Full of excitement and fun, the “Mucho Mambo” orchestra’s stylish performance will have you tapping your toes and grooving to the timeless sounds of Mambo and Cha Cha Cha. A musical and visual spectacle not to be missed!
Since their brilliant debut at The Basement in Sydney in August 2002, they have wowed audiences at the Darling Harbour Latin Fiesta from 2002-2005, as well as performances at The Sydney Opera House, Hyde Park, Bellingen Global Carnival, Sydney University, Club Marconi, SBS TV and performances with guests Monica Trapaga and world renowned multi instrumentalist James Morison.
HISTORY OF MAMBO Of African and European parentage, the mambo is the result of a long cross-cultural journey. Mambo was originally a Bantu name for a musical instrument used in rituals and means "conversation with the gods". The Mambo can also be traced back to the English country dance, French contredanse and Spanish contradanza. At the end of the 19th century the contradanza became freer and more spontaneous with the introduction of more African elements and became known as the danzon.
The danzon had several sections, the last section of which incorporated improvised elements. In 1938 cellist Orestes Lopez composed a danzon called "Mambo" where he introduced elements from the Cuban musical genre 'son' in this coda (tail) section.
Throughout the 1940's and 50's this up-tempo dance style blended several elements of North American instrumentation (big bands) and harmony (jazz) and became the most popular musical form in the USA with artists such as Machito, Tito Rodriguez, Benny More, Tito Puente and Perez Prado. Perez Prado popularised the big band mambo that we know today, using jazzier instruments including brass and drums.
In the 1950's the cha cha cha, a kind of Mambo but easier to dance swept through Havana and New York. 1954 was dubbed " The Year of the Mambo" and many mainstream musicians and singers were performing in mambo orchestras including Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney and Vaughn Monroe.
