Frankie Dante & Orquesta Flamboyan - Different Directions (1969)

The second album from Frankie Dante's Orquesta Flamboyan was a classic of late-'60s salsa, before the '70s explosion brought artists like Eddie Palmieri and Willie Colón from the Palladium to Yankee Stadium and beyond. A traditionalist at heart, Dante didn't dabble in any of the street forms then current, like Latin soul or boogaloo (except for a brief vocal solo on the Beatles' "Blackbird"). No, he had obviously absorbed the lessons of Fania godfather Johnny Pacheco and organized his Orquesta Flamboyan into a tight, swinging band powered by dual trombonists Angelo Rodriguez and Billy "Tata" Baxter, and spurred on by his vocals. The eight-person band swings mightily on "Pa' Guaynabo," and Jose "Juicy" Cruz's added chorus vocals enliven the proceedings.~John Bush