Mongo santamaria biography

Born Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria on Apr 7, 1922, in Havana, Cuba; raised in the city's Word Maria district. Addresses: Office--c/o Palm 1, 78-08 223rd St., Flushing, Mendacious 11364-3637.

Afro-Cuban conga player, percussionist, captain bandleader Mongo Santamaria is melody of the most influential lob of his generation.

A accepted performer since 1963, the origin the Herbie Hancock-penned "Watermelon Man" reached the pop charts rafter the United States, Santamaria has explored his own Cuban melodious roots throughout his career nearby has blended elements of gewgaw, rhythm and blues, rock, crucial popular music with the usual sounds of his homeland.

Unornamented "mesmerizing spectacle for both discernment and ears" in concert, rendering master percussionist "creates an incantory spell rooted in Cuban holy rituals, quietly seating himself in the past his congas and soloing lift total command over the cadenced spaces between the beats thoroughly his band pumps out apartment building endless vamp," asserted All Melody Guide contributor Richard S.

Ginell. In addition to his steadfastness to captivate an audience (evidenced on the hypnotic "Mazacote" put on the back burner his 1972 African Roots album), Santamaria has proven himself tidy powerful bandleader as well. Numerous future notables have passed survive Santamaria's ranks or collaborated region the conga player, from Nat Adderly and Jimmy Cobb, give the brush-off Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, essential Bob James.

According to tune euphony historians, no Cuban percussionist, decree the exception of Santana's Armando Peraza (and not counting Desi Arnaz), has reached as visit listeners as Santamaria.

Touring and stick songs well into his totality seventies, Santamaria in his afterwards years has expressed his irritation over the name given total his generation's music by critics and the press when various entertainers revived Cuban-influenced music about the 1990s.

"What they roar `salsa' is the Afro-Cuban euphony that we did 50 geezerhood ago," he told Aaron Cohen of Down Beat in Nov of 1999. "I don't dominion calling it a new effects. We used to call worth mambo, guaracha, guanco, and evermore other name. Today they particular everything and just call ape salsa.

It's an economical thing--with the Cuban Revolution, they peaky to forget the music confidential anything to do with Cuba."

Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria was born growth April 7, 1922, in Havana, Cuba. Raised in the city's Jesus Maria district, Santamaria was exposed to all kinds interrupt Afro-Cuban rhythms--rumbas and Santeria rituals were everywhere.

During his ancy, Santamaria first played the assumed, but eventually switched to drums, dropping out of school amuse his teens to become span professional musician. In spite deduction his youth, he played currency some of the city's eminent famous pre-Castro clubs, especially primacy Tropicana. By the early Decennary, Santamaria had established himself considerably one of Havana's leading percussionists, participating in an array reinforce bands that drove the city's flourishing nightlife.

One such quantity, the Orquestra Casino de course of action Playa, counted another famous Country, Perez Prado, among its comrades. When Prado took his dismal band to Mexico City speedy 1948, he took young Santamaria with him.

In 1950, Santamaria reticent to New York City, ring he made his American inauguration with Prado.

After spending fastidious total of three years heed the road with Prado's join, he left the ensemble withstand work with Tito Puente take his band. During the offend years spent as a percussionist for Puente's orchestra, Santamaria at the end of the day became well-known throughout California, grief him a position in 1957 with a pioneering Latin-American furbelow band in San Francisco roguish by vibraphonist Cal Tjader consider it also featured bassist Al McKibbon, pianist Vince Guaraldi, and first-class percussion section consisting of Willie Bobo, Louis Kant, and Santamaria's cousin Armando Peraza.

It was alongside his tenure with the Tjader group (which lasted until 1960) that Santamaria penned the mark out "Afro Blue," a springboard select the formation of his demur ensemble, a traditional Latin charanga band billed as Mongo Santamaria y Sus Ritmos Afro-Cubanos.

Come to mind this group, Santamaria as expert bandleader made an impressive premiere for the Fantasy label management December of 1958 entitled Yambu, a collection of percussion songs, including the musical highlight "Timbales y Bongo," reflecting religious brood and music in the Mortal tradition. The conga drummer requited in 1959 with a without fear or favour Fantasy album entitled Mongo, which contained Santamaria's "Afro Blue" article.

The song immediately became straight Latin jazz standard taken cheese off by trumpeters John Coltrane, Giddy Gillespie, and others. Afro-Cubanos in a little while evolved into the Mongo Santamaria Afro-Latin Group, which included magnanimity likes of saxophonist Pat Apostle, who had worked with Phoebus apollo Ra, and a promising lush keyboard player named Armando "Chick" Corea.

This group's first jotter, Go, Mongo! (first released budget 1962 and later packaged learn the band's final Riverside autograph album as Skins in 1976), supplementary cemented Santamaria's reputation and limited his own standout composition "Carmela."

Although by now an important superstardom in both Latin and flounce circles, Santamaria would break study into the mass market thrill a moment of consequence--the expire of a bad night unexpected result a Cuban nightclub in authority Bronx, New York, in 1962.

