Recorded live at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival, the blistering
Mongo at Montreux captures
Mongo Santamaria in the absolute prime of his career, embracing all facets of his expansive musical vision for a set that is far more than the sum of its parts. Spanning from soulful Latin boogaloo grooves like "Come Candela" to psychedelic jazz renditions of pop hits like
the Temptations' "Cloud Nine" to straight-up funk excursions like "Climax,"
Mongo at Montreux is relentlessly energetic music genetically engineered for dancing -- most impressive of all is "Conversation in Drums," a virtual primer in Latin percussion. ~ Jason Ankeny