Dock Of The Bay - Mongo Santamaria

Cuidado

Dock Of The Bay
Mongo Santamaria
Cover Design: Norman Self
Cover Photo: Columbia Records Photo Studio - Don Hunstein & Fred Lombardi
Harmony H 30291
A Product Of Columbia Records
1971

From the back cover: Mongo, master of the bongo, conga and an uncounted assortment of percussion instruments, left his native Cuba years ago. Since then he has been a featured artist with Perez Prado, Tito Puente and contributed greatly to the adaptations of jazz motifs with Latin rhythms for the Cal Tjader band.

Now he is the leader of talented players who add color and character and a glorious swing to the airs around them. Between them they create a delirious, unsubdued romp.

Whatever the late, richly gifted Otis Reading suggested when he wrote "Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay, it strikes Mongo Santamaria with get-up-and-go ideas. And there is a moving flute solo by Hubert Laws that adds distinction to the trip.

There are other elements to listen for. The sparkling piano patterns in El Bikini as played by Rodgers Grant. He is also the composer-arranger for Mongo-Nova. Hubert Laws contributes an outstanding tenor saxophone solo on the hard-swinging Ricky Tick. And the stop-time rhythms of Cuidado will bring you up short. Merrily.

Mongo Santamaria adds his own thoughts to the Bacharach-David standard Walk On By and to Melons, a composition of Carmelo, the group's drummer. The total results are carefree, cosmopolitan. – Mort Goode

Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay
El Bikini
Bossa-Negra
Melons
Ricky Tick
Walk On By
Cuidado
Mongo-Nova
Louie, Louie