Ninety minutes plenty of latin rhythms because this playlist is dedicated to all hispanic music lovers on both sides of the Atlantic, especially my wonderful Cuban neighbours.
| Title | Artist | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theme from ‘The Apartment’ | Tito Rodríguez | Composed by Charles Williams, this instrumental piece gained popularity through the 1960 film The Apartment. Tito Rodríguez adapted it into his version, adding a Latin flair to the classic tune. | |
| Casino Royale (ft. Tijuana Brass) | Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass | Composed by Burt Bacharach for the 1967 Casino Royale film, this track showcases Bacharach’s jazzy style with Alpert’s signature trumpet sound. Fun, groovy, and cinematic. | |
| Brasil | Ray Conniff | Brazil, written by Ary Barroso, became famous after it featured in Walt Disney’s 1942 animated film Saludos Amigos. Barroso wrote “Aquarela do Brasil” (in English: ‘Watercolor of Brazil’) in early 1939, when he was prevented from leaving his home one rainy night due to a heavy storm. Ray Conniff’s vibrant orchestral adaptation adds big-band energy and smooth arrangements. | |
| The Peanut Vendor | Stan Kenton Orchestra | “El manisero”, known in English as “The Peanut Vendor”, is a Cuban son-pregón composed by Moisés Simons. Stan Kenton gave a second life to the Cuban classic “El manisero” or “The Peanut Vendor” when he recorded with his big band this energetic jazz version for Capitol Records, in 1947. | |
| Só Danço Samba | Antônio Carlos Jobim | “Só Danço Samba” (aka “Jazz ‘n’ Samba”) is a gentle bossa nova track, written by Antônio Carlos Jobim & Vinícius de Moraes, celebrating the joy of dancing samba. Jobim’s smooth melody and lyrical simplicity embody Brazilian music. Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim one of the great exponents of Brazilian music, Jobim merged samba with cool jazz in the 1960s to create bossa nova, | |
| My Little Suede Shoes | Charlie Parker | Charlie Parker picked up in Paris a French Caribbean tune called “Mes Souliers De Daim” that he translated to “My Little Suede shoes”. This Latin-inspired instrumental jazz track is a departure from Charlie Parker’s bebop style and highlights his versatility and love of Afro-Cuban rhythms. | |
| Unsquare Dance | Dave Brubeck | “Unsquare Dance” is Dave Brubeck’s challenge to the foot-tappers, finger-snappers and hand-clappers. Brubeck, known for its 7/4 time signature, wrote this playful jazz piece, breaking conventional rhythm rules and showcasing his innovative approach to jazz. The laugh you hear at the end is jazz drummer Joe Morello’s guffaw of surprise and relief that they had managed to get through the difficult last chorus. | |
| Oye La Rumba | Machito & His Salsa Big Band | Machito arranged this high-energy salsa classic, written by Marcelino Guerra, that celebrates Afro-Cuban rhythms and dance culture. Machito was pivotal in popularizing mambo and Latin jazz. | |
| Lo Que Va A Pasar (a.k.a. El Volcán Del Caribe) | Irakere | Chucho Valdés, Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger, wrote this fiery Afro-Cuban jazz piece blending traditional Cuban rhythms with jazz improvisation. Chucho is the founder of the landmark ensemble in Cuban music Irakere (1973-2005). Not well known outside Cuba, Irakere was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie, who was visiting Havana on a jazz cruise, in 1977. Irakere brought international attention to Cuban jazz innovation. This recording is from 1987, live at the legendary London Ronnie Scott’s jazz club, open daily from 8:30pm to 3:00am. | |
| Mzala | The Havana Swingsters | Eric Nomvete turned Mzala (in English ‘cousin’), a South African Traditional, into a vibrant, jazzy track influenced by South African swing traditions, blending global jazz styles with African rhythms. This track appeared on “Jazz From the Township” (1956) as well as on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of “Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom” (2013). | |
| Nightwalk | Joe Torres | Latin jazz/boogaloo percussionist (timbales), songwriter and orchestra leader Joe Torres grew up in Spanish Harlem, began as timbalero in his 10 and moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1950s, where he recorded his only album “Latino Con Soul” in 1966. Trumpeter Steve Huffsteter wrote this song, featuring vocals by Ric DeSilva and the trumpet by Gary Barone, New York had been brewing its own Latin fusion for several years, and by 1966 this novel melange was making its way into the mainstream. The style and also the dance style were called boogaloo, following Mambo (the fifties) and evolving further into Salsa in the seventies. | |
| Aquarian Moon | Osunlade | Osunlade (born Christian Carlos Warren) is a DJ, musician and producer from St. Louis, Missouri. “Aquarian Moon” is from an album where he tells of his love affair with the beautiful Greek Island of Santorini, where he recorded live over a 12 day period while he was a resident (on the third day of the aquarian moon i found my soul..drenched in loves bliss and touched by the glow of caldera’s view..i too overflow in the sunset and the glow of aquarian’s moon wanting, needing, feeling to simply be…) | |
