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Jazz Samba
Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd
1962 [Verve]

For most, Latin jazz had lost its appeal by the early-60s. A tour of South America by guitarist Charlie Byrd, however, brought the bossa nova style to the attention of ultra-cool tenor Stan Getz. The combination of West Coast cool and samba rhythms would prove a winner and Latin jazz was back in business. A pivotal record.

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Bobo! Do That Thing/Guajira
Willie Bobo
1963 [Tico]

This is a fine latin jazz album that never quite earned the recognition it deserves. Chick Corea is credited with composing three of the tracks, while Bobo himself adds a pair. This fun well-played album adds ten tracks to the earlier double-sided single of its title, all of them straight-ahead latin jazz designed to get the toes tappin'.

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Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
1963 [Verve]

Cool tenor Stan Getz added a touch of authenticity to the Latino mix with the inclusion of Brazil's Gilberto-Jobim bossa nova team on this easygoing record. The album went on to become an even bigger hit than the previous year's Jazz Samba. Contains café-staple 'The Girl From Ipanema' and an intentionally off-key version of 'Desafinado'.

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Soul Sauce
Cal Tjader
1964 [Verve]

Soul Sauce is typical of vibraphonist Tjader's popular blend of Latin jazz and West Coast cool. 'Guachi Guaro' (Soul Sauce) is a Verve compilations staple, while 'Afro Blue' is probably the penultimate example of the "mambo without a migraine" mantra. Guitarist Kenny Burrell and percussionist Willie Bobo are the standouts in support.

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Coisas
Moacir Santos
1965 [Forma]

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Moacir Santos brought himself from the depths of abject poverty in his native Brazil to later become a highly-respected music educator. Not surprisingly, this album is the real deal when it comes to Latin rhythms and is loaded with a colourful array of music that is the very essence of jazz.

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Wave
Antônio Carlos Jobim
1967 [A&M Records]

After Stan Getz brought laidback Brazilian samba into the mainstream, a wave of records like this one became café staples. Aside from Jobim's melodically rhythmic acoustic guitar, the other main contributor here is arranger Claus Ogerman. The only complaint is the short playing time, but there is a pretty good anthology getting around if this irks.

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Acid
Ray Barretto
1968 [Fania]

R&B meets Latin jazz in this tongue-in-cheek swipe at flower power, LSD, hippies… and the late-60s in general. Born in New York of Puerto Rican heritage, Barretto cruises through a set of catchy originals that sound so familiar, yet not quite the same. A classic 'gotcha' that should have been found out by the big conga smile on the album cover.

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Stone Flower
Antônio Carlos Jobim
1970 [Epic/CTI]

With a host of topnotch jazz musicians in support, this is certainly the one Jobim album all aficionados should have. Although bossa nova records had long-since lost their popular appeal, Stone Flower is one of the sub-genre's certifiable classics. A simply beautiful record, expertly produced by Creed Taylor and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder.