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Recently
Airto was in the town for
the Modern Drummer Festival and he stopped
by the LP studio for an interview
and to record some great percussion tracks. |
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Don
Alias was first photographed by me
in 1973. It was a time when Don's career choice
was in question. Since he ws a kid in Harlem,
NYC, he was deeply into the culture of hand
drumming. Yet, he also pursued a career in
medical science. To support his family, he
quit his business of music more than once.
Through perseverence and some lucky breaks,
Don moved into the winner's circle of rhythm
as a means of making a living. Listen
to Don tell of two of these pivotal experiences. |
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Cindy
Blackman stopped by th LP® photo
studio for her first photo session and to
talk about her varied and interesting career.
She notes that her greatest love is jazz music.
She has several recordings out as a leader,
as well as an instuctional video. Listen
to what this master had to say to me about
her career. |
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Edwin
Bonilla is the all-around percussionist
for a woman who's short listed as one of the
world's most acclaimed Latin artists ever,
Gloria Estefan. But when he was growing up
in New Jersey, it was Motown, not Latin, he
listened to. Listen
to Edwin tell his story. |
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Richie
Bonilla has been in the music management
business for 38 years. He has most recently
specialized in bringing Latin acts to Japan
and Japanese bands to the United State and
elsewhere in the world. He has had occasion
recently to bring Patato to Mexico to accompany
Cachao. Here
is an amusing story of this trip. |
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Pucho
Brown discussed
with me his recent successes at 4 West
Coast night clubs which included The Conga
Room, The Elbow Room and Mr. E's. Listen to
this old timer tell of his growing base of
fans throughout the world. |
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Candido
Camero is one of my greatest inspirations.
There is no denying that Candido's early recorded
work with jazz pianist Billy Taylor had an
important effect in shaping my career. I hope
I am blessed with the same productive long
life as this legend. Listen
to Candido talk about his career in an
interview he and Patato did while visiting
the LP® studios. |
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Edmar
Castañeda, a harpist from Columbia,
visited the LP® studio to share his story
and his music with us.
Listen to Edmar discuss his unique style
of palying a left-hand bass accompaniment
to his right-hand melody and what his plans
are for his future in the music industry. |
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Wilson
"Chembo" Corniel began playing
congas, bongos and bata at the age of 12 and
is well versed at playing Latin jazz and salsa.
In addition to recording and touring with
Larry Harlow's Latin Legends band, Chembo
has worked with Tito Puente, Bobby Sanabria
and Ascension and Chuch Valdez. Listen
to Chembo discuss his career. |
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Bobby
Cruz, legendary Salsa musician, speaks
with me about his career with longtime
partner Richie Rey and his association with
his church in Miami, Fl. |
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Paquito
D'Rivera was a child prodigy who at
a very early age was playing clarinet and
saxophone with the Cuban National Symphony
Orchestra. Paquito's music has many influences
reflected in it. He
has received rave reviews throughout his career,
which has taken him all over the world. He
is well known for his compositions as well
as for his live performances. Listen
to Paquito discuss his career and perform
exclusively for congahead.com. |
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Jimmy Delgado and I have known eachother
since 1978, when he recorded on the Luis "Perico"
Ortiz album, My Own Image. At that time he
worked with many of the top bands in New York.
Currently working with Harry Belefonte, listen
to Jimmy reflect on his varied career. |
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Thomas
Dyani-Akuro was born in Copenhagen
of a Danish mother and Nigerian father. He
developed his percussion career in Denmark
and around 1990, emigrated to the UK for work
opportunities. He would have come to
the States (New York, more specifically, if
he could have gotten a green card).
When I caught up with Thomas by phone, he
just arrived from an overnight trip on a Incognito's
tour bus. During this interview he talked
about growing up with step father, South African
bassist, Johnny Dyani who had a big musical
influence on him. This
is what he had to say to me. |
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Richie
Garcia spoke
with me after the Latin Grammy Awards
in Los Angeles about his career performing
and giving educational lectures. |
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Sergio
George is a musician/producer/composer,
who has had a profound effect on the music
industry. Listen
to him tell his story. |
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Percussionist,
Giovanni Hidalgo and saxophonist,
Chico Freeman, stopped by
the LP® Photo Studio on June 2, 1999 for
a photo session and talked
about the recent work they did together
in Europe and America. |
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Carlos
Kanno from Tokyo, Japan is an accomplished
practitioner of Afro Caribbean percussion
and was co leader of the now disbanded Japanese
Salsa group, Orquesta de la Luz. He is currently
the leader of the Nettei Tropical Latin Jazz
Big Band. Carlos stopped by the LP®
photo studio for a new photo session and to
share his thoughts
about his career. |
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Steve
Kroon and I first met around 1976 when
I used to host jam sessions in my home in
Hillsdale, New Jersey. Steve has always
been devoted to the Cuban musical traditions
and has gone on to expand his percussion abilities
to include the rhythms of Brazil and Africa.
