Tito Puente
By virtue of his warm and buoyant stage manner, constant touring, longevity, and appearances in the mass media, Tito Puente became one of the most beloved symbols of Latin jazz. But more than that, he managed to keep his music remarkably fresh over the decades; as a timbales virtuoso, he combined mastery over every rhythmic nuance with old-fashioned showmanship. A trained musician, he was also a fine, lyrical vibraphonist, a gifted arranger, and played piano, congas, bongos, and saxophone. His appeal cut across all ages and ethnic groups, helped no doubt by Santana's best-selling cover versions of "Oye Como Va" and "Para Los Rumberos" in 1970 and 1971, and cameo appearances on The Cosby Show in the 1980s and the film The Mambo Kings in 1992. His brand of classic salsa is generally free of dark undercurrents, radiating a joyous, compulsively danceable party atmosphere.
Rooted in Spanish Harlem, of Puerto Rican descent, Puente originally intended to become a dancer, but those ambitions were scotched by a torn ankle tendon suffered in an accident. At age 13, he began working in Ramon Olivero's big band as a drummer, and later he studied composing, orchestration, and piano at Juilliard. More importantly, he played with and absorbed the influence of Machito, who was successfully fusing Latin rhythms with progressive jazz. Forming the nine-piece Piccadilly Boys in 1947 and then expanding it to a full orchestra two years later, Puente recorded for Seeco, Tico, and eventually RCA Victor, helping to fuel the mambo craze that gave him the unofficial -- and ultimately lifelong -- title "King of the Mambo," or just "El Rey." Puente also helped popularize the cha-cha during the 1950s, and he was the only non-Cuban who was invited to a government-sponsored "50 Years of Cuban Music" celebration in Cuba in 1952.
Among the major-league congueros who played with the Puente band in the '50s were Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Johnny Pacheco, and Ray Barretto, which resulted in some explosive percussion shootouts. Not one to paint himself into a tight Latin music corner, Puente's range extended to big-band jazz (Puente Goes Jazz), and in the '60s, bossa nova tunes, Broadway hits, boogaloos, and pop music, although in later years he tended to stick with older Latin jazz styles that became popularly known as salsa. In 1982, he started reeling off a string of several Latin jazz albums with octets or big bands for Concord Picante that gave him greater exposure and respect in the jazz world than he ever had.
An indefatigable visitor to the recording studios, Puente recorded his 100th album, The Mambo King, in 1991 amid much ceremony and affection (an all-star Latin music concert at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheatre in March 1992 commemorated the milestone), and he kept adding more titles to the tally throughout the '90s. He also appeared as a guest on innumerable albums over the years, and such jazz stars as Phil Woods, George Shearing, James Moody, Dave Valentin, and Terry Gibbs played on Puente's own later albums. Just months after accepting his fifth Grammy award, he died on June 1, 2000. Several months later, Puente was recognized at the first annual Latin Grammy Awards, winning for Best Traditional Tropical Perfomance for Mambo Birdland.
© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Here comes... Tito Puente!
Latin America - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on Jun 17, 1950
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Cuando Suenan Los Tambores
Salsa - Released by RCA Records Label on Jan 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Coleccion Diamante
Salsa - Released by RCA Records Label on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Tito Puente Vol.1
Salsa - Released by RCA Records Label on Jul 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tito Puente "Live" Treasures (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Mar 17, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tito Puente "Live" Treasures Vol.2 (En Vivo)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Aug 16, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live Treasures "Standards" Vol.2 (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Mar 9, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
"Live" Treasures Vibes (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Dec 4, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tito Puente "Live" Treasures Vol. 3 (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Aug 16, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
"Live" Treasures "Standards" Vol.4 (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Mar 16, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
"Live" Treasures "Standards" Vol.5 (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Mar 16, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live Treasures "Standards" Vol.1 (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Mar 9, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Solo Por La Música
World - Released by Pimienta Records on Jan 5, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dance Cha Cha Cha
World - Released by World Music Records on Nov 1, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
"Live" Treasures Vol.3 (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Dec 8, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live Treasures: Standards, Vol. 6 (Live)
Latin America - Released by Joe Conzo Sr. Productions on Mar 16, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nuevo Mambo
Latin America - Released by DCD Radio on Jul 12, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tito Puente Vol. 1
Folk - Released by 2024 Artyvoz Digital on Apr 15, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tito Puente Vol. 2
Folk - Released by 2024 Artyvoz Digital on Apr 15, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -