In the late 1960's and early 1970's in upper Manhattan and a few other locales, a new sound began to emerge that combined salsa, rock, and R&B, some called it Latin Soul, but it's better served my it's more euphonious sobriquet: BOOGALOO!→[More:]

This sound was enormous within the Latino-Caribbean community and among cognoscenti, but it's commercial impact remained marginal outside of that sphere, even though it's influence has been enormous. Here are some choice tracks from that revolution:

Willie Bobo - Bobo! Do That Thing. Willie Bobo was an afro-latino percussionist from Spanish Harlem who dished out some of the most cookin' beats ever unleashed and who's body of work stretches from TV Variety shows to jazz fusion, but boogaloo shows him at his propulsive best.

Willie Rosario - Let's Boogaloo. This was the most commercially succesful boogaloo number and it's not hard to see why.

Ray Baretto - A Deeper Shade Of Soul. This song became somehwat famous as the basis for Urban Dance Squad's early 90's hip-hop/rock hit, but it cant hold a candle to the original by one of the finest congueros of all time.

Larry Harlow - Freak Off. Harlow was a Jewish guy from a racially mixed Brooklyn neighborhood who became entranced with salsa and became one of the genre's most respected players. Here he takes a grand whack at boogaloo.

Joe Bataan - Subway Joe. Joe Bataan grew up in East Harlem but was actually of mixed black American and Filipino descent. But as he said in an interview "I looked Puerto rican so I wound up in that crowd." He absorbed his musical lessons well and created som killer tracks like this one.

These are some great pieces of an important moment, but their value is far more than historical, If they don't make you want to get up and dance, I suggest you call 911, because you're probably dead.