Cartagena!

Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Cumbia and Descarga Sound of Colombia 1962-72

In terms of sheer enjoyment, and the warmth of the big band Colombian sound, you can not do better than this 19-track compilation from the wonderful people at Soundway.

Curro Fuentes was a prolific producer in the Colombian scene during the 60s and 70s, working for his family's Discos Fuentes label, and later for Philips.  This disc gathers together a number of the best examples of Fuentes's oeuvre, and as usual, presents them with exhaustive liner notes (of which I'll admit I haven't bothered to read much).

This album really swings, and I've had it in pretty steady rotation for a while now.  I don't know too much about the South American scene, but this compilation makes me hungry to learn more.