The mambo sound is a very happy sound. It was everywhere in its heyday and even sung about it popular music by such stars as Perry Como.
Perez was from Cuba but became famous after he moved to Mexico. Eventually he was "discovered" for the US and by 1951 was recording for RCA Victor.
Recently I heard his famous "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" arrangement on the ABC show "Dancing With The Stars." It wasn't played with as much pep as Perez used, but then as my wife says "they probably slowed it down a bit so they could dance easier to it!" The song was #1 in 1955. A few years ago someone released a version of his "Mambo #5". Of course the young whippersnappers think all of this is new material, but in reality it is all rehash of the mambo king himself, Perez Prado!
Here's another mambo artist, Edmundo Ros with Mambo Jambo. My grandpa had this record in his collection.
Everybody do the mambo!