Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria moved from Havana to New York in 1949 and recorded with Tito Puente in the 1950’s before becoming a bandleader and coming into fame himself. He released Up From The Roots in 1972, and the cover’s African art gives a pretty good idea of the sound being explored. Most of the side 1 is spent focusing on rhythm and percussion in the album’s sparest arrangements, but Santamaria also moves to more jazz compositions with Alphonse Mouzone’s Virtue and the Marty Sheller composed Forked Tongue. An enjoyable record, though the first half is definitely not as fun as the second.
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