Today is the 50th episode of Mambo, the second and last episode about the conga, the Cuban drum. Today we will focus on Puerto Rican master drummers.
We will kick off this episode with the most famous conguero, Ray Barretto (pictured above). You will hear two songs by him and his orchestra. Barretto’s nickname was ‘Mr. Hard Hands’, as the conga is played with bare hands.
We will also hear music by three music groups from Puerto Rico, among whom Orquesta Criolla and La Sonora Ponceňa. We will also feature Puerto Rican congueros who live and work in New York City, such as Freddy Sanchez and Frankie Malabé.
Reasons enough to listen to this repeat of the 50th episode of Mambo, a program broadcast from 1998 to 2006 and now being repeated here at the Concertzender.
Playlist
1 Guajira y Tambo
Conguero Ray Barretto & his Orquesta
2 Hard Hands
Conguero Ray Barretto & his Orquesta
3 Hot Blood
Conguero Giovanni Hidalgo & Batacumbele
4 La Charanga Vuelve a la Mode
Conguero Papo Castro & Orquesta Criolla
5 Nickas Dream Mambo
Conguero Johnny Rivero & La Sonora Ponceňa
6 Vamanos de Rumba
Conguero Freddy Sanchez & Conjunto Clasico
7 Para Ti Juventud
Conguero George Maysonet & Orquesta Novel
8 As Time goes by
Conguero Frankie Malabé & Grupo Alfredo Valdes Jr.
9 Joe Cuba’s Madness Part I
Joe Cuba Sextet
10 Soul Sauce
Conguero Papo Papín & Louis Ramirez Latin Jazz Ensemble
11 Si Quires Vivir Bien
Conguero Tommy Lopez & Tipica Ideal
12 Mandingo
Conguero Gerardo Rosales y su Grupo
