Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers - Tough! (1966)

A bit more jazz and pop-oriented than some of his later sessions, with covers of "Yesterday," "The Shadow of Your Smile," "And I Love Her," "Walk On By," and "Goldfinger." However, when Pucho decides to pull out the funky grooves -- as he does on "Cantaloupe Island," "Vietnam Mambo," and "Strange Thing Mambo" - he and the Latin Soul Brothers can smoke. Even at its slightest, this is decent mood music. At its best, it's significantly more than that, Enjoy!

The Latin Soul Brothers were at their best when they went for the hottest and funkiest grooves, as on their fine version of "Cantaloupe Island," or eccentrically titled originals like "Soul Yamie" and "Vietnam Mambo." The Latin Soul Brothers certainly couldn't have been accused of predictability, incorporating straight modern jazz chops, psychedelic flourishes, and soul-jazz organ grooves into their repertoire when the mood suited them. The constant factor was the active Latin percussion section, featuring conga, bongos, and Pucho's own timbales. ~ Extract by Richie Unterberger, AMG.

Prestige Records, PRST 7471, 1966

Recorded 15^th February, 1966 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Personnel:

Henry "Pucho" Brown - Timbales

Vincent McEwan - Trumpet

Claude Bartee - Tenor Saxophone

William Bivens - Vibraphone

John Spruill - Piano

Jon Hart - Bass

Richie “Pablo” Landrum - Congas

Norberto Apellaniz - Bongos

Tracks:

A1. Cantaloupe Island {Herbie Hancock} (3:49)

A2. Walk On By {Burt Bacharach, Hal David} (2:37)

A3. Just For Kicks {James Phillips} (2:37)

A4. And I Love Her {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (3:41)

A5. Vietnam Mambo {Pucho} (4:00)

B1. The Shadow Of Your Smile {Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster} (5:09)

B2. Strange Thing Mambo {Arthur Sterling} (2:30)

B3. Goldfinger {John Barry, Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley} (5:06)

B4. Yesterday {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (3:07)

Total Time: 32:36

Credits:

Producer - Cal Lampley

Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Design, Photography - Don Schlitten

Notes - Ahmad Basheer (April 1966)

Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers - Heat! (1968)

In the late 1960s Henry "Pucho" Brown was at the top of his game. He successfully merged Soul, Funk and Latin rhythms into a steaming, genre-bending mix; this formula packed both the dance floors and his pockets. He went on to produce a swag of albums. Heat! finds his group banging out their prominent brand of Latin grooves. These tracks as back then still have the capacity to excite the listener today. The album packs a thoroughly contagious array of vibes, hard-driving percussion, Fender bass backed by a small ensemble of somber strings. Other funky elements include Neal Creque's flexing organ licks and the intermingling gruff vocals of Jackie Soul's on a number of the tracks. The majority of the tracks are originals penned by Creque, but there's also a handful of colorful covers including "Georgia On My Mind", which became quite a hit. Other tunes feature a foreboding counterpoint between the strings and William Bevin’s vibes, and showcase what an accomplished arranger Creque was. Taken as a whole, this is an enjoyable and undeniably funky set showcasing some of the band’s best. For anyone who likes Latin jazz funk this album will be of great interest, recommended!

Prestige Records, PRST 7572, 1968

Beat Goes Public, BGPD 1048, 1992

Recorded 23^rd April, 1968 in New York City

Musicians:

Henry “Pucho” Brown - Timbales

Eddie Pazant - Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Al Pazant - Trumpet

Willie Bivens - Vibraphone

Neal Creque - Piano, Organ, Arranger

Jim Phillips - Bass

Norberto Appellaniz - Bongos

Cecil Jackson - Conga

Selwart Clarke, Sanford Allen, Alfred Brown - Violin

Jackie Soul, The Soul Sisters - Vocals

Tracks:

A1. Heat! {Jimmy Phillips} (4:46)

A2. Georgia On My Mind {Hoagy Carmichael} (3:56)

A3. The Presence Of Your Heart {Neal Creque} (4:08)

A4. Psychedelic Pucho {Pucho, Jimmy Phillips, Neal Creque} (6:59)

B1. I Can't Stop Loving You {Don Gibson} (3:37)

B2. Wanderin' Rose {Neal Creque} (7:54)

B3. Let Love Find You {Neal Creque} (3:20)

B4. Candied Yam {Neal Creque} (3:32)

B5. Payin' Dues {Neal Creque} (3:01)

Total Time: 41:13

Credits:

Producer, Design - Don Schlitten

Recording Engineer - Richard Alderson

Graphic Art - Irving Riggs