CD various - Gózalo! Bugalú Tropical vol.1 (2007 release, 2022 repress)

Bugalu/boogaloo`s brief lifespan as a soul-infused dance craze lasted just over two years in its birthplace of New York City during 1966 to `68. This garage-y, low-down music has always had cult followings around the world and it has remained popular in Colombia. This style comes out of the mambo tradition and is not as directly influenced by the soulful sounds of Harlem, but these bands display phenomenal chops, pop sensibilities and a predilection to jazz vamping. In some ways, the music on Gozalo! is an update of Cubop for a late `60s dance floor, with a touch of British Invasion influence thrown in. Also notable is the use of electric guitar over Latin rhythms, which was uncommon in New York at the time, except in Joe Bataan`s work. There`s a brash, young vibe to this music, which certainly characterised the NYC variety, and that extra attitude pumps up every single one of these 26 tracks. There are a few surprises: La Sonora de L. Macedo`s "Guayaba" dates from 1967 and is one of the first true Latin rock freakouts, with screaming guitars over a mod-ish soul jazz beat. Peru`s psych scene was flourishing at the time.

Although boogaloo is a genre normally associated with the New York scene at the end of the 60s, the music here all hails from Peru and represents a great new sound -- music inspired by the Nuyorican originals, but which often take things into whole new directions! The Peruvian approach to boogaloo is a bit looser than the New York one -- a bit more open and free, and often heavily touched by jazz music as well, resulting in a sound that`s also got plenty of hard-jamming descarga elements too! Given the racial makeup of the Peruvian scene, there`s a bit less soul influence going on too -- lyrics are more often in Spanish, and less inspired by the Harlem sound -- but the overall rhythms still share plenty with the Latin soul styles of New York, and provide a great foil for some of the jazzy instrumentation. This package is a massive discovery in music -- one that goes way beyond some of the few Peruvian Latin titles from the time that have been reissued -- and it`s overflowing with amazing work that`s totally new to our ears!
SIDE A:

1. Charlie Palomares y su Yuboney - Vives Boogaloo

2. Nilo Espinosa y Orquesta - Baby Boogaloo

3. Los Hilton`s - Hilton`s Descarga

4. Silvestre Montez y sus Guantanameros - Silbando

5. Alfredo Linares y su Sonora - El Pito

6. Melcochita y Karamanduka - Booga Jazz
SIDE B:

1. La Sonora de Lucho Macedo - Caramelos

2. Mario Allison y su Combo - Un Regalo Para Ti

3. Coco Lagos y su Orates - Descarga Jala Jala

4. Tito Chicoma y su Orquesta - Fat Mama

5. Alfredo Linares y su Sonora - Cool

6. Estrada y su Sonora - Ven pa` mi casa
SIDE C:

1. Mario Allison y su Combo - Ensuentildeo

2. Charlie Palomares y su Yuboney - Push Push Push

3. Al Valdez - Que Rico Sabor

4. Tito Chicoma y su Orquesta - Clap Your Hands

5. Coco Lagos y sus Orates - Mamblues

6. Mario Allison y su Combo - Uno-Dos-Tres

7. La Sonora de Lucho Macedo - Guayaba
SIDE D:

1. Alfredo Linares y su Sonora - Yo Traigo Boogaloo

2. Ntildeico Estrada y su Sonora - Juan Jose

3. Silvestre Montez y sus Guantanameros - El Diablo

4. Alfredo Linares y su Sonora - Linares Blues

5. Nilo Espinosa y Orquesta - Do The Boogaloo

6. La Sonora de Lucho Macedo - Moliendo Cafe

7. Al Valdez - Guajira