Best 25 CD's Latin Jazz - 2018

By Nelson Rodriguez

It’s amazing how award shows overlook the best Latin Jazz recordings year end and year out and choose to honor recordings best fitted to another genre like Jazz or in a Brazilian category. These are the best recordings that came out this past year with an emphasis on percussion congas, bongo and /or timbales.

1-Tribu-El Matador

2-Bobby Sanabria-West Side Story Revisited

3-Bobby Valentin-The Mind of A Master

4-Aguanko-Pattern Recognition

5-Montuno West-Toca Tambor

6-Steven Kroon-In Your Dreams

7-The Echo Park Project-Big Band Latin Jazz

8-Julito Alvarado-Mi Pueblo

9-Dafnis Prieto Big Band-Back To The Sunset

10-Charlie Sepulveda & The Turnaround-Songs For Nat

11-Cubanijazz Project-Infrasonic

12-Mike Freeman Zonavibe-Venetian Blinds

13-Toma Martin Lopez-Rhythm Rising

14-Chucho Valdes-Jazz Bata 2

15-Moises P. Monk-Buscando

16-Adriano Clemente-Cuban Fire

17-Gerard Naulet-Viaje A La Amistad

18-Pete Escovedo-Back To The Bay

19-Humberto Ramirez-Mr. Trumpet Man

20-Bill O’Connell-Jazz Latin

21-Ralph Santos-Cosas Que Hacer En España

22-Ramon Valle-The Time Is Now

23-Dongfeng Liu-China Caribe

24-Calle Mambo Project-See The Light

25-Ken Wiley-Cuerno Exotica