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Heat! by Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers

Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers

Biographie de l'artiste pour Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers

Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers Better Known As Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers Was A 60s / Early-70s Band Formed By Henry Brown B. 1 Nov 1938 Best Known As Henry "Pucho" Brown In 1959. Somewhat Forgotten Until 90s Re-Releases - Few Fused Jazz Latin Music Soul & Funk Nearly As Well. Pucho Didn't Achieve The Wide Recognition Of Some Other Latin Jazz Performers Exploring Similar Territory E.G. Mongo Santamaria Willie Bobo & Cal Tjader. The Timbales Player / Bandleader May Also Have Been Too Eclectic / Open To Outside Influences To Achieve Significant Recognition Amongst Piers & The Then Contemporary 'serious' Jazz Community. What's A Weakness In One Circle's View However Is A Strength For Other Listeners. As A Result Pucho Has A Wider Appeal Than Many Straight Jazz Performers. Fans Of R&B Rock And Latin Music Can Immediately Connect With Him Especially As He's Always Made Sure To Play Music That's Hot And Danceable. His Accessibility However Has By No Means Compromised The Quality Of His Material Or His Latin Soul Brothers Bands Which Have Featured Fine And Versatile Players. Contrary To The Assumptions Of Many Listeners Pucho Himself Is Not Latino But African-American. As A Harlem Teenager He Cultivated Loves For Jazz Rhythm & Blues And Mambo. In The Late '50s He Served For Several Years In The Band Of Pianist Joe Panama. When The Group Broke Up In 1959 Pucho Formed A Band Of His Own Recruiting Several Alumni From Panama's Outfit. Even Before He'd Cemented His Reputation On Record Pucho's Band Attracted Notice From Top Latin Jazzmen. Willie Bobo Took Several Musicians From Pucho's Band For His Own Group As Did Mongo Santamaria. One Of The Musicians That Santamaria Lured Away In Fact Was A Young Chick Corea. Pucho Began Recording In 1963 And Really Hit His Stride Between 1966 And 1970 When He Cut Over Half A Dozen Albums For Prestige. On These He Helped Pioneer A Style Termed Latin Boogaloo Which Mixed Jazz New York-Style Latin Music R&B/soul And The Sort Of Funk That Was Just Emerging From James Brown And Other Performers. Pucho Wasn't Afraid To Mix Up His Material On His LPs Which Placed Originals By Brown And The Latin Soul Brothers Next To Covers Of Tunes By Herbie Hancock The Temptations The Beatles Duke Ellington And John Barry. This Ensured A Certain Erratic Flavor But The Groove Was Almost Always On The Money. The Latin Soul Brothers Were At Their Best When They Went For The Hottest And Funkiest Grooves As On Their Fine Version Of "Canteloupe Island " Or Eccentrically Titled Originals Like "Soul Yamie" And "Vietnam Mambo." Once In A While He Even Used Engagingly Raw Soul Vocals As On The Infectiously Good-Natured "Shuckin' And Jivin' " Which Could Have Been An R&B Hit. The Latin Soul Brothers Certainly Couldn't Have Been Accused Of Predictability Incorporating Straight Modern Jazz Chops Psychedelic Flourishes And Soul-Jazz Organ Grooves Into Their Repertoire When The Mood Suited Them. The Constant Factor Was The Active Latin Percussion Section Featuring Conga Bongos And Pucho's Own Timbales. When His Brand Of Latin-Soul-Jazz Fusion Started To Fall From Commercial Grace In The Early '70s Pucho Disbanded The Latin Soul Brothers. For The Next 20 Years He Made His Livelihood By Performing Conventional Latin Music In The Catskill Mountain Resorts Of New York State. In The Early '90s However Pucho's Back Catalog Began To Generate Interest In Britain Where He Was A Hit With The Acid Jazz Crowd And Where Several Albums Were Reissued By The Ace Label. Happily He Made A Return To Latin-Soul-Jazz-Funk With His 1995 Comeback Effort Rip A Dip Which Found His Skills Intact. How'm I Doing Followed In Mid-2000. ~ Richie Unterberger All Music Guide Written By Richie Unterberger Sites Discogs.