| Well, I guess an obvious place to start (for a bassist) would be Cachao. There are a lot of albums to choose from but you should have a relatively easy time finding the "Master Sessions" volumes I and II. "Latin" music covers a pretty wide spectrum of styles and, ultimately, the term says very little. I would check out some compilations - they are usually the best way to discover different artists and they are easier to get a hold of then individual albums. Having said that, here are some names you should look for:
Cuba & Puerto Rico (classic mambo, salsa, etc.): Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Perez Prado, Machito, Xavier Cugat, Beny Moré, Tito Rodriguez, Mongo Santamaria, El Gran Combo, Andy Montañez.
Two of the more "modern" bands worth checking out are Los Van Van and NG La Banda. There are surely a whole slew of contemporary bands that are killer but I'm not sure who they are.
An interesting combination is found in the Africando project: New York salsa musicians paired with (mostly) West African singers. There are a bunch of Africando albums to choose from. I'd start with either "Vol. I - Trovador", "Vol. II - Tierra Tradicional", "Gombo Salsa" or "Mandali".
There are also tons of Latin Jazz artists to check out: Eddie Palmieri, Afro-Cuban Jazz Project, Cal Tjader, Snowboy and Jimmy Bosch are just a few (check out the compilation "Snowboy Presents The Return Of The Hi-Hat: Essential Cuban, Brazilian, Hard Bop & Fusion").
A fantastic fusion of Uruguayan Candombe, Brazilian Samba and Jazz is Negrocan. Their "Medio Mundo" is a difficult album to find but is well worth having.
For bass, check out Oscar Stagnaro. He is a fantastic Latin Jazz electric player and his CDs should be available on-line.
Then, of course, there are all of the artists out of Central and South America. A big can of worms. Compilations or iTunes. If you seek out some of the names I've mentioned, you'll make connections and start to find your way around. I would also recommend that you pick up the two-volume "Rough Guide To World Music". There is a vast amount of information in those books (with album recommendations to help guide you) and they are worth having.
I hope that was helpful. Have fun - you're about to discover a lot of great music!
Last edited by bass12 : 05-09-2009 at 05:08 PM.
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