54 albums from Mongo Santamaria

Simon says :
Going by the downloads for "Latin Rhodes 2", we've got some latin heads here. So here are three fantastic, slamming slabs of Mongo Santamaria vinyl, donated here by Bacoso - followed a discography of 54 of his albums. Some are uploads by readers here, and the rest are blog links - this one of those posts that keeps growing and growing. Yes, you need all of these albums :)

Mongo Santamaria

"MIGHTY MONGO" (1964)

DOWNLOAD 'MIGHTY MONGO" 

Bacoso says :

Essential! Heavy heavy heavy descarga session from way back when Mongo was still killing 'em dead and hadn't sold out to lame soul covers and boogaloo nonsense. Features the ferocious "Bacoso" which develops into a scorching percussion battle mid way through and the storming "Descarga at the Blackhawk". Interestingly enough, one of Joao Donato's first U.S. recordings on which he plays both piano and trombone - he contributes "Bluchanga".
Ripped @320 from original vinyl.
One of the great latin LPs of the 60s.

TRACKLIST
1. Bluchanga
2. Tenderly
3. Descarga at the Blackhawk
4. Bacoso
5. Sabor
6. All the Things You Are

PERSONNEL
Rolando Lozano - flute
Jose "Chombo" Silva - tenor sax
Felix "Pupi" Legarreta - violin
Joao Donato - piano, trombone
Victor Venegas - bass
Julito Collazo, Cuco Martinez, Mongo Santamaria - percussionCREDITS
Recorded at "The Blackhawk", San Francisco, CA, 1962
Released in 1964
Fantasy Records LP 3351

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Mongo Santamaria

"MONGO EXPLODES" (1967)

DOWNLOAD 'MONGO EXPLODES'

Bacoso says :
Mighty Mongo from 1964 on Riverside. One of my favourite Mongo albums, this one is a cracker not least for Marty Sheller's furious "Dirty Willie" .

Here's a review from Dusty Groove :
"A killer early album by Mongo Santamaria -- almost an equal blend of jazz and Latin rhythms, and a great illustration of the unique contribution that he was making to both types of music back in the 60s! Mongo's group here is filled with some really great horn players -- Nat Adderley on cornet, Marty Sheller on trumpet, Bobby Capers on alto sax, and Pat Patrick on baritone -- really hitting a hard-edged groove that's as filled with soul jazz solo inflections as it is with Mongo's great work on percussion! The reeds bring a sharp edge to the record that keeps on going throughout - pushing the set with a lot more soul than other Latin sides from the time, particularly those in the charanga mode and most tracks are short and feisty."

TRACKLIST
01. 'Skins' - (Sheller)
02. 'Fatback' - (Capers, Capers)
03. 'Hammer Head' - (Sheller)
04. 'Dot Dot Dot' - (Sheller)
05. 'Corn Bread Guajira'- (Capers)
06. 'Dirty Willie' - (Sheller)
07. 'Sweet Tater Pie' - (Grand)
08. 'Bembe Blue' - (Laws)
09. 'Dulce Amor' - (Grand)
10. 'Tacos' - (Laws)
11. 'Para Ti' - (Santamaria)

PERSONNEL
Nat Adderley - Cornet (1.3.10)
Marty Sheller - trumpet, latin percussion
Hubert Laws - piccolo, flute, tenor sax
Bobby Capers - alto sax, baritone sax
Rodgers Grant - piano
Victor Venegas - bass
Jimmy Cobb - drums (1,10)
Ray Lucas - drums (2.9)
Mongo Santamaria - conga, bongo
Carmelo Garcia - timbale
"Chihuahua" Martinez - latin percussion
Wito Kortwright - guino

CREDITS

Recorded Spring 1964
Riverside RLP 93530

Here's a chart I found for 'Para Ti'

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Mongo Santamaria
"FREE SPIRIT" (1984)

DOWNLOAD "FREE SPIRIT" 

Bacoso says :

Mighty Mongo for Tropical Buddha from 1984. Mongo hooked back up with the great Marty Sheller for this excellent latin jazz LP which was coordinated by none other than Jack Hooke, DJ extraordinaire and the man behind the Monday night salsa meets jazz sessions at the Village Gate. Two essential cuts on this one : "Power Struggle" and "Espiritu Libre" (which has just had a reworking by Beatconducter!) Highly Recommended. Ripped @320 from original vinyl.

