50 Years of Swing: 50 Great Years & Tracks (1997)

About this title: The concept behind this three-CD set was to pick out some of the highpoints from Tito Puente's half-century career. Unfortunately, the end results are not very well-planned. The music skips around time-wise (instead of being in chronological order), the exact recording dates are not given (just the year), and the full personnel is also absent; only the names of a few (but not all) of the featured vocalists and soloists are given. What could have been a significant set is instead just so-so. The first disc concentrates mostly on salsa vocal performances, starting with a number from Jose ... read more

Tracks:

1. Que No, Que No [Curbelo]
2. Mambo Macoco [Puente]
3. El YoYo [Ortiz/Puente]
4. Malcriada [Rivero]
5. El Cayuco [Puente]
6. Babalu [Lecuona]
7. Complicación [Aguabella]
8. Ay Cariño [Baena]
9. El Manicero [Simons]
10. Qué Te Pedí [Mullens/DeLaFuente]
11. Eras [Barretto]
12. Congo Mulence [Puente/Grillo]
13. No Me Hables Más [Capo]
14. Guantanamera [Espigul]
15. Crystal Blue Persuasion [James/Vale/Gray]
16. Guaguancó Arsenio [Puente]
17. Ran Kan Kan [Puente]
18. Vaya Puente [Puente]
19. Timbalero [Barreto]
20. Mambo Herd [Puente]
21. Tito on Timbales [Puente]
22. Ti Mon Bo [Puente]
23. Tanga [Bauza]
24. Loco Bossa Nova [Puente]
25. The Shadow of Your Smile [Mandel/Webster]
26. Machito Forever [Puente]
27. On Broadway [Weil/Mann/Leiber/St]
28. Lullaby of Birdland [Shearing/Weiss]
29. Picadillo [Puente]
30. Asia Mood [Puente]
31. Tito's Idea [Puente/Ruiz]
32. Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing [Wonder]
33. I'm Gonna Go Fishin' [Ellington/Lee]
34. Llegue [Pastor]
35. Para los Rumberos [Puente]
36. Hong Kong Mambo [Puente]
37. Babarabatiri [Daly]
38. Celia y Tito [Pacheco]
39. Tigimo +2 [Puente]
40. Guataca [Puente]
41. Déjame Soñar [Vazquez]
42. Oh! Vida [Gomez/Yanez]
43. Niña y Señora [DR [Composer]/Puent]
44. Moody's Mood for Love [McHugh/Fields/Moody]
45. Hay Que Trabajar [Santiago]
46. Donde Estabas Tu [Brito]
47. Take It or Lose It [Puente]
48. El #100 [Pacheco]
49. Fiesta a la King [Puente]
50. Oye Como Va [Puente]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.