Mambos 1 Through 4 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rosemary Clooney

Capitalizing on the mambo craze of the 50s, composer Bob Merrill reportedly wrote the song in an Italian restaurant on a paper napkin. The lyrics are a mixture of English, Italian, Spanish, and even some "made up" silly words. Rosemary Clooney (aunt of George Clooney) had a huge hit with it in 1954 and it reached the top ten in the U.S. and hit number one on the UK Singles Chart in early 1955.

Interestingly, the song was at first banned by many radio stations in the U.S. because some of the "garbled" Italian lyrics were misunderstood and thought to be offensive. The record label had to get statements from a language professor and a priest to confirm the lyrics were not vulgar before the ban was removed. The fun tune has been in several movies such as "Scandal in Sorrento" where Sophia Loren dances to an instrumental version, and in "Married to the Mob".

Answer: Papa

The lyrics tell the story of a "papa" who has become obsessed with the mambo dance, enthusiastically shouting "olé" and losing weight as he gets swept up in the dance craze, much to the amusement of his "mama". It was recorded by Perry Como with the Mitchell Ayres orchestra in August 1954, and it quickly became a major hit.

The pop tune blends Como's "crooning" style of song with Latin rhythm and beat and highlights the fascination Americans had with the mambo in the mid 1950s. It has been featured in many movies and television shows. This includes the 1989 movie "Back to the Future Part II" as the song playing on the car radio, and in a montage in the 2001 film "Ocean's Eleven".

Answer: Jazz

Mario Bauzá, a Cuban-born trumpeter and composer, originally co-wrote "Mambo Inn" in 1952. He was a key pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz, which blends Cuban music with African roots and the instrumentation of American jazz. The song is an example of this musical "merging" created in New York City clubs in the 1940s and 1950s.

The original instrumental piece has been recorded by several artists including Machito & His Afro-Cuban Orchestra, Count Basie, and Tito Puente. Some artists, like George Benson, have added lyrics to their renditions. Benson sings about the upbeat, fun atmosphere at the "Mambo Inn".

Answer: Drums

New York-born Puerto Rican bandleader Tito Puente began composing the tune "Ran Kan Kan" in the 1940s while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. It was initially created as an ode to the timbales, which is a pair of shallow, metal-shelled drums, prominent in Cuban and Latin music. He finished the song at The Julliard School and it was released in 1949.

This song became one of the first of a string of highly popular mambo dance hits he did that packed ballrooms, most famously the Palladium Ballroom in New York City. During this time, he revolutionized timbale playing by bringing them up to the front of the band and playing them standing up with flashy moves. "Ran Kan Kan" is a high energy mambo with minimal lyrics and became Puente's signature song. He even performed it for Oscar the Grouch on the television show "Sesame Street"!

Answer: Cha-cha-cha

"Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" is a popular song with music composed by the French composer Louiguy (Louis Guglielmi) in 1950. While French and English versions were made, the most popular was done by Pérez Prado, often called "The King of Mambo". The song contains a distinctive trumpet solo featuring a "sliding" or "scooping" sound effect.

Although this song helped popularize mambo, it actually is more suited for cha-cha-cha. The rhythm section, particularly the percussion and piano, emphasizes the signature "one, two, three, cha-cha-cha" beat pattern. This rhythm is often easier to follow for dancers than the more syncopated mambo. The song was recorded by several other artists, like Mack David, and was in the movie "Underwater!" in 1955.

Answer: Cal Tjader

"Mamblues" was written and performed by Cal Tjade, of Swedish-American descent, who was one of the few prominent non-Latin musicians in the genre. The song, as the title aptly suggests, combines the feel of a jazz blues standard with the complex rhythmic intensity of a mambo. The 1954 hit also features Tjader's vibraphone (similar to a xylophone) playing.

The song received renewed exposure and popularity when a new version was included on the soundtrack for the full-length adult animated film "Fritz the Cat" in 1972. Many artists over time have all recorded "Mamblues" as part of tribute albums dedicated to Cal Tjader's enduring legacy.

Answer: New Orleans

The song was originally written in 1953 by Frankie Adams and Lou Welsch as a country tune with a Latin beat. However, it was recorded in 1954 by the New Orleans R&B group The Hawketts and quickly took off. The lead vocals were performed by 16-year-old Art Neville, who would later become a founding member of the Neville Brothers. The band added strong rumba and Caribbean influences to the track, perfectly suited for the New Orleans Carnival atmosphere.

The song, with its many references to New Orleans, is hugely popular during the Carnival season in that city and is frequently played on parade routes and at parties. Interestingly, the distinct grunt heard at the beginning of the song was caused by the drummer accidentally tipping over a platter of jambalaya onto the control board.

Answer: The Magician

Aníbal Velásquez, the "Magician" of the accordion, was a key player who recorded a version of the song "Mambo Loco" in South America. His take is a rapid, percussive track that blends Afro-Colombian rhythms with mambo. It features his signature hummingbird-fast accordion solos and a driving, intense rhythm. This track was prominent in his work from the 1960s and 1970s.

Called "El Mago" (The Magician), he displayed a seemingly magical ability to play the accordion at incredibly fast, high-energy tempos. He could also re-invent traditional rhythms. A compilation album featuring "Mambo Loco" was later released in 2010 by the label Analog Africa, which brought this music to a wider international audience.

Answer: Desi Arnaz

"Cuban Pete" is a lively song written by the British musician José Norman in 1936. The song is about a male dancer from Cuba who is incredibly popular with all the ladies because of his exceptional ability to dance. Desi Arnaz starred in a 1946 musical comedy film also titled "Cuban Pete". He performed the song in the film, changing the lyrics from the third person ("They call him Cuban Pete") to the first person ("They call me Cuban Pete"). This became one of his signature songs.

Arnaz later performed the song as his character Ricky Ricardo on an episode of the television show "I Love Lucy", dancing with his real-life and on-screen wife Lucille Ball. The song captured a whole new audience in 1994 when it was featured in the comedy film "The Mask". Actor Jim Carrey, in character, performed an energetic song-and-dance number to the song.

Answer: Women

Dámaso Pérez Prado, a Cuban bandleader and composer, first recorded "Mambo No. 5" as an instrumental mambo and jazz dance piece in 1949. Lou Bega created a version of it in 1999 and it became a massive summer hit, reaching number one in over 20 countries, including the UK, Germany, and France, where it stayed at the top for 20 weeks.

Bega's version describes a man who is a playboy, dating many different women, which fits the confident, charismatic persona often associated with mambo dancers of the 1950s. As part of the lyrics, Bega lists several women's names such as Monica, Erica, Rita, Tina, Sandra, Mary, Jessica, etc. This was reportedly inspired by women Bega had dated or known throughout his life.