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Afro Roots

by

Mongo Santamaria

 
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Afro Roots

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Avg: 4.0 (21 ratings)

A great starting point for one of the most underappreciated figures in Cuban music.

  • We Say...

    Review by Ned Sublette

    This is no big band, but it’s a symphony of percussion. Mongo Santamaría is one of the most underappreciated figures in Cuban music. He popularized congas in the world of R&B, played alongside Chano Pozo in Cuba, played with Prado, Puente and Cal Tjader when each one was hitting, pioneered Latin-soul jazz, made “Watermelon Man” a hit, wrote the Coltrane standard “Afro Blue,” along with a whole lot of other things. This album is a combination of Yambú and Mongo, two LPs recorded for Fantasy in ’58 and ’59. These sides are mostly percussion — and what percussion! You wouldn’t go wrong to download the entire Mongo catalogue — it’s particularly rich — but for those just starting out, this is the perfect introduction. The recording, close-miked in a good-sounding room with the percussion defining the mix, is remarkably modern-sounding. The music is compelling.

  • They Say...

    Review by Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

    A CD reissue of a mid-'70s repackaging of Mongo Santamaria's first two Fantasy albums, 1958's Yambu and 1959's Mongo, Afro-Roots is superb Latin jazz. Although these were Santamaria's first albums as a leader, the conga player had already worked with Pérez Prado, Tito Puente, and Cal Tjader, giving him absolutely impeccable Latin jazz credentials to go along with his obviously amazing chops. Considering that these albums were recorded for a general jazz audience and the tight, concise arrangements don't allow Santamaria room to stretch out as he did in concert (most of the songs are in the two- to three-minute range), Afro-Roots is still an impressively genuine album; although the '50s were the age of Martin Denny-style exotica kitsch, most of these tracks are extremely traditional Cuban music. Some, like "Bata" and "Timbales y Bongo," are simply hypnotic solos on the titular instruments, while others are traditional Afro-Cuban folk songs and chants. The delightful original "Afro Blue," which quickly became a Latin jazz standard, almost sounds out of place in this setting.

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