Pianist
Joe Loco had two of his albums reissued in full on this single CD. The earlier set, Going Loco, is an excellent example of how
Loco usually sounded, being featured with a quintet that includes vibraphonist
Pete Terrace and two percussionists. The easy listening music includes four originals and Latin versions of such standards as "Septemeber Song," "Autumn Leaves," and "I've Got You Under My Skin." Sometimes the band sounds a bit like
the George Shearing Quintet (although without guitar). The other album included on the CD (a record originally simply called Joe Loco) has the pianist trying to keep with the pachanga craze of the early '60s, utilizing a charanga band that includes flutist
Jose Lozano, three violins, and percussionists
Mongo Santamaria and
Willie Bobo, plus two vocalists. Although the singing dominates a bit, the ensemble sound is quite appealing. This is one of the few
Joe Loco sets currently available.