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The liner notes reproduced on this CD re-issue of a 1977 LP session ambitiously
describe this as the "finest rhythm section ever assembled." In fact,
there are two rhythm sections here. The first includes Jose Mangual on bongo,
guiro, cowbell, and tamborim, accompanied by the great Carlos "Patato" Valdez on
congas and Bobby Rodriguez on bass. The second finds Mangual alongside the
finest drummer at that time - the man Cubans call "Papa" - Steve Gadd,
with Ralph MacDonald on percussion, Anthony Jackson on bass, and the late Richard
Tee on piano. If we skip to the latter rhythm section on "Black & Brown Boogie," we
get an idea of how far Mangual's vision stretches - or at least the vision
of producer Martin Cohen. The horn lines are pure New-York-circa-1977, the
vocals post-disco funk, the percussion expansive and lush.
In usual fashion, Gadd anchors the groove with immutable pulse and economy, allowing the percussionists to shine. And this they do, perhaps in excess! Lots of clatter happening here. Back to the opener "Mai Kinshasa," and we have a Cha-Cha full of surprises: quick shifts in tempo and mood. Luis Ortiz's trumpet carries the first theme, followed by Dick Meza on flute, with Meza getting a chance here to stretch out a little. Then it's off to a mid-tempo piano "montuno" (a Cuban-style repetitive, shout-chorus figure) spiced with full horn section lines and a brilliant trombone solo by Keith O'Quinn.
The Tito Puente tune "Chinatown" is a sprightly salsa. (The "China," incidentally, comes from the pentatonic theme played by Tito Puente on the lower bars of the marimba.) The following "montuno" - on vibes! - is curious and gives the piece its distinct attitude. Mangual and "Patato" provide a sensitive accompaniment. "Summit" is worth hearing for the work of Mangual, Valdez, and Puente, who provide synchronized percussion improvisations over a melodic conga ostinato (repeated figure).
We mentioned surprises. You'd want to give "More" a spin, then. That's the same "More" Sinatra, Dean Martin, et al. have tackled - but with a spark underneath! Again, it's Luis Ortiz who keeps that fire alive with his exciting trumpet solo. Artie Azenzar's electric piano provides an interesting textural change at 2:11. "Sunrise Prince" is an up-tempo forum for Ortiz originally written by Tito Puente, while "Bomba a Puerto Rico" takes its name from a traditional song form. At 2:28, this one's gone all too quickly, leaving us hungry for ever more "montuno"!
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