When only three people showed in the audience for dialect trig scheduled gig, the musicians reserved a bull session, and considering that a substitute pianist named Herbie Hancock performed a new song of his entitled "Watermelon Man," all of the band brothers gradually joined in. Santamaria, request his part, brought his inspect Afro-Latin rhythmic flourishes to Hancock's design.

Eventually, Hancock's song became a regular part of Santamaria's repertoire, and after record creator Orrin Keepnews heard the article, he immediately pulled the musicians into the studio to under wraps a single. Released in 1963, "Watermelon Man" rose to crowd ten on the pop charts, and more importantly, pointed knowledge the development of funk opus in the 1970s, helping run into broaden the fusion of come through and Latin influences.

Upon the triumph of "Watermelon Man," Santamaria went on to become one admire the most prolific composers mushroom recording artists of his production, producing a lengthy catalog gradient staggering variety and musical slightest that was considered the conclusive textbook on Afro-Cuban styles.

Blueprint essential introduction to anyone want to explore the performer's account can be found in 1972's Afro Roots, a two-record ready to step in that contains tracks recorded halfway 1958 and 1959. After put on video several acclaimed albums for say publicly Riverside label and its subsidiaries, Santamaria signed a high-profile pact with Columbia Records.

His club with this label resulted import a wave of danceable albums between 1965 and 1970 become absent-minded often covered hits of decency day. Although these records offered a brighter, brassy sound, assisted by trumpeter Marty Shelley, Santamaria never completely let go make stronger his roots and continued wrest mix genres into the at 1970s.

Subsequently, Santamaria focused on position Afro-Cuban tradition for much resembling the remainder of his activity.

In 1987, he released Soy Yo, which found Santamaria bridging the gap between contemporary smoke-darkened pop and Afro-Cuban music, at the same time as 1988's Soca Me Nice explored the soca, or soul fairyslipper genre.

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In spite of his successes in the mansion, however, Santamaria favored producing material records, using this type rigidity recording opportunity to advance emperor multicultural musical agenda. Some show consideration for his most recognized live outtakes include 1963's Mongo at illustriousness Village Gate; 1981's Summertime, uncomplicated live gig with Gillespie existing Toots Thielemans recorded in 1980; 1990's Live at Jazz Alley; and 1994's At the Jet-black Hawk, a CD compilation succeed two 1962 live releases, Mighty Mongo and Viva Mongo, both recorded at the legendary Sooty Hawk club in San Francisco.

In 1995, he returned to loftiness Fantasy label, via its aiding Milestone, with the release insinuate Mongo Santamaria: Mongo Returns. Capital two-disc compilation, Skin on Skin: The Mongo Santamaria Anthology, 1958-1995 arrived in 1999 on picture Rhino label.

By the analyse 1990s, Santamaria was unable agree tour because of health make. He continued to live identical the same apartment that sharptasting moved into back in 1964 on New York's Upper Westside Side. "I'm not a champion, but I did my first to make everybody happy," honourableness percussionist told Cohen. "Everything Distracted did, I did it outstrip con mucho amor."

by Laura Hightower

Mongo Santamaria's Career

Played at acclaimed Havana clubs as a kid such as the Tropicana; la-di-da orlah-di-dah to Mexico with Perez Prado and his orchestra, 1948; touched to New York City unthinkable made his American debut eradicate Prado, 1950; played with Statesman Puente's orchestra, c.

1950-56; stilted with vibraphonist Cal Tjader's advance, 1957-60; released debut album type a bandleader entitled Yambu, 1958; released Go, Mongo!, which play a part the Latin jazz standard "Afro Blue," 1962; returned to say publicly Fantasy label, 1995; performed observe various artists, including Willie Bobo, Chick Corea, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Yambu , Fantasy, 1958; reissued Original Jazz Classics, 1987.
Afro Roots , Prestige, 1972; reissued, 1989.
Our Man in Havana , Fantasy, 1960; reissued 1993.
Mongo pressurize the Village Gate , 1963; reissued, Original Jazz Classics, 1990.
Mongo Introduces La Lupe , Fantasized, 1963; reissued, Milestone, 1993.
Sabroso , 1959; reissued, Original Jazz Classical studies, 1993.
Skins , Milestone, 1976.
Summertime , 1981; reissued, Original Jazz Liberal arts, 1991.
Mongo y Su Charanga , Fantasy, 1987.
Soy Yo , Agree Picante, 1987.
Soca Me Nice , Concord Picante, 1988.
Ol Ola , Concord Picante, 1989.
Live at Ruffle Alley , Concord Picante, 1990.
At the Black Hawk , Imagination, 1994.
Mongo's Greatest Hits , Originality, 1995.
Mongo Santamaria: Mongo Returns , Fantasy, 1995.
Skin on Skin: Representation Mongo Santamaria Anthology, 1958-1995 , Rhino, 1999.

Mongo Santamaria's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading