Many pure salsa and Latin jazz fans have a difficult time with Ray Barretto's Atlantic Records period in the late 1970s because he was making a deliberate run at the crossover jazz/dance music charts. Who better to strive for such a thing? Barretto established his bona fides in jazz two decades earlier -- and returned to them time and again until the end of his life. He was also one of the prime innovators in New York's salsa explosion, and even played on pop records as a sideman. His credits are book-length. This set from 1977 has dated well. A very large cast date, it features Stix Hooper, Joe Sample, and Wilton Felder of the Crusaders, as well as a host of West Coast session players from the pop, jazz, and Latin worlds: saxophonist Pete Christlieb, trumpeter Louis "Perico" Ortiz, trombonist Garnett Brown, drummers Terry Bozzio and Angel "Cachete" Maldonado, guitarist Ray Gomez, and bassist Jeff Berlin are just a few of the players who appear. The vibe here is more jazz-funk than fusion or salsa. It features loads of keyboards to balance the percussion load, making it more accessible to non-Latin fans, though the grooves balance the smooth with the steamy. The best tracks are "Here We Go Again," Leti," and "Tumbao Africano," while "Señor Funk" and "Expresso" are fine songs as well.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Here We Go Again 4:59
Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bill Green
Bass – Wilton Felder
Guitar – Barry Finnerty
Keyboards – Joe Sample
Tenor Saxophone – Pete Christalieb
Trombone – Garnett Brown
Written-By – J. Sample
2 Señor Funk 4:44
Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Roger Rosenberg
Bass – Jeff Berlin
Drums – Steve Ferrone, Terry Bozzio
Guitar – Marcus Fiorillo
Keyboards – Gil Goldstein, Joe Sample
Tenor Saxophone – Todd Anderson
Trombone – Reinaldo Jorge
Written-By – M. Fiorillo
3 Eye Of The Beholder 4:25
Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Roger Rosenberg
Bass – Jeff Berlin
Drums – Steve Ferrone
Guitar – Marcus Fiorillo
Keyboards – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone – Todd Anderson
Trombone – Reinaldo Jorge
Written-By – G. Goldstein
4 Salsa-Con-Fusion 6:10
Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bill Green
Bass – Wilton Felder
Drums – Terry Bozzio
Guitar – Barry Finnerty
Keyboards – Joe Sample
Tenor Saxophone – Pete Christalieb
Trombone – Garnett Brown
Trumpet – Gene Goe
Written-By – B. Finnerty
5 Numero Uno 4:47
Baritone Saxophone – Bill Green
Drums – Steve Ferrone
Keyboards – Joe Sample
Tenor Saxophone – Pete Christalieb
Trombone – Garnett Brown
Written-By – W. Felder
6 Expresso 4:05
Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Roger Rosenberg
Bass – Jeff Berlin
Drums – Steve Ferrone
Guitar – Marcus Fiorillo
Keyboards – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone – Todd Anderson
Trombone – Reinaldo Jorge
Written-By – G. Goldstein
7 Leti 6:59
Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Roger Rosenberg
Bass – Jeff Berlin
Drums – Steve Ferrone
Guitar – Marcus Fiorillo
Keyboards – Gil Goldstein, Joe Sample
Percussion – Rafael Cruz
Tenor Saxophone – Todd Anderson
Trombone – Reinaldo Jorge
Written-By – G. Edgehill
8 Tumbao Africano 4:28
Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Roger Rosenberg
Bass – Jeff Berlin
Bata – Angel Maldonado, Ray Romero
Drums – Steve Ferrone
Keyboards – Eddy Martinez
Lead Guitar – Ray Gomez
Percussion – Rafael Cruz
Synthesizer – Clifford Carter
Tenor Saxophone – Todd Anderson
Timbales – Jimmy Delgado
Trombone – Reinaldo Jorge
Trumpet – Luis "Perico" Ortiz
Written-By – R. Barretto
23.6.25
RAY BARRETTO — Eye of the Beholder (1977-2004) RM | Fusion Best Collection 1000 Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
14.3.25
JEAN-LUC PONTY — King Kong : Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1970-1993) Two Version | WV (image+.cue), lossless + FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
1 King Kong 4:54
Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Drums – Arthur D. Tripp, III
Electric Piano – George Duke
Tenor Saxophone – Ian Underwood
Vibraphone, Percussion – Gene Estes
Violin [Electric Violin & Baritone Violectra] – Jean-Luc Ponty
2 Idiot Bastard Son 4:00
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Bass [Fender] – Wilton Felder
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Drums – John Guerin
Electric Piano – George Duke
Violin [Electric Violin & Baritone Violectra] – Jean-Luc Ponty
3 Twenty Small Cigars 5:35
