The Listening Club - 5th July 2026

Hey there, listening chums! It's me, @JimMcCauley, sitting in while @kleptones is away doing the Lord's work in some far-flung heathen lands, or something like that. Me, I'm sitting at my desk enjoying just the right level of warm weather before things get silly again over the next day or so. The good news, though, is that I just got the aircon fixed in my car, so now I can always go out and sit in that if it's too damn hot. What could possibly go wrong?

Last week, then, it was our annual #SummerVortex / #LiveVortex, whichever you prefer to call it, and considering we've been doing it for 13 years now, this one turned out pretty darn fine, I'm sure you'll all agree; especially as we managed to achieve a Double Underworld. So thanks to everyone who bunged in a track or two, and to @akx for putting everything in the right order.

This week, then, and @vinomadic has been called up to do the thing, and stap me if this isn't him right here, addressing you now...

"Haven't picked any Latin music since my inaugural selection, partly because I have shamefully very little of it on my HD.

It seems fitting that as climate change brings numbingly sweltering tropical weather to formerly temperate regions of the planet, I should choose the recorded selection of a great Cuban singer's tracks for this post-4th of July Sunday...

I almost changed my mind at the last minute-- that selection is converted & ready in the folder, but...the temptation was to program another two-fer featuring a blues/jazz singer songwriter- (...but I'll leave it at that, as it'll be in the wings very likely for my next turn)

...see, I don't know about you, but my undiagnosed, baseline ADHD struggles mightily in the sweltering heat ('It's not the heat, it's the humidity!?) -- so this is fairly short & sweet at just under 38 minutes, as per data.

On careful listening, you might find the compilation a bit uneven... You might blame this on the fact that, except for three numbers cut in Cuba in 1953, selections were recorded with three different orchestras in Mexico between 1949-1952. Contradictory information has the artist living there as little as six years, as many as 15, beginning in 1945...yup, if I'd gone back in time for my earlier choices, on this occasion it's something from before even my birthday-- hope you enjoy it!"

There we go then. Download's here, or stream below:

Catch you at 8PM! (BST!)