
Tito Rodriguez, Jue Cuba Sextette,
Mongo Santamaria,
Cal Tjader, Ocho, Machito,
Tito Puente,
Charlie Palmieri, Kako and
Ray Barretto. It's not a perfect collection, especially since it leans a little too heavily toward the groove, but it has an abundance of hot music and makes for a good introduction to the genre.
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Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi