Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a rumba quinto master and an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue", recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York City where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All Stars, etc. He was an integral figure in the fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with R&B and soul, paving the way for the boogaloo era of the late 1960s. His 1963 hit rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" (recorded on December 17, 1962) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
Mongo Santamaría was one of a handful of Cuban congueros ("conga players") who came to the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. Other notable congueros who came to the U.S. during that time include Armando Peraza, Chano Pozo, Francisco Aguabella, Julito Collazo, Carlos Vidal Bolado and Modesto Durán. Many[who?] consider Santamaría to have been the greatest conga drummer of the twentieth century.
Ably supported by a cast including flutist Hubert Laws, saxophonist Sonny Fortune, and drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, conguero Mongo Santamaria rejoins the hit parade with Soul Bag, galvanizing contemporary chart smashes with the energy and fire of his trademark Latin soul -- the approach may frustrate listeners yearning for a return to the traditional charanga sensibilities that defined the percussionist's early dates for Fantasy, but there's no denying the sheer energy and infectiousness of this music. As its title promises, Soul Bag forgoes the British Invasion covers of Santamaria's other Columbia efforts to focus on the indelible soul records coming out of Motown, Stax and Atlantic -- his readings of "In the Midnight Hour," "Respect," and "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" are respectful yet ingenious, with righteously funky rhythms that intertwine with the original melodies like strands of DNA.
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