This is a true-to-the-original reissue of a highly sought after rare album from the Ansonia archives originally released in 1971. Bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger Gilberto Cruz was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, but by the 1960s he was active in the New York area playing gigs. He put together the Gilberto Sextet, a vibraphone and piano led sextet in the mode of the very popular Joe Cuba sextet. For this record, Gilberto Sextet brought on Lou Bartel for English vocals and harmonica, infusing the album with the hip boogaloo Latin soul of the time. The album was a cross-cultural grafting experiment that worked in that “only-in-New York” melting pot way. Pónganse Duros literally means: “Harden Yourselves” or “Get Tough” but it’s an idiomatic expression commonly found in Latin songs that actually is interpreted as “get ready” or “prepare yourselves” (to dance, jam and have a good time). In this case get ready for a wild trip, because the Gilberto Sextet was about to “let it all hang out” and get truly groovy.
