Track Listing

1. Eléquana
2. Bragada
3. Obatalá Yeza
4. Alaumba Chemaché
5. Oguere Madeo
6. Obaricoso
7. Four by Two, Pt. 1
8. Conga Alegre
9. Ti Mon Bo
10. Mon-Ti
11. Hot Timbales
12. Night Ritual

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33370 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 1992-06-30
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Amazon.com
In the history of recorded music, there are a few albums that define a genre. Among them are Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations and Miles Davis's hypnotic Kind of Blue. In that select realm, timbalero Tito Puente's 1957 Top Percussion is the most influential Latin jazz recording of all time. Simply put, this date is a once-in-a-lifetime summit meeting of Cuban and Puerto Rican master percussionists of Afro-Cuban music: Mongo Santamaria, Franciso Aguabella, Willie Bobo, and Julito Collazo. Together, these masters explore the endless folkloric inventions and dimensions of Cuba's complex drum music-- from the Afrocentric bembe/Santeria syncopations of "Eleguara" and "Obatala Yeza" to the clave-coded "Mon Ti," "Four by Two," and "Conga Alegre." The "hit" is the cool cha-cha "Ti-Mon-Bo," named for Tito, Mongo, and Bobo. Like their African musical forefathers, Tito Puente and his compatriots have delivered an ancestral drum message that has danced and entranced musicians and listeners for years. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews

Unbelievable
A truly unbelievable record, and a wonderful introduction to both Latin percussion and the Afro/Cuban folkloric tradition. Though Puerto Rican by birth, Tito was an initiate to the Cuban Santeria religion, and in this album he pays homage to the spiritual and musical roots of the Mambo and Cha Cha styles for which he became most famous. Tito, Mongo, Willie Bobo, Julito Collazo, etc., all play at an unsurpassed level of virtuosity and creativity, maintaining a dizzying array of poly-rhythms that provide a virtual catalog of the West African rhythms that filtered through Cuba to become the Latin music we know and love today. As honest, beautiful, and interesting a record as any Tito Puente made. An absolute must for anyone with even the slightest interest in Latin music, drumming, Cuban culture and experience, Tito Puente, or even rhythm in general. Go get it!!!

Getting to Roots
Great sample of Tito's understanding of Afro music. If you're looking for actual songs/mambos you won't get it here. This is pure, unadulterated percussion and a lot of Afro-Cuban chants. There's 2 sizzling tracks with Tito and famous percussionist Willie Bobo wailing on timbales. The 12th track is one of the most beautiful afro-cuban jazz suites I've ever heard and is a testament to Tito's genuis in composition and arrangment.

The world's best latin-american percussionist- in full swing
In case anyone had any doubts -- at all -- that Tito could play the real, hardcore, pure Afro-Cuban percussion, then this album should settle that question. With Mongo Santamaria and several other percussion heavyweights on board, Tito pounds away on some of the toughest-sounding rhythm work imaginable. The second half of the album gets funkier and more slinky, with a subtle, jazzy bass added into the mix. This is a killer instrumental album, formidable and funky in every aspect. Recommended!