Building a Salsa library

December 28, 2005

I have been slowly buying more latin music CDs to help improve my dancing and also to get a taste of music outside that being played all the time in Cambridge. While some artists like Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri and Celia Cruz are ubiquitous in the Top 100 Salsa CDs in Amazon, finding other more obscure but interesting artists needed some personal recommendations. Some of the CDs were purchased because of recommendations regarding the artist while others were purchased after finding out who did certain songs I liked and some were bought because a particular CD was recommended.

CDs are ordered by date of purchase. Recommendation for or information regarding the artist or CD from someone I know personally are noted within parentheses. Song recommendations from salsanewyork.com (new york) and song or album recommendation from salsavideoreviews.org (neallatino) are indicated when appropriate. Reviews from Amazon readers, Descarga editors and others are given with links. Links to Amazon or other sites with song samples are given when possible. Some links point to vendors offering the item at a good price.

June 2005
Various artists - Salsa Fresca (Vishal)
Amazon, new york (6 songs), neallatino (album)

Sonora Carruseles - Heavy Salsa (Vishal)
Amazon, Descarga, new york (1 song), neallatino (3 songs, album)

Frankie Ruiz - Exitos Eternos (Enrique)
new york (7 songs), neallatino (2 songs)
[note: This is one of many good Frankie Ruiz compilation CDs to choose from.]

Gloria Estefan - Mi Tierra (Po Na Na DJ)
Descarga, Amazon

August 2005
Africando - Baloba (Enrique)
neallatino (1 song, album), Descarga, Amazon

Africando - Mandali (Enrique)
Amazon, Descarga, new york (2 songs),

Eddie Palmieri - The Best of Eddie Palmieri (2 CDs)
new york (2 songs)
[note: I bought this because it was cheap. I don't recommend this CD.]

December 2005
Grupo Niche - 20 Exitos Originales (Ignacio)
new york (8 songs)
[note: There are other compilation CDs that may be as good.]

Eddie Palmieri - Ritmo Caliente
Amazon, Descarga
[note: Released after new york and neallatino listings. Not all songs are Salsa.]

Eddie Palmieri - La Perfecta II
Amazon, Descarga
[note: Released after new york and neallatino listings. Not all songs are Salsa.]

N'Klabe - I Love Salsa (Tony Lara)
Released 2005
[note: released after new york and neallatino listings.]

Tito Puente - King of Kings: The Very Best of Tito Puente
Amazon, new york (2 songs), neallatino (1 song)
[note: I think about half of the songs work for Salsa although some songs are well under 3 minutes long. I generally like this album a lot.]

Tito Puente - Oye Como Va: The Dance Collection
Amazon, new york (2 studio recorded songs)
[note: Last 3 songs are recorded live. Otherwise possibly the best Tito Puente Salsa dance CD.]

Joe Cuba Sextet - The Best of Joe Cuba (2 CDs) (Sergio)
neallatino (1 song, album), Amazon (no song samples)

Cal Tjader - The Latin Vibe (2 CDs) (Sergio)
[note: Compilation of songs from Concorde Picante label (Jazz) covering his work from late 70's to early 80's.]

Tito Puente - The Rough Guide to Tito Puente
[note: I wanted studio versions of Ran Kan Kan and Oye Como Va.]

January 2006

Tito Puente - King of Timbales (3 CDs)
[note: I bought this because it was cheap.]

Lebron Brothers - Super Hits Vol. 2 (Sergio)

Oscar D'Leon - Las 32 Mas Grandes (2 CDs)
[note: I bought this because it was cheap and am already regretting the purchase because of presence of live tracks.]

Orchestra Harlow - Salsa (Sergio)
Descarga, Salsa Musts

Eddie Palmieri - Gold 1973-1976
Descarga, new york (1 song), Salsa musts, Amazon (no samples)

Tito Puente & Eddie Palmieri - Obra Maestra
Descarga, new york (2 songs), Amazon

Toque De Keda - Te Extrano (Bachata - Tony Lara)
Released 2005
[note: Released with different ordering of songs in USA (song samples available).]

Domenic M - Intimamente (Bachata - Tony Lara)
Released 2004
[note: USA site with song samples.]

Tito Puente – Doctor Feelgood (2 CD) This is another Concorde Picante compilation, which covers all but two of the songs in Oye Como Va: The Dance Collection.

Ray Barretto – Salsa Caliente de Nu York –
[note: A compilation CD. Two songs were immediately recognizable – Acid (Sergio used to play this a lot in his classes – it used to drive me nuts because it sounded so different) and Quitate la mascara (covered by Hansel Martinez y La Orquestra Calle Ocho in Salsa Fresca compilation)]

Poncho Sanchez – Baila Baila (2 CD)
[note: Compilation (UK site with errors) CD of a prominent former member (percussion, timbales) of Cal Tjader’s band in the 70’s and 80’s. Concorde Picante label (Jazz).]

Delayed orders - definitely planning on getting these CDs

Lebron Brothers - Super Hits Vol. 1 (Sergio)
new york (1 song)

Orchestra Harlow - The Best of Orchestra Harlow (Sergio)
Descarga

[last updated: January 13, 2006]