I know it's a pretty obvious choice, but this song from the Velvets' third album just gets me every time. When Lou Reed sings "I thought of you as my mountaintop/I thought of you as my peak", as ridiculous as it sounds, I can totally relate. I'm continually in awe of the beauty and tenderness this song. "The fact that you are married/only proves that you're my best friend/but it's truly truly a sin."

Excellent gentle mambo arrangement, courtesy of Claus Ogerman, of this spy theme featuring Tjader's vibes and George Castro's flute in nice counterpoint with Palmeiro's piano and some very lively percussion.

Although it's simple and rather well known, I never seem to tire of hearing this track. The blend of percussion, vocals and instrumentation is so delicious that people always stop to listen when I put it on. It's also a perfect distillation of what I think Latin Jazz should be - the horns, percussion and vocals are relentless and full of energy, but always tasteful.

Well mostly just Toots on this track. A breezy, two-minute instro carried by Toots' whistling and a very rich, energetic arrangement. Very good stuff. There are a few other instrumentals on this (mostly) excellent disc, and this Thielemans original is easily my favorite.

Post Bossa-Nova, Pre-Tropicalia, Brasilian Samba at it's finest!