Volumes 1 and 2 Available Together as a Vinyl 2LP-Set for the First Time Cut from the Original Analog Masters by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio

In 1964, a young musician from the Dominican Republic by the name of Johnny Pacheco teamed up with ambitious Italian-American lawyer Jerry Masucci for the creation of a record label in New York. Named Fania, the brand-new company captured the sheer excitement of Afro-Caribbean music as it was just beginning to incorporate elements of soul, R&B and jazz into a vibrant sonic stew known as salsa. Fania grew in sales and scope at a rapid pace, documenting the New York Salsa Explosion of the '70s and establishing itself as the Latin equivalent of Motown. Its catalogue of masterpieces from the '60s, '70s and '80s remains one of the most prodigious bodies of work in all of Latin music. In October 2019, Craft Recordings unveils the first batch of vinyl reissues to be released since the Fania catalogue was acquired by Concord in 2018.

This double vinyl LP was recorded on August 23, 1973 at the Fania All Stars legendary first concert at New York's Yankee Stadium. Forty thousand fans poured into the stadium for an unforgettable night. The concert was repeated later that year at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico, resulting in two volumes that include music from both momentous nights, featuring Latin music's most renowned artists, including Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe and more.

Live At Yankee Stadium captures the label's own mega-orchestra recorded in concert at the height of its powers – an album that was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2003. The Grammy-nominated effort is widely known as a the ultimate testament of the salsa concert experience. It is difficult to imagine the Anglo equivalent of this band – picture John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Elton John performing together as part of a touring group, and you're beginning to get a feel for the star power involved in the Fania All Stars. But in this particular orchestra, even the instrumentalists – keyboardist Larry Harlow, bongosero Roberto Roena, conguero Ray Barretto – were bandleaders and legends in their own right.

Live At Yankee Stadium Volumes 1 and 2 are released here as a 2LP-set for the first time cut from the original analog masters by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio.

Features:
• Vinyl 2LP reissue from Craft Recordings
• Volumes 1 and 2 are released here as a 2LP-set for the first time
• Cut from the original analog masters by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio