Favorite Recordings reissues rare 1980 Venezuelan jazz-fusion masterpiece from Esperanto

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Favorite Recordings reissues rare 1980 Venezuelan jazz-fusion masterpiece from Esperanto

The always-brilliant French label Favorite Recordings has recently reissued the incredible hard-to-find self-titled 1980 jazz-funk/fusion masterpiece from the Venezuelan ensemble Esperanto.

This rare and sought-after eight-track album, which was recorded in the Venezuelan capital city of Caracas, came together after multi-instrumentist Jorge Aguilar and his drummer Pablo Matarazzo, whom were originally playing in a Latin cover band, sought out friends visiting the region from Boston and New York. Heavily influenced by jazz, funk, British rock and Brazilian influences, while also incorporating Latin-rooted sounds, the group was able to produce a unique jazz-fusion session that leaned on Latin funk and cosmic synthesizer-based grooves.

The original release was distributed by CBS, after the group agreed to also include two additional commercial songs, a cover of “Ticket To Ride” by The Beatles, and “Vereda Tropical”, a classic in the Latin market.

Clocking in at just under 40 minutes, this is jazz-fusion at it’s best and anyone that enjoyed Favorite Recordings’ recent reissue of Sacbé is going to love this release. It’s definitely high up on the list of best reissues of 2021!