Do not call them a “ghost band.” For years, they played with Tito Puente and other great Latin bandleaders, so they are not about to stop now. They still sound great and keep gigging with a regularity younger musicians would envy. The reminiscences are almost as enjoyable as the music in Mari Keiko Gonzalez’s Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends, which airs tomorrow on PBS, as part of the current season of Voces.
Led by bandleader John “Dandy” Rodriguez, under the “music direction” of Jose Madera, the Mambo Legends Orchestra is sort of like a Puente tribute band, because his music dominates their set lists. They all played El Rey, but most also had stints in the Machito and Tito Rodriguez bands, the other two of the big three Latin bands.
They are all accomplished and have plenty of stories to tell, like baritone saxophonist Carmen Laboy, who was the first women to perform on-stage with Puente’s band. We also hear from saxophonist Mitch Frohman, who happened to be a Jewish kid from the Bronx, who discovered Latin jazz and dance music when he sat in with Joe Cuba, while gigging with another band in the Catskills.
It turns out, you probably heard a lot of Frohman’s work. Years ago, he recorded multiple improvisations for episodes of Sex and the City. However, he has yet to receive full and fair compensation. And just like that, another musician gets a raw deal.
Regardless, it should be repeatedly emphasized everyone in the band can still play and solo at a remarkably high level. Viewers get to hear many Latin standards, but shrewdly, Gonzalez saves that one song until late in the film. Of course, that would be “Oye Como Va,” which, according to the Mambo Legends, still brings down the house every time.
Gonzalez’s profile of the Orchestra is a lot like the music they play. It is rousingly entertaining, but it also has substance. If you are not already a fan of Latin jazz and mambo, there must be something wrong with you, but Gonzalez and the Mambo Legends Orchestra could still yet convert you. Very highly recommended, Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends airs tomorrow night (10/4) on most PBS stations.