Pachito E’Che Riddim – Treasure Isle

Duke Reid produced Pachito E’Che for Treasure Isle in 1964, right in the middle of the label’s early ska run. Lord Tanamo’s Night Food Ska and The Skatalites’ Latin Goes Ska are the key cuts here, and the title itself points to the Latin-tinged swing that helped define Treasure Isle’s sound at the time. It’s a compact, brass-led ska riddim with a strong Afro-Cuban feel, the kind of music that shows why Duke Reid’s catalogue was so important in the first wave of Jamaican studio recordings.