Putumayo Presents: Latin Party

The mesmerizing grooves and tantalizing rhythms of Latin music have been leading people to the dance floor for decades. Putumayo's new release, Latin Party, is perhaps its most diverse Latin release yet. It includes a mix of boogaloo, funk, cumbia, son, salsa, ska and dancehall and spotlights cutting-edge bands and rising stars that pay homage to Latin music's past while creatively moving it into the 21st century. Paris-based star Raul Paz blends cumbia with the sounds of his native Cuba on the hopeful "Buena Suerte." On "Electric Boogaloo," New York-based contemporary fusion band Yerba Buena combines Afrobeat and Latin grooves with the help of Cuban singer Xiomara Laugart. On "Yiri Yiri Bon (Dancehall Mix)," London's Ska Cubano delivers a bouncy mix of Jamaican ska and Cuban son. Fellow British group the Quantic Soul Orchestra referees a funky instrumental match between trumpeter Regi Boyce and saxophonist Regi Johnson on the Afro-Cuban inspired "Regi Bugalº." Latin Party also features songs from New York-based hip-hop collective Brooklyn Funk essentials, Texas-raised Mexican-American musician and producer A.B. Quintanilla III (Selena's brother), Peruvian salsera Cecilia No«l, multicultural French/Cuban collective Mas Bajo, Afro-Cuban group Luis Mangual y su Conjunto Mangual featuring Jos© Mangual Jr. and from Colombia, three respected groups: salsa super group Fruko Y Orquesta, popular salsa band Orquesta Lo Nuestro and ska/reggae band Coffee Makers. The CD liner notes also feature a drink recipe by Food Network chef Daisy Martinez and an appetizer recipe by leading Mexican chef Patricia Quintana, owner of renowned Mexican restaurant Izote.