Armed with his army of horns, led by Latin jazz legend
Mario Bauzá, maracas in hand, and with his unmistakable sultry, smoky voice,
Machito & His Afro-Cubanos take to their New York studios to create
Tremendo Cumban. Recorded mostly in 1954, during the height of the mambo craze,
Machito and his crew were probably just starting to realize the scope of the success that awaited them in the decades to come, as their fearless leaders would establish the most famous orquesta the world would ever know. Few have since produced as big and bold a sound as the
Machito orquesta. The body of the group is certainly the towering, mighty horn section, led by jazz innovator and trumpeter
Mario Bauzá. The writing for this section is sophisticated and complex far beyond any salsa outfit operating today. Such is the prowess of
Bauzá and his horns that the percussion section, often the heart and skeleton of such groups, is an afterthought or window dressing.
Machito himself commands attention with his powerful, mature vocal presence. The orquesta takes on a different feel on selections featuring vocals, so the listener quickly gets the impression that it is indeed
Machito that is steering this enormous outfit. When such powerful elements combine, the result is one titan of a band.