Orquesta Akokán

Son and salsa are soulful and sultry, but mambo has got the edge when it comes to having a laugh. The opening track of this self-titled debut from a big-band fronted by Cuban singer José ‘Pepito’ Gómez, ‘Mambo Rapidito’, is a shimmering display of musical and vocal jokes, from the cheeky ‘Tequila’-style bass and plinky-plonky jazz piano to the flatulent blasts of brass and the tongue-twisting wordplay. The other eight songs don’t quite rise to the same dizzy heights of humour, but what they lose in wit they make up for in joy. New York-based Gómez is in good company, joined by César ‘Pupy’ Pedroso from Los Van Van, a percussion section featuring members of NG La Banda and a sax team built around musos from legendary Cuban band Irakere.

Recorded as live at Havana's Estudios Areito, this is a wonderful reminder of the loose, life-loving music of the pre-revolutionary era. Son will always deservedly have aficionados but if you want a taste of Cuban cool, take a mental flight back to the 1950s and try to stay belted in to your seat.