Essential Guide To Latin, The

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What a great concept: The Essential Guide to Latin takes on its seemingly impossible mission -- providing a condensed introduction to Latin music -- by licensing material from three leading labels and then mixing them up and assigning the tracks to three thematically arranged discs: Singers, Players, and Swingers. Drawing from the catalogs of America's Fania and MP labels and Cuba's Egrem, the set manages to squeeze in more than 40 sides by such giants as Tito Puente, Perez Prado, Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaria, Willie Colon, and many others. Beny More and Hector Lavoe are among the stars of the vocal-oriented disc, while Machito and the Fania All-Stars are spotlighted on the disc tilting toward musicians. The Swingers set is more of a free-for-all, including Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, and others, but somehow it all works. Does the box live up to its bold title? Sure, much of this music could be described as essential. Is it the final word? Of course not -- no one box set can hope to represent the entire range and history of Latin music. But it's a start. ~ Jeff Tamarkin