Mongo Santamaria - El Bravo! (1965) [2015] Hi-Res

Although Mongo Santamaria's move to Columbia later signified his transition to crossover fare, his label debut, El Bravo!, makes no concessions or overtures to the pop charts. Armed with a batch of original compositions spanning from boleros to mortunos and backed by a crack session band including trumpeter Marty Sheller and flutist Hubert Laws, Santamaria delivers one of the finest traditional Latin jazz records of the mid-'60s. The virtues of the set are many: Santamaria's conga rhythms are fiery yet tasteful, Sheller's luminous arrangements boast an authentic Cuban flavor, and all of the musicians receive ample opportunity to shine, in particular Laws (whose charanga-inspired flute galvanizes the superb "Monica"). ~ Jason Ankeny

Tracks:

01. Mongo Santamaria : El Bravo [00:04:23]
02. Mongo Santamaria : Casabe [00:02:51]
03. Mongo Santamaria : Miedo [00:05:04]
04. Mongo Santamaria : Black Stockings [00:04:03]
05. Mongo Santamaria : Monica [00:02:38]
06. Mongo Santamaria : Lucky Mambo [00:03:36]
07. Mongo Santamaria : Cinderella [00:03:47]
08. Mongo Santamaria : La Justicia [00:03:32]
09. Mongo Santamaria : Ole Guajira [00:04:39]
10. Mongo Santamaria : Estrada Do Sol [00:04:36]
11. Mongo Santamaria : Mantequero [00:03:23]