Jack Costanzo – Mr. Bongo Has Brass

Not bad if you're in the mood for latin jazz.

Liner notes from rear sleeve:
"Mr. Bongo (Jack Costanzo, who else) mounts his unique percussive sound in a setting of swinging brass. And it takes all the brilliance of five trumpets to answer the articulate and exciting rhythm patterns Jack Costanzo lays down.

For the most part the selections are jazz ... ranging in content from the old round, "Row Row, Row Your Boat," to the complexities of "Man with the Golden Arm."

In 'Mr. Bongo Has Brass," Jack Costanzo has approached the material in two ways:
First, with Conga drum and timbales, plus one (claves, jawbone, or maracas) he lays down the basic beat on which the trumpets, trombones and French horn ride. The interpretation of "The Continental" typifies the approach. The tempo is constant... only the growing intensity of the accent drives the pitch of excitement constantly higher.
The second approach is evident on numbers in the manner of "Burley-Q Bongo" and "Diga Diga Doo." Here the bongos are used as a solo rather than a rhythm instrument.
Despite the considered "tune-lessness" of the bongos, Jack Costanzo manages to achieve a melodic quality. The skins howl like thwarted "G" strings. The result, to put it mildly, is mighty moving."