Mongo Santamaria
Mongo Santamaría was a renowned Afro-Cuban percussionist and bandleader who bridged Latin music with jazz and popular genres. His innovative conga playing and hits like "Watermelon Man" made him a pivotal figure in boogaloo and Latin jazz.
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was born on April 7, 1917, in Havana, Cuba's Jesús María barrio, where he immersed himself in rumba traditions from a young age. He initially played violin but switched to percussion, self-teaching maracas, bongos, congas, and timbales after dropping out of middle school. By 1937, he performed with Septeto Beloña and the Tropicana nightclub's house band, later touring with Lecuona Cuban Boys and Sonora Matancera.
In the late 1940s, Santamaría toured Mexico, broadening his horizons before moving to New York City in 1950. There, he became Tito Puente's conguero and joined Cal Tjader's Latin jazz band in 1957. He formed his own charanga group, recording pioneering rumba and Santería albums, with his first pachanga hit "Para ti" arriving by decade's end.
Santamaría pioneered boogaloo with his 1963 cover of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," which topped Billboard's pop chart. He composed the jazz standard "Afro Blue" in 1959, later popularized by John Coltrane, and signed with labels like Columbia, Atlantic, and Fania. As a Fania All-Stars member, he traded iconic conga solos with Ray Barretto and fused Cuban rhythms with R&B and Motown covers.
In his later career, he focused on Latin jazz for Concord Jazz and Chesky Records while performing globally. Santamaría appeared in films like Out of Sight (1998) and reflected on his roots: music from his neighborhood blended African influences with local religion and conversation via drums. He died on February 1, 2003, in Miami from a stroke at age 85.
Mongo’s Way
Written-By – Grant Reed 2:56
A2 The Letter
Written-By – Wayne Carson Thompson 3:29
A3 Listen Here
Written-By – Eddie Harris 2:54
A4 Sometimes Bread
Written-By – Sonny Henry 5:50
A5 Geechee Girl
Written-By – Neal Creque 3:10
B1 Hippo Walk
Written-By – Dorn, Hahn, Sheller, Creque 3:03
B2 Featherbed Lane
Written-By – Marty Sheller 2:51
B3 Saoco
Written-By – Armando Peraza, Raymond Perez 5:30
B4 Afro Walk
Written-By – Mongo Santamaria 2:54
B5 Congo Blue
Written-By – Mongo Santamaria 5:30
Label: Atlantic – SD 1581
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1971
Genre: R&B Jazz, Funk, Soul
Style: Afro-Cuban, Latin Jazz
Mongo's Way, Mongo Santamaria's 1971 Atlantic Records album, is a vibrant fusion of Latin jazz, soul, and funk, featuring Santamaria's signature conga grooves with heavy 70s electric textures, funky basslines, keyboards, and tight horn arrangements, showcasing original compositions and modern arrangements of tracks like "Listen Here," blending traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms with contemporary sounds for a rich, danceable sound.
A prime example of Latin jazz-funk, incorporating Afro-Cuban roots with burgeoning funk and soul.
Features rich arrangements with electric piano, funky bass (Chuck Rainey, Cachao), electric guitar, keyboards (Earl Neal Creque), and a powerful horn section.
Santamaria's masterful conga playing leads the ensemble, supported by percussionists like Armando Peraza and drums from Bernard Purdie.
Includes the groovy "Windjammer," funky "The Letter," soulful "Listen Here," and "Hippo Walk," noted for their infectious rhythms and arrangements.
Crisp, balanced production allows instruments to shine, with arrangements often by Marty Sheller.
The album captures a "killer 70s sound" with a "blaxploitation mode," offering a full, dynamic listening experience that's both deeply rooted in Latin tradition and perfectly in tune with the era's evolving funk landscape, making it a favorite for sampling by hip-hop artists like People Under The Stairs.