Let's Cha Cha with Puente

Performer: Tito Puente
Artist: Mongo Santamaria; Willie Bobo
Distributor: BMG Special Products

Notes: Personnel includes: Tito Puente (leader, vocals, vibraphone, percussion); Jerry Sanfino (alto saxophone, flute); Allen Fields (alto saxophone); Marty Holmes, Eddie Caine, Ray Beckenstein (tenor saxophone); Joe Grimm (baritone saxophone); Bernie Glow, Jimmy Frisaura, Frank Lo Pinto, Gene Rapetti, Al Di Risi (trumpet); Alvin Gellers (piano); Al Casamenti (guitar); Bobby Rodriguez (bass); Willie Bobo (bongos, guiro, timbales); Mongo Santamaria (congas). Recorded in New York, New York in 1956. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Recorded over three days in New York in 1956, Let's Cha Cha Cha is one of a multitude of early albums from Tito Puente & His Orchestra. In 1994, RCA remastered it among others as part of a Tropical Series. The album opens with a cha cha, then through a nice piece from Obdulio Morales and into a guajira on the vibes (Puente's much-less-known instrument, but an exciting performance). Another cha cha follows in the title track, followed itself by a light horn and flute romp with remnants of the Big Bad Wolf involved. A punchier work from Ray Coen comes in "Habenero" and Johnny Conquet's "Just for You" and "Cha Cha Fiesta" are both exemplar simple cha chas. A pair from Justi Barreto follow with a vocal aspect added in that gives them a bit more flavor, and a piece from Mongo Santamaria follows them up. The album finishes on a pair from Puente himself, with some slightly more complex horn arrangements. All in all, it's perhaps not as exciting as a lot of his later work, but it's a fine example of his full arranging abilities and the earlier, less percussion-based cha chas, mambos, and exotica that formed the basis for Puente's success. Fans of Puente should certainly give the album a shot, though newcomers might do better to start with a retrospective of some sort. ~ Adam Greenberg With orchestra. ~ Michael G. Nastos

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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