| Mr DG | Colman Brothers | From Bristol, UK, The Colman Brothers (Andrew (Andy) and Matt Colman) pay a tribute to jazz greats with this swing-infused contemporary jazz track which highlights their modern take on classic jazz. | |
| Maria Moita | Rosalia De Souza | “Maria Moita” was initially composed by Carlos Lyra with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. This version by Brazilian bossa nova singer Rosalia De Souza, produced by Italian Latin-jazz artist Nicola Conte, honours the 1960s original, exploring themes of feminine power and resilience through rhythmic elegance. Rosalia De Souza was born in Rio de Janeiro, in the Nilopolis district famous for its samba Beija-Flor. The great passion for music was cultivated by her father. In 1989 she arrived in Italy where she started studying at the “Scuola Popolare di Testaccio” in Rome, taking classes in musical theory, Cuban percussions, jazz and jazz history. In 1994 she met DJ and Producer Nicola Conte. | |
| It Might As Well Be Spring | Astrud Gilberto ft. Stan Getz | This song was first recorded and released in July 1945 by Dick Haymes with Victor Young and His Orchestra. Written by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein for the 1945 movie State Fair, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. This dreamy jazz bossa nova interpretation with Gilberto’s soft vocals and Getz’s saxophone create a serene atmosphere. | |
| Tú Serás (ft. Aja Monet) | Danay Suárez | Danay Suárez Fernandez is a Cuban singer and rapper born 1985 in La Havana, Cuba. Aja Monet is an American surrealist blues poet. This blend of Afro-Cuban jazz and spoken word explores themes of love, identity, and self-reflection, merging contemporary poetry with traditional rhythms. | |
| All Love | Patrick Saussois & Alma Sinti | Patrick Saussois was a French left-handed playing jazz guitarist and member of Alma Sinti, a French gypsy jazz group, formed in 1996. French jazz guitarist Jean-Jacques “Babik” Reinhardt (younger son of Django Reinhardt) wrote this heartfelt gypsy jazz piece celebrating love through soft melodies and intricate guitar work, inspired by Django Reinhardt’s style. His 1973 album, “Sinti Houn Brazil”, included three lengthy original compositions, in more of a bossa nova style. | |
| Malecón Avenue | Marc Berthoumieux | Marc Berthoumieux is a French accordion player and composer, born 1960, created this lively instrumental, evoking the vibrancy of Havana’s famed Malecón. It combines jazz with world music influences for a rich sonic landscape. In 1999, he was nominated for the Django d’Or for his first album Les Couleurs d’ici. | |
| La Questa (ft. Steve Howe) | Martin Taylor | Martin Taylor and Steve Howe are British guitarists. This track combines the fusion of jazz and progressive guitar by Steve Howe with the intricate improvisation and sophisticated jazz arrangements by Martin Taylor. | |
| No Se Puede Querer | Jose Luis Rodriguez | This song is written by Pepé Delgado, a Cuban pianist, lyricist, and composer and performed by Venezuelan singer and actor, Jose Luis Rodriguez, also known as “El Puma”. | |
| No Seras Mio | Machito & His Salsa Big Band | Puerto Rican poet, lyricist, composer Sylvia Rexach wrote this song, performed by Machito & His Salsa Big Band, an Afro Cuban jazz / salsa orchestra formed from Machito And His Orchestra, created in New York in the mid-1940s, in a shorter format for a European tour in the early 1980s, without Mario Bauzá and Graciela Pérez who left the band. Machito’s daughter Paula Grillo carried female lead vocals, stepping into Graciela’s (Machito’s younger foster sister) shoes. When Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, somewhat short in stature, married Puerto Rican Hilda Torres in 1940, he changed his nickname from “Macho” to “Machito”. In 1984 he suffered a stroke before a concert, collapsing while waiting to go on stage at Ronnie Scott’s club and died four days later on April 19, 1984, at University College Hospital in London. | |
| Lamento (No Morro) (ft. Maogani Quartet) | Sergio Mendes | This song was initially composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim with lyrics from Vinicius de Moraes. Sergio Mendes created a touching bossa nova track blending traditional Brazilian guitar arrangements with his unique modern flair. Quarteto Maogani is a Brazilian acoustic guitar quartet, born in 1994 at UFRJ School of Music from four students: Carlos Chaves, Marcos Alves, Paulo Aragão and Sergio Valdeos | |
| Manha de Carnaval (Eurydice) | Elizeth Cardoso | This song, written by Luiz Bonfa and Antonio Maria, and performed by Brazilian singer Elizette Moreira Cardoso, is a beautiful bossa nova classic from the film Black Orpheus. It symbolizes love, longing, and fleeting happiness. | |
| The Lonely Bull | Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass | Herb Alpert’s first hit single ‘The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)’, written by American composer Solomon Lachoff, blending mariachi influences with a pop-jazz sound, helped him achieve international fame. | |
Sources
The information sources of the song facts include, but are not limited to, Wikipedia, songfacts.com, discogs.com, secondhandsongs.com, YouTube and artists’ related websites.
