Lobo y Melón: s/t, 1959

This is a great son record by the Acapulco-based band led by percussionist Lobo and singer Melón. Lots of solid short cuts with plenty of percussion. For some reason, there is some line noise here that was actually recorded onto the album and never lets up, but the recording was good enough that I decided to post it anyways.

George M'lely: Trio, 1981

On this album, pianist George M'lely's trio is made up of Peter Barshay on bass and Eddie Moore on drums. Most of the compositions are by M'lely, and the whole band shows a real competence in playing them. They manage to keep it straight ahead but their playing, especially M'lely's, is pretty unique. The album was released on the label Alternatives in American Music, which seems to have only released M'lely's music. From what I can gather on M'lely, he was enjoying a reasonable amount of success in the early 80's but stopped playing professionally in 83, not making his comeback until the early 2000's. Trio was recorded in the bay area, but M'lely now lives in Hawai'i.

An April Piece by Easyjams

The Silvertones: Don't Cry, 1972

This great 7" inch comes out of Studio One. It features a warm, full horn section and smooth harmony singing. Part 1 on the A side seems more like a radio vocal mix and the B side mix is more instrumental, with the vocals cut out at points.

Don't Cry (Part 1) by Easyjams

Ray Sylvester Orchestra: My Elusive Dreams, 1976

Impressive big band music from Trinidad bandleader Ray Sylvester. Mostly slower romantic songs, but there are a couple upbeat ones in there as well. He mixes in a lot of different genres including calypso, salsa, and of course the classic big band sound, but his style is really unique. Not a lot of solos, but the arrangements and execution are great. This is the band's fourth album, arranged by Art de Coteau and produced by Max Serrao. I was not able to find much information on Sylvester other than that moved to Trinidad from Grenada as a young child, that his band was the resident band at a nightclub in Port-of-Spain, and that he died in 2002. No last names were listed in the musician credits, but here's what they gave us:

Timbales: Ronnie

Percussion: Felix, Bobby

Congas: Cummings

Drums: Keith

Organ: Davy

Bass: Winston

Tenor sax: Bert

Alto sax: Mackie

Trumpets: Joe, Granger, Guerra

Trombone: John

Guitar: Cito

Endless Vibes by Easyjams