THE GEORGE SHEARING QUINTET WITH DAKOTA STATON - In the Night (1957-2003) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With its progressive-leaning jazz and modernist blues vocals, In the Night was the prototype for the piano-vocals collaboration record that George Shearing would remake with Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, and Nancy Wilson while at Capitol (and many others afterwards). In July 1957, just after Dakota Staton's immense success with "The Late, Late Show," Capitol recorded two of its biggest jazz stars together for what would turn out to be one of the finest teamings in either's career. Staton appears on every other song, lending her blend of post-bop vocal prowess and late-night melodrama to a set of well-chosen songs including "In the Night" and "I Hear Music." (Ironically, the version of "The Late, Late Show" heard here is an instrumental.) Shearing and Staton are joined by the pianist's group at the time, including Emil Richards on vibes, the splendid Toots Thielemans on guitar, and a few features for Latin percussionist Armando Peraza. The group's finest features are the opener, "From Rags to Richards," a fine Shearing original with excellent solos from Richards and Shearing, and Ray Bryant's "Pawn Ticket," with fine work from Thielemans and Richards. by John Bush  
Tracklist:
1 From Rags To Richards 3:12
2 I'm Left With My Blues In My Heart 2:53
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
3 Pawn Ticket 2:19
4 In The Night 1:59
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
5 Easy 2:39
6 I Hear Music 2:30
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
7 Senor Blues 3:45
8 Confessin' The Blues 2:43
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
9 Later 2:49
10 The Thrill Is Gone 3:04
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
11 The Late, Late Show 2:31
12 I'd Love To Make Love To You 2:43
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
Credits:
Bass – Al McKibbon
Bongos, Congas [Conga Drum] – Armando Peraza
Drums – Percy Brice
Guitar, Harmonica – Jean ''Toots'' Thielemans
Piano – George Shearing
Vibraphone – Emil Richards

MONGO SANTAMARIA - Mongo At Montreaux (1971-2012) RM / Jazz Best Collection 1000 – 4 / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded live at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival, the blistering Mongo at Montreux captures Mongo Santamaria in the absolute prime of his career, embracing all facets of his expansive musical vision for a set that is far more than the sum of its parts. Spanning from soulful Latin boogaloo grooves like "Come Candela" to psychedelic jazz renditions of pop hits like the Temptations' "Cloud Nine" to straight-up funk excursions like "Climax," Mongo at Montreux is relentlessly energetic music genetically engineered for dancing -- most impressive of all is "Conversation in Drums," a virtual primer in Latin percussion. by Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1     Come Calenda 3:33
Mongo Santamaria
2     Climax 4:25
Alphonse Mouzon
3     Disappear 4:40
Marty Sheller
4     Marty's Tune  4:21
Marty Sheller
5     Soleil 5:39
Jean-François Perrier, Michel Fugain
6     Conversation in Drums 1:32

Mongo Santamaria
7     I Wanna Know 2:59
Hubert Laws
8     Watermelon Man 0:59
Herbie Hancock
9    Standing Ovation
10     Cloud Nine 4:54
Barrett Strong, Norman Jesse Whitfield
11    Watermelon Man (alt) 0:33
Herbie Hancock
Credits :
Arranged By – Marty Sheller
Congas – Mongo Santamaria
Congas, Bongos – Armando Peraza
Drums, Timbales – Steve Berrios
Electric Bass – Edward Rivera
Flute, Vibraphone [Vibes] – Roger Glenn
Piano – Eddie Martinez
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Carter Jefferson
Trumpet, Cowbell – Ray Maldonado

MONGO SANTAMARIA - Mongo's Way + Up From the Roots (1999) APE (image+.cue), lossless

With the exception of a soulful reading of the Box Tops' "The Letter," Mongo's Way abandons the pop covers that dominated Mongo Santamaria's late-'60s dates for Columbia in favor of a more far-reaching Latin jazz sensibility shaped by elements of soul, funk and rock. Working with producer Neal Creque, as well as a superior supporting cast featuring guitarist Eric Gale, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, and drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Santamaria creates some of his most atmospheric and eclectic music, similar in spirit and scope to the myriad blaxploitation soundtracks jamming retail bins but executed with uncommon artistry. This two-fer reissue also features Up from the Roots, an exploration of the African origins of Caribbean music that prompts Santamaria to set aside his trademark conga drums in favor of traditional African percussion instruments. The LP features some of his most potent and artful playing, capturing the rhythms and textures of traditional African chants with masterful precision. As a primer in African musical history, Up from the Roots at times errs too much on the side of education over entertainment, but by the record's second-half, Santamaria returns to the funky Latin soul of his most popular efforts, unleashing the righteous "Jose Outside" and "Forked Tongue." by Jason Ankeny  
Tracklist :
Mongo's Way (featuring Armando Peraza) (1971)
1    Tell It 2:56
Grant Reed
2    The Letter 3:29
Wayne Carson
3    Listen Here 2:51
Eddie Harris
4    Sometimes Bread 5:31
Sonny Henry
5    Geechee Girl 3:08
Neal Creque
6    Hippo Walk 3:02
Neal Creque / Joel Dorn / Lewis Hahn / Marty Sheller
7    Featherbed Lane 2:49
Marty Sheller
8    Saoco 5:31
Armando Peraza
9    Afro Walk 2:49
Mongo Santamaria
10    Congo Blue 5:24
Mongo Santamaria
Up From The Roots (1972)
11    Ebora (Yeza) 1:27
Mongo Santamaria
12    En la Habana 3:19
Julio Collazo
13    Conga, Bata, y Chequere / Me Buele la Muela 5:09
Julio Collazo / Mongo Santamaria
14    Eco /Abacua 3:12
Julio Collazo / Mongo Santamaria
15    Pan de Maiz 1:24
Papaito Muñoz
16    Para Ti 3:00
Mongo Santamaria
17    Sofrito 3:15
Neal Creque
18    Little Angel 4:16
Eddy Martinez
19    Virtue 3:29
Alphonse Mouzon
20    Jose Outside 3:04
Marty Sheller
21    Forked Tongue 3:17
Marty Sheller
Credits :
Arranged By – Eddy Martinez (faixas: 18), Marty Sheller (faixas: 1 to 3, 6 to 10, 16, 19, 20 & 21), Mongo Santamaria (faixas: 11 to 15), Neal Creque (faixas: 5 & 17), Sonny Henry (faixas: 4)
Conductor, Percussion – Marty Sheller (faixas: 1 to 10)
Nota
Total Time: 73:28
Mongo's Way first issued by Atlantic Records in 1971 - ℗ 1971 Atlantic Recording Corp.
Up From The Roots first issued by Atlantic Records in 1972 - ℗ 1972 Atlantic Recording Corp.

