VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Latino proudly announces the first-ever vinyl reissue of Mambo Diablo, the acclaimed 1985 album from legendary bandleader and percussionist Tito Puente.
Offering a lively blend of standards and originals (including fan favorite “Mambo Diablo”) this long-out-of-print classic finds the King of Latin Jazz putting his own twist on classics like “Take Five,” “Lush Life,” and “Lullaby of Birdland” (featuring its composer, George Shearing, on piano).
Set for release on May 26 and available for pre-order, Mambo Diablo was cut from the original master tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl and housed in a tip-on jacket, the album also features its original liner notes by the Emmy®-winning journalist and longtime New York City TV reporter Pablo Guzman. Additionally, Mambo Diablo will make its debut on hi-res audio (192/24).
This special reissue arrives as Craft Latino celebrates the centennial of Tito Puente. Throughout the year, Puente’s vital contributions to Latin music will be honored through special reissues (including an April release of the bandleader’s 1972 classic, Para los Rumberos), exclusive digital content and much more.
Tito Puente (1923–2000) lived countless musical lives during his five-decade-long career. When he signed with Concord Picante in 1983, the celebrated songwriter, bandleader, producer, and percussionist was enjoying living legend status, with absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Cincinnati, OH | Best selection of experimental music at a record store: Torn Light Records is quickly rivaling Shake It and Everybody’s as one of the best record stores in Cincinnati. Located on Ludlow Avenue, Torn Light has a terrific selection of new and used records, plus a constantly replenished stock of new acquisitions in front of the counter that’s always worth flipping through. Not many record stores give you a sense of the staff and owner’s personal tastes like Torn Light does. They have a thoughtfully curated section of experimental and noise music, modernist composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, as well as a nice little nook of books tucked in the back, with an eye towards, again, the experimental. Think Georges Bataille, Leonora Carrington, Nicholson Baker and more. And if you aren’t sure what to look for, the staff is always playing an interesting record you’ve likely never heard before, and that just might 
Boston, MA | New store brings vinyl records to Beacon Hill: There’s a new music store on Beacon Hill selling some very old, and very cool, records. What’s happening: After six years in Providence, Music Research Library reopened at 24 Joy St. on Beacon Hill March 1. Co-owner Vasyl Kochura tells Axios a lot of the Rhode Island shop’s clientele were coming down from the Boston area so he and business partner Zachary Warf decided to find space downtown. He says the foot traffic on Beacon Hill is already better than expected. What they’re saying: “We love obscure records from around the world and we try to curate music for deep listeners who are interested in exploring different sounds,” Kochura said. The shop has listening stations where customers can preview a record before buying it, a feature that’s not always available in modern record shops. Beyond albums, soundtracks and singles, the shop specializes in “library music” — recordings of generic stock music used in the production of movies, TV shows or ads. Kochura said MRL pays top dollar for records, 
Hinckley, UK | Hinckley’s Nervous Records to re-open for a day to sell stock for animal welfare charity: The town said goodbye to owner Gordon Hayes following his death earlier this year. A record shop which has been closed since its owner died is to re-open to stage a sale which will benefit a charity which was dear to him. Nervous Records, in Hinckley, shut up shop in January following the death of Gordon Hayes – who had been a friendly face to generations of music fans from the town and further afield since the late-1970s. Many of his friends and former customers gathered outside the shop, in The Lawns, earlier this month, on the day of his funeral. They swapped stories of a man who dedicated his life to music and whose packed little shop outlived the town’s other record stores. Now, it has been confirmed the shop will re-open for one day only on Saturday, April 22, between 10.30am and 4pm. All sale proceeds will go to Hillside Animal Sanctuary – a charity of which Gordon, who was 70 when he died, 
DeKalb, IL | Perspective: Aisles of vinyl: Walking into my local record store, I’m swept back to the late 60’s and early 70’s by the smell of incense—and the albums, actual vinyl records with artwork on the covers. In the back near the stage that features local musicians hang clothes and accessories similar to those I wore in those distant decades. It’s a trip and I’m happily having a flashback. For over 25 years my friend, Steve, has owned Kiss The Sky record store, now located in Batavia. On my recent visit 
St. Petersburg, FL | Vinyl records are back, but some things have changed: “…To succeed here, you have to keep changing with the times,” said Erin Stoy, general manager of Sound Exchange, which has locations in Tampa and Pinellas Park. “Any business, you have to keep adapting.” Sound Exchange was founded in 1987, when the CD was all the rage. “It used to be that everybody bought physical music,” Stoy said, “and so Christmas seasons were crazy at the stores, because everybody had CDs, records and tapes on their list. “But that went away. Music stores are a niche thing. Instead of where there’s at least one in every mall in America.” Used vinyl sales – including, of course, those “digger” boxes of $1 records ubiquitous at every media outlet, thrift store and flea market – are not counted by the RIAA. The report 
