Tropicana Nights (1999)

About this title: In celebration of the famous Tropicana casino in Havana, Cuba, D'Rivera assembled a 22-piece big band to play many of the famous tunes that the "most beautiful nightclub in the world" was known for in the '50s. The band is a killer, rising up to the vaunted musicianship of D'Rivera, including trumpeters Mike Ponella and Diego Urcola, trombonists Jimmy Bosch and William Cepeda, saxophonists Andres Boiarsky, Oscar Feldman and Manuel Valera, bassist Joe Santiago, timbales player Ralph Irizarry, drummer Mark Walker and percussionist Milton Cardona, among others. The first tune, "Mambo A La Kenton ... read more

Tracks:

1. Mambo a la Kenton [Romeu]
2. Chucho [DRivera]
3. Cicuta Tibia [Duarte]
4. Siboney [Lecuona/Morse]
5. Old Miami Sax [Marquez]
6. Tropicana Nights [DRivera]
7. Sustancia [Duarte]
8. Como Fue [Duarte]
9. El Coronel y Marina [OFarrill]
10. Mambo Inn [Bauza/Sampson/Woodl]
11. A Mi Que / El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor) [Guerra/Gilbert/Simo]

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