El Condado De La Salsa y Jazz Latino Year End Latin Jazz Best of 2022

By Nelson Rodríguez

Latin Jazz in 2022 was once again fascinating, exciting and continued to expand the genre with great recordings and even more spectacular performances. Nelson Gonzalez finally released not one but two CD’s simultaneously (Los Dice Todo & Gracias Dizzy) that were not available for sale for several years. Pianist Cesar Correa emerged big time this year with various artists including the young pianist female Manon Muellner. Timbalera Zayra Pola not only starred with her own CD (mostly Salsa) but also with Son Divas (mostly Salsa) on my top 15 list.

The Latin Jazz Hits of 2022 (Tracks)

  1. Del Caribe Latin Jazz All - Stars - Con - Cierto Tumbao
  2. Zayra Pola - Mambo Pola
  3. Brian Lynch & Spheres Of Influence - EP’s Plan B
  4. Sonido Solar - Obsesion
  5. CSAN - II - Cubop Alert
  6. Manuel ‘Maneco’ Ruiz - Opus Minor
  7. Johnny Blas - Berwyn Stop
  8. DJ Livia & Cesar Correa Ft. Alfredo De La Fe - Aliviando Swing
  9. Tony Rosa Afro Jazz - Nothing Personal
  10. Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Mambo 2021
  11. Leonardo Garcia - Spankin’
  12. Son Divas - Machito Forever
  13. Chucho Valdes & Paquito D’ Rivera - Pac Man
  14. Cesar Correa & Manon Muellner - Grand Rue
  15. Humberto Ramirez - Waiting Room
  16. Joe McCarthy New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band - March
  17. Luis ‘Perico’ Ortiz - Warming Up
  18. Carlos Averhoff Jr. - Oriented Conga
  19. Luisito Quintero - Rendezvous
  20. Alex Acuña - Chuncho
  21. Nueva Manteca - Crisis
  22. Gilberto Colon Jr. ‘El Pulpo’ - Cachita
  23. Alex ‘Apolo’ Ayala - Jibaro Negro
  24. Sonido Solar - Suite 176
  25. Roy Perez - Mi Ritmo Sensacional
  26. Conrad Herwig - All The Things You Should Be By Now If Sigmund Freud’s Wife Was Your Mother
  27. Nueva Manteca - Moanin’
  28. Hisayo Kimada - Descarga Con Vibes
  29. Stephen Giraldo - Mambo Jam
  30. Arturo Sandoval - Guarachando
  31. CSAN - II - Celestino
  32. Willy Calderon LA Impromptu Orchestra - Why, Why Not?
  33. Kali Rodriguez Peña - Yes Or No
  34. LA Big Band & Anibal Seminario - Dolphin Leap
  35. Manuel ‘Maneco’ Ruiz - Mambo 2021
  36. Joe Gonzalez & Papo Pepin - Song For A Friend
  37. Jose Aponte - Los Piratas (De Ballaja)
  38. Luis Deniz - La Ceiba De Mayuya
  39. Chuo Bomba Niconital - La Bailarina
  40. Tony Rosa Afro Jazz - Mambo Mongo
  41. Swing Sabroso - Tributo A Ray Rodriguez
  42. Steve Turre - Pharoah’s Dance
  43. Del Caribe Latin Jazz All Stars - Saludos Palmieri
  44. Joe Gonzalez & Papo Pepin - Rocco’s Special
  45. William Villaverde - Cuban Thanksgiving
  46. Adrien Brandeis - Humpty Dumpty
  47. Bill Ortiz - Sunburst
  48. Joe Collado - Rumba De Ayer
  49. Rafael Zaldivar - Crying For Cuba
  50. Jose Aponte - In Motion
  51. Miguel Valdes & The Feeling Messengers - Take The A Train
  52. Cesar Correa y Manon Muellner - Cachanga Con Chicha
  53. Alfredo De La Fe - Legado
  54. Eddie Sanabria & Spanish Rice - C7 Jam
  55. Manuel ‘Maneco’ Ruiz - Mambo 2000
  56. Oliver Valdes - Nasobuco
  57. Martin Bejerano - #CubanAmerican
  58. Del Caribe Latin Jazz All Stars - Birks Works
  59. Denis Kavemeier - Salsa Carlos
  60. Nestor Torres & Corey Allen - Once Upon A Time In Santo Domingo
  61. Alex Acuña - Aletin Aletun
  62. Niño Josele & Chick Corea - Galaxias
  63. Arturo Sandoval - Kumba
  64. Oliver Valdes - Chekerson
  65. Grupo Salsafon - Descarga SLF
  66. La Candela Salsa Orchestra - Pink Panther Theme
  67. Richie Vee - Simon
  68. The LA Big Band y Anibal Seminario - Fast Fish
  69. DJ Henrix - Winds Of Time
  70. Aldemar Valentin - Afrobeat
  71. La Colectiva Mandjuazz - Mundjuazz
  72. Aldemar Valentin - Cinco Cuartos
  73. Connie Grossman - People Make The World Go Round
  74. Alberto Garcia - Blacky’s Blues
  75. Daniel Falquez - Cafecito
  76. Tarquim - Pa’ La Calle
  77. William Villaverde - The Journey
  78. Mucho Mambo - El Padrino
  79. Luisito Quintero - City View (Live)
  80. La Maxima 79 – Aegua

