Azteca

I concur with most of what's been said in the 7 reviews prior to this one. Back in the early 70's when I was listening to and digging lots of San Francisco Bay Area bands of this ilk such as Santana, Malo and Tower of Power, I used to visit a friend of mine who had this album and I'd listen to it there. I had forgotten how great the album is since I hadn't heard it since those days. I'm so glad it's been reissued and that I now have my own copy to listen to because it sounds so damn good! I just finished listening to it for the second time in the last 12 hours and was really impressed with several things, most of which have already been mentioned:All of the vocals are first rate. One would think with so many lead vocalists that at least one of them would sound subpar. But they all sound superb instead. There are lead vocals by Errol Knowles, Wendy Haas, Rico Reyes, Pete Escovedo and Paul Jackson (yes, the bassist in Herbie Hancock's 'Headhunters' band, singing his a** off with so much soul on "Can't Take The Funk Outta Me"). The vocal harmonies by everyone are also spot on. It's a very well-recorded record with a nice warmth to it that makes everything blend so well.The horns sound fabulous as well. I especially like the piccolo work of Mel Martin and Bob Ferreira. They have a knack of finding just the right notes that harmonize beautifully within the arrangements. The songs "Mamita Linda" and "Ah! Ah!" are good examples of this. And the second part of "Ain't Got No Special Woman" also features a short piccolo solo by Mel Martin. The piccolo is also strongly featured in the stating of the theme of the song "Azteca", but sounds a little flat in pitch at times during some of the song. Might just be me, though. It's barely noticeable, if at all, and still sounds great.Lenny White of Return to Forever fame kind of plays a supportive, low profile role through most of the album and seems to be mixed a little bit far back in the mix, which is understandable with the Latin percussion element being so central to this music. It's a lot like the role Mike Schrieve played in Santana. Ironically, for me, Lenny's best moments might be his playing during the bridge section of the slower ballad "Empty Prophets" where his bass drum meshes very nicely with what his hands are doing. But he also gets a very nice solo spot in the song "Azteca".Notable solos are taken throughout the recording by Tom Harrell on trumpet, Neal Schon on guitar, Coke Escovedo on timbales, Mel Martin on soprano sax, and others as well.The arrangements are really great throughout. You can isolate the horn arrangements and the percussion arrangements and the vocal arrangements individually and notice a lot of cool things, or take the way the songs are arranged as a whole and be impressed.Overall, this album kind of sounds to me like a nice combination of the third albums by Santana and Tower of Power.The only bad thing I can say about this release is that the otherwise excellent CD booklet has several typos. For example, there are different spellings of the same names (George DiQualtro vs. George Di Quattro; Bob Ferreira vs. Bob Ferreria; and Escovedo is misspelled in one place as Escvedo.) Of course, none of this detracts from the wonderful music itself. I highly recommend this CD, especially if you like what Santana, Tower of Power, Malo and El Chicano were doing in the early 70's."Ain't got no special woman, ain't got no special place to go, ain't got no special baby, only women that I know..." What a cool lyric!

Wonderful remastered version of Azteca's 1st album. In 1972 'Azteca' was originally released, and over 40 years later, the arrangements and songs sound better than ever. Listening to how tight this large band (16-17 people) was is a real joy. The horn section just kicks the songs into overdrive, the percussion section makes you want to move, the male and female vocals are powerful, and the guitars, keyboards, bass and drums, man, this band could play!This CD also contains two single versions of two of the songs, and an in-depth review of the band and the music.I am very thankful that this music is available to all the fans. Think if you mixed some Santana, Tower of Power, Chicago, Malo, Blood, Sweat & Tears, with a little Earth, Wind, and Fire thrown in, and you know you wanna buy this CD!

Let me first state that I totally LOVE this group..I waited years for their albums to be released on CD(having worn out my vinyl copies).Naturally when I saw this extended edition I purchased it..it is STILL a great album,with a wonderful booklet about the group and the story behind each song..but to just have those two extra cuts to me wasn't that big of a Whoop. Don't get me wrong, this is a hot CD from a phenomenal group ..if you like Malo and old-school Santana,you will love Azteca..And if you buy this one,don't miss out on their second album,Pyramid of the Moon..which I totally recommend and to me was a better showcase of their talents.

a little dated in terms of the times it was recorded (1972) and heavy on the horns but this is a very 'hip' latin orchestra -don't expect Santana or El Chicano - this is a more jazzed based (think Dizzy) outing with alot of outstanding musicians including Paul Jackson, Lenny White, Coke Escovedo and an appearance of Neal Schon - quite a high energy, positive listening.

What a hidden gem this CD is! I read about Lenny White's involvement in Azteca just before he joined Return To Forever. I did a little more research and was intrigued. If you like Santana and Tower Of Power you will absolutely love this CD. Great musicians (Tom Harrell, Neal Schon, Pete and Coke Escovedo among others), great arrangements, great performances. I am blown away. Now I have to get the second one!

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS CD FOR 7 YEARS!WE HAVE THIS ON VINYL AND ITS QUADRAPHONIC, SO NO ONE HAD ANY IDEA WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.EVERY TIME WE ASKED ABOUT THE ALBUM ON CD WE GOT NOTHING.WHEN I FINALLY FOUND THIS CD IT WAS LIKE INDIANA JONES AND THE GOLDEN IDOL.BEST SOUND EVER, BEST MUSIC EVER, AND DEFINITELY WORTH THE HUNT.

This is a classic album that I have been looking for a long time. The seller shipped promptly and it was well packaged. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a classic LP.Very Happy w/purchase.

Anyone interested in the San Francisco Bay area music scene in the 60s-70s should not hesitate to get this reissue. Sonically this CD is much fuller and richer than its predecessor, released by GNP/Crescendo in 1994. Superior remastering and nice liner notes. Bravo, BBR remasters & Cherry Red! Can't take the funk out of me!

Not as good as I would have expected from the talented musicians involved, a bit disappointing all told.Not even value for money.