Dec 27, 2018

RhoDeo 1851 Roots

Hello, .

Today's artist is a seemingly ageless Cuban percussionist/bandleader could energize packed behemoth arenas such as the Hollywood Bowl. A master conguero, who at his best creates an incantatory spell rooted in Cuban religious rituals, quietly seating himself before his congas and soloing with total command over the rhythmic spaces between the beats while his band pumps out an endless vamp. He has been hugely influential as a leader, running durable bands that combine the traditional charanga with jazz-oriented brass, wind, and piano solos, featuring such future notables as Chick Corea and Hubert Laws. He also reached out into R&B, rock, and electric jazz at times in his long career. .......N'Joy

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Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a rumba quinto master and an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue", recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York City where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All Stars, etc. He was an integral figure in the fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with R&B and soul, paving the way for the boogaloo era of the late 1960s. His 1963 hit rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" (recorded on December 17, 1962) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.

Santamaría learned rumba as a kid in the streets of Havana's Jesús María barrio. He reminisced: "In the neighborhood where I came from we had all kinds of music, mostly from Africa. We did not leave it alone; we changed it our way. The music we made dealt with religion and conversation. The drum was our tool and we used it for everything" (1979: 19). Gerard points out: "Santamaría, like other drummers of his generation, learned music in the streets by observing different drummers. When he started playing professionally, he learned on the job. His approach was utilitarian, not theoretical". Santamaría was mentored on bongos and rumba quinto by Clemente "Chicho" Piquero, who played in Beny Moré's band. He recalled: "I would go with Chicho and play the tumbadora and also the quinto. I would play everything because I learned a lot from Chicho—because he could play everything"

When Santamaría soloed in jazz, you heard brilliant phrasing with roots firmly in the folkloric rumba, the authentic rumba of the street where he grew up. In addressing that authenticity, he once told Downbeat Magazine: "You can't learn to play things like guaguancó here.... You have to have been where it came from.... You can't listen to records and get those feelings". Santamaría recorded some of the very first recorded folkloric rumbas. Because he recorded for mainstream jazz labels, his folkloric records were consistently available to the public. Santamaría's albums tended to list the personnel and their instruments; so record buyers came to know other Cuban rumberos, such as Armando Peraza, Francisco Aguabella, Julito Collazo, Carlos Vidal Bolado, Modeto Duran and Pablo Mozo. The 10 inch 33 1/3 rpm phonorecord Afro-Cuban Drums by Santamaría was recorded in SMC's New York City studios on November 3, 1952. Santamaría's next recordings with folkloric rumba were on Changó (re-issued as Drums and Chants) recorded in New York (1954). Yambú (1958), Mongo (1959), and Bembé (1960) followed.

Santamaría's quinto phrasing was dynamic and creative; he had an unmistakable sound, that was uniquely his own. He did not analyze his personal style: "When I play I don't know how I do it, or what I do ... I just play" (2001: 29).[5] The following example is an excerpt from a quinto performance by Santamaría on his composition "Mi guaguancó" (1959). The excerpt shows variations on two main motifs, marked as A and B. Santamaría's repetition of what is typically a secondary phrase (B), makes it the primary motif here.

Santamaría began playing bongos with Septeto Beloña in 1937. In the 1940s he worked in the house band of the prestigious Tropicana nightclub. When Chicho could not join a tour in Mexico in the late 1940s, he recommended Santamaría for the job. Mexico opened Santamaría up to the wider world beyond his island home. After returning from Mexico in 1950, Santamaría moved to New York City, where he became Tito Puente's conga player. In 1957 Mongo Santamaría joined Cal Tjader's Latin jazz combo.

In 1959 Santamaría recorded "Afro Blue," the first jazz standard built upon a typical African 3:2 cross-rhythm, or hemiola. The song begins with the bass repeatedly playing 6 cross-beats per each measure of 12/8, or 6 cross-beats per 4 main beats—6:4 (two cells of 3:2). The following example shows the original ostinato "Afro Blue" bass line. The slashed noteheads indicate the main beats (not bass notes), where you would normally tap your foot to "keep time."

In 1960 Mongo went to Havana, Cuba with Willie Bobo to record two albums "Mongo In Havana" and "Bembe y Nuestro Hombre En La Habana." After recording, he returned to New York City to form the charanga orquestra La Sabrosa.

