New Bobby Marin comp offers an overview of his 60s/70s Latin productions

VampiSoul's 24-song We've Got A Groovy Thing anthology spotlights the work of prolific Latin music producer Bobby Marin – it's much more than boogaloo.  

Here's the scoop...

Those who read liner notes will know that Latin music producer Bobby Marin had a hand in some of the best boogaloo and salsa recordings of the '60s and '70s. Yet, until now, no one has explicitly put Bobby's name in the headline and given him his due on the cover of a properly credited Latin soul compilation. This compilation comprises 24 essential boogaloo, Latin funk, rock and Afro-disco gems, each one bearing the mark of quality: "A Bobby Marin Production," including songs by Ricardo Marrero, the Ghetto Brothers, Ocho, Louie Ramírez, and more. A freshly curated overview of his fascinatingly complex back catalog in these genres. 

Generally, when discussing the "first wave" of Latin soul and boogaloo, it's the bands and their leaders, the singers and the songs that get all the recognition. But what of the producers, composers, and arrangers behind the music? Over the years, one of the best old-school New York Latin music producers, Bobby Marin, has occasionally been given some well-deserved credit and popped up sporadically in articles or liner notes (Wax Poetics, Fania, Gladys Palmera). 

However, Bobby Marin is not a household name, even among fans of boogaloo and salsa. Thankfully, those rare few who are in the know are well aware of his work, and the fact that he was behind the scenes for some of the best boogaloo and salsa of the '60s and '70s. There are even some contemporary Latin soul compilations that contain mostly material licensed, produced and/or written by Bobby, and a tip of the hat must go to Bobby's friend Dean Rudland for all his work in this area, as well as to Rocafort Records for digging up the long-lost Nitty Gritty Sextet album. 

This collection aims to change that and give the man his Latin soul "props" for the first time on a freshly curated overview of his fascinatingly complex back catalog in this genre. Also featuring Richie & The Ps 54 School Yard, 107th Street Stickball Team, Louie Ramírez & His Orchestra, Johnny Rodriguez & Angel René Orchestra, La Cucaracha Brass, Herbie Olivieri & The Latin Blues Band, Los Africanos, and La Crema. You can pre-order a copy of We've Got A Groovy Thing Going On: The Latin Soul of Bobby Marin from Forced Exposure mail order right here.  Check out a few songs following the tracklisting below. 

We've Got A Groovy Thing Going On: The Latin Soul of Bobby Marin

1. MOVIN MUCH TOO FAST - BOBBY MARIN 

2. A GROOVY THING GOING - BOBBY MARIN 

3. HEY MR. SKYJACKER - RICHIE & THE PS 54 SCHOOL YARD 

4. WHAT I FEEL - RICARDO MARRERO AND THE GROUP / THE PS 54 SCHOOL YARD 

5. TAKE A RIDE - BOBBY MARIN & THE LATIN CHORDS FEAT. SONNY BRAVO 

6. WORK YOUR SHOW - BOBBY MARIN & THE LATIN CHORDS FEAT. SONNY BRAVO 

7. NEATH THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER SUN - BOBBY MARIN & SONNY BRAVO 

8. BARBARA WITH THE KOOKY EYES - 107TH STREET STICKBALL TEAM 

9. MOJO SHINGALING - 107TH STREET STICKBALL TEAM 

10. RHYTHM AND SOUL - 107TH STREET STICKBALL TEAM 

11. LUCYS SPANISH HARLEM - LOUIE RAMIREZ & HIS ORCHESTRA 

12. LOVE IT UP - LOUIE RAMIREZ & HIS ORCHESTRA 

13. JUMPIN AROUND - JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ & ANGEL REN ORCHESTRA 

14. TAKIN OVER - LA CUCARACHA BRASS 

15. HEY, MAMA - LA CUCARACHA BRASS 

16. WE BELONG TOGETHER - HERBIE OLIVIERI & THE LATIN BLUES BAND 

17. COME LIVE WITH ME - HERBIE OLIVERI & THE LATIN BLUES BAND 

18. GOT THIS HAPPY FEELING - THE GHETTO BROTHERS 

19. DO IT - LOS AFRICANOS 

20. PAMOJA WATU (TOGETHER PEOPLE) - LOS AFRICANOS 

21. ITS YOUR THING - LOS AFRICANOS 

22. UNDRESS MY MIND - OCHO 

23. CISCO KID - LA CREMA 

24. GIMME, TAKE IT - LOUIE RAMREZ (BOBBY MARIN EDIT) 

Colombian Codiscos gems uncovered for Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!!, Vol. 2

Another batch of rare Colombian cumbia cookers have been unearthed for the second volume of Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! 