The top recordings included debuts by Luis Deniz, Kali Rodriguez Peña, Alex ‘Apolo’ Ayala, Tony Rosa Afro Jazz, Manuel ‘Maneco’ Ruiz, Rafael Zaldivar, Del Caribe Latin Jazz All - Stars (two CD’s) led by Nelson Gonzalez, Sonido Solar, and Roy Perez. It also includes three releases from Japan: Chuo Bomba Niconital, Tadataka Unno and Hisayo Yamada.

The Top Latin Jazz CD’s of 2022

  1. “Manuel ‘Maneco’ Ruiz”
  2. Roy Perez - Sensational
  3. Del Caribe Latin Jazz All Stars - Gracias Dizzy
  4. Brian Lynch & Spheres Of Influence - The Songbook Vol.2 - Dance The Way You Want To
  5. Tony Rosa Afro Jazz - Bout Time
  6. Conrad Herwig - The Latin Side of Mingus
  7. Nueva Manteca - Art
  8. Chucho Valdes & Paquito D’ Rivera Reunion Sextet - I Miss You Too!
  9. Del Caribe Latin Jazz All Stars - Lo Dice Todo
  10. Adrein Brandeis - Siempre Mas Alla
  11. Jose Aponte - From Here, From There
  12. Kali Rodriguez Peña - Melange
  13. Joe Collado - The Sounds Of Latin Groove Project
  14. Bill Ortiz - Points Of View
  15. Miguelo Valdes & The Feeling Messengers - Lovely
  16. CSAN - II - Combinacion Mundial
  17. Alexis Baro - My Roots - The Cuban Trumpet Tradition
  18. Chuo Bomba Niconital - La Bailarina
  19. Tadataka Unno - Get My Mojo Back
  20. Oliver Valdes - Nasobuco
  21. Rafael Zaldivar - Rumba
  22. Leonardo Garcia - On The Cloud
  23. Martin Bejerano - #CubanAmerican
  24. Hisayo Yamada - Mi Cubania
  25. Jose Aponte - From Here, To There
  26. Alberto Garcia - Rajazz
  27. The LA Big Band y Anibal Seminario - On The Way, The Dream of Chris Pappas
  28. Connie Grossman - Chasing The Sunset (EP)
  29. ‘Los Ninos Del Latin Jazz’
  30. Aldemar Valentin - Arrebol
  31. Jeanne Michard - Songes Trasnsatlantiques
  32. Joe Abba - Check Point
  33. Nestor Torres & Corey Allen - Dominican Suite