In late 1962 Chick Corea had given notice and Santamaría needed a pianist to fill in for the upcoming weekend gigs. Herbie Hancock got the temporary job. Hancock recalls what happened the night that Santamaría discovered "Watermelon Man" the only tune of Santamaría's to reach the top of the pop charts:

The sudden success of the song (which Mongo Santamaria recorded on December 17, 1962) propelled Santamaría into his niche of blending Afro-Cuban and African American musics. Santamaría went on to record Cuban-flavored versions of popular R&B and Motown songs.

Santamaria died in Miami, Florida, after suffering a stroke, at the age of 85. He is buried in Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum) in Miami, Florida.



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At the time that Sabroso was recorded, Mongo Santamaria's group was essentially a charanga band with two trumpets added, a combination that works quite well. The group has superior playing by Jose "Chombo" Silva on both violin and tenor (helping "Para Ti" to become a classic), two little-known but talented trumpeters (Louis Valizan and Marcus Cabuto), the great flutist Rolando Lozano, pianist Rene Hernandez, bassist Victor Venegas, and Willie Bobo on drums. Pete Escovedo is one of the background singers as Rudi Calzado takes the lead on a few numbers but does not dominate. There are many fine individual moments on this joyous and infectious set.



Mongo Santamaria - Sabroso! (flac  403mb)

01 Que Meravilloso (Pachanga) 2:43
02 En La Felicidad (Charanga) 2:04
03 Pachanga Pá Ti (Pachanga) 2:21
04 Tulibamba (Charanga) 3:58
05 Mambo De Cuco (Pachanga) 3:50
06 El Bote (Descarga) 3:56
07 Pito Pito (Mambo) 2:43
08 Guaguanco Mania (Guaguanco) 2:30
09 Ja, Ja-Ja (Charanga) 3:00
10 Tula Hula (Pachanga) 2:36
11 Dimelo (Charanga) 2:32
12 A La Luna Me Voy (Charanga) 3:05
13 Para Ti (Descarga) 6:02
Bonus
14 Afro Blue 3:57
15 Yambú 4:04
16 Imaribayo 2:04
17 YeYe 3:00
18 Ayenye 2:39
19 Timbales Y Bongo 7:13
20 Columbia 4:44

 Mongo Santamaria - Sabroso!  (ogg  177mb)

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Applying their famous two-fer philosophy to the digital era, Fantasy combines Mighty Mongo and Viva Mongo! on a single CD, showcasing two somewhat different slants on Mongo Santamaria's music during a period of exploration. Mighty Mongo leans more to Mongo's jazz side without sacrificing his Afro-Cuban rhythmic base, while Viva Mongo has a more distinctly ethnic Cuban sound with Rudy Calzado's solo vocals and the band's group chanting, Rolando Lozano's wooden flute riding playfully above the ensemble, and the traditional Cuban use of string counterlines. On Mighty Mongo, "Descarga at the Black Hawk" sets an especially tasty groove, with some timbales/congas/cymbals action on an extended vamp. Lozano shines in an extended flute solo on "Bacoso" before a scorcher of a percussion battle develops, while composer/pianist Joao Donato also doubles on trombone on "Sabor." Viva Mongo's highlights include "Las Guajiras," a relaxed spellbinder at a guajira tempo; "Merengue Changa," a stupefying merger of two different rhythmic feelings; and the appropriately titled "Mambo Terrifico." Jose "Chombo" Silva, the Cuban Stan Getz worshipper who also evokes Coleman Hawkins on occasion, careens pleasingly on both albums. Of the two, Viva Mongo is perhaps the more vital record, but it's a close call; both are vibrant expressions of Mongo's art. Recorded in 1962 at the Black Hawk in San Francisco.