Here's the scoop...

The second volume of VampiSoul's brilliant Colombian archival series "Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!!" series presents a mind-melting selection of 28 vintage dancefloor-ready cumbia bangers from deep in vaults of Codiscos and associated labels Costeño, Zeida and Famoso, all of them originally released between 1962 and 1983. "Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!!" combines well-known classics and rarities that are difficult to find in their original formats. An invitation to enjoy and be amazed, above and beyond ethnographic and academic concerns. 

Get a copy of the 2 LP version of Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! Vol. 2 and listen to a few snippets via Bandcamp right here. Check the impressive track listing below followed by a couple of classics from Hermanos Martello and Antonio Leon y su Conjunto.  

Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! Vol. 2 

Side A 1. LOS HERMANOS MARTELO - CUMBIA CIENAGUERA 2. LOS TROTAMUNDOS - CUMBIA PORTEÑA 3. ANTONIO LEON Y SU CONJUNTO - CUMBIA TRISTE 4. ANTOLIN Y SU COMBO ORENSE - EL PAJARO MILANO 5. FRANCISCO ZAPATA - UNA CUMBIA PARA MARIA6. CRESCENCIO SALCEDO - TIPICISMO 7. SONIDOS DE GAMERO - LA CUMBIA DEL NEGRO 

Side B 1. LOS TEEN AGERS - CUMBIA SOBRE EL MAR 2. MIGUEL VILLALBA Y SU CONJUNTO - CUMBIA MANGUELITERA 3. CALIXTO OCHOA - EL INDIO MAPUCHI 4. ALFREDO GUTIÉRREZ Y LOS CAPORALES DEL MAGDALENA - RASPACANILLA 5. EL MICHI Y SU COMBO BRAVO - ANTONIA 6. LOS GRADUADOS - ALUMBRA LUNA 7. GABRIEL MESA - LA LUNA Y EL PESCADOR

Side C 1. ADOLFO PACHECO Y SU CONJUNTO - PAJARO MACUA 2. EL CONJUNTO MIRAMAR - CUMBIA DEL SOL 3. EL COMBO CIENAGUERO - FIESTA DE CUEROS 4. LA SONORA UNIVERSITARIA - MARGOT 5. ORQUESTA DE MARCIAL MARCHENA - LINA 6. RITA FERNANDEZ - LLORA SU PENA 7. JAIME LLANO GONZALEZ - CUMBIA EN DOMINANTE

Side D 1. LOS ARKO - CUMBIA BOGOTANA 2. ANICETO MOLINA Y SU CONJUNTO - CUMBIA CANDELA 3. LOS BOBBY SOXERS - CUMBIA SABROSONA 4. CATALINO Y SU COMBO NEGRO - CUMBIA MONTAÑERA 5. LA CUMBIA MODERNA DE SOLEDAD - CUMBIA SOLEDEÑA 6. ALEJANDRO BERNAL - AL COMPAS DE LAS POLLERAS 7. GRUPO LA DROGA - LA CHICHARRA

Vampisoul mines the Fuentes Records vault for rare cumbia treasures

The Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia Vol. 1 2LP set brings together 24 vintage Colombian cumbia cookers in dazzling sound. 

