60s Latin Soul

[Spandex]

The other day I decided to check out the golden age of salsa, one of those huge scenes that I keep meaning to check out. But then I got completely distracted by discovering one of it's precursor scenes: Latin Soul.

In East Harlem in the mid-60s young black and latino people started hanging out together, brought together by a shared experience at the wrong end of a nightstick and plentiful acid and grass. In the clubs latin and black music started mixing too , resulting in boogaloo. And closely related to boogaloo was the latin soul sound: Puerto Rican and Cuban New Yorkers playing soul music mixed with mambo and latin jazz.

From '66 to '68 boogaoo and latin soul ruled the clubs of east Harlem. But then around '69 it died out: some say it was blasted out of the way by the salsa explosion, some say crowds had tired of endless, repetitive cash-in boogaloo tracks; some say that the older established mambo bands hated having to play it and used their influence to discourage clubs from booking boogaloo and latin soul acts. Probably all three are true.

But in those few years there was some amazing music (and endless, repetitive cash-in boogaloo tracks).

These are all fantastic:

Joe Bataan - It's a Good Feeling (Riot)
The Latin Blues Band - Take a Trip
The Moon People - Land of Love
The Latin Blues Band - (I'll be a) Happy Man
Orchestra Harlow - Mess Around
Ricardo Ray - Nitty Gritty
Joe Cuba Sextet - My Man Speedy
Ray Baretto - The Teacher of Love
Orchestra Harlow - That Groovy Shingaling
Ray Baretto - Hard Hands
Dianne & Carole & The Latin Whatchcallits - The Fuzz

Anyone else into this stuff? Got any other killer tracks like these? I need MORE...

 

[danski]

If you use Spotify then search for the Gozalo compilations. There's probably a lot of cash in stuff but also some gems, to my ear at least.
Stuff on the Fania label is worth checking too.
Sorry if you know his already.

 

[Spandex]

If you use Spotify then search for the Gozalo compilations. There's probably a lot of cash in stuff but also some gems, to my ear at least.
Stuff on the Fania label is worth checking too.
Sorry if you know his already.

It was falling down a Fania youtube wormhole that led me to this stuff. And yeah, the bad to good ratio isn't great, but when it hits the spot, it really hits.

 

[Ground Elder]

 

[Spandex]

Oh yeah! That Mongo Santamaria track is the business.

 

[Ground Elder]

 

[Ground Elder]

You get a bit of 60s Latin played at mod and some northern nights, but not nearly enough for my liking The records tend to get a bit pricey

edited to add - enjoying your playlist

One more

 

[ska invita]

was playing this Joe Bataan track earlier today but had no idea who he was...i think this is from around 79, but definitely killer soul

 

[Treacle Toes]

Love that ska invita

...would not file under latin soul though.

/legs it

 

[Fez909]

70s, but too good not to share

 

[Fez909]

 

[Spandex]

Ground Elder on the money. That cover of Cool Jerk is brilliant.

And thanks ska invita & Fez909 , though latin music in the 70s is a whole other (potentially very big) thread. But that Joe Bataan tune is great - it's good to hear him still sound amazing on the other side of the salsa and disco years.

 

[trabuquera]

If you like this sort of thing - the 2006 movie El Cantante (starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez of all people, in a biopic of dead legend Hector Lavoe) is worth a watch and has a pretty good sense of period, some amazing clothes and a decent soundtrack. Skews more to salsa proper, and most of the movie is in fact about P Rican identity and Lavoe's drug woes, but it's kind of in the ballpark. Also refreshingly free of stereotype.

 

[Ground Elder]

 

[Spandex]

The whole of Orchestra Harlow's El Exigente album is great. One for this thread: Urban75 Album of the Year 1967

 

[Spandex]

If you like this sort of thing - the 2006 movie El Cantante (starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez of all people, in a biopic of dead legend Hector Lavoe) is worth a watch and has a pretty good sense of period, some amazing clothes and a decent soundtrack. Skews more to salsa proper, and most of the movie is in fact about P Rican identity and Lavoe's drug woes, but it's kind of in the ballpark. Also refreshingly free of stereotype.

Hector Lavoe did loads of albums with Willie Colon, who started out in the Latin Soul scene before becoming huge on the salsa scene. The cover of their 1969 album Cosa Nuestra is badass:

 

[Spandex]

I came across this single; both sides are great:

Manny Corchado - Pow Wow
Manny Corchado - Chicken And Booze

 

[Ground Elder]

I've a love/hate relationship with Pow Wow - it gets played to death by unimaginative northern soul djs, who don't seem aware of the existence any other latin records

From Mexico

 

[Spandex]

Want!

Fania records have released a box set of all their Latin Soul singles from 1965-75 - 89 tracks on 4CDs and a 7".

Here's a write up about the scene prompted by this comp: Good, Good Feeling: The Latin Soul Of Fania Records Set For Release

[Adds to Xmas list]