Mongo Santamaria - At the Black Hawk (flac  461mb)

Mighty Mongo
01 Bluchanga 7:56
02 Tenderly 4:00
03 Descarga At The Black Hawk 7:28
04 Bacoso 8:51
05 Sabor 4:03
06 All The Things You Are 4:53

¡Viva Mongo!
07 Pachanga Twist 3:20
08 Las Guajiras 7:43
09 Para Ti 3:01
10 Body And Soul 5:35
11 Merengue Changa 3:40
12 Dulce Sueño 2:35
13 Mambo Terrifico 2:50
14 Close Your Eyes 5:44

 Mongo Santamaria - At the Black Hawk  (ogg  199mb)

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The two records that make up Our Man in Havana (the other date was originally called Bembe) were recorded in 1960 during a visit to Cuba by Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo. The first set is superb, featuring an unusual mixture of instruments for a Cuban band: two trumpets, flute, piano, tres (Nino Rivera), bass, timbales, bongos, guiro, conga, and two vocalists. The playing by the local musicians is of high quality, and the ten selections are quite enjoyable. Unfortunately though, that project is combined with the cuts from Bembe, which are in a very different style. The latter project has the music performed entirely by vocalists, other than the percussion of Santamaria and Bobo. Consisting of folk melodies and religious songs, with the emphasis totally on the chanting and singing, the music is intriguing from a historical standpoint but the jazz content is nil on this emotional date (which has Merceditas Valdes taking the vocal on four numbers). So, overall, this is definitely a mixed bag.



  Mongo Santamaria - Our Man In Havana ( flac  443mb)

01 Jamaicuba 3:27
02 Manila 4:42
03 He Guapacha 4:08
04 Cha Cha Rock 3:47
05 Vengan Pollos 4:59
06 Barandanga :16
07 Linda Guajira 3:06
08 Vamos A Gozar 2:34
09 Miss Patti Cha Cha 4:15
10 Viva La Felicidad 2:31
11 Tele Mina For Chango 3:00
12 Olla De For Olla 3:48
13 Yemaya Olodo For Ollo 3:38
14 Yeye-O For Ochun 4:10
15 Wolenche For Chango 2:47
16 Aqua Limpia 3:40
17 Ochun Mene 4:10
18 Mexico 3:20
19 Manana Son Manana 4:06
20 Compliaciones 3:47

  Mongo Santamaria - Our Man In Havana (ogg    199mb)

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Mongo at the Village Gate finds Mongo Santamaria entering the boogaloo era with a variety of funky pieces that show the influence of R&B and soul-jazz without losing the group's roots in Cuban music. The infectious live set teams the conguero with trumpeter Marty Sheller, the reeds of Pat Patrick and Bobby Capers, pianist Rodgers Grant, bassist Victor Venegas, drummer Frank Hernandez, and the percussion of Chihuahua Martinez and Julian Cabrera. Such tunes as "Fatback," "Mongo's Groove," and "Creole" have happy, soulful, and simple melodies. This is one of Marty Sheller's best dates on trumpet, while Santamaria takes "My Sound" as a colorful unaccompanied solo. A remake of "Para Ti" is a welcome addition.



Mongo Santamaria - Mongo at the Village    (flac  291mb)

01 Introduction By "Symphony Sid" 0:40
02 El Toro 6:13
03 Fatback 5:59
04 Mongo's Groove 3:07
05 Creole 2:29
06 The Jungle Bit 7:13
07 My Sound 2:57
08 The Morning After 6:40
09 Nothing For Nothing 7:13
Bonus
10 Para Ti 5:14

Mongo Santamaria - Mongo at the Village (ogg  130mb)

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Hey! Let's Party represents one of percussionist Mongo Santamaria's first and most engaging plunges into the world of contemporary pop, galvanizing well-known chart smashes with the energy and abandon of Latin soul. It's a simple formula that proved remarkably successful and flexible across a series of likeminded LPs -- Santamaria approaches texts like "Walk on By" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)" with deep respect and understanding, creating soulful, righteous rhythms that snake in and out of the original melodies with brilliant precision. Even battered warhorses like Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" breathe new life, proving Santamaria's uncanny capacity for making the familiar funky.



Mongo Santamaria - Hey! Let's Party    (flac  218mb)

01 Walk On By 2:58
02 I Got You (I Feel Good) 2:48
03 In The Mood 3:24
04 Baila Dance 3:58
05 Louie, Louie 2:16
06 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 3:45
07 Hey! 2:50
08 Call Me 2:45
09 El Bikini 2:27
10 Shotgun 3:27

Mongo Santamaria - Hey! Let's Party (ogg  88mb)

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1 comment:

bobbysu said...

thank you so much