Various Artists – Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia Vol. 1

1. JUAN PIÑA Y SUS MUCHACHOS – Toquen Cumbia 02:57

2. LOS CORRALEROS DE MAJAGUAL – La Pollera Colorá 03:09

3. ANÍBAL VELÁSQUEZ Y SU CONJUNTO – La Negra Celina 02:51

4. CUMBIA CIPOTE VAINA – Soledad 02:54

5. CALIXTO OCHOA Y SU CONJUNTO – Recordando el Pasado 02:40

6. LUCHO CAMPILLO Y SU CONJUNTO – Me Dejaste Solo 02:31

7. LA SONORA DEL CARIBE – Gaita Colombiana 02:37

8. EL SEXTETO MIRAMAR – Cumbiamba 02:33

9. PELLO TORRES Y SUS DIABLOS DEL RITMO – Lucy 02:48

10. COMBO LOS GALLEROS – Suena la Timba 02:34

11. LOS GUACHARACOS – Baila Rosita 02:54

12. COMBO SAMPUESANO – Cumbia Monteriana 02:41

13. CONJUNTO TÍPICO VALLENATO – Cumbia Sampuesana 02:56

14. PEDRO LAZA Y SUS PELAYEROS – Esperma y Ron 02:26

15. ANDRÉS LANDERO Y SU CONJUNTO – La Pollera Rosada 03:06

16. LOS GOLDEN BOYS – Se Trabó la Banda 02:10

17. ORQUESTA NUÑEZ – La Samaria 02:56

18. LOS CANDELOSOS – Cumbia de Amores 02:33

19. MORGAN BLANCO Y SU CONJUNTO – Cumbia de Colombia 02:52

20. PACHO GALÁN Y SUS SABANEROS – Caracoleando 02:43

21. LOS GAVILANES DE LA COSTA – Lorenza  02:43

22. LAS ESTRELLAS DE TOLÚ – Cumbia Al Amanecer  02:55

23. LOS WARAHUACO – El Pescador de Barú 02:52

24. RODOLFO AICARDI Y SU TIPICA RA7 – La Colegiala  03:41

Get a copy of Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia Vol. 1 via Bandcamp right here. Have a listen to a few tracks below. 

Fusión vs. Carlos Franzetti

Today it's Chilean jazz-funk crew Fusión taking on Carlos Franzetti in the battle over Totem's "Dedos." Check VampiSoul's reissue. 

Here's the scoop on VampiSoul's split 7" reissue...

Two monumental and mega rare versions of Totem’s original ‘Dedos’ (also brought to fame by Airto) with loads of head-nodding funky beats, drum breaks, jazzy arrangements… Dancefloor action guaranteed! 

Side A is taken from Chilean band Fusion’s mega rare only LP (1975), while side B features Carlos Franzetti, of the ‘Cocoa Funk’ fame, and was released only in Argentina at the time. Killer! 

Get the Fusión / Carlos Franzetti "Dedos" split seven-inch via Bandcamp right here.

----------------------------- 

Dos enormes y rarísimas versiones del clásico de la banda Tótem ‘Dedos’ (llevado también a la fama por Airto Moreira) repletas de bases rítmicas irresistibles, breaks de batería, arreglos jazzy… ¡Efecto garantizado en la pista de baile! 

La cara A está sacada del rarísimo y único LP publicado por la banda chilena Fusión (1975), mientras que en la cara B hemos incluido la versión grabada por el argentino Carlos Franzetti, autor del conocido rare groove ‘Cocoa Funk’ que tan solo se publicó en Argentina en su momento. ¡Enorme!

VampiSoul reissues sought-after cumbia gem from Conjunto Miramar

Conjunto Miramar was formed by a group of childhood friends in the Colombian city of Manizales back in 1957.

“Cumbias con el Miramar” is a very hard-to-find and sought-after album from Conjunto Miramar released by Discos Fuentes in 1965. Full of excellent cumbias and gaitas for dancing, the record actually is a lot more diverse than the title leads one to believe – as there are lots of other hot rhythms and arrangements on it – taken from Cuban genres like guajira, guaracha, guaguancó, charanga and son montuno. All but one of its compositions come from the conjunto’s own musicians, with the bulk being written by Hernán Builes and Héctor Quintero.

Throughout the album the very simple, spare elemental sound is consistent. The band members at this time included Darío Restrepo (aka “Guayabita”) on piano, Rubén Darío Restrepo (“El Mago”) on guitar, Héctor Quintero on saxophone, clarinet, flute, xylophone and vocals, Hugo Gil (“Chamizo”) behind the drum set as well as on tumbadora (conga) and vocals, with Hernán Builes being the band’s director and bassist (and occasional accordionist). Darío Restrepo has said that the xylophone used on this record was a small children’s model that the band purchased in Medellín, and there is an engagingly youthful exuberance, brevity and playful simplicity on this album that belies the band members’ obvious maturity and the prodigious talent displayed therein.

