Tito Puente

Tito Puente – El Rey Bravo (1961/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 30:55 minutes | 1,21 GB | Genre: Salsa, Latin Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Craft Recordings

The king of the Latin-American dance field is Tito Puente. Once again, the diminutive maestro demonstrates his dominance with this new recording of popular Latin-American rhythms. In this exciting outing, Tito Puente and his orchestra lay down a driving irresistible beat that moves from beginning to end in a pulsating performance. Tito Puente and his orchestra create an added appeal with their ensemble singing which lends an authenticity to the music. Their vocal performance like everything else sparkles with vitality.

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Tito Puente – Dance Mania! Vol 1 (Remastered) (2009/2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:08:28 minutes | 697 MB | Genre: Latin Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RevOla

Dance Mania, Tito Puente’s best-known and best-selling album, came ten years into his career, but at a time (1957) when the craze for mambo and Latin music was beginning to crest. (Another landmark LP, Pérez Prado’s Havana 3 A.M., had been released the previous year, and Prado’s “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” had hit number one in 1955.) Recorded as part of a just-signed exclusive contract with RCA and appearing in vibrant sound as part of the label’s Living Stereo series, Dance Mania exploded with a series of tight arrangements, propulsive playing, and the features of new additions in vocalist Santos Colón and conguero Ray Barretto (who helped, in part, make up for the recent loss of Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria to Cal Tjader’s group). Puente didn’t dilute his sound for Dance Mania unlike the many commercial crossover LPs that were released by both established groups and ad hoc studio collectives but his hard mambos here were performed at tempos that encouraged dancing by more staid LP-buyers, slightly slower than the high paces of his Tico sides or Palladium shows. Brassy and swinging, yes, and certainly as precise as a great Latin band could get, but not as torrid as Spanish Harlem dancers would be accustomed to. Most were Puente originals, spanning mambo and cha-cha and guaguanco, and Dance Mania built the foundation for great Latin LPs to come.

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Tito Puente – Night Beat! (Remastered) (1957/2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 36:54 minutes | 404 MB | Genre: Latin Jazz, Mambo
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RevOla

By virtue of his warm, flamboyant stage manner, longevity, constant touring, and appearances in the mass media, Tito Puente is probably the most beloved symbol of Latin jazz. But more than that, Puente managed to keep his music remarkably fresh over the decades; as a timbales virtuoso, he combined mastery over every rhythmic nuance with old-fashioned showmanship watching his eyes bug out when taking a dynamic solo was one of the great treats for Latin jazz fans.

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Tito Puente – Dance Mania! Vol 2 (Remastered) (2009/2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:05:29 minutes | 705 MB | Genre: Latin Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RevOla

Ernesto Antonio “Tito” Puente was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. The son of Ernest and Ercilia Puente, native Puerto Ricans living in New York City’s Spanish Harlem, Puente is often credited as “The Musical Pope”, “El Rey de los Timbales” (The King of the Timbales) and “The King of Latin Music”. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz compositions that endured over a 50-year career. He and his music appear in many films such as The Mambo Kings and Fernando Trueba’s Calle 54. He guest-starred on several television shows, including Sesame Street and The Simpsons two-part episode “Who Shot Mr. Burns?”. His most famous song is “Oye Como Va”.

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Tito Puente – Mambo Diablo (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 40:41 minutes | 1,61 GB | Genre: World
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Concord Picante

Although he was never inactive, the 1980s found Tito Puente in a bit of a renaissance. His exciting Afro-Cuban jazz band had found a home on the Concord Picante label, and his music was increasing in popularity again. This particular CD has a stronger than usual repertoire, including “Take Five,” “Lush Life” (done as Latin jazz), “Pick Yourself Up” and “Lullaby of Birdland”; the latter song has its composer George Shearing guesting on piano. Puente wrote half of the arrangements, contributed some excellent playing on timbales and vibes, and is heard heading a spirited three-horn, three-percussion octet. Very enjoyable music. – Scott Yanow

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Tito Puente – Para Los Rumberos (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 36:58 minutes | 1,49 GB | Genre: World
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Craft Recordings

Craft Latino is proud to present an all-analog reissue of Para Los Rumberos, a truly magnificent recording showcasing Tito Puente’s talent and musical mastery on its belated 50th anniversary. Consisting of ten diverse tracks, the album was recorded at Pat Jacques Broadway Recording Studios in New York City in 1972. Puente’s love of Afro-Cuban music shines through a variety of genres from Mambo to Guaracha to Cha-Cha-Cha making this album a delight for listeners and dancers as well.

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Tito Puente – El Rey Bravo (1961/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 31:11 minutes | 371 MB | Genre: Jazz, Latin, World
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Vintage Recordings

They’d been calling him “El Rey” for years, but Tito Puente really proved it on this, one of his best original LPs on Tico. Yes, this is the one with “Oye Como Va,” one of the brightest, most exuberant Latin performances of the century, but El Rey Bravo has plenty of other features for Puente’s tight pachanga orchestra. “Tokyo de Noche” has great ensemble playing, as well as nice features for flute and violin, while “Tombola” (recorded the same year by the Puerto Rican All Stars) is a nice ballroom tune.

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