By Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoir’s Blog
The Pacific Mambo Orchestra is a Latin flavored orchestra full of celebration and celebrity. Now in their tenth year, PMO finally gained well-overdue recognition in 2013, when their crowd-funded, self-titled, debut album took home the GRAMMY for Best Tropical Latin Album. No newcomer to the big band circuit, they have performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, San Francisco’s California Jazz Festival, The Aspen Jazz Fest, and many, many more. They are a popular orchestra that recently sold out their run at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland, California. You never know who is going to be featured with this ensemble of super talented musicians. The 20-piece orchestra is comprised of the Bay Area’s top talent featured with iconic names like Poncho Sanchez, Pete Escovedo, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Prince and on this recording, trumpet legend Jon Faddis appears with the other well-known special guests listed above. Read the full review here.