Highlighting the 26th edition of La Linea, London’s Latin music festival. It takes place all around London between April 20th and May 6th. All female outfit, Las Salseras, presents A Tribute To Celia Cruz by Eliane Correa at the Jazz Cafe on April 25 and i played a couple of Celia Cruz – aka La Reina – classics. I also played a beautiful tune from Zé Ibarra who appears on the Jazz Cafe stage on May 6. For the full list of all La Linea doings check out @lalineafestival.
Also very much in the mix: the late trumpet and flugelhorn giant, Kenny Wheeler, with an excellent 1995 recording which is finally seeing the light of day. Very much a case of better late than never; timeless Alice Coltrane, Conjunto Libre & Tenorio Jr; tasty recent releases from Ami Taf Ra, Mulatu Astake, Modha & Avishai Cohen; and reissued Fafá de Belém.
| Modha, Abase and Fanni Zahar | River | At Your Pace |
| Ami Taf Ra | Love (feat. Ryan Porter) | The Prophet and The Madman |
| Alice Coltrane | Sivaya | Transcendence |
| Kenny Wheeler Sextet | You’ve Read the Book | WHAT WAS |
| Avishai Cohen | Courage | Brightlight |
| Celia Cruz | Bemba Colorá | Son con Guaguancó |
| Celia Cruz Y La Sonora Ponceña | Soy Antillana | La Ceiba |
| Mulatu Astatke | Mulatu | Mulatu Plays Mulatu |
| Manny Oquendo Y Su Conjunto Libre | Little Sunflower | Ritmo, Sonido Y Estilo |
| Tenorio Jr | Nebulosa | Brazilian Beats 1 |
| Fafá de Belém | Emorio | 7″ |
| Zé Ibarra | Infinito em nós | AFIM |
