Don Alfio
A 12 track electro-funk album (35m 6s) — released November 17th 2014 on Schema SCEB Series
"Known as Pantaleon Perez Prado,was the younger brother of the famous"King of
Mambo".Pantaleon, who came to Europe in the 1950s, recorded several albums with
Unifunk.A powerful Big Funk Band sound featuring: Tullio De Piscopo, Mario Rusca,
Paolo Tommelleri, Pino Prestipino and others….vocals Don Alfio
Includes "Circle" a strong track with a killer groove written by Mario Rusca.
For this second LP, the obscure vocalist Don Alfio had gained enough prestige within the
band to share the top of the bill with the bandleader. That's probably because, in October
1973, the Love Child 45rpm (which has nothing to do with the 1968 Supremes' hit) had
enjoyed a good airplay on Supersonic, a daily Italian public radio show that presented a
lot of freshly released records. The DJs explicitly credited the record to "Don Alfio with
Perez Prado". The reviving of Chicago banana from Escandalo!, plus many new tracks
including Circle, Imperfect and the jazzy Chato, gave the record a precise latin-funk
attitude. Bossanova evergreen Bahia (also known as Na baixa do sapateiro) and a synthled
version of Ciliegi Rosa (Cherry pink and Apple Blossom White) are the only two
concessions to Latin standards.
A hispanic-looking thin moustache, two hands drumming hot Latin rhythm on congas,
bongos and tumbas, and a well-known stage name: Perez Prado. Were we in the
presence of the ʻKing of Mamboʼ? The man who got the whole world dancing to hits such
as Mambo n°5 and Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White? Well, as weʼll see, there was
a certain controversy behind this identification.
The King of Mambo's first name was not "Perez" and his family name was not "Prado".
This little known fact would help in explaining this situation. Actually, the great musician
from Cuba, born in 1916, was christened Damaso. Perez-Prado was his double-barreled
surname. Damaso Perez-Prado also had a younger brother named Pantaleón, who was
born in 1928.
Pantaleón Perez-Prado was the owner of the moustache and hands we had been talking
about earlier. Yes, Pantaleón was a musician too, a good percussionist, bass player and
arranger. However, since he grew up in his brother's shadow, he tried to make the best
of it. Pantaleón began travelling around the world to play on stage as Perez Prado.
People were not aware of this name/surname issue, and simply said: "Oh, sure, itʼs
Perez Prado, the King of Mambo."
It would have been pointless to accuse him of being an impostor as he would have only
shown his ID and said: "Itʼs not my fault, señor, if I have the same surname as
my hermano". This is also the reason Pantaleón gave a French judge in the early sixties,
when he was sued for impersonation. Sources are divergent about the result of the suit,
but the fact remains that it was due to this controversial stage name that he was able to
carry out a career as a musician and bandleader in Europe for two decades. This is
where we meet the most interesting side of Pantaleón Perez Prado.
After wandering around between Germany and Italy, in 1972 our hero settled in Milan.
This happened when Ariola, the German label that had signed the musician, sealed a
distribution deal with the newborn Italian label Unifunk. Pantaleón Perez Prado was
chosen as the star of the roster, so the label surrounded him with a big band that
involved some of the most promising musicians from the Milanese jazz scene. Amongst
them was drummer Tullio De Piscopo (a popstar-to-be), bassist Pino Presti (who was a
session man and arranger for Italian superstar Mina throughout the Seventies) and
pianist/organist Mario Rusca (a Unifunk habitué). The resulting LPs ʻEscandalo!ʼ and
ʻPerez Prado - Don Alfioʼ were released in 1972 and 1973 respectively and are still
considered to be two incredible musical gems. After the sunset of "mambo fever",
Pantaleón was able to reveal a funky attitude that comes out in these amazing
recordings.
Pantaleón died on Saturday December 3rd, 1983, at the age of 57 following a short
illness. The obits that were published in Italian newspapers described the life and career
of the older Perez Prado, Damaso, who was alive and kicking at that time. It took at least
two days before journalists discovered the clash of identities between the two Perez
Prados.
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