They’ve spent decades playing this music with the masters who created it. ’Nuff said!
Truth Revolution Recording Collective
José Madera — timbales, arrangements, musical direction; Mitch Frohman — tenor saxophone, flute; John “Dandy” Rodríguez — bongos; Bobby Porcelli — alto saxophone; John Walsh, Pete Nater, Richard Viruet — trumpet; Jimmy Bosch, Sam Burtis, Tokunori Kajiwara — trombone; Zaccai Curtis — piano; Gerardo “Jerry” Madera — bass; George Delgado — congas; Frankie Vázquez, Cita Rodríguez, Marco Bermúdez, Jorge Maldonado — vocals
Mambo began in Havana in the late 1930s, growing out of Cuban dance music and Afro-Cuban rhythms before making its way to New York, where it set off a dance craze in the 1950s. At the Palladium Ballroom, bandleaders Tito Puente, Machito and Tito Rodríguez turned it into a brassy, percussion-heavy big-band sound that could fill a dance floor and still leave plenty of room for improvisation. The Mambo Legends Orchestra comes directly out of that tradition: its members spent decades playing with those legendary bands.
From the first tight unison blasts of “Sabroso Guaguancó,” the band comes at you with a physical force that is hard to ignore. José Alberto and his background singers come roaring in, matching the band’s intensity while the percussion pounds underneath them. Then Eddie Palmieri takes a piano solo, slipping little dissonant notes into the rhythm. His playing swings in a gorgeous, jagged way.
The music keeps the pressure on. “Preludio en Ritmo” has a swirling pulse that makes it hard to sit still, and Mitch Frohman’s flute solo has a crystal-clear, joyous tone that stands out against all that brass and percussion. On “Que Me Digan Feo,” singer Tony Vega has brass phrases coming at him while the background singers pile in around him, and a low saxophone blasts out single notes, pushing the rhythm along.
The album isn’t all high energy. “De Papi Con Amor” is a bolero written by Mitch Frohman for his three daughters, and Danny Rivera sings it with warmth. Heavy bass and brass surround him before Frohman picks up the tenor saxophone for a dreamy, melancholy solo. Rivera returns at the end, singing his heart out.
The rhythm can get almost hypnotic, with Bobby Porcelli’s alto riding over the pounding percussion of “Abaniquito.” Pete Nater’s trumpet slurs some notes, letting his bright tone turn almost breathy. Singer Frankie Vázquez is terrific here. So are the background singers.
John Walsh’s trumpet on “The MLO Swing” pushes and pulls against the beat, then leaps into the high notes with ease. Tokunori Kajiwara’s trombone is wonderfully talkative, as if he’s telling a story in short bursts. Zaccai Curtis gets loose on piano, and when the full band comes back in, it does so with attitude.
The album’s title, No Hay Que Hablar ’Nuff Said!’ roughly translated as “There’s No Need To Talk,” reflects the experience these musicians bring to the bandstand. They’ve spent decades playing this music with the masters who created it. ’Nuff said!
Credits:
“Sabroso Guaguancó” (featuring Eddie Palmieri, piano; José Alberto, vocals)
“I’ve Got a Crush on You” (featuring John Walsh, trumpet; Doug Beavers, trombone; Frankie Vázquez, vocals)
“La Rumbantela” (featuring Pete Nater, trumpet; Gilberto Santa Rosa, vocals)
“Preludio en Ritmo” (featuring Mitch Frohman, flute; Marco Bermúdez, vocals)
“Que Me Digan Feo” (featuring Tony Vega, vocals)
“Empego Naroco” (featuring John Rodriguez, bongos; Tito Nieves, vocals)
“De Papi Con Amor (From Daddy With Love)” (featuring Mitch Frohman, tenor saxophone; Danny Rivera, vocals)
“Camagüey (Piñeiro Tenía Razón)” (featuring Richard Viruet, trumpet; Gilberto Santa Rosa, vocals)
“El Trabajador” (featuring Jimmy Bosch, trombone; Richard Viruet, trumpet; Frankie Vázquez, vocals)
“Abaniquito” (featuring Bobby Porcelli, alto saxophone; Pete Nater, trumpet; José Madera, timbales; Frankie Vázquez, vocals)
“The MLO Swing” (instrumental; featuring John Walsh, trumpet; Tokunori Kajiwara, trombone; Bobby Porcelli, alto saxophone; Zaccai Curtis, piano)
