Edmundo Ros - Rhythms of the South (1957)

Wow! What a great album this is! But then again, I have yet to be disappointed in an album by Edmundo Ros and his orchestra. And what a great cover, too - suitable for framing! I bought this at my favorite store, Half-Price Books, and I am grateful to Ed Basden, the former owner of this record (his name is on the back cover), for unloading it at HPB so that I could enjoy it. I'm quite familiar with all the songs on this album, and if you've listened to any latin dance music from back in the day, then these will all be familiar to you, too. There's a variety of dances and the back cover lists the appropriate dance with each song - and I've included that in parentheses by each song. Even if you don't know the particular dance steps, just get up and do your own little dance to the songs. You'll have lots of fun and get a good workout, too! As the saying goes, "Dance as if no one is watching!"

Track listing for Edmundo Ros - Rhythms of the South:

Side 1:
1. Spanish Gypsy Dance (Pasodoble)
2. The Blue Danube (Valse Creole)
3. Barcarolle (Baiao)
4. La Maxixe (Marcha)
5. Capullito de Aleli (Son Rumba)
6. Siboney (Mambo)

Side 2:
1. Isle of Capri (Cha-Cha-Cha) - has a small skip
2. Colonel Bogey (Merengue)
3. Elizabeth (Samba)
4. Caminito (Tango) - has a small skip
5. Marta (Bolero)
6. Cachita (Guaracha)

Edmundo Ros and His Orchestra - Dance Again (1962)

Here's an album I bought back when I was doing the ballroom dance thing. It's a great record for latin dances - cha cha cha, rumba, samba, tango, merengue. I used to make party tapes (cassettes) for our weekly dance parties at the dance studio and I remember I always included songs from my Edmundo Ros albums (I have three other of his albums which I'll get around to posting). If you've ever taken ballroom dance lessons at a Fred Astaire or Arthur Murray studio, then you'll love dancing to this album, because the beat of the songs is perfect to the way the dances are taught at those studios.

Track listing for Edmundo Ros - Dance Again:

Side 1:
1. Patricia
2. Tropical Merengue
3. Tea for Two
4. Miami Beach Rumba
5. Cocktails for Two
6. I Came, I Saw, I Conga'd

Side 2:
1. Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White
2. The Wedding Samba
3. Mambo No. 5
4. Blue Tango
5. When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain
6. Colonel Bogey