Over the past 15 years, I\u2019ve grown more serious about exploring that broad umbrella genre known as \u201cLatin music,\u201d focusing more recently on several key subcategories. The richly innovative, modernized salsa sound emanating out of New York in the late 1960s and beyond, largely influenced by Fania Records, is one such arena. Fania was one of the first labels dedicated to this regional sensation, and Concord now owns its catalog and has been doing tremendous work reissuing rare, in-demand gems on vinyl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like vintage jazz, I\u2019ve learned to trust my gut when something sounds good. This new 180-gram, all-analog remastered reissue of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly<\/em> \u2014 a collaboration between three superstars of the era, H\u00e9ctor Lavoe, Willie Col\u00f3n, and Yomo Toro \u2014 is one such release. In fact, it took my ear (and brain) so much by surprise that I reached out to one of my Latin music expert friends, who confirmed that this album was, in a word, \u201cfire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n