The Best Of The Concord Years

Performer: Tito Puente
Artist: Phil Woods; George Shearing; Maynard Ferguson; Bobby Shew
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Tito Puente, Phil Woods, George Shearing, Maynard Ferguson, Bobby Shew. Producers: Carl Jefferson, Tito Puente, John Burk, Allen Farnham. Compilation producer: Joe Conzo. Includes liner notes by Joe Conzo, Mark Holston and John Burk. Digitally remastered by George Horn. Photographers: Janet Sommer; Dave Fischer. Concord Records pays tribute to Tito Puente and includes many of his career highlights on this posthumous two-CD set. Among the numbers featured here are rousing salsa renditions of Miles Davis' "All Blues," and Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," as well as other tunes by Thelonious Monk, George Shearing, Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane. Some of Puente's best-known compositions including "Oye Como Va," "Mambo King," and "Machito Forever" are also included, as well as a thick booklet documenting Puente's legacy. Standout tracks include a 4/4 version of "Take Five," and a blisteringly fast "Donna Lee," featuring a wonderful piccolo solo.

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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