It’s an unjustly obscure fact that Spanish Harlem icon Joe Bataan is a legend. But with zero doubt, he is. The King of Latin Soul has a peerless oeuvre that embodies, and even anticipated, some of the best grooves to come out of the 1970s. His music is an effortlessly creamy synthesis of Latin, soul and funk that foreshadowed disco and rap.
Even late in life, Bataan’s sound, though beautifully steeped in heritage, has remained forward-thinking. He proved his enduring relevance when he returned in 2005 to break a decades-long recording hiatus with the revelatory Call My Name LP, which at least put him back on the indie radar. Bataan will come rolling deep with a 12-piece band…