Top Percussion

Personnel includes: Tito Puente (timbales); Marcelino Guerra, Mercedita (vocals); Evaristo Baro (bass); Gene Quill, Allen Fields (alto saxophones); Marty Holmes (tenor saxophone); Joe Grimm (baritone saxophone); Francis Williams, John Frosk, Gene Rapetti, Doc Severinsen, Jimmy Frisaura (trumpet); Eddie Bert, Bob Ascher, Sonny Russo (trombone); Alvin Gellers (piano); Barry Galbraith (guitar); Bobby Rodriguez (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums); Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Francisco Aguabella, Enrique Marti (percussion); Julito Collazo (percussion, background vocals).
Recorded in New York, New York in 1957. Includes original release liner notes revised by Domingo Echevarria and Harry Sepulveda.
Personnel: Tito Puente (timbales, percussion); Julio Collazo (vocals, percussion); El Viejo Macucho, Marcelino Guerra (vocals); Barry Galbraith (guitar); Gene Quill, Allen Fields (alto saxophone); Marty Holmes (tenor saxophone); Joe Grimm (baritone saxophone); Gene Rapett, Doc Severinsen, Jimmy Frisaura, Francis Williams , John Frosk (trumpet); Sonny Russo, Eddie Bert, Bob Ascher (trombone); Alvin Gellers (piano); Jimmy Cobb (drums); Enrique Marti, Francisco Aguabella, Mongo Santamara, Willie Bobo (percussion).
Audio Remasterers: Dick Baxter; Domingo G. Echevarria.
Recording information: New York, NY.
TOP PERCUSSION presents Afro-Cuban music in its purest form, with 11 of the 12 tracks recorded by a group of the finest Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians working in New York in the 1950s. Each side of the original album was recorded on a separate occasion, and they each offer a distinct flavor of the Afro-Cuban experience.
The first side showcases a powerhouse percussion ensemble led by Puente and featuring Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo. Puente's supple timbale work drives a series of complex 6/8 rhythms thoroughly rooted in the African call-and-response tradition.
The second side of the original album spotlights Puente's combustive timbale work. The master drummer demonstrates the classic fire and dynamic control which have made him such an enduring role model for generations of timbaleros. The concluding track, "Night Ritual," is a fascinating mini-suite that synthesizes elements of modern jazz with propulsive Afro-Cuban dance rhythms, a vital style of music which Puente's band helped develop and popularize.