El Unico – Monguito, 1982

🎺🎷🥁🪘🎤🇨🇺 Ramón Quián, better known as Monguito « El Unico« , left Havana in the 50s for Mexico, before settling in New York ten years later. He played with Arsenio Rodriguez, then Johnny Pacheco, and sang with the Fania All Stars. His son montuno worked wonders, and soon Roberto Torres released it on his SAR label, where it went gold in 1979. He rode the wave with his subsequent albums, including this one, aptly titled with his simple name, Monguito « El Unico », released in 1982. The rich line-up includes Torres on small percussion, and pianist Alfredo Valdés Jr. for a bath in son montuno, between son, rumba and guaguancó.