OPEN POST: Manor Music Monday With Tino Contreras And His Mexicano Jazz!

Phew. Is it hot in here? Is it gas or electric heat I'm feeling? Oh, throw open all the windows! Let the cool ocean breeze wrap around us we dance. Or so you'll be saying while dancing and cha-cha-cha'ing at The Manor's exclusive "Galactic Muffin Lounge," where our own DJ Li'l Scratch is spinning the best of Tino Contreras, the head-trippy, vanguard Mexican jazz drummer and composer. Ay!

Even if you haven't heard of Tino, you've heard him at one point or another in your life. He's long been cherished South of the Border, but it's taken quite a bit longer for us gringos to catch on. Just wait. His jazz is propulsive, joyful, and dripping with sex, with everything from bongos, big bass swings, trumpets, psychedelic jazz riffs and ritual chants tossed into the mix, all of which you can hear in "Santo," his spaced-out classic: 

Tino lived long enough to find himself all but canonized in his country and in jazz circles worldwide, and for good reason. Growing up in a family of musicians, he was already playing drums professionally as an 8 year-old, and soon after, was traveling everywhere with the best jazz bands in Mexico, Costa Rico, Cuba and Panama. From there, he began composing his own mind-bending, finger-snapping hep-cat jazz, earning engagements, raves, and of course, record contracts the world over. 

"El Jazz Mexicano," which you can hear in its entirety below, brings together his very best tracks from five decades of composing and performing in Mexico, Spain, France, Argentina, Asia, South America...the list goes on. Trust me, this belongs in your permanent collection now. Put it on in the background, go about what you're doing - and just try not to be caught up. Tino left us in 2021 at age 97, but he's still with us. "I sometimes feel the hearts of my public beating along with me as my music plays," he once said, "joined together in a rhythmic orgy."

The album only partially streams on Spotify, which is annoying, but you can always get the best sounding version HERE. So worth it. 

What are you listening to this week? DJ Li'l Scratch wants to know.

Till next time...purr, bitches, purr! 🐾

Photo Credits: Jazzman Albums, Getty Images