This may not be the obvious choice to review between all the soul and jazz records, but then Snowboy is one of the best latin jazz musicans and going from strength to strength with each new album.
Starting with records for the famous but somehow defunct Acid Jazz label in the UK Para Puente is Snowboy's 11th album (and third for the CuBop label) and this time some kind of tribute to the late Tito Puente. But like Mark 'Snowboy' Cotgrove says 'There are no Puente 'covers' on this album, and other than my tribute song, Puente, there's nothing that even sounds similar, but without him there would be no us, and countless other bands besides. . .and through this album I thank him for his precious life and the legacy that he left us'
The 7 songs on Para Puente are fierce, funky and straight ahead latin jazz numbers comprising Son, Salsa, Mambo and other forms of Afro-Cuban music.
With Los Rumberos De La Habana Y Matanza and Barrago we get two fine vocal tracks (and I still don't speak Spanish - but I understand everything when I'm dancing...to quote one of my favourite Bobby Matos songs). The rest like Chango Moti Awa, Two For T or Rocky And Perry are instrumentals that makes me wish it would be summer again or I would be somewhere in the hot south.
42nd And Broadway features Roger Beaujolais on vibes and a mini-moog solo and with it's 9 minutes it's a real grower.
If you like real latin jazz then Para Puente is definitely one of the best albums of 2002.