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Bass [Fender] – Wilton Felder
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Drums – John Guerin
Electric Piano – George Duke
Violin [Electric Violin & Baritone Violectra] – Jean-Luc Ponty
4 How Would You Like To Have A Head Like That 7:14
Bass [Fender] – Wilton Felder
Composed By – Jean-Luc Ponty
Drums – John Guerin
Electric Piano – George Duke
Guitar – Frank Zappa
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Violin [Electric] – Jean-Luc Ponty
5 Music For Electric Violin And Low Budget Orchestra 19:20
Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Bassoon – Donald Christlieb
Cello – Harold Bemko
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Conductor – Ian Underwood
Drums – Arthur D. Tripp, III
Flute – Jonathan Meyer
French Horn, Recorder [Descant] – Vincent DeRosa
French Horn, Tuba [Tuben] – Arthur Maebe
Oboe, English Horn – Gene Cipriano
Piano, Electric Piano – George Duke
Viola – Milton Thomas
Violin [Electric] – Jean-Luc Ponty
6 America Drinks And Goes Home 2:39
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ian Underwood
Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Drums – Arthur D. Tripp, III
Electric Piano – George Duke
Vibraphone, Percussion – Gene Estes
Violin [Electric Violin & Baritone Violectra] – Jean-Luc Ponty
17.6.21
JIMMY SMITH - Root Down (1972-2000) / RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless
Toward the end of his stint with Blue Note, Jimmy Smith's albums became
predictable. Moving to Verve in the mid-'60s helped matters
considerably, since he started playing with new musicians (most notably
nice duets with Wes Montgomery) and new settings, but he never really
got loose, as he did on select early Blue Note sessions. Part of the
problem was that Smith's soul-jazz was organic and laid-back, relaxed
and funky instead of down and dirty. For latter-day listeners, aware of
his reputation as the godfather of modern soul-jazz organ (and certainly
aware of the Beastie Boys' name drop), that may mean that Smith's
actual albums all seem a bit tame and restrained, classy, not funky.
That's true of the bulk of Smith's catalog, with the notable exception
of Root Down. Not coincidentally, the title track is the song the
Beasties sampled on their 1994 song of the same name, since this is one
of the only sessions that Smith cut where his playing his raw, vital,
and earthy. Recorded live in Los Angeles in February 1972, the album
captures a performance Smith gave with a relatively young supporting
band who were clearly influenced by modern funk and rock. They push
Smith to playing low-down grooves that truly cook: "Sagg Shootin' His
Arrow" and "Root Down (And Get It)" are among the hottest tracks he ever
cut, especially in the restored full-length versions showcased on the
2000 Verve By Request reissue. There are times where the pace slows, but
the tension never sags, and the result is one of the finest, most
exciting records in Smith's catalog. If you think you know everything
about Jimmy Smith, this is the album for you. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1 Sagg Shootin' His Arrow 7:09
Jimmy Smith
2 For Everyone Under the Sun 5:56
Peter Chase
3 After Hours 7:45
Erskine Hawkins / Avery Parrish
4 Root Down (And Get It) 7:44
Jimmy Smith
5 Let's Stay Together 6:30
Al Green / Al Jackson, Jr. / Willie Mitchell
6 Slow Down Sagg 6:43
Jimmy Smith
Credits :
Bass – Wilton Felder
Congas, Percussion – Buck Clarke
Drums – Paul Humphrey
Guitar – Arthur Adams
Harmonica – Steve Williams
Organ – Jimmy Smith
10.5.20
THE CRUSADERS - Pass the Plate (1971-2008) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
Pass The Plate (15:39)
1.1 Tap N' Shuffle
1.2 Sing For Your Keep
1.3 Beggin'
1.4 Haggin' Stomp!
1.5 Pennies
1.6 Nickels And Dimes
2 Young Rabbits '71 - '72 4:51
3 Listen And You'll See 5:30
4 Greasy Spoon 4:06
5 Treat Me Like Ya Treat Yaself 2:35
6 Goin' Down South 5:21
7 Love Can't Grow Where The Rain Won't Fall 4:05
Credits:
Composed By – Hooper (tracks: 4), J. Sample (tracks: 3, 5 to 7), W. Henderson (tracks: 1, 2)
Drums – "Stix" Hooper
Guitar – Arthur Adams
Keyboards – Joe Sample
Saxophone – Wilton Felder

+ last month
PENDERECKI — Orchestral Works Vol. 1 : Symphony No. 3 • Threnody (Antoni Wit) (2000) Two Version | WAV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless
The Polish composer, Krzysztof Penderecki, established a reputation as one of the most revolutionary composers of the 20th century, his earl...
(Wit,%20Polish%20NRSO)(1998)_cover.jpg)