When Cuban conguero Mongo Santamaría performed at Yankee Stadium on the evening of August 24, 1973, his very presence at that historic concert signified a challenge for the audience.
Santamaría was sharing the stage with Típica 73, El Gran Combo and the Fania All Stars, all of them commercially accessible orchestras with songs that were meant for dancing. Mongo, on the other hand, performed instrumentals - a sophisticated blend of Latin jazz and authentic funk. How would the crowd react to elaborate tracks like "Dr. Gasca" and "Cousin Jody" with their complex polyrhythms and lengthy improvisations?
As it turns out, Mongo's performance was a resounding success - inspiring the original release of this album on the Vaya label. Colombian saxophonist Justo Almario, who played with the band on this memorable occasion, recalls the crowd's enthusiastic response.
"Mongo was the master of Afro-Cuban percussion and the audience recognized that" says Almario. "The crowd's reaction had a big emotional impact on me. There were 40,000 people in the stadium, and we were the only ones performing instrumentals. Still, they went wild. Even though it lacked words, our music reached the spirit of the crowd - it represented something that was personal and meaningful to them."
In effect, Mongo's set was not entirely devoid of vocals. He had invited Thoko, a singer from South Africa, to perform in Zulu with the band. How did Mongo find her? Almario's reply tells a lot about the percussionist's artistic methods and his free spirited persona. "Mongo would meet somebody in the street and if that person touched his heart, he would invite them to be part of his orchestra" he says with a laugh. "Even in that, our band was different."
Equally unique was the band's wardrobe, immortalized on the black and white photographs included on the inner sleeve of the original LP. "Mongo had met a tailor from Argentina named Mauricio" offers Almario. "Somehow, he convinced our bandleader to let him dress the entire orchestra with these outfits made out of cow skin. Mongo's outfit was blue, mine was a deep red, etc. You can't imagine how hot it would get playing in those outfits."
After performing the six tracks included on this disc, Mongo would return onstage to play with the Fania All Stars. The track was the simmering "Congo Bongo" and its centerpiece, a conga duet between Santamaría and Nuyorican bandleader Ray Barretto. "The percussion duet got really intense" remembers Almario. "Barretto stated time and again that he had learned a lot about conga playing from Mongo - and you could tell that he was just delighted to share the spotlight with him. At one point, Ray got so out of control that he grabbed the tumbadora and banged it against the floor."
It was inevitable that such a rhythmic frenzy would have an effect on the audience. The crowd has been warned early during the show that the actual playing field was off limits - a warning that can be heard following the opening track on this album.
"The crowd was just euphoric" says Almario. "At the end of the percussion duet, people left their seats and ran to the field. It was a real revolution, unleashed by music. Unfortunately, the police had to intervene and the show was brought to an end."
This raucous ending added fuel to the legend and the day that Latin music took over the Yankee Stadium, remains a key date in the history of salsa. Fittingly, Mongo Santamaría was one of the evening's main ingredients.
Credits:
Mongo Santamaría – Leader, Congas
William Allen – Bass
José Madrid – Piano
Jimmy Rivera – Drums, Timbales
Luis Ortiz – Trumpet
Justo Almario – Tenor Sax, Flute
Héctor Veneros – Alto Sax, Baritone Sax, Flute
Pablo Rosario – Bongos, Percussion
Producer – Marty Sheller
Executive Producer – Jerry Masucci
Recorded Live at Yankee Stadium
Recording Engineer – Alan Manger
Musical Arrangements – Luis Gasca (“Dr. Gasca”), Marty Sheller (“Cousin Jody,” "Leah”), Mongo Santamaría (“Coyulde”), William Allen (“Black Dice,” "Naked”)
Mixed at – Good Vibrations Sound Studios, N.Y.C.
Mixing Engineer – Jon Fausty
Original Album Photograph – Lee Marshall, Tom Monaster
Original Album Design – Ron Levine
Liner Notes written by Ernesto Lechner
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