★Areito

For the second instalment in our Cuban Classics series, we proudly present this sought-after slice of sublime Afro-Cuban jazz from 1976. It comes courtesy of one of Cuba’s most influential acts, Grupo Irakere. Founded in 1973 by Chucho Valdés (son of the Cuban pianist and bandleader Bebo Valdés) the group was home to many of Cuba’s finest musicians over the years. With an electrifying style and sound, they mixed traditional Cuban music with jazz, funk, and rock. This self-titled album includes t…

Cuba's Grupo de Experimentación Sonora, formed at the film institute in 1969 under Leo Brouwer with Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés and Noel Nicola: nueva trova with a film composer's palette. Areito volume 4, original Cuban pressing, plays well.