Music Fanatic:
I happen to like Tito's CDs from the 80s forward because they are better recordings. Some of the early recordings lack the clarity of the new digital tech. However, the CDs you mentioned are excellent musically!
BTW, Tito Puente was the only musician I knew that recorded in all the different recording mediums: 78, 33, 45, and finally in CDs. He participated in over 200 recordings (130 were his own).
Tito's 5th Grammy Award: Mambo Birdland.
I remember watching the Grammies on TV when Tito won his 5th Grammy. It was amazing! People got up and applauded, but they would not stop. It went on and on for several minutes. Weeks later, a musician friend explained what happened to me. He said the Grammy program had Tito's bio. It simply stated the Tito was the world's most prolific recording artist, which is true! I mean, you can be world famous artist with 20 to 30 CDs. However, to get to past the 100 CD mark takes a huge effort. That's why the applause went on and on!
Mambo Birdland...
This is CD is a Latin Dance CD with vocals in Spanish. It is not a Latin Jazz CD. So if you don't mind the Spanish vocals, you will love this CD! It is happy, happy, happy! I play it often to cheer me up!
New York, New York...
Nueva York, Nueva York...
All this jazzin happened on New York's Broadway Avenue (an indian trail that starts in Manhattan and ends up in Canada). Right around 53rd St and Broadway, Latin musicians played at The Palladium, while a few blocks away Jazz musicians played at Birdland. So the Latins went to hear the Jazzers, and the Jazzers went to hear the Latins. Voila! The two music genres influenced each other. It was very much like a marriage. When the baby was born, it was named Latin Jazz!
