Tito Puente - Instant Party (2004)

Instant Party includes 11 tracks that focus on Tito Puente's tenure with the Concord label in the late '80s and early '90s. Taken from the albums Royal 'T,' Mambo of the Times, On Broadway, El Rey, Out of This World, Sensacion, and Goza Mi Timbal, this is a short program at only 11 tracks, and a few songs (like "Oye Como Va," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Stompin' at the Savoy," and "Fiesta à la King") were Puente staples long before his recordings on Concord, and they shouldn't be misconstrued as definitive versions. Considering the vast array of solid discs encompassing Puente's full spectrum of hits, coupled with the absence of unreleased tracks, Instant Party comes in handy only for the novice listener trying to sort out the various career paths taken by "the King of Latin Music."~Al Campbell