Believe it or not, at one time Latin Jazz could fill up Yankee stadium. Yep, back in 1973, the Fania All Stars, consisting of Johnny Pacheco/perc, Willie Colon/tb, Ray Barretto/cong and Bobby Valentin/b p ut together an all star band that included Mongo Santamaria/cong, Billy Cobham/dr, Jorge Santana/g, Jan Hammer/org and Manu Dibango/ts for a sizzling night of rock and salsa. This two disc album celebrates the 50th anniversary of the gig, and it is a festive affair.
Hammer sears through the Hammond along with Dibango’s tenor over Barreto’s congas on “Viva Tirado” with Santana taking time off from his band Malo to rollick with vocalists Colon and pete Rodriguez on “Chanchullo”. Hammer backs of Colon and Pete Rodriguez on “Mama Guela” and some rich voices from Cheo Feliciano glow with Santana’s tasty guitar on “El Raton”. Santamaria is an avalanche as he teams with bongoist Roberto Roena on “Smoke” and is also featured with Barretto on the jam of “Congo Bongo”. The grooves are earthy and the collective band is as hot as a summer night in San Juan.