Oye Como Va: The Dance Collection

Performer: Tito Puente
Engineer: Phil Edwards
Producer: Tito Puente; Carl E. Jefferson
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Tito Puente (vibraphone, timbales, marimba); Bobby Porcelli (soprano & alto saxophones); Mario Rivera (soprano & tenor saxophones, trumpet); Mary Fettig (soprano saxophone); Dan Reagan, Jeff Cressman, Wayne Wallace (alto saxophone); Piro Rodriguez (trumpet); Bill Ortiz, Robbie Kwock (trombone); Jorge Dalto (piano); Edgardo Mirando (cuatro); Bobby Rodriguez (bass); John Santos (bongos, bells); Jose "Papo" Rodriguez (bongos); Harvey Wainpel (percussion). Recorded between 1982 & 1996. Includes liner notes by Joe Conzo. Personnel: Tito Puente (vibraphone, marimba, timbales, hand claps, percussion, background vocals); Mario Rivera (woodwinds); Mary Fettig (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Bobby Porcelli (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Mitch Frohman (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Harvey Wainapel (alto saxophone); Jimmy Frisaura (trumpet, bass trumpet); David "Piro" Rodr�guez (trumpet, flugelhorn); Robbie Kwock, John Walsh, Ray Gonzalez, Ray Vega , Tony Lujan, Michael Mossman, Bill Ortiz, Charlie Sepulveda (trumpet); Dan Reagan, Jeff Cressman, Sam Burtis, Wayne Wallace, Arturo Velasco, Lewis Kahn, Renaldo Jorge (trombone); Jorge Dalto, Sonny Bravo (piano); Jose Madera (congas, percussion); Francisco Aguabella, Jerry Gonzalez (congas); John "Dandy" Rodriguez (bongos, timbales, percussion, background vocals); John Santos, Jos� Papo Rodr�guez (bongos, percussion); Millie Puente, Juan Ceballos (hand claps, background vocals); Rebeca Maule�n (hand claps); Louis Bauzo, Jimmy Delgado (percussion). Recording information: 07/01/1982-06/13/1996. Director: Tito Puente. Arranger: Tito Puente. Given Tito Puente's staggeringly prolific output of recordings, obviously no single disc can sum it up, so Concord Picante sensibly calls this compendium a "dance" collection. With the aim to keep the mambos, guajiras and cha chas moving and grooving foremost in mind, there is still a great deal of variety in this CD -- powerhouse big-band sounds, classic eight-piece salsa ensembles, lots of burning jazz solos from such firebrands as sax veteran Mario Rivera, and even a touch of the Orient on "Chang." In a bit of a surprise, there are several welcome featured marimba solos for Puente, along with his standard timbales explosions and animated vibraphone spots. Though Puente has a fairly deep backlog of Picante material from which to choose, the live 1984 El Rey album receives far more attention than its cousins -- four uninterrupted cuts close the album. But the concentration is worth the space, for we hear one of his hottest versions of "Oye Como Va," as well as other potent examples of how Puente could and still can fire up an audience. The whole package is a testament to Puente's apparently unquenchable vitality in what would be anyone else's dotage. You can definitely dance to this. ~ Richard S. Ginell

New York City-born percussionist Tito Puente infused his big-band music with the mambo sound he helped to popularize in the US. He started out playing with the likes of Noro Morales and Machito before starting his own band in the late 1940s. Known as "King of the Mambo," Puente styled himself after the great swing-era band leaders, and ruled for years over a dance-oriented world of Latin rhythms spiced with jazz and pop. Through mambo, cha-cha, salsa, and more, Puente's career weathered the ups and downs of musical trends, and the iconic band leader, who passed away in 2000, ranks as a legend of Latin jazz.

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