Marvelously, Pete Terrace decided not to alter his group to form a charanga. There are no flutes and violins, only the pachanga rhythm and vocal style. Among the many "authentic" pachanga albums, Baila Pachanga captures the hip, progressive mood minus what many consider the annoying sound of the charanga. In keeping with the pachanga theme, there are some of the liveliest vocal tracks recorded by Pete Terrace. The best of these, such as "La Negra Sanda," are on a par with the Tito Rodriguez live-at-the-Palladium albums. Several of the tracks are standard Pete Terrace tunes, however. "Stella by Starlight," for instance, is an update of his earlier recording on Invitation to the Mambo, and "Esperame en el Cielo" is a rather glamorous trumpet-and-vibes collaboration. "Blues in Latin" features a compelling rhythm, vibes, tawdry horns and a hip minor-key blues theme. Incidentally, the album very nearly missed being released. In the liners disc jockey, Dick Sugar, relates the tale of how he played a test pressing for months while Tico searched high and low for the lost master. Eventually it turned up, of course.
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