African Seeds

It's safe to say that I've never been one for "mash-ups", however Gerardo Frisina has produced a superb mash-up titled "African Seeds" that consists of an unreleased Sabu Martinez track that is blended together with the baritone sax groove from Sahib Shihab's 1968 track "Seeds". This funky track is featured on the twelve-inch single Gerardo Frisina Blends Sabu Martinez & Sahib Shihab, which was released back in 2005 off the label Schema. The song has a heavy Afro-Latin groove while maintaining it's uptempo feel all the way through the track's last conga hit. Overall, the track represents a great example of how to bring together two funky Afro-Latin cuts and produce a brilliant new production. Enjoy!

You can purchase Gerardo Frisina Blends Sabu Martinez & Sahib Shihab by Clicking Here.

Gerardo Frisina, Sabu Martinez & Sahib Shihab - African Seeds

The Polyvox Jam

First off, I want to thank everyone for coming out last night to Grow Up. A special thanks goes out to LeBaron, for taking a break at the wineries and throwin' down an amazing set full of disco and boogie gems. As always, it was great to see all the usual suspects as well as some new faces make it out for our last Grow Up party of the year. That being said, we are already looking forward to the new year as the Grow Up crew continues to plan for some more great upcoming parties. So Stay Tuned...

Now on to the music...

Here is another great track from the Latin percussion legend Sabu Martinez in "The Polyvox Jam Pt.2". This funky Latin jazz gem was included on the CD/Digital version of the Mellotronen Records' released album Burned Sugar: The Swedish Radio Recordings 1973. The album, as the title suggests, is just one of a series of releases that the Swedish label Mellotronen Records put out in order to highlight Sabu's rare radio recordings while he was living in Sweden. I highly recommend checking out all the releases in this collection. Overall, "The Polyvox Jam Pt.2" represents just one of the many great tracks that were contributed by this Latin-jazz legend during his much accomplished life. Enjoy!

Sabu Martinez - The Polyvox Jam Pt.2

Nu Yorica Roots!

First off, Happy Cinco De Mayo! I don't have a Mexican song for you, however I am going to keep it very Latin. Here is just a couple of the many great tracks off of the Soul Jazz released compilation titled "Nu Yorica Roots!". This compilation which was released back in 2000, features some of the best Latin music to come out of New York in the 1960's. The compilation includes classic cuts from some of the best Latin artists from that period like Sabu Martinez, Tito Puente, Ray Berretto, Tito Rodriguez, Machito, Joe Cuba and many more. I was very excited to find a used copy of this record recently as it's become one of the harder to find compilations from Soul Jazz. I noticed on a couple of record shop sites that the record looks to be reissued again sometime in the near future. Until then, enjoy!

Sabu Martinez - The Oracle



Mongo Santamaria - Druma Kuyi

Sabu's Jazz Espagnole

Today I thought I would go a little Latin with another great cut, titled "I Remember Carmen", from Sabu Martinez. This funky Latin percussion gem was released off of Sabu's 1961 album Sabu's Jazz Espagnole, which was recently re-issued on vinyl. Much like "I Remember Carmen", the entire album features a lot of conga-heavy Latin jazz grooves throughout. Some of the other standout tracks include "The Oracle", "Breakin' It In", "Nica's Dream", and "Otra Vez", among others. Overall, there is no deny the impact and influence that Sabu Martinez has had on Latin and Afro-Cuban music, and his timeless release of Sabu's Jazz Espagnole is just another example of the amazing music that this percussionist released during his life. Enjoy!

Sabu Martinez - I Remember Carmen

Burned Sugar

It's Monday, which for the record, is my least favorite day of the week for obvious reasons. Anyways, I'm going to step a bit further outside the conventional "box" on this blog and post another amazing track, titled "Burned Sugar", from an artist I just can't seem to get enough of lately, and that's Sabu Martinez. The sixteen-plus minute funky Latin jazz cut is the title track to Martinez's three song album Burned Sugar: The Swedish Radio Recordings 1973, released in 2008 by the Swedish label Mellotronen. Until the more recent release of Burned Sugar, this collection of recordings was pretty much unable to be obtained. The Mellotronen label released at least four albums worth of lost and rare material from Martinez, that I know of, which represents much of the music he recorded during the final years of his life while he was living in Sweden. The records three tracks, "Burned Sugar", "Bernt", and "Mambollo", are all outstanding Funky Latin gems that feature plenty of congas, bongos, and heavy percussion alongside tasty electric piano, sax, and flute grooves. Overall, if you find yourself enjoying Sabu's classic Afro Temple record, than I highly recommend picking up a copy of Burned Sugar. In my opinion, the album represents some of the best funky Latin jazz that was ever recorded.

Sabu Martinez - Burned Sugar

All Camels Hump

Lately, I have been really enjoying music by Latin jazz percussionist Sabu Martinez. One of my favorite "Sabu" releases is his 1973 funky LP "Afro Temple". On top of having one of my all-time favorite LP covers (artwork), the record consists of a steady diet of funky Afro-Cuban gems including "My Son Johnny & Me", "All Camels Hump", and "My Cristina" among many others. The record features a heavy dose of funky Latin conga grooves that will have you movin' from start to finish. As I continue to explore the many recordings and collaborations Sabu was involved with, the more I'm convinced that he is definitely one of the greatest Latin percussionists and artists of all-time. In the next few weeks, if not already, Mellotronen records out of Sweden will be releasing some hard-to-find material from this amazing artist. From the tracks I've already heard, I highly recommend snatching up these records when you get a chance. Until then, here is one of my personal Sabu favorites in "Hotel Alyssa - Soussie, Tunisia". Enjoy!

Sabu Martinez - Hotel Alyssa - Soussie, Tunisia