Azuquita Y Su Orquesta Melao - Pura Salsa (1975)

A lot has changed since 1976. One thing that hasn't is the radical, boundary pushing style of Azuquita's music, and his constantly innovative Orquesta Melao. Remastered and re-released by the Fania label 30 years later, Pura Salsa sounds as funky, edgy, and hip as it ever did. From the psychedelic guitar-driven hippie-salsa of "California," to the samba-son crossover (cuica, triangle and all) of "Coco de Maria," to the down-and-dirty funk/guajira "Cuarto Bate," Azuquita was not one to leave well enough alone. Like the Sly & the Family Stone of salsa, Azuquita was among the first to throw the genre into the musical stew pot of the '70s to see what might come out. So much so that his musical ideas remain revolutionary even today, three decades later. The painstakingly remastered CD is a giant step forward in sound quality. Often the "digitally remastered" doesn't mean much, but Pura Salsa is notably clearer, richer. For anyone previously unfamiliar with Azuquita and his band of anti-purists, the Orquesta Melao, Pura Salsa is an excellent introduction that could lead to a beautiful friendship.~Evan C. Gutierrez