Kako

Fania's catalogue-tenders have let veteran DJ Gilles Peterson have first crack at the label's deep archives (and those of sister-labels like Tico and Cotique), and the result is some of the weirdest cuts you can imagine. If "Chinito Boogaloo" is passing strange (and borderline offensive), the following quasi-oriental jazz of "Rush Hour in Hong Kong" is a complete head-spinner. The wacky just keeps coming, too: soul jazz cuts, heavy instrumentals, lots of freestyle freakouts -- Ray Barretto's "Acid" almost sounds normal in this company. It's a revelation, and we can't recommend it highly enough.