The childlike aspect to the band is indeed appropriate because Conjunto Miramar was formed by a group of very young music enthusiasts (some under the age of 10!) in 1957 in Manizales (although some sources say Medellín). The Miramar boys were all childhood friends that wanted to play music together during the holidays, led by Medellín native Jairo Grisales (accordion) and bassist Hernán Builes. They were joined by an ever-changing line-up that included siblings Jairo Darío Gil aka “Dargil” and Hugo Gil, as well as Hernán Pabón, Augusto Zapata, Roberto de la Barrera and Héctor Quintero. Conjunto Miramar recorded their first singles for the Medellín-based Discos Ondina label in 1961. These Ondina 45 singles were later collected on an album titled “Carruseles” (Sonico/INS, 1977); however, their first proper long play recording was for the Zeida label (probably recorded in 1962/63) but by then Grisales had left the group and Hernán Builes took over, signing with Discos Fuentes in 1965. Watch the trailer for VampiSoul's reissue of Cumbias con el Miramar below.



Soon after “Cumbias con el Miramar” was released, Builes reformatted the line-up and instrumentation, updating the sound to reflect recent developments in Caracas, San Juan and New York, adding vibraphone in the fashion of The Joe Cuba Sextet (as well as hiring vocalists Humberto “Huango” Muriel, Rodolfo Aicardi and Johnny Moré), renaming the group Sexteto Mirarmar and debuting the groundbreaking album “¡Salsa! Mi Hermana” (the band left Fuentes in 1969 after four more successful records). Interestingly, Cumbias con el Miramar contains superior versions of ‘Cumbia del sol’ – arguably one of the band’s most famous and internationally influential songs – and ‘Lelogua’, both of which had also been recorded earlier for their Zeida LP. In addition, several other tunes from the record – ‘Cumbia loca’, ‘Cumbia de estrellas’ and ‘Noche y cumbia’ – have been popular among DJs, “sonideros” and dancers for 50 years.

But while these cumbias form the backbone of the album and situate it firmly in the folklore of the band’s native Colombia, the LP’s Cuban-styled songs like ‘Mensaje guajiro’ and ‘Lelogua’ point to the other obsession of Colombian audiences, namely that of Afro-Antillean music (that would be marketed as “salsa” in the following decade).

The album offers us a fascinating snapshot of a pivotal period in Colombian music when outside influences (such as salsa from New York) and the wildly popular phenomenon of so-called “raspa” or “chucu-chucu” cumbia groups from the interior (described as “paisa”, i.e. not from the Afro-Colombian coastal regions where cumbia began) were initiating a transition from the old sound (and generation) to the new. Conjunto Miramar certainly influenced and inspired the rise of the youthful “teenager” raspa groups like Los Teenagers, Hispanos, Bobby Soxers, Graduados, Black Stars, Éxitos and Falcons, but at the same time, as the newly christened Sexteto Miramar, they helped inspire Discos Fuentes to usher in the new decade of the 1970s with the modern salsa dura of Fruko y Sus Tesos, as Fruko himself has admitted.     Pablo Iglesias aka DJ Bongohead

Get a copy of Conjunto Miramar's album Cumbias con el Miramar right here. Listen to a few tracks below.

Midweek Mixdown: Cumbia Beat, Volume 2

VampiSoul strikes again with another swingin' collection of guitar-led Peruvian cumbia madness. 

Midweek Mixdown: ¡Gózalo! Vol. 4: Bugalú Tropical

The fourth volume of VampiSoul's ¡Gózalo! series documents Peru's transition from the boogaloo era of the 60s to the 70s salsa takeover. 

