By the mid 70s, the New York Latin scene was boomin' so large it could easily fill venues like Yankee Stadium – as you'll hear on this excellent live set from the Fania All-Stars, a monster record that easily ranks with the best live Latin sides of the time – like Eddie Palmieri at Sing Sing, the Tico-Alegre All Stars at Carnegie Hall, or Mongo Santamaria at Yankee Stadium! Tracks are nice and long – a real mix of soul and Latin, with slight funk and electric touches – and players include
Ray Barretto, Willie Colon,
Bobby Valentin, Mongo Santamaria,
Ricardo Ray, and Roberto Roena. Vocals are by a host of singers that include Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera, and Celia
Cruz. Manu Dibango also joins the group for the track "Congo Bongo", a great long number in which he does a hot little solo! Other tracks include "Bemba Colora", "Hermandad Fania", and "Echate Pa'Lla".
(Sunrise label pressing – a nice copy!)