1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 18. Tito Puente – Dance Mania (1958)


Mambo time! After the last album, what a relief for some joy an exuberance again. We’re back to some pure Latin/Afro-Latin beats from bandleader Puente, who had a Puerto Rican parentage but was born in New York.  

It’s good stuff, probably on here because Puente seems to have a big influence in music, with some glorious marimba work (by, I think, Puente himself) on the track Hong Kong Mambo, and a great instrumental of Varsity Drag. I think I’ve heard some of El Cayuco used as part of a theme tune somewhere – maybe it’ll come up as a sample later in this list. 

Less purely percussive compared to Sabu’s Palo Congo, I really liked this one. 

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