The Ansonia Years 1969-71

Arguably the star of Vampisoul's collection Saoco!, percussionist Rafael Cortijo is now heard here on his own compilation. The album is a selection of tracks from three albums that Cortijo recorded for the Ansonia label during frequent jobbing sojourns in the Big Apple. Recorded in 1970 with fellow percussionist Francisco ‘Kako’ Bastar, the near-legendary Ritmos y Cantos Callejeros album was a nostalgic homage to the drumming fiestas the pair knew as boys from the same neighbourhood of San Juan. With percussion and vocal chorus backed by just piano and bass, it was a kind of stripped-down template for what would soon become known as salsa. Tracks sourced from the other two New York albums, Noche de Temporal and Volumen 2, add brass to the mix without any loss of impact.

The rich seam of charming, infectious simplicity that runs through this whole collection makes it a real winner. And as usual, Vampisoul has packaged the product with loving care: the informative and beautifully illustrated booklet alone is worth the price of admission.