Grupo Irakere: Grupo Irakere LP

For the second instalment in Mr Bongo's Cuban Classics series, they proudly present this sought-after slice of sublime Afro-Cuban jazz from 1976. It comes courtesy of one of Cuba's most influential acts, Grupo Irakere. Founded in 1973 by Chucho Valdés (son of the Cuban pianist and bandleader Bebo Valdés) the group was home to many of Cuba's finest musicians over the years. With an electrifying style and sound, they mixed traditional Cuban music with jazz, funk, and rock. This self-titled album includes the much-loved, dancefloor heavy-hitter "Chequeré-Son", a Latin-jazz funk masterpiece with Cubanized bebop-flavoured horn lines, lush keys, and 70s hip swagger. Pressed on Cuba's state led Areito Records, the album was well received internationally, garnering distribution in Finland on Love Records, in Italy on Phase 6 Super Stereo, and also in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela. A cherished Afro-Cuban triumph, this album has been crying out for a reissue and Mr Bongo are delighted to make that happen.