Sonora Ponceña – Unchained Force

One of the great and longstanding Puerto Rican salsa bands, Sonora Ponceña was founded in 1954 by Don Quique Lucca and later taken over by his son Papo Lucca Jr. A prodigy who joined the band when he was only five years old, Papo Lucca Jr. would later be responsible for the group’s innovations in fusing Cuban styles with modern jazz. Unchained Force is a later highlight in Sonora Ponceña’s storied catalog and  features vocalists Edwin Rosas, Miguelito Ortiz, Toñito Ledee, Yolanda Rivera. “Nica’s Dream Mambo,” in particular, is a standout instrumental track that masterfully expands Horace Silver’s trumpet-led jazz standard “Nica’s Dream” with a killer Cuban mambo groove and gorgeous string arrangement. It’s a Sonora Ponceña classic and showcases Papo Lucca Jr. skill in arrangement and transforming standards into something entirely new.

Recommended – A4 Nicas’ Dream Mambo