Mongo Santamaría - Live At Yankee Stadium (1974/2019)

The team of bassist William Allen and Mongo hit their stride on this one, which has all the elements: live in a huge space, Marty Sheller, original tunes, an authoritative M.C., deluxe gatefold with photos. "Dr. Gasca" and "Black Dice" are two solid Latin-funk numbers, the first being a tribute to the great Luis Gasca. Unfortunately both squander their great rhythms, as the horn soloists take their own path to the point of irrelevance and annoyance. "Coyulde" features South African "click" singer Thoko doing something Miriam Makeba had done much better years before. But for the live audience it must have been exciting stage work. "Naked," perhaps the more successful track, also does not entirely escape the problem of disjointed solos. Like many live albums, Live at Yankee Stadium is likely to please the completist only.