Mambo

In the beginning, the mambo flourished in Cuba as performed by Pérez Prado, Cachao and El Bárbaro del Ritmo himself, crooner Beny Moré. Soon enough, however, it was embraced with zeal by the top three bandleaders working the crowds at the Palladium in New York: Machito, Tito Rodríguez and Tito Puente.

Showcasing his subtle sense of humor and restrained touch on the timbales, Tito Puente adds Asian flavor to his "Hong Kong Mambo," a track off the classic "Dancemania" album. Classy Cuban orchestrator Chico O'Farrill and Sonora Matancera vocalist Daniel Santos also jumped on the mambo bandwagon with simmering tracks that are included here.

Because of its obvious stylistic link to mainstream American jazz, the mambo has tempted a number of jazzmen to experiment with the format, from Count Basie and Cal Tjader to Art Pepper and Hilton Ruiz. In Colombia, salsa bandleader Fruko recorded an album paying tribute to the opulence of the old time mambo.

Just like salsa in the '70s, the mambo became a pan-American urban phenomenon during the '50s by combining Afro-Cuban fever with big band jazz. Legendary Cuban bassist Cachao claims that it was him and his brother Orestes who developed the original mambo as members of Arcaño y sus Maravillas. In any case, it was the charismatic Dámaso Pérez Prado who took the mambo to Mexico and turned this irresistible dance into a household name.