The Rough Guide to Mambo

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Phil Stanton; Phil Stanton (Compilation); Mike Chadwick (Compilation)
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: Performers include: Poncho Sanchez, Eddie Palmieri, Mamborama, Cal Tjader, Jack Costanzo, Noro Morales, Perez Prado & His Orchestra. Liner Note Authors: Mike Chadwick; Mike Chadwick. Photographers: Jeremy Horner; Lisa Stein; Norman Seeff. Unknown Contributor Roles: Mamborama; Snowboy; Bobby Matos; Cal Tjader. Still following up a trend of Cuban music, the Rough Guide compilers have put together a fine collection of mambos, classic and new. The album opens up with a piece from the U.K. salsa craze and Snowboy, one of the revivalists on the scene. Quickly taking a turn for the older, the album picks out a classic Tito Puente tune from the '50s, then hits on Mario Bauza's big band mambo before moving to the best in Anglo-Latin music with an old piece of mambo-jazz fusion from Cal Tjader's vibes. The Puerto Rican pianist Noro Morales has a nice piece thrown in with his short-lived orchestra, and another piece from the U.K. dance scene is contributed by Bobby Matos and John Santos. After a short look at contemporary North American mambo via Mamborama, the album moves back to the classic era with a sparser number from P�rez Prado, the godfather of the form, and a nice bit from Bebo Vald�s (Chucho's father and a top-rate pianist in his own right) and his fine big band. Old Beverly Hills bongo player for the stars, Jack Costanzo, has a number from his long-delayed comeback stretch, Harlem-based Eddie Palmieri throws in something thumping and somewhat Puerto Rican-tinged from his recent Ritmo Caliente album, and a venerable classic from Xavier Cugat is presented. Following Cugat is another of the earliest and brightest stars of mambo, Machito, with his hit "Ritmo Pa' Gozar." Cal Tjader's old sidekick, and conga star in his own right Poncho Sanchez contributes a piece, New Yorker Manny Oquendo tosses in some mambo-son combination, the multinational Orquesta Tabaco y Ron performs some salsa-mambo fusion, and the album closes on the Columbian salsa star Fruko stretching his boundaries a bit. The music is always hot here, with top-notch performances from all involved. Ultimately, the new stuff is a nice addition to the mix, but the real treat of the album is the inclusion of all the classic performers and performances in one place. ~ Adam Greenberg

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