Cuban bandleader Damaso Perez "Prez" Prado was still riding high on the massive success of "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White"--the top pop hit of 1955--when he entered a Hollywood studio to cut this swingin' tribute to the capital of Cuba. While the album didn't produce any hits, it may well be the finest full-length recording of his career. Prado leads his orchestra (which includes such renowned players as trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, saxophonist Rene Bloch, and drummer Leo Acosta) on a cavalry charge through a number of Cuban and Latin American classics, including "Besame Mucho," "Baia," "Peanut Vendor," and "La Comparsa," finishing up with eight impressionistic minutes of "Mosaico Cubano." Listen once, and you'll fully understand why they called him King of the Mambo. --Dan Epstein