AMG Review of Vacation at the Concord

Tony Wilds
All Music Guide

A decade after Afro-Cuban rhythms set the jazz world on fire, we find the maestro playing the Concord, a popular lakeside resort 90 miles north of New York City. So it is a "tourist" album, probably given away or sold as a souvenir. The liners and photos tell as much about where to find swimming director Buster Crabbe as Machito. For popular Latin, it has the top standards, as well as a few Machito surprises. The former includes obligatory covers of Perez Prado's smashes "Guaglione" and "Patricia," plus cha cha cha counterparts "Cocktails for Two" and "Rico Vacilon." Surprises include Johnny Conquet's "Estacy" and Italian-Chipmunks-bandleader Renato Corasone's "Torero." One title is particularly Afro-Cuban, "El Aji Caribe." It is an unusual album even for Machito.