Across 110th Street

United We Swing Spanish Harlem Orchestra's United We Swing does more than just make you want to dance. The joyous collection will likely incite a full-scale house party, complete with flowy dresses, sparkly jewelry, and silky, unbuttoned shirts. The disc plays like an actual live performance, a...	Un Gran Dia en el Barrio We all know that Harlem was the home of the fabled African-American renaissance of the '20s and the birthplace of bebop in the '40s. But it was also the spawning ground for Latin jazz, the boogalo, and the Hispanic musical lingua franca also known as salsa. The title of this CD, ...	La Llave De Mi Corazon La Llave De Mi Corazon finds tropical music troubadour Juan Luis Guerra returning to the secular sounds that have made him an enduring, endearing performer. His last disc, 2004's Para Ti, was a cautiously received--if still joyous--collection of spiritual tunes. La Llave De Mi C...	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Amazon Best of the Month, September 2007: It's been 11 years since Junot Díaz's critically acclaimed story collection, Drown, landed on bookshelves and from page one of his debut novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, any worries of a sophomore jinx disappear. The ti...	40 Aniversario - El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
Salsa Dura	Back on the Street	River: The Joni Letters (with Bonus Tracks) - Amazon.com Exclusive On paper, River sounds like a match made in several versions of heaven. Legendary pianist Herbie Hancock re-imagines Joni Mitchell with his hand-picked, star-studded band--including saxophonist Wayne Shorter--in tow. Luminary guests lend vocals to a song apiece: Norah Jones ("Cou...	Conga Kings The aptly named Conga Kings isn't a cutting contest; it's a celebration of good fellowship among three great percussionists from two generations. On board for this mind-boggling good set of son--the style that's found such acceptance thanks to the platinum Buena Vista Social Club...	Getz/Gilberto Originally released in March 1964, this collaboration between saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist João Gilberto came at seemingly the end of the bossa nova craze Getz himself had sparked in 1962 with Jazz Samba, his release with American guitarist Charlie Byrd. Jazz Samba remain...

Salsa dura
This CD won the Grammy award in 2005 for Best Salsa/Merengue Album. It is a great CD full of salsa dura, with a few cha-cha-chas thrown in. All the tracks are danceable, with a variety of tempos and plenty of stimulating call and response from the brass and vocals. This CD has hotter tracks and an even greater "big band" feel than the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's previous album, "Un Gran Dia en el Barrio." "Maestro de Rumbero," became a fast favorite, but there are many other songs that I still enjoy listening to. If you enjoy salsa dura and Latin jazz, you will love this CD; however, I have found that fans of smoother and more romantic salsa tend not to like this music very much. If you enjoy this album, check out Spanish Harlem Orchestra's newest release, United We Swing, as well as La Excelencia's Salsa con Conciencia.