¡GÓZALO! Volume 4: Bugalú Tropical (VampiSoul)
Volume 4 of VampiSoul's successful ¡Gózalo! series of tropical Peruvian music of the 60s is an exciting mix of musical gems which link the mambo era to the dawn of salsa in South America.  Another great selection of tracks from a little known but essential period in the development of Latin Music. A terrific, dance-inducing mix of genres across 28 tracks: boogaloo, mambo, son, guaracha, cumbia – check the track list below. Get a copy from the Munster Records site right here.



1. Saludo Maracaibo - Pedro Miguel y sus Maracaibos 00:00
2. Boogaloo en ambiente - Alfredo Linares y su Sonora 2:51 3. Yo traigo boogaloo - El Combo de Pepe 5:17 4. Cumbayea - Mario Allison y su Combo 7:40 5. Psicosis - La Sonora de Lucho Macedo 10:31 6. El Diablo - Compay Quinto 13:30 7. Yo no pido nada - Orquesta Casino de Hugo Macedo 16:17 8. Guarachera - Ñico Estrada y su Sonora 18:37 9. Guajireate - Coco Lagos y sus Orates 21:12 10. Pa gozar candela - Betico Salas y su Sonora 23:38 11. Boogaloo boogaloo - Joe Di Roma y su Orquesta 25:59 12. Descarga Maracaibo - Pedro Miguel y sus Maracaibos 29:07 13. Guayaba - Popi y sus Pirañas 32:01 14. Peruvian guajira - Melcochita y Karamanduka 34:14 15. Kintos instrumental - Los Kintos 37:12 16. Boogaloo en España - La Sonora de Lucho Macedo 39:52 17. Yenyere cuma - Pedro Miguel y sus Maracaibos 43:27 18. Pollo atrasado - Chivirico Dávila y Sonora MAG 47:17 19. Busco una chiquita - Coco Lagos y sus Orates 50:00 20. Caliente - Mario Allison y sus Estrellas 52:59 21. La charanga del espacio - Carlos Pickling y Orquesta 56:21 22. Por tu amor - Willy Marambio 58:48 23. Canta, canta - Los Hilton's 1:01:18 24. Descarga - Alfredo Linares y su Sonora 1:04:04 25. El carbonero - Compay Quinto 1:07:34 26. Aguanile - Los Girasoles 1:09:47 27. Malambo - Los Diablos Rojos 1:13:15 28. Mambo Ravel - Andrés de Colbert y Orquesta 1:16:16

When drawing the musical map of Latin America, the mistake is often made to identify the zone of influence of Afro-Latin music only around the Caribbean. It’s true that the great creators are Cuban and Puerto Rican, but when their music spread out across Latin America, similar scenes sprung up in other parts of the continent. It was during the 50s that the genre captivated Peru.

Tropical orchestras appeared everywhere with a repertoire based on mambos, guarachas and, to a lesser extent, boleros and merengues. However, over the Afro-Cuban foundation they added diverse influences and reached a new sound, different from their inspiration. Within the core of the tropical music scene, the Sonora de Lucho Macedo clearly stands out; they were the first group of its kind in the middle of an environment exclusively populated by orchestras. The Sonora released more than 80 LPs and countless singles. Of all the ensembles, it had the greatest international success. Beyond his irrefutable professional merits, Macedo’s essential contribution was to recruit musicians that later on would start the most important boogaloo groups. At times, Macedo’s career seems the backbone of this whole story. 

The first one to leave his band and go his own way was Joe Di Roma. Bongoist Ñiko Estrada left a little later to create his Sonora Antillana. From Macedo’s band also came double bass player José “Pepe” Hernández, percussionists Mario Allison and Coco Lagos, trumpet player Tito Chicoma and singer Charlie Palomares – almost all of the main artists of the golden age of boogaloo in the mid-60s, each of them a director of their own band. 

1962 saw the arrival of Nilo Espinosa, a saxophonist with a solid academic formation and a deep knowledge of jazz. He started to record with his own orchestra and in 1965 he would form the group Los Hilton’s. The puzzle was completed with the self-taught pianist Otto de Rojas. They all knew each other from the hotels, parties and TV sets, but especially from the recording studio sessions. 