CAL TJADER - Soul Sauce (1964-1994) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Soul Sauce is one of the highlights from Tjader's catalog with its appealing mixture of mambo, samba, bolero, and boogaloo styles. Tjader's core band -- long-time piano player Lonnie Hewitt, drummer Johnny Rae and percussionist's Willie Bobo and Armanda PerazaÑ -- starts things off with a cooled down version of Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo's latin jazz classic "Guachi Guaro (Soul Sauce)". With the help of guitarist Kenny Burrell, trumpeter Donald Byrd, and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath they offer up a lively version of Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue." Sticking to his music's "Mambo Without a Migraine" reputation, though, Tjader's musicians keep things fairly calm, especially on Latinized ballads such as Billy May's "Somewhere In the Night" and on midtempo swingers like "Tanya." On Soul Sauce Tjader had perfected a middle ground between the brisk, collegiate mambo of his early Fantasy records and the mood-heavy sound of Asian themed albums like Breeze From the East. In the process, he dodged the "Latin lounge" label with an album full of smart arrangements, subtly provocative vibe solos, and intricate percussion backing. by Stephen Cook  
Tracklist :
1 Soul Sauce 2:24
Dizzy Gillespie / Chano Pozo
Percussion – Willie Bobo
2 Afro-Blue 4:27
Mongo Santamaria
Bass – Bob Bushnell, Richard Davis
Drums – Grady Tate
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Heath
Trumpet – Donald Byrd
3 Pantano 3:35
Lonnie Hewitt
4 Somewhere In The Night 3:14
 Mack Gordon / Billy May / Josef Myrow / Milt Raskin
5 Maramoor Mambo 4:00
Armando Peraza
6 Tanya 5:28
Lonnie Hewitt
7 Leyte 5:18
Lonnie Hewitt / Cal Tjader
8 Spring Is Here 4:00
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
9 Joao 4:50
Clare Fischer
10 Soul Sauce (Guachi Guaro) 2:30
Dizzy Gillespie / Chano Pozo
11 Monkey Beams 5:40
12 Ming    8:39    
13 Mamblues 3:49
Credits:
Cal Tjader - vibraphone
Lonnie Hewitt - piano
Richard Davis (tracks 2, 11 & 12), John Hilliard (tracks 1, 3-10 & 13) - bass
Grady Tate (tracks 2, 11 & 12), Johnny Rae (tracks 1, 3-10 & 13) - drums (tracks 1, 3-10 & 13)
Willie Bobo, Armando Peraza, Alberto Valdes - percussion
Donald Byrd - trumpet (tracks 2, 11 & 12)
Jimmy Heath - tenor saxophone (tracks 2, 11 & 12)
Kenny Burrell - guitar (tracks 2, 11 & 12)
Bob Bushnell - electric bass (track 2) 

THE CAL TJADER QUINTET - Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader (1968-2002) RM / SACD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Vibraphonist Cal Tjader is in typically fine form on this live set from 1968. His quintet at the time featured Armand Perazza on congas and pianist Joe Kloess and his repertoire ranged from Afro-Cuban jazz to occasional straightahead tunes. Six of the eight selections on this date are originals by band members or Gary McFarland. Although Tjader had been playing this style of music for 15 years by this time, he still was quite creative and enthusiastic, and is heard throughout in excellent form. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Armando's Quajira 4:24
Armando Peraza
2     Armando's Bossa 5:36
Armando Peraza
3     Why Did I Choose You? 3:12
Michael Leonard / Herbert Martin
4     Milo's Other Samba 6:00
Gary McFarland
5     Song for Pat 5:01
Cal Tjader
6     The Touch 6:17
Joe Kloess
7     Colorado Waltz 6:07
Cal Tjader
8     Nica's Dream 4:51
Horace Silver
Credits :
Bass – Paul Warburton
Congas – Armando Perazza
Drums – Mike Buono
Piano – Joe Kloess
Producer – Gary McFarland
Remastered By, Mastered By [SACD Mastering] – Steve Hoffman
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Cal Tjader