Died: May 31, 2000 in New York City while undergoing heart surgery.
Quote: "If there is no dance, there is not music."
Tito Puente Awards:
Best Latin Recording (1978)
Best Tropical Latin Performance (1983)
Best Tropical Latin Performance (1985)
Best Tropical Latin Performance (1990)
Best Traditional Tropical Latin Performance (1999)
Best Salsa Album (2000)
National Medal of Arts (1997)
Tito Puente lived with a heartfelt musical disappointment.
He made music for over 50 years and recorded over 100 albums. He acted in 4 movies, appeared on late night television and has his own star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’. He went home with six Grammys, recorded rock with Carlos Santana, dabbled with bossa nova and spent a decade concentrating on jazz, which he blended with his own brand of Latin music because, after all, “Sometimes jazz can be boring, but I give it a new twist”.
A consummate showman, Puente was called “El Rey del Timbao”(the King of Timbales), the “King of Latin Music’ and the “Sultan of Salsa” (even though he frequently argued that there was no such thing as salsa).
So – what was there to be disappointed about? Well, he really wanted to be a dancer.
Africando is a musical project formed in 1990 to unite New York-based salsa musicians with Senegalese vocalists. Musicians from other African countries were later included under the name Africando All Stars.
Africando was initiated by producer Ibrahim Sylla from Côte d'Ivoire and Malian arranger Boncana Maiga of Fania All Stars. Some of the musicians initially involved were:Ronnie Baro (of Orquesta Broadway) Pape Seck (ex member of Star Band), Nicholas Menheim (associate of Youssou N'Dour), and Medoune Diallo (formerly with Orchestre Baobab).
The first two albums were a big success both in Africa and in the rest of the world. Singer Pape Seck died in 1995, and was replaced by Gnonnas Pedro from Benin (who died August 2005) and Ronnie Baró of Orquestra Broadway.
For the album Mandali, well known African musicians, such as Tabu Ley Rochereau, Koffi Olomide, Salif Keita, Sekouba Bambino, Amadou Balaké and Thione Seck were invited. This new constallation led to the new name Africando All Stars. Whilst in the beginning, the songs were Latin American classics sung in wolof language or a mix of wolof and Spanish, newer songs were African popular music classics, redone with Latin rhythms and instrumentation. With both approaches, Africando has been equally successful.
For the album Martina (2003) the group name reverted to the name Africando. The singers on this tribute to mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends include Ismaël Lô from Senegal, and Nyboma and King Kester Emeneya performing Papa Wemba's song "La Référence".
Gnonnas Pedro's last recording is the title track of Ketukuba (2006) – he died before the CD was released. The same fate befell Alfredo Rodriguez who arranged 3 tracks on the album. With the emphasis on the links between Cuba and Africa, Ketukuba includes a Latinized version of Franco's "Mario", sung by Madilu System, and Joe King[disambiguation needed] singing "Nina Nina", previously made famous by the Fania All Stars.
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (September 30, 1946 – June 29, 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York City when he was 17 years old.On his first week living in the city, he worked as the vocalist of a sextet formed by Roberto García. During this period, he performed with several other groups, including Orquesta New York, Kako All-Stars, and the Johnny Pacheco band. In 1967, Lavoe joined Willie Colón's band and performed as the band vocalist. With the Willie Colón band, Lavoe recorded several hit songs, including "El malo" and "Canto a Borinquen". While working with the Willie Colón band, Lavoe became addicted to drugs and began to habitually be late when scheduled to perform with the band. Colón eventually decided to not work with Hector on stage but they still remained good friends and made music in the studio together. Lavoe moved on to become a soloist and formed his own band, where he performed as lead vocalist. As a soloist Lavoe recorded several hits including "El cantante", "Bandolera" and "El periódico de ayer" ("El Cantante" was composed by Ruben Blades, "Bandolera" by Colón and "Periódico" by Tite Curet Alonso.) During this period he was frequently featured as an invited vocalist in the Fania All Stars, and recorded numerous tracks with the band. In 1979, Lavoe underwent a deep depression and sought the help of a high priest (of the Santería faith) to attend to his drug addiction. After a short rehabilitation, he relapsed following the deaths of his father, son and mother in law. These events, along with being diagnosed with HIV, affected Lavoe to the point of attempting suicide by jumping off the balcony of a hotel room. Lavoe survived and recorded an album before his health began failing. Lavoe died on June 29, 1993, from a complication of AIDS.
Rosario (birth name: Fernando Luis Rosario Marin) was born and raised in Coamo, Puerto Rico into a poor, but hard working family. His parents realized that as a child Willie was musically inclined and had him take guitar lessons at the age of 6. He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. His mother also had him take saxophone classes; however, what he really was interested in was the conga. In 1946, he formed a band called Coamex but, a year later when he was 17 years old, his family to moved to New York City. The family rented an apartment in a Manhattan community known as Spanish Harlem.