Although the main record labels, El Virrey, Sono Radio and Iempsa, also recorded tropical music, it was MAG, run by Manuel A Guerrero, which most focused on the genre. Lucho Macedo, once again, was the pioneer. In 1955 he already had a contract. All his disciples stayed at MAG and made a big part of the great recordings from the boogaloo era in the label’s studio. MAG possessed the best infrastructure. Guerrero used to take his recordings to Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the United States, among other countries, and would sell them to foreign record labels. He chose the repertoire for the recordings himself. He built his own musical factory. 

MAG studio’s group of musicians in the 60s was rather eclectic. Some of them would come and go, but there was a core of players who became more or less the house band. The permanent members were Mario Allison, Coco Lagos and Nilo Espinosa. On trumpets were Tito Chicoma and Betico Salas; Alfredo Linares would sometimes play the vibraphone and was the most regular pianist. Víctor Fuentes, Melcochita and the multi-instrumentalist Charlie Palomares were in charge of the vocals. They all played for each other’s bands. 

The height of the tropical orchestras coincided with boogaloo but the massive migration inland towards the capital brought along a radical change in popular music, giving rise to Peruvian cumbia, which also had a tropical foundation. The Afro-Cuban influence, while remaining, left room for a Colombian influence. With the new decade the market was taken over by cumbia and salsa bringing the boogaloo era to a close. 

Bruce & Vlady's entrancing prog-jazz gem rescued from obscurity by VampiSoul

The deep digging VampiSoul crew are recirculating Bruce Powell and Wladyslaw Jagiello's Reality LP from 1970.

When you come across a sleeve like this – hypnotic artwork, enigmatic title, unusual Hammond and drums set-up – it's a reasonably safe bet that the record is gonna be dope. However, The Reality album credited to Bruce and Vlady didn't sell well when it originally came out in Sweden on the tiny Svensk American label back in 1970 and has since become a sought-after item for collectors of European out-jazz, funk and small press curios who can't get enough of Hansson & Karlsson. VampiSoul's welcome reissue reveals the previously undocumented back story of this crazy rare prog jazz masterwork for first time thanks to its co-creator, keyboardist Bruce Powell.

"I had returned from an eight month engagement in Tokyo and decided to go back to Las Vegas, Nevada," explains Powell. "While there, I was introduced to trumpeter Ernie Englund. He told me he needed an organist who could read music and had his own instrument. I said yes and he hired me to play with his big band at the Grande Hotel in Stockholm. That was December 1969.

"My Hammond B-3 was somehow damaged on the trip over and Ernie decided to send me back to the United States. My wife, however, had arrived two days after I got there, so I decided to stay in Stockholm and make a go of it on my own. I found someone called Bengt who repaired my Hammond organ.

"I met Vlady (respected Polish jazz drummer Wladyslaw Jagiello) one night at a rock club. He and I both were sitting in with another band. He liked the way I played and I liked him. We talked about doing something together and Bengt told us about the jazz venue, Klub Ernst, so Vlady and I approached the owner. We got hired for several engagements there.

"A friend of Svensk American Records boss Rune Wallebom heard us one night and told him about our music. One day Vlady and I had a concert to do in downtown Stockholm and Rune came to hear us and loved it. After the show he offered me a recording contract. The deal was that I would record all my original music. He also said that if the album sold 20,000 copies in Sweden, it would then be promoted in England (under EMI/Columbia Records) and would also get us a booking at Ronnie Scott's in London.

"I don't remember the name of the studio but I do remember that we did four takes. After reviewing them all, we decided upon the ones that appear on the album. There are two more takes out there somewhere. I had the tapes from the sessions but they got lost over time…

"Vlady and I performed the album in Stockholm at the Gyllene Cirkeln. I had heard about this place and that such greats as Jack McDuff, Ornette Coleman and Eddie Harris had performed there. When I approached the owner, he said he had been booking groups for a two-night engagement. However, he liked our music so much that he signed us for 16 nights! It was a great success.

"Not long after, Rune came to me with a sad face and told me his wife was divorcing him. She was co-owner of Svensk American Records and was dissolving the company. This happened just after the album was released; therefore it went no further. The promotion and distribution ceased. I never received any monies or royalties for my work… When my grandmother passed, I decided to return to the United States (September 1970). I lost track of Vlady and never was able to contact Rune about what happened to the album."