Sunday, January 23, 2005

PRESTIGE WEEK, DAY TWO
posted by O.W.





Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers: Heat!

From Heat! (Prestige, 1968)



In the 1960s, Prestige also dabbled into the growing Latin jazz scene. They weren't major players per se - not as prolific as Fantasy which had Cal Tjader and Mongo Santamaria on their roster - but Prestige's secret weapon was Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers. Regarded as one of the most important Latin/soul/jazz/funk fusionists of his time, Pucho recorded seven albums for Prestige from the mid-to-late '70s, Heat! being one of the best in the bunch.



What I love about the title track is how smooth it moves. Pucho's timbales lay down an irresistable groove and the horn section snakes in with what sounds to me to be some heavy Ethopian jazz influences but once the sax comes in, the sound is undeniably soulful. Delicious.



Tomorrow: The guitar soul of Billy Butler.



ELSEWHERE



  • Cosmo Baker has scanned all his old "Diggin' in the Crates" columns from On the Go.



  • Frequent Soul Sides' reader T. Havas is on his own audioblog jump-off.



  • Another new audioblog: Eclectic Boogaloo. Every Tuesday, he posts a cover song - I can feel that.



  • Nina Gordon (of Veruca Salt) does a cover of "Straight Outta Compton." It's no "Gin and Juice" by the Gourds but truly, it does make you pause for a second.

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