Mango Santamaria utilizes a colorful cast of musicians on this CD. Flutists Hubert Laws and Dave Valentin are featured on two songs apiece (although unfortunately not together) and the nonet has trumpeter Eddie Allen, altoist Jimmy Cozier, and Craig Rivers on tenor and soprano, along with three percussionists. There are a lot of percussion features including the closing nine-and-a-half minute "La Mogolla," making this an excellent if not quite essential recording.

With the exception of a soulful reading of the Box Tops' "The Letter," Mongo's Way abandons the pop covers that dominated Mongo Santamaria's late-'60s dates for Columbia in favor of a more far-reaching Latin jazz sensibility shaped by elements of soul, funk and rock. Working with producer Neal Creque, as well as a superior supporting cast featuring guitarist Eric Gale, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, and drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Santamaria creates some of his most atmospheric and eclectic music, similar in spirit and scope to the myriad blaxploitation soundtracks jamming retail bins but executed with uncommon artistry. This two-fer reissue also features Up from the Roots, an exploration of the African origins of Caribbean music that prompts Santamaria to set aside his trademark conga drums in favor of traditional African percussion instruments…

Mongo at the Village Gate finds Mongo Santamaria entering the boogaloo era with a variety of funky pieces that show the influence of R&B and soul-jazz without losing the group's roots in Cuban music. The infectious live set teams the conguero with trumpeter Marty Sheller, the reeds of Pat Patrick and Bobby Capers, pianist Rodgers Grant, bassist Victor Venegas, drummer Frank Hernandez, and the percussion of Chihuahua Martinez and Julian Cabrera. Such tunes as "Fatback," "Mongo's Groove," and "Creole" have happy, soulful, and simple melodies. This is one of Marty Sheller's best dates on trumpet, while Santamaria takes "My Sound" as a colorful unaccompanied solo. A remake of "Para Ti" is a welcome addition.

Mongo Santamaria leads a potent octet over two nights at Birdland in this live CD taped in 1992. The conga master is joined by trumpeter/flugelhornist Eddie Allen (who serves as music director as well), tenor saxophonist/flautist Craig Rivers, and alto saxophonist/baritone saxophonist/flautists Jimmy Cozier, with pianist Ricardo Gonzalez leading the rhythm section. Among Santamaria's seven originals, the peppy "Brazilian Sunset" especially stands out, along with two pieces by Marty Sheller, his former musical director. Cozier penned the upbeat "Costa Del Oro," a sizzling Latin blues that features its composer on tenor sax. There's also a fun Afro-Cuban arrangement of the standard "Summertime" and a hip-swaying treatment of Herbie Hancock's huge hit "Watermelon Man."

The two records that make up Our Man in Havana (the other date was originally called Bembe) were recorded in 1960 during a visit to Cuba by Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo. The first set is superb, featuring an unusual mixture of instruments for a Cuban band: two trumpets, flute, piano, tres (Nino Rivera), bass, timbales, bongos, guiro, conga, and two vocalists. The playing by the local musicians is of high quality, and the ten selections are quite enjoyable. Unfortunately though, that project is combined with the cuts from Bembe, which are in a very different style. The latter project has the music performed entirely by vocalists, other than the percussion of Santamaria and Bobo…