EGREM/Areito Records (cover designer: unknown), "Irakere Volumen 2: Selección de Exitos 1973-1979," 1979. Vinyl LP, 33 RPM.

This compilation album showcases Irakere during their breakthrough period, when the revolutionary Cuban jazz-fusion ensemble was redefining Latin jazz and bringing Cuban music to international prominence. The cover design features dramatic concert photography with explosive stage lighting creating radiating beams of yellow, orange, and turquoise light behind the full orchestra. The bold sans-serif typography spelling "IRAKERE" dominates the upper portion, its imposing letterforms suggesting the group's powerful, genre-breaking sound. The presence of both the EGREM/Areito label and Warner Bros. logos indicates this album's significance in bridging Cuban state production with international distribution during a rare period of cultural exchange.

Irakere, founded in 1973 by pianist Chucho Valdés, synthesized Afro-Cuban folkloric traditions, jazz improvisation, rock energy, and classical virtuosity into an unprecedented musical fusion. The band featured some of Cuba's most exceptional musicians, including saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, both visible in the ensemble photograph. This compilation spans their formative years, featuring compositions by Chucho Valdés, Arsenio Rodríguez, Oscar Valdés, and others across multiple Cuban genres: son batá, danzón, samba son, guaguancó, conga, son montuno, and cha-cha-chá. Tracks include "Bacalao Con Pan," "Valle de Picadura," "Moja El Pan," "Xiomara Mayoral," "Taka Taka Ta," "La Semilla," "Dile a Catalina," "Cha-Cha-Cha," and "Baila Mi Ritmo." The album documents Irakere's historic role in establishing contemporary Cuban music on the world stage while maintaining deep roots in traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms and ceremonies.