All of these experiences are incorporated
in his work outstanding artists like singer,
Luther Vandross, bassist, Ron Carter and jazz
drumming sensation, Lewis Nash. Listen
to Steve tell his story. |
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MacDonald and I have been tight since
1973 when I met him at Les McCann's recording
of the album, Layers. Through his early
association with Harry Belefonte, he was the
first to bring percussion to a non-Caribbean
audience. As one of the most recorded
percussionists, Ralph talks about his musical
journey from Harry Belefonte to Jimmy Buffet
(with whom he is currently performing and
writing songs). Ralph's song writing
has made him the most highly compensated percussionist
of all time.Listen
to what this master has to say. In his
amazing career, he has walked out of only
two sessions. Learn
which they were. |
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Jose
Madera joined the Tito Puente Band
twenty-eight years ago and never looked back.
He ultimately became the group's musical director
and played a featured role in the evolution
of Latin music in this country and around
the world. Listen
to Jose talk about his career and about
teaching at the Harbor Conservatory. |
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Pedrito
Martinez began performing
at the age of 11, where he played and sang
in comparsa groups in school. Born and raised
in Cuba, he had the unique opportunity to
work with numerous Afro-Cuban groups, such
as Yoruba Andabo, Obba Ilu, Tata Guines, Changuito,
Anga and many others. Listen
to what he had to say. |
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Eddie
Montalvo and I have known each other
since 1975 and he has been a close friend
of mine ever since. Eddie has recorded with
the leading names in Latin dance music, from
The Fania All Stars to Ruben Blades. His work
is especially admired for the steady time
he keeps and his ability to "lock" with the
other members of a rhythm section, creates
the power of a freight train coming down the
track. Listen
to Eddie tell about his career from his
beginnings jamming in the South Bronx where
he grew up, to how important fiberglass
congas have been to his craft. |
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Chino
Nuñez has been keeping
himself quite busy performing as a timbale
palyer in various bands throughout New York
and recording on many important CD's. In addition,
he has been playing piano and putting together
a digital recording studio at his home. Listen
to what this Brooklyn, New York native had
to say to me. |
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Versatile
percussionist, Luis Orbegoso,
is working hard to promote the burgeoning
Latin Jazz scene in Toronto Canada. During
a recent discussion with Luis, I discovered
that he has been a genuine inspiration to
me in my personal as well as my professional
life. Listen
to Luis discuss his unique approach to percussion
in this exclusive int.0erview. |
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Armando
Peraza has a frank discussion with
several important San Francisco Bay area musicians.
Listen
to them discuss Armando's greatness, not
only as a musician, but as a human being as
well. |
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Ron
Powell speaks
about growing up in Philadelphia and first
playing the congas. He tells about working
with Sergio Mendez and learning to play in
Brazil. Ron also discusses how he treats music
like a business and of his success which has
lasted for over 30 years. |
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Dafnis
Prieto discusses
with me his career and how he got started
playing the guitar and then switched to percussion. |
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Mario
Rivera has carved a unique
niche for himself in the world of jazz as
a talented multi-instrumentalist who continually
strives to intergrate elements of meringue
into his music. Hear
him discuss his journey as a musician
from the Dominican Republic who went on to
play stages all over the world while touring
with Tito Puente, Roy Haines, George Coleman
& many others. |
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In
1964, Bob Dylan and a host of other folk/rock
troubadours were down in New York's East Village
revolutionizing popular music with voices
of protest and defiance. Over in the Bronx,
Johnny Rodriguez Jr. was learning
to play music that was just as revolutionary
in an altogether different way. "Dandy",
as Johnny is known to his friends, was still
in high school in 1964. After testing positive
for rhythm on a school aptitude test, he became
a drummer. He tried playing a traditional
drum kit but it didn't hold his interest.
Percussion, timbales, bongos, congas did.
Listen
to him tell his story. |
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Peter
"El Conde" Rodriguez
discusses
his career in this exclusive interview
available only on congahead.com. |
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Ruben Rodriguez is the leading salsa
bass player in New York today. He is
one of these naturals that is not the product
of a music school but someone who has mastered
his craft by working since a very young age
in everything from the Motown sound to local
barrio bands. He has worked with the
great singer Roberta Flack and has recorded
with every significant artist in the New York
area from Tito Puente, Johnny Pacheco, Machito,
Luis Ramirez, Ray de la Paz, Grover Washington,
and Hilton Ruiz to name just a few.
Ruben is not only a great player but a devoted
father of three and an all around fun guy
to be around. Listen
to him tell the story of his evolution
as a bass playing giant. |
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Yosvany Terry talks
about his career and how he got started
in music. |
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Chris
Theberge gave up a career in the suit
and tie world to pursue his passion for music.
For over 4 years he has been the conga drummer
with the acid jazz band, Groove Collective.
While working in this hybrid musical form,
Chris has not forgotten the importance of
knowing the origins of the rhythms he embraces
and traveled recently to Cuba to gain greater
understanding of drumming from this Island.
Listen to
Chris talk about his life and views on
music. |
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Steve
Thornton and I have known eachother
for nearly 25 years. He is one of the
best percussionists and one of the kindest
human beings I have had the priveledge to
know. Listen
to Steve talk about his work with some
of the most important names in music such
as Miles Davis and what life is like for a
guy from Brooklyn, in the muslim world of
Malaysia. |
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Carlos
'Patato' Valdez
talks about his career in an interview
he and Candido did while visiting the LP®
studios. Also
listen to Patato sing LP's first theme song. |
