THE FANIA ALL STARS IN SAN JUAN 73
In 1973 the Fania All Stars were far from an established outfit. Previously they had been brought together only twice and then on special occasions. Once in early 68 to record the ‘Live At The Red Garter’ performance and in 1971 for the concert that was to form the centre-piece of the ‘Our Latin Thing’ film. Both of those events had been devised by Jerry Masucci in an attempt to draw attention to how his label was growing, both times had seen his sanity questioned, but in the end he had been vindicated as the events and the recordings drawn from them became great successes. However in 1973 he took the whole thing one stage further by taking his all-star group into stadiums.
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Release highlight
LA HERENCIA BY MACHITO
Like his Cuban countryman Cachao, Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo's contribution to Afro-Cuban music was so great, he only needed one name: Machito. Along with his famed band, the Afro-Cubans, Machito is perhaps best known for his pioneering Latin jazz workouts but as this La Herencia volume makes clear, Machito's contributions go far deeper. As liner notes author Ernesto Lechner puts it, "Machito thrived in every tropical style imaginable."
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DJ Spotlight Playlist
by dj sake 1
DJ Sake 1 is the Bay Area-based DJ and producer behind the Fania Live 03 mix-CD. He hosts the weekly Pacific Standard Time party in San Francisco and has also DJed for The Rub (NYC), Blacktronica (NYC), Afro Funke' (Los Angeles) and Earthlink Live (Atlanta).
www.djsake1.com
Ray Barretto
"Indestructible"
Azuquita y Su Orquestra "Guajiro Bacán"
Roberto Roena
"Que Se Sepa"
Ismael Rivera y Sus Cachimbos
"La Oportunidad"
Tico-Alegre All Stars
"Tito's Odyssey"
Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
"Vive Feliz"
Machito
"El Santo en Nueva York"
Joe Cuba Sextet
"Alafia"
Héctor Lavoe
"Para Ochún"
The New Swing Sextet
"Revolucionando"
Free Download
PAN Y AGUA FROM WILLIE COLÓN
El Juicio is Willie Colón’s 8th recording, and for many aficionados it is his best. For the Masterworks version, Fania added four never before released tracks from their vaults.
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Trivia Contest
Who worked in Fania's mail room and was then brought on as a back-up singer for Ray Barretto?
By answering this trivia nugget, you are entered to win Ray Barretto's Industructible, part of the Fania Masterworks Series. See more about the Masterworks series here.