In the early '70s, a superband called Irakere emerged in Cuba. Taking its name from the Yoruban word for "forest," the group featured keyboardist/leader Chucho Valdes, saxophonists Paquito D'Rivera and Carlos Averhoff, trumpeters Jorge Varona and Arturo Sandoval, and bassist Oscar Valdes, to name a few. This installment of the Cuban Essential series is a 13-track compilation, featuring rare tracks from 1974 to 1986. With Valdes' impossible pianisms leading the way, this disc offers an excellent sonic snapshot of this ensemble's festive hybrid of Afro-Cuban rhythms, jazz, rock, and R&B. They take the danzon to new electric heights on "Valle De Picadura," and "Santiaguera" is a pulsating preview of the timba beat. The live cut "Aguanile Bonko" swings with some bluesy Earth, Wind & Fire-type hornlines, while "Este Camino Largo" showcases an intimate piano/sax duo. This disc proves that there were other revolutionary things going in that little island. --Eugene Holley, Jr.