TRACKLIST
01. 'Mañana Wilson' - (Marty Sheller)
02. 'Tish' - (Marty Sheller)
03. 'Zimbabwe' - (Sam Furnace)
04. 'Con Hache' - (Bobby Sanabria)
05. 'Power Struggle' - (Tony Hinson)
06. 'Tracey' - (Marty Sheller)
07. 'Espíritu Libre' - (Eddie Allen)
08. 'You Are on My Mind' - (Bob Quarantas)

PERSONNEL
Mongo Santamaria - percussion, conga, leader
Eddie Allen - trumpet, flugelhorn
Sam Furnace - flute, alto sax, baritone sax
Tony Hinson - flute, soprano sax, tenor sax
Bob Quarantas - piano, keyboards
Eddie Resto - bass
Pablo Rosario - bongos
Bobby Sanabria - drums

CREDITS
Produced by Henry Montalvo and Vicente Iturbides.
Released on Tropical Buddha Records, 1984

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Mongo Santamaria discography - behold dead links from 2008!  :

1952 "... and his afro-cuban beaters"
1958-59 "Afro Roots" (combines "Yambu" and "Mongo") at El Milagro Verde

Also here are cover scans and label scans for "Yambu"
1959 "Sabroso" at Avax or My Favourite Sound

1960 "Our Man In Havana" at Avax / alternate / MFS

1961 "Arriba! La Pachnaga" contains "Arriba" and "Mas Sabroso" - thanks Xerxes. 
1961 "Mas Sabroso" - also comped on "Arriba! la Pachnaga"

1962 "Go, Mongo!"donated by Xerxes - info
1962 "Watermelon Man" info
1962 "Viva Mongo" donated by Xerxes, re-up by LOL Music

1963 "Mongo at The Village Gate" at Dimension Latina
1963 "Mongo Introduces La Lupe" at AfroCubanLatinJazz
1964 "La Bamba" / alternate

1964 "Mighty Mongo" from here
1965 "El Pussy Cat" at Flageolette

1965 "El Bravo" donated by Xerxes
1967 "Mongomania" - info

1967 "Mongo Explodes" at Orgy In Rhythm

1967 "Explodes at the Village Gate" at BanaMusic
1967 "Hey Let's Party" at Buns O'Plenty

1969 "Working on a Groovy Thing"

1969 "Stone Soul" thanks LOL Music

1969 "Afro American Latin" at Blog - o - Blog / alternate
1969 "Soul Bag" at Vinyl For Giants (see word 'soul' in text)
1970 "All Strung out" (Without 'Me and You Baby', already included and complete in 'Afro-American Latin')

1970 "Feeling Alright' at Nübeats
1970 "Mongo's Way" at Avax
1970 "Mongo 70" at Avax / alternate

1971 "Mongo at Montreaux" at Avax / alternate 
1972 "Up From the Roots" at Avax / alternate
1972 "Fuego" - info / alternate

1974 "Live At Yankee Stadium" at Blog - o - Blog / alternate
1975 "Afro-Indio" (with A La Carte) / alternate / alternate

1976 "Sofrito" at I think I see the Mothership Coming" / alternate
1976 "Ubane" at El Punto de la Salsa

1977 "Dawn" - fully comped on "Mambo mongo" at Si Si RompeSe Compone
1977 "Dawn" aka "Amenecer" at Blog-O-Blog / alternate
1978 "A La Carte" donated by reader Xerxes. Thanks!
1978 "Drums and Chants" (rec. 1955) donated by Rowan - (also comped on "... and his afro-cuban beaters", see above)

1979 "Red Hot" at Standard and Grooves

1980 "Images" 

1980 "Summertime" - info

1980 "Montreaux Heat" at AfroCubanLatinJazz
1983 "Mongo Magic" donated by Remy
1984 "Free Spirit (Espiritu Libre) at Orgy In Rhythm
1987 "Soy Yo" at Zonamusical or Si Se Rompe se Compone
1988 "Soca Me Nice" donated by LOL Music
1989 "Ole Ola" donated by LOL Music
1990 "Live at Jazz Alley" at Pepanito
1993 "Mambo Mongo" - info
1993 "Mambo mongo" at Si Si Rompe Se Compone(same title & year, different album!)
1996 "Brazilian Sunset" - recorded 1992 - info / FLAC from LOL Music

1996 "Mongo Returns" at Si Se Rompe Se Compone
2000 "Le Sorcier des Congas" at Avax

Compilations

"Greatest Hits" at Zonamusical

video

Mongo Santamaría - Jazz à Vienne (video - 24:04)

- Mother Jones
- Who's got the bread?
- Aged in soul

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

donated by LOL Music

please add to the discography and report dead links, thanks!

Thanks to LOL Music for much help with new links