Rosario came into contact and played the conga for various orchestras. After he graduated from high school he continued his education and studied journalism and public relations. On one occasion Rosario visited the famed Palladium Ball Room in New York, where Tito Puente was playing the timbales. This was the beginning of his love affair with that instrument. He was 22 years old when he took classes with percussionist Henry Adler.
Among his best known compositions and arrangements are "De Barrio Obrero a la Quince", "El Timbal de Carlitos", "Mi Amigo el Payaso" (My friend the Clown) with lyrics by Luis Antonio Ruiz, "El Revendon", "Lluvia" (Rain), "Cuando No Hay Cariño" (When there's no Love). Plus, he also composed the following jazz tunes "Flip, flop", "Stop and go" and "My Favorite Thing"..
Rosario also produced the following songs with the participation of Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tony Vega, Papo Lucca and Bobby Valentín; "Latin Jazz Go-Go-Go", "El Bravo soy Yo" (I'm the tough guy), "Too Too Much" and "Willie Rosario y su Ritmo"
La-33, brief story of a tasty idea. Strange but true: one of the most extroverted and happy salsa band from today was born in a convent. In a traditional neighborhood of Bogota, Colombia called Teusaquillo, more specifically on the 33rd street, where St. Jhon’s Convent was located. But when the the twenty-first century arrived the house was purchased by a group of artists.Soon, the prayers were changed by a constant turmoil and the weak 'Hallelujahs' gave way to a new soundtrack: the salsa.La-33 is a musical idea by the brothers Sergio and Santiago Mejia, who in the year 2002 began to shape it in what we know today: a salsa band inspired by the New Yorker lined up with piano, bass, conga, timbales, bongos, saxophone, trumpet, trombones and three singers to the front. Their sound owes to creators such as Larry Harlow, but also can be heard echoes of Charlie Palmieri, Lucho Bermudez and, off course, Henry Mancini.Because, as many will recall, their first success was a mambo version of the theme from "The Pink Panther" (composed by Mancini) that was heard around the world....
Born: April 20,1923 in the Bronx, New York.
Africando is a musical project formed in 1990 to unite New York-based salsa musicians with Senegalese vocalists. Musicians from other African countries were later included under the name Africando All Stars.
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (September 30, 1946 – June 29, 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York City when he was 17 years old.On his first week living in the city, he worked as the vocalist of a sextet formed by Roberto García. During this period, he performed with several other groups, including Orquesta New York, Kako All-Stars, and the Johnny Pacheco band. In 1967, Lavoe joined Willie Colón's band and performed as the band vocalist. With the Willie Colón band, Lavoe recorded several hit songs, including "El malo" and "Canto a Borinquen". While working with the Willie Colón band, Lavoe became addicted to drugs and began to habitually be late when scheduled to perform with the band. Colón eventually decided to not work with Hector on stage but they still remained good friends and made music in the studio together. Lavoe moved on to become a soloist and formed his own band, where he performed as lead vocalist. As a soloist Lavoe recorded several hits including "El cantante", "Bandolera" and "El periódico de ayer" ("El Cantante" was composed by Ruben Blades, "Bandolera" by Colón and "Periódico" by Tite Curet Alonso.) During this period he was frequently featured as an invited vocalist in the Fania All Stars, and recorded numerous tracks with the band. In 1979, Lavoe underwent a deep depression and sought the help of a high priest (of the Santería faith) to attend to his drug addiction. After a short rehabilitation, he relapsed following the deaths of his father, son and mother in law. These events, along with being diagnosed with HIV, affected Lavoe to the point of attempting suicide by jumping off the balcony of a hotel room. Lavoe survived and recorded an album before his health began failing. Lavoe died on June 29, 1993, from a complication of AIDS.
Rosario (birth name: Fernando Luis Rosario Marin) was born and raised in Coamo, Puerto Rico into a poor, but hard working family. His parents realized that as a child Willie was musically inclined and had him take guitar lessons at the age of 6. He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. His mother also had him take saxophone classes; however, what he really was interested in was the conga. In 1946, he formed a band called Coamex but, a year later when he was 17 years old, his family to moved to New York City. The family rented an apartment in a Manhattan community known as Spanish Harlem.
La-33, brief story of a tasty idea. Strange but true: one of the most extroverted and happy salsa band from today was born in a convent. In a traditional neighborhood of Bogota, Colombia called Teusaquillo, more specifically on the 33rd street, where St. Jhon’s Convent was located. But when the the twenty-first century arrived the house was purchased by a group of artists.Soon, the prayers were changed by a constant turmoil and the weak 'Hallelujahs' gave way to a new soundtrack: the salsa.La-33 is a musical idea by the brothers Sergio and Santiago Mejia, who in the year 2002 began to shape it in what we know today: a salsa band inspired by the New Yorker lined up with piano, bass, conga, timbales, bongos, saxophone, trumpet, trombones and three singers to the front. Their sound owes to creators such as Larry Harlow, but also can be heard echoes of Charlie Palmieri, Lucho Bermudez and, off course, Henry Mancini.Because, as many will recall, their first success was a mambo version of the theme from "The Pink Panther" (composed by Mancini) that was heard around the world....
