Jack Costanzo
A premier percussionist and one of the few to emphasize bongos over congas, Jack Costanzo taught himself both bongos and congas, and made three visits to Havana in the '40s to learn Afro-Cuban rhythms. He toured and performed with Stan Kenton in 1947 and 1948, then worked with Nat King Cole from 1949 to 1953. Costanzo continued to periodically play with both Cole and Kenton through the '50s, working with Kenton until 1957 while also heading out his own. This group recorded in 1954 and 1957, later touring London in 1961. Costanzo also worked in the '50s with Peggy Lee, Pérez Prado, Harry James, Charlie Barnet, and Pete Rugolo. Costanzo kept a relatively low profile during the latter decades of the 20th century, but made a comeback in the late '90s. His return-to-form album Back from Havana was released in 2001 followed by Scorching the Skins in 2002 (both on Cubop Records). Chicken and Rice was issued by GNP/Crescendo in 2006. Jack Costanzo died in August of 2018 at the age of 98.
© Ron Wynn /TiVo
Discography
11 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Latin Percussion With Soul
World - Released by Fania on Jan 1, 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Equation in Rhythm
Jazz - Released by Decca (UMO) on Jan 1, 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Back from Havana
Latin America - Released by CuBop on Feb 6, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Scorching the Skins
Latin America - Released by CuBop on Feb 19, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Afro-Cuban Concord - Jack Costanzo Bongos Sound
Latin America - Released by Tropical Sounds on Apr 26, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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