Mongo Santamaria's Greatest Hits

by Mongo Santamaria

Overview

Some would say the title of this package is deceptive, as it only covers his mid- to late-'60s period with Columbia (and should not be confused with other Mongo Santamaria releases with similar titles covering different eras, such as Fantasy's). Furthermore, some would also say that it's not representative of Santamaria's best work, or that representative of Santamaria at all, since it's largely devoted to some of his most pop-oriented material. That's the purist stance, anyway. Because actually, this disc is for the most part a gas, even if it is not among the more Latin-esque or jazzy of his recordings. His Columbia stint saw the influence of soul become ascendant upon his studio output and indeed, many of the tunes here are soul covers: "Cloud Nine," "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay," "Twenty-Five Miles," "Cold Sweat," and "Green Onions." Being commercial, however -- and this was an attempt by Santamaria and Columbia to be commercial, as both Santamaria and producer David Rubinson state in the liner notes -- does not always lead to bad music. Sometimes, indeed, it leads to pretty good music. And the 1964-1969 cuts on this disc are cool, often smokin' boogaloo, that mixture of Latin, jazz, soul, and pop that briefly became in vogue during the '60s. If Mongo and his large bands were disenchanted with this direction, it certainly doesn't show at all in the performances, which have an irresistible verve, whether on tailored-for-Santamaria compositions like "Fatback" or shopworn material like "La Bamba." The 2000 CD reissue's a big improvement on the original 1970 LP, adding five bonus tracks, including a live version of his famous "Afro Blue." The 1965 reading of "Watermelon Man," incidentally, that kicks off this comp is not the original hit rendition, but it's good just the same. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	07/04/2000
Label:	Columbia
UPC:	0074646392027

Tracks

1. Watermelon Man
2. Cloud Nine
3. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
4. We Got Latin Soul
5. Fat Back
6. Twenty-Five Miles
7. Cold Sweat
8. Green Onions
9. The Now Generation
10. La Bamba
11. El Pussy Cat
12. Mongo's Boogaloo
13. Chili Beans
14. Ah Ha
15. I Wanna Know
16. Afro Blue

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mongo Santamaria   Primary Artist,Percussion,Bongos,Congas
Joe Farrell   Guest Artist,Sax (Tenor)
Steve Berrios   Guest Artist,Timbales,Latin Percussion
Sonny Fortune   Guest Artist,Flute,Reeds,Soloist,Sax (Alto)
Hubert Laws   Guest Artist,Flute,Reeds,Piccolo,Soloist,Sax (Tenor)
Hadley Caliman   Sax (Tenor)
William Allen   Bass
Mauricio Smith   Flute,Saxophone
Bobby Capers   Flute,Reeds,Sax (Alto),Sax (Baritone)
Arthur Kaplan   Sax (Baritone)
Hungria Garcia   Drums,Timbales
Cuco Martinez   Percussion
Osvaldo Martinez   Latin Percussion
Fred Hill   Trumpet
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie   Drums
Victor Venegas   Bass
Marty Sheller   Trumpet,Conductor
Raymond Maldonado   Trumpet,Latin Percussion
Bobby Porcelli   Flute,Saxophone
Charlie Owens   Sax (Tenor)
Luis Gasca   Soloist,Trumpet
Sandra Crouch   Tambourine
Wayne Henderson   Trombone
Rodgers Grant   Piano
Julio Collazo   Latin Percussion

Technical Credits

Arlester "Dyke" Christian   Composer
Harvey Fuqua   Composer
William Allen   Arranger,Composer
Steve Cropper   Composer
Bert Berns   Composer
Bobby Capers   Arranger,Composer
Booker T. Jones   Composer
Johnny Bristol   Composer
Billy Jackson   Producer
Howard Fritzon   Art Direction
Fred Binkley   Liner Notes
Warren Vincent   Producer
Don Hunstein   Photography
Chika Azuma   Design
John Vidol   Photography
Steven Berkowitz   A&R
Edwin Starr   Composer
Barrett Strong   Composer
Valerie Capers   Composer,Arranger
Jerry Wexler   Composer
Marty Sheller   Arranger
Otis Redding   Composer
Al Jackson, Jr.   Composer
Mongo Santamaria   Composer
James Brown   Composer
David Lindup   Composer
David Rubinson   Producer
Hubert Laws   Arranger,Composer
Joseph M. Palmaccio   Mastering
Robert Capers   Composer
Ritchie Valens   Composer
Jerry Rappaport   Compilation Producer
Robert Mersey   Producer
Pee Wee Ellis   Composer
Lewie Steinberg   Composer
Rodgers Grant   Arranger,Composer
Herbie Hancock   Arranger,Composer
Norman Whitfield   Composer
Patti Matheny   A&R