Norgran Records · in the Kissa Kissa racks
Afro
| Recorded | May 24 & Jun 3, 1954 |
|---|---|
| Label | Norgran Records |
| Released | 1954 |
| Personnel | 24 credited players |
| Discogs | master 259365 |
The record
A dense meeting of bebop brass and Afro-Cuban percussion, with Candido, Mongo Santamaria, and Jose Mangual stacking congas and bongos beneath Gillespie's charts. Chico O'Farrill's arranging hand looms large here, pushing the Norgran date beyond novelty into real Latin-jazz architecture.
Session personnel
- Bobby Rodriguez — bass
- Lou Hackney — bass
- Jose Mangual — bongos
- Candido — congas
- Luis Miranda — congas
- Mongo Santamaria — congas
- Charlie Persip — drums
- Gilberto Valdés — flute
- Alejandro Hernandez — piano
- Ray Concepcion — piano
- Wade Legge — piano
- Danny Bank — saxophone
- George Dorsey — saxophone
- Hank Mobley — saxophone
- Hilton Jefferson — saxophone
- Lucky Thompson — saxophone
- Ubaldo Nieto — timbales
- George Matthews — trombone
- J.J. Johnson — trombone
- Leon Comegys — trombone
- Dizzy Gillespie — trumpet
- Ernie Royal — trumpet
- Jimmy Nottingham — trumpet
- Quincy Jones — trumpet
Contemporary reception
No period review located yet. The vintage-press pipeline searches DownBeat, Cash Box, and Billboard for this session.
Pressings
Norgran issued MG N-1003 in 1954 with yellow labels -- the earliest on file -- and a black-label variant of the same number also appears. Both are mono. A three-disc 45 RPM EP set, EP N-2002-3, came out the same year. Columbia handled the UK in 1956 as 33CX 10002. Undated overseas copies exist on Blue Star in France, GLP 3543, and Sinter in Brazil, SLP-2718. No modern audiophile reissue is on file.
| 1954 | Norgran Records · MG N-1003 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Yellow Labels earliest on file |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Norgran Records · MG N-1003 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Black Labels |
| 1954 | Norgran Records · EP N-2002-3 — Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, EP, Mono, 3 Vinyl Set |
| 1956 | Columbia · 33CX 10002 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono |
| 2022 | Norgran Records — MONO |
| — | Blue Star · GLP 3543 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono |
| — | Sinter · SLP-2718 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue |
Follow the players
Bobby Rodriguez also plays on
Lou Hackney also plays on
Jose Mangual also plays on