Panama–born singer Luis Rodriguez Argumedes, known as Azuquita (or “Little Sugar”) due to his short stature and sweet voice, was nearly two decades into his career when he recorded Pura Salsa with musical director Mauricio Smith. The album—a striking mélange of salsa, hard funk, and psychedelic production flourishes—is one of his most unusual and striking works. In the early ‘70s, Azuquita organized a band of his own, The Orchestra Melao, which specialized not only in salsa, soul, and boogaloo but also incorporated more exotic influences into its arrangements, including elements of funk and Afrobeat. Early Orchestra Melao LPs like Aqui Esta Azuquita and En Hollywood were solid outings but didn't display the group’s dazzling musical versatility as effectively as its third LP, Pura Salsa. The album opens with the relaxed, soul-influenced groove of “California,” which offsets a laidback piano vamp against wah-wah guitars and wide-open drum breaks. But Pura Salsa’s best moment may be the arrestingly beautiful Latin-funk fusion of “Guajiro Bacan.”