Chucho Valdes

This CD release includes the complete LP "Jazz Batá" (Areíto LP, 1972, tracks #1-5) and all of the tracks (except "Tritón") from the album "Tema de Chaka" (Areíto LP, 1982, tracks #6-10).

Includes a comprehensive 16-page booklet.

Tracks: 1. Irakere, 2. Son Nº. 2, 3. Neurosis, 4. Laureen, 5. Palia, 6. Tema De Chaka, 7. Rabo De Nube, 8. Zanaith, 9. Son Para Leyanis, 10. Claudia.

Collective Personnel: Chucho Valdés (p), Carlos del Puerto (b), Oscar Valdés (percussion), Carlos Emilio Morales (g), Germán Velazco (sax, fl), Enrique Plá (d) & Jorge "El Niño" Alfonso (congas).

Total Time: 77:35 mins.

"Conceptually speaking, these recordings were a direct antecedent of the band Irakere. The first five tracks -recorded in the 70's for the LP Jazz Batá- were performed with a Cuban version of a traditional jazz trio: piano, bass and batá drums, which replaced jazz' s typical trap drum set." - María Elena Mendiola, Havana, September 2006.

This CD is part of an exquisite new collection from Malanga Music, established with the purpose of uncovering outstanding rare material by legendary figures in the history of Cuban music. This material had been previously locked away in the vaults collecting dust, but two years of extensive investigation in Havana's Areíto studio archives have brought these gems to light.

All these CDs have been digitised directly from the original masters, and many of them have never been previously released on CD! These editions also boast 16 or 20-page comprehensive booklets featuring previously unissued photos and texts in both English and Spanish, written by important Cuban musicologists and journalists.