Champaign, IL | Vinyl records spin back into popularity: Despite the current age of streaming, many still choose to listen to physical albums on record players, even though vinyl albums cost more and are more difficult to find. Joseph McLain, junior in LAS, said he began to collect records because of the art on their covers. Eventually, he began listening to the records as well. “I ended up investing in a decent record player, and I kind of realized that the sound quality is nicer than you can get on a CD or streaming services,” McLain said. McLain said he used the same speakers for digital and physical music, which made the differences apparent. “There are just small details that you can notice on the vinyls that I don’t think you can always pick up in a digital recording,” McLain said. McLain said that in streamed music, recordings have lost softer sounds because of how the songs get 
Muncie, IN | Electric Crayon Records opens as a safe space for students and those suffering with addiction in Muncie: Music has been said to bring people of all ages together, and at Electric Crayon Records, it’s no different. The store opened March 11, and within their first week, co-owner Grant Butler said a 14-year-old and a 60-year-old had already come in looking for similar records. Butler, an addictions specialist at IU Health, has been into music since sharing a room with his punk-loving brother as a kid. His brother was a photographer and would take Butler with him to shows. “When you’re a kid, the first medium you’re given is a crayon, pencil and all that stuff, so it’s kind of like that idea to create, there is electricity to it,” Butler said. “It’s kind of like the idea that you’re drawn to create art, whether it’s music or actual, tangible art or literature, any of that kind of stuff. You’re drawn to it.” “…One thing about a record store though…it’s a lot like a DIY pub club where it just 
London, UK | Independent record store chain announces partnership with award-winning brewery: Independent record store chain Rough Trade is joining forces with London based brewery Signature Brew. The two-time Brewery of the Year Award winner is now serving beverages exclusively on draught to Rough Trade customers at the record store’s East London, Bristol, and Nottingham locations. A core range of beers will be available in stores, including Signature’s award-winning flagship collection: Studio Lager, Roadie All-Night IPA and Backstage IPA. Rough Trade stores will also stock a selection of canned specials spanning a range of sours and porters and gluten and alcohol-free craft beers. Founded in 2011, Signature Brew often hosts music events at its brewery/ music venue in Blackhorse Road, London. It has also collaborated with music artists and record labels such as IDLES, Big Joanie and Hot Chip. Sam McGregor, founder of Signature Brew, commented: “Rough Trade has always been an inspiration for Signature Brew, from their DIY roots and 
CT | At CT music stores, vinyl records are back in a big way: What is this, 1978? Vinyl is the hottest thing in music, and the young and old alike scouring record store bins across Connecticut can’t get enough of it. There aren’t many places people go to lazily stroll the aisles anymore, to take in the ambiance, strike up conversations with the like-minded, chat with the owner, happily kill the better part of an afternoon shopping for what they’ll realize they wanted when they happen to find it. Most of us want things quickly and we want them dropped at our door. But at Connecticut’s record stores, it’s the experience that brings vinyl enthusiasts as much as the music. Young people are discovering 
Glasgow, UK | Assai Records has opened a store in Glasgow: Glasgow is the store’s third Scottish branch. Assai Records has opened a store in Glasgow this week. The Scottish record store, owned by Keith Ingram, opened its first store in Dundee back in 2015 with an Edinburgh location quickly following in 2017. Assai has developed a reputation for 
Pueblo, CO | Could it be the ‘end of an era’? Future of Pueblo’s Independent Records up in the air: Independent Records is up for sale and faces an uncertain future in Pueblo with the store set to either close its doors or be sold to a new owner. If the store is forced to close, it’d mark the end of an iconic record store that has served Pueblo for more than four decades and created countless memories for Pueblo music lovers. The image of hundreds of rock ‘n’ roll fans lining the street outside Independent Records is forever etched in many Puebloans’ minds. As far back as 1980, the record stores were the only places concertgoers could get tickets to many of their favorite artists’ shows, so Pueblo’s Independent Records was often hopping when new concerts were announced. Puebloan Lisa Brown is among those who recall the bustling scene at the record store. She shared that memory with the Chieftain after learning Independent Records might soon 
AXS TV’s Vinyl Obsession Follows Members Of Styx, ZZ Top, N Sync And More Browsing Through Record Stores: There’s nothing quite like walking through a record store with money in your pocket and nowhere else to be. I could spend hours just wandering through the aisles, looking at album covers and deciding, re-evaluating, deciding, re-evaluating and deciding again what to buy. It’s a fantastic way to spend an afternoon, and I’m clearly not the only one who feels that way, as that’s the premise behind AXS TV’s new series Vinyl Obsession. Each episode of the debuting series will follow two famous faces from the music world who hit up a record store and pick out their own personal top five vinyl. But as most of us who love this sorta thing know, picking out records to buy is never as simple as walking over to a specific section, finding your album and then leaving. So, the show follows the celebrities as they hunt through the store and records them telling stories and reminiscing about various albums they 
