OUR LATIN THING (NUESTRA COSA) by FANIA ALL STARS

Strut Records, in association with Fania, announces the 40th Anniversary Edition of the landmark feature film that captured New York’s legendary early '70s Latin music scene at its zenith, 'Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa)'.Filmed around a live all-star concert by the Fania All-Stars at one of promoter Ralph Mercado's fantastically popular Thursday night jams at the Cheetah, the film transports the viewer right back to a heady night on August 26, 1971. At the time, there had been little documentation of the burgeoning salsa scene in New York, despite its massive popularity. Video was still crude and film was expensive to shoot. However, Fania founder Jerry Masucci had a vision of taking New York Latin music from the barrio to the world, and put the money up to make the movie. The technical quality of the film is excellent. Director Leon Gast ('When We Were Kings') hung 278 colour-gelled lights in the club and brought in his own electricity. The music was shot live, in colour, with five separate cameras, providing a rare multiple perspective for the era. In all, the film contains 1,985 edits - a modern editing tempo, years ahead of its time. With a remote truck parked outside the club, the music was recorded live to 16-track 2-inch, the highest-quality analog format available.