Product Description Mongo Santamaria was born in Cuba in 1922 and came to the USA in 1950. Starting out as a straightforward charanga player he caught the wave of jazz interest among Latin players, particularly percussionists like himself, and began adding brass instruments and jazz voicings to his arrangements. His recording of Watermelon Man is rightly regarded as a classic (it was also an early major hit for the compositional talents of a young Herbie Hancock - it's interesting how many of his tunes Latin players have used. Our Pucho Best Of - CDBGP 069 - has versions of Hancock's Cantelope Island and Maiden Voyage). Mongo Explodes (originally Riverside 3530) came out in 1964. Watermelon Man (originally Battle 6120) the year before. Musicians include saxophonist and flutist Hubert Laws, saxophonist Pat Patrick, Cannonball Adderley's cornet-playing brother Nat Adderley plus, of course, the leader on conga and bongos. 2 LPs on one CD; 22 tracks in all! Review Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man was a gigantic hit for Mongo Santamaria in 1962, doing for him in the '60s what Perez Prado's big mambo hits did for him in the '50s. Naturally, then, the follow-up LP -- one of two Santamaria efforts included on this reissue -- is devoted to twelve airplay-length tracks loaded with bright, swinging Latin cha-chas and mambo rhythms mixed with blues, soul and jazz, presumably suitable for twisting the night away. Rodgers Grant's piano supplies a good deal of the harmonic foundation of jazz, with the help of an occasional jazz solo from saxes Pat Patrick and Bobby Capers, while Marty Sheller's commanding party-time trumpet rides above the thundering congas of Mongo. In this setting, even the venerable The Peanut Vendor is brought right up to date. --Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide