Here at Fania, we have a special place in our heart for the music of Tito Puente. Tito was just unique.  One of a kind.  El Rey.  His prodigious discography, spanning more than 100 albums recorded between the '40s and the late '90s, acts as a musical bridge of sorts.  It unites the glamorous mambo era of the '50s with the salsa explosion of the '70s and everything that followed.  From raucous guarachas to sinuous cha cha chas, silky bossa novas and heady Latin jazz workouts, Puente did it all.  He played the timbales, vibes and marimba.  A talented composer (remember "Oye Como Va"?), he was also an astute orchestrator and tenacious bandleader.  77 years young when he left this planet in the year 2000 - and yes, we believe that he left us way too soon.  We wanted more, more of his amazing music.

Because it was finally time to put The King's life and work in perspective, we have just released a double-disc anthology of his music:  Tito Puente - El Rey is the latest entry in our prestigious "Man & His Music" series.  Doing justice to the man's staggering stylistic breadth wasn't easy, but we feel that the 45 tracks in this compilation provide the perfect introduction.  We begin with some of the seminal 78 rpm recordings that Puente did for the Tico label in the late '40s and early '60s.  We included plenty of tracks boasting the smoky vocalizing of Tito's favorite crooner: the venerable Santitos Colón - and also showcase his collaborations with the biggest Afro-Cuban divas of all time, La Lupe and Celia Cruz. The last track, a fiery gem entitled "Guaguancó Arsenio," is culled from his 1981 album Ce' Magnifique, recorded with Panamanian sonero Azuquita.

Our Tito Puente celebration doesn't stop here.  We are also reissuing the four separate volumes of the two-disc sets covering Tito's complete 78 rpm recordings for Tico.  This treasure trove of previously forgotten music will delight both Puente completists and mambo aficionados alike. . In addition, we’ve combined these into two box sets that make excellent gifts for the collector.

Even though the sound quality on some of these recordings is not up to digital era standards, the music itself shimmers with elegance and passion.  Here, we meet a young Puente as he becomes a self-assured bandleader, performing a repertoire of zesty mambos and cha cha chas backed by such quality vocalists as Vicentico Valdés and Gilberto Monroig.

El Rey may no longer be with us, but his legacy lives on.