!±8± Night Beat / Mucho Puente, Plus
New York-born percussionist/bandleader Tito Puente has carried the torch for Latin jazz for some 40 years now. He remains proud of the albums he made for RCA in the 1950s, and this 26-track collection of two of them (plus three previously-unissued tracks) shows just why. Leading New York City's finest, including conga player Mongo Santamaria and tenor saxophonist Marty Holmes, Puente super-heats the usually tepid Tea For Two and scorches such self-penned exotica as Night Ritual. For fans of both salsa and expressive jazz of any sort, early Tito is a treat. These titles were made to transferred to CD! The sound quality is breathtaking! Ten of these tracks are here in Stereo for the first time.