Puente makes mad mambo

Afro-Latin and Afro-Cuban sounds enjoy periodic moments of popularity in American music circles, then drop off the radar screen. Here are a handful of current discs that deserve attention from those interested in more ambitious, edgy material.

Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes ventures into classical territory on Fantasia Cubana (Blue Note), demonstrating an impressive keyboard facility on pieces composed by Debussy, Chopin and Ravel, among others. But while he effectively presents these distinguished numbers, he