Voodoo Suite plus Six All-Time Greats

In April, 1954, while on one of his periodic recording trips to Hollywood, Herman Diaz, Jr., of RCA Victor's Artists and Repertoire staff, found himself rather routinely surveying prospective material with Perez Prado. During the conversation at which, by one of those odd quirks of fate, RCA Victor's jazz director, Jack Lewis, was also present and without attaching too much importance to it at the moment, Messrs. Diaz and Lewis suggested that, at least at some time in the future, Prado prepare an orchestral work that would depict the marriage of primitive rhythms to American jazza sort of tone poem in which the African, the mambo and the basic aspects of jazz would be united in such a way as to show their true relationship. As soon as the idea was formulated, Prado expressed a wild and uncontained enthusiasm so, amidst really frantic preparations, while Diaz and Lewis corralled the necessary musicians, Prado retired to write and arrange the music. Shorty Rogers was called in as a consultant, and twenty-four hours later, on April 8, everyone was back in the studio Prado had his manuscript, Diaz and Lewis had twenty-two musicians, and the recording commenced as though it had been planned for months.

The Voodoo Suite is the result of that now-historic session. Prado's score, which called for four saxes, six trumpets, three trombones, French horn, bass and seven drummers, required a greater personnel than that included in his own band, with the result that several of the West Coast's leading jazz musicians were hastily recruited, including practically every available drummer in the area.


Tracklisting:
01. The Voodoo Suite [with Shorty Rogers] (Prado) 23:07
02. St. James infirmary (Primrose) 2:50
03. In the Mood (Garland) 2:20
04. I Can't Get Started (Duke-G. & I. Gershwin) 2:19
05. Jumping at the Woodside (Basie) 2:05
06. Stomping at the Savoy (Sampson-Goodman-Webb) 2:41
07. Music Makers (James-Raye) 2:16

Originally issued as RCA Victor LPM-1101
An RCA Victor "New Orthophonic" High fidelity Recording

Personnal on track #1:
Perez Prado (lead), Shorty Rogers, Bill Regis, Maynard Ferguson, Walter Stuart, Pete Candoli, Don Dennis (tp), Joe Colvin, Harry Betts, Milt Bernhart (tb), Tibor Shik (Frh), Bud Shank (as, fl), Stan Seckler (as), Bob Cooper (ts), Don Robinson (bs), Don Tosti (b), Shelly Manne (d), Eddie Gómez, Steve Valera, Carlos Vidal, Modesto Durán (conga), Mike Pacheco, Ray Vázquez (bongos).
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, April 8, 1954

Personnal on tracks #3,5,6 & 7:
Perez Prado (lead), Bill Regis, Rolf Erikson, Luis Valisan, Bill Castagnino (tp), Jay Hill (tb), René Bloch (as), Willie Maiden, Nash Maez (ts), Ray Vázquez (bs), Ed Guerrero (b), Leo Acosta (d), Roberto Casanova (conga), Juan Cheda (bongos). 
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, February 15, 1955

Personnal on tracks #2 & 4:
Perez Prado (lead), Bill Regis, Pete Candoli, Rolf Erikson, Luis Valisan, Bill Castagnino (tp), Jay Hill (tb), René Bloch (as), Willie Maiden, Nash Maez (ts), Ray Vázquez (bs), Ed Guerrero (b), Leo Acosta (d), Roberto Casanova (conga), Juan Cheda (bongos), Alladin Pallante, Robert Freda, Charles Bilek (violins)
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, February 18, 1955

Liner notes: Bill Zeitung
Produced for CD release by Jordi Pujol
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Review:

"The sides of this album are unrelated. "Voodoo Suite" is Prado's classic orchestral composition combining Afro-Cuban and jazz in a "tone poem." It was recorded April 8, 1954, with a 22-piece band consisting of the Prado orchestra, Shorty Rogers, and other West Coast jazz musicians, mostly percussionists. The "African" chanting is hokey, but an exotic "jungle" mood is established by bass and drums. (Henry Mancini's "Hatari" sounds very likely to have borrowed from it.) While the suite provides room for plenty of solos and tempo changes, ultimately it is more an extended, sensational mambo than a classic of Afro-Cuban jazz. Evidently Prado was very excited about the project and rushed forward with it; greater planning and rehearsal would have helped. In the shadow of "Voodoo Suite," the filler "Six All-Time Greats" understandably gets overlooked. These are in the style of Mambo Mania, and indeed, "St. James Infirmary" appears on each album. The version here and three others are recorded in "mambo/La Culeta" style with strings, but the strings are barely noticeable."

Tony Wilds -All Music Guide