Colors of Latin Jazz: Mambo Mania! (2002)

About this title: While an individual artist may provide a good introduction to an unfamiliar genre, this approach is rather limited. A lone artist, no matter how talented, can only supply a partial understanding of a style. Another and perhaps more effective method is to listen to a collection like The Colors of Latin Jazz: Mambo Mania!, a collection of 11 mambos recorded for Concord Records. Listening to the album is a little like tuning into a good, hour-plus Latin radio program with no commercials. One can listen to an old pro like Tito Puente cut loose on "Ran Kan Kan," followed by Cal Tjader's innovative ... read more

Tracks:

1. Co Co My My [Servia]
2. Ran Kan Kan [Puente]
3. Mambo Mindoro [Tjader]
4. Mis Amigos [Wallace]
5. Caravan [Ellington/Mills/Tiz]
6. Machito Forever [Puente]
7. Ancestral Messages [Barretto]
8. Mambo Inn [Bauza/Sampson/Woodl]
9. Ponce [Vega]
10. A Night in Tunisia [Gillespie/Paparelli]
11. El Conguero [Goldberg/Balmaseda]

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