S&D: Tito Puente (Mambo King)

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First, today was the Puerto Rican Pride Parade in the city, so this thread kinda commemorates that.

Secondly, a week ago a friend of mine gave me a CD full of Tito Puente songs. I've had it on near continuous play at home and work. His original version of "Oye Como Va" kicks Carlos Santana's ass hard. Then there's "Mambo Kings," "El Rey del Timbal," "Babarabatiri," and other great stuff.

I want to hear more, but a quick glance on AMG reveals that Mr. Puente put out over 100 (!) recordings. Any pointers, plus general commentary of Tito Puente, would be much appreciated.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Sunday, 9 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

When I was finishing writing my academic thesis I had Mambo on continuous play. It was the only thing I could listen to.

My tips for Tito are Mambo Diablo, Clave Mambo and Mamborama.

― phil, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Apparently BMG are doing some massive box set series roll-out. I've got the initial collection -- something like six discs -- for pretty cheap; excellent stuff, lots of goods to hear. The second one is out as well.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

check out the "Latin Beats: a tribute to Tito Puento" compilation on Mr. Bongo !

― Johan, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

six months pass...

I was listening to "The Best of Dancemania" today - good lord, some of that shit is funky. Decided to see if there were any other Tito Puente fans on here and voila. If you start anywhere, get the "Fifty Years of Swing" 3-CD set. 3 CDs for under $40 = shitloads of fantastic music.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Monday, 16 December 2002 16:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Can anyone recommend some all or 75% cha cha cha albums by Tito Puente?

(I'm always happy to see Latin music brought up here, but I still don't know much about it myself and am mostly focused on salsa.)

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 16 December 2002 17:04 (twenty-three years ago)

stay away from tito puente jr.!
all i've heard from him is mediocre and taking advantage of his father's name.

― joan vich (joan vich), Monday, 16 December 2002 17:14 (twenty-three years ago)

a househead writes: SEARCH - the masters at work remixes of "ran kan kan" and "para los rumberos".

― michael wells (michael w.), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 09:31 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

Tito Puente: Exitos Eternos looks to be a pretty good collection of work from the 90s (on the RMM label), including collaborations with popular salsa singers (which often produced some of their best tracks). They've mis-spelled the title on cduniverse.com. I will probably buy this in order to get those tracks in one place, because I'm old fashioned that way and buy CDs.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Sunday, 29 August 2004 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

'Mambo Birdland,' the final Puente LP (aside from the also incredible Eddie Palmieri collab), is greatgreatgreat. Live record, and he keeps shouting between songs, "I'm gettin' to ya!"

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 30 August 2004 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

That collaboration with Palmieri never really did much for me, aside from the cha cha cha (which actually got played pretty regularly in a club I used to go to).

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Monday, 30 August 2004 10:30 (twenty-one years ago)

five months pass...

And by the way, Tadeusz, Santana's "Oye Como Va" is great. I don't know if I've heard the original or not. (I think I may have just heard it now, but I'm not positive it was the first Puente recording of the song.)

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Saturday, 19 February 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

Search! Masters at Work's: River Ocean feat. India - "Love and Happiness (Yemaya y Ochun)"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Saturday, 19 February 2005 00:56 (twenty years ago)

That's weird, she did a (great) "Yemaya y Ochun" with Eddie Palmieri (and yet I see a reference online to this other one) on Llego La India. I guess she was going for the Santeria image there for a while (judging by the cover of La India: the singer dressed in red, smoking a cigar, eyes ambiguously semi-open/glazed looking).

(np: Frankie Ruiz "Esta Cobardia." I need to get my ass dancing again. Just a few more weeks, and that should start happening again.)

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Saturday, 19 February 2005 01:45 (twenty years ago)

http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drc600/c621/c621998q40f.jpg

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Saturday, 19 February 2005 01:50 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

IS THIS REALLY THE ONLY TITO PUENTE thread??!? Since the holidays are here, I thought I'd raise the subject again. Guaranteed not to annoy either your dad, your grandmother or bored kids at those holiday parties. Definitely a "desert island" or "your house is burning down who do you take with you" type of artist.

― US EEL (u s steel), Saturday, 28 November 2009 14:23 (sixteen years ago)

all-time great imo and one of the best live shows, damn

― a full circle lol (J0hn D.), Saturday, 28 November 2009 14:49 (sixteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC1_brYsHjQ

― Bay-L.A. Bar Talk (Hurting 2), Saturday, 28 November 2009 15:28 (sixteen years ago)

sixteen years pass...

"Puente in Percussion", damn.

― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 22 December 2025 15:47 (four days ago)

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