The Best Of Latin Jazz

Latin jazz has been an important and evolving current in jazz since the mid-1940s, When Dizzy Gillespie invited the legendary Cuban Conga drummer Chano Pozo to join his Big Band. However, Latin rhythms were present in jazz even earlier, as proven by such recordings as Louis Armstrong 1930 “The Peanut vendor” (a reworking of Cuban pianist and conductor Moisés Simons’ “el manicero”). even such an iconic jazz piece as W. C. Handy’s 1914 “St. Louis blues” has a habanera-tresillo bass Line. Latin jazz would gain prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, with such celebrated figures as Ray Barretto, cándido camero, Tito puente, Bebo Valdés, Pérez Prado, and Mongo Santamaría. Many American artists, such as Gerald Wilson, Quincy Jones, and the aforementioned Dizzy Gillespie, even composed their own Latin songs, as did pianist Herbie Hancock, whose “watermelon Man” became a hit after Being recorded by Mongo Santamaría. This LP compiles some of the genre’s finest performances.

Tracklist

A1.    Candido - Afro Blue.    3:20
A2.    Cachao - Descarga Cubana.    3:02
A3.    Sérgio Mendes - Love For Sale.    3:00
A4.    Bebo Valdés - Special Del Bebo.    2:48
A5.    Gerald Wilson Orchestra - Viva Tirado.    5:41
A6.    Bobby Montez - Titoro.    3:40
A7.    Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man.    7:07

B1.    Cal Tjader - Speak Low.    2:57
B2.    Ray Barretto - Summertime.    2:58
B3.    Joe Cuba - Temptation.    2:06
B4.    Tito Puente - Oye Como Va.    4:31
B5.    Eddie Palmieri - Conmigo.    2:43
B6.    Efraín Mon Rivera* - Lluvia Con Nieve.    2:43
B7.    Mongo Santamaria - Watermelon Man.    2:30
B8.    Quincy Jones - Soul Bossa Nova.    2:44
B9.    Ben E. King - Amor.    3:04
B10.    Perez Prado - Quizás, Quizás, Quizás.    2:13