Tito Puente Cuban Carnival CD

Tito Puente became the most famous practitioner of salsa during the 1950s because he brought Afro-Cuban music out of the barrio and into the living rooms of all Americans. The Mambo King is captured on CUBAN CARNIVAL during his rise to stardom. Recorded in 1955 and 1956, this album highlights Puente's fiery early years.

CUBAN CARNIVAL documents the New York City salsa "sound" excellently. Not only are listeners treated to 11 authentic Latin selections, they get a sense of where Puente might be heading conceptually. For example, "Yambeque" is not only an up-tempo montuno, but it is also a vehicle for Puente's experiments with jazz. Midway through the track, a bebop tenor saxophone solo seems to pop out of nowhere before it slides back into the dense Latin percussion textures. "Cha-Cha De Los Pollos" switches gears entirely, embracing the now-celebrated cha-cha feel--a style that became very popular on the dance floor during this era. "Cuban Fantasy" is another strong composition, and this track features Puente on vibraphone. A cool-toned alto sax solo (a la Paul Desmond) firmly establishes the jazzy underpinnings of this exuberant track.

This is part of BMG's "Tropical" series.

Recorded between 1955 & 1956.

Personnel: Tito Puente (vibraphone, timbales, background vocals); El Viejo Macucho (vocals); Jerry Sanfino, Marty Holmes, Ed Caine, Sol Schlinger, Allen Fields, Jose Madera, Dave Kurtz (saxophone, flute); Nick Travis, Frank Lo Pinto, Jimmy Frisaura, Gene Rapeti, Bernie Glow, Andres Forda, Sam Seavors (trumpet); Santo Ruso, Eddie Bert, Robert Ascher, Sam Takvorian (trombone); Alvin Gellers (piano); Bobby Rodriguez (bass); Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Carlos "Patato" Valdez, Candido Camero, John Rodriguez (percussion).