Cool Funk Roots: PEREZ PRADO's Mambo

Cuban musicians had massive influence on Jazz-Bebop, Pop music, and early Rock in the early 1950s with Mambo music.
(See the film, The Mambo Kings.)

Chief among them was Damaso PEREZ PRADO, whose use of tight contrapunctual horns, dynamic rhythm, and sudden stops and starts are the prototype for James Brown and Funk music. As bandleader, he would get so excited he'd kick the air during a pause and shout, "Dilo!" ('Say it!') Audiences mistook his shout for "Ungh!', inspiring the song "Who Put the Ungh In the Mambo?" If that isn't JB, what is?

This kicked off a Latin throughline in Soul and Funk music that gave us Eddie Bobo, Mongo Santamaria, Santana, WAR, Malo, El Chicano, Azteca, Mandrill, Fania All-Stars, Jorge Ben, Sheila E, Gerardo, Lighter Shade of Brown, Ozomatli, and Los Mocosos.

His "Mambo No. 5" was remade as a big hit by Lou Bega in '99.

PEREZ PRADO -"Mambo No 5" - (1950s, from LP)



PEREZ PADO -"Muchachita"



The Black Eyed Peas sampled the Yma Sumac/ Perez Prado song "Bo Mambo" for their big hit "Hands Up". Here's another great:

Yma Sumac, w/ Perez Prado -"Bo Mambo!" (1955)



For the Love of the Mambo documentary


From Mambo to Hip-Hop: A South Bronx Tale documentary



After The Clash broke up, bassist Paul Simenon formed a Morricone-​esque Rockabilly group called Havana 3AM, named after the Perez Prado album.

HAVANA 3AM -"Hey Amigo" (1991)



"Dilo!":
https://myspace.com/perezparadise

© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Oye Como Va!" - Tito Puente > Santana > Kinky

• Herbie Hancock > Mongo Santamaria > Herbie Hancock


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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