New Swing Sextet

It’s funny, we think of Latin, we think of swing, and we think it up-tempo, and often bridging into really damn fast. This album from the mostly unknown New Swing Sextet is pretty consistently one click shy of really exciting. It goes to show the difference in the listening audience from the 1960s to now — where we like our Latin music shaking, not gently stirred. But this was the sound from El Barrio — East Harlem in New York City. With some recognisable classics like "Coquero” and "Up Tight,” along with a nicely salsa-ed version of "My Favorite Things,” you can shimmy your way through the whole thing. Complete with original liner notes, this is definitely interesting as a period piece, of sorts, and with some pretty swingin’ tunes. As it says, the chemistry is "out of sight.”