Caption

This photo of Julito Collazo was taken in the mid 1970's when he was playing drumset with Tito Puente. Julito is best known for his contributions to Santaria, the religion that is derived from a combination of Catholic and Yuriba origins. His voice, as heard in his performance of the ritual songs of this faith, is one of the most distinctive I have ever heard. He is the Padrino to many, including LP artists Carol Steele and Michael Spiro. Julito performed his magic on the recording Authority that I made of Patato. On that album was a theme that Patato composed for my drum company and Julito can be heard singing his praises of the product line.