Mongo Santamaría

Mongo's Greatest Hits

by Richard S. Ginell review

This is a excellent single-disc sampler of what Mongo Santamaria was like before "Watermelon Man" catapulted him into the charts. Some of the Fantasy tracks sound like the musicians were just off the boat from Havana, and are a bit primitive in contrast to the brassy Santamaria of the mid- to late '60s, but they have overwhelming charm. The revered "Afro-Blue" can be heard in its original, spooky, stripped-down form, and it would be hard for anyone to resist the voodoo spell that the ten-plus minute "Mazacote" conveys. Besides Santamaria himself, included among the world-class percussionists on this record are Willie Bobo and Armando Peraza. The CD version adds four tracks, including "Watermelon Man" from the Battle/Riverside period and an alternate take of "Para Ti."

	Track Name/Composer	Time
1.	Afro Blue John Coltrane / Mongo Santamaría	3:55
2.	Mi Novia Alicia Correa	2:50
3.	Linda Guajira Mongo Santamaría	3:06
4.	Pito Pito Mongo Santamaría	2:43
5.	Mazacote Mongo Santamaría	10:38
6.	Para Ti Mongo Santamaría	3:01
7.	Watermelon Man Herbie Hancock	2:20
8.	Manteca Dizzy Gillespie / Chano Pozo / Gil Fuller	5:25
9.	Sabroso Mongo Santamaría	3:40
10.	Conga Pa Gozar Mongo Santamaría	4:05
11.	Federico Mongo Santamaría	3:25
12.	Mi Guaguanco Mongo Santamaría	4:35
13.	Para Ti Mongo Santamaría	6:02
14.	Las Guajiras Mongo Santamaría	7:44