Andy Gonzalez & Rumbajazz with Jerry Gonzalez, Pedrito Martinez, Perdomo, and Ivan Renta in Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest 2008.
One of the great musicians of his generation Jerry Gonzalez passed away in accident in Spain. More information coming as we get it.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
Jack Costanzo (1919-2018)
Jack Costanzo started out as a dancer but self-education which included three trips to Havana in the 1940s made him a bongero (bongo master) and he was in instant demand both with jazz and Latin orchestras.
His first exposure to the instrument came when he was 14 years old at a ballroom dance concert in his home town of Chicago.
Costanzo probably did more to introduce the bongos to North American music than any other single artist.
Here’s a short list of some of the artists he collaborated with over the years:
Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Navarro, Frank Sinatra, Desi Arnaz, Rene Touzet, Stan Kenton, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Danny Kaye, Perez Prado, Charlie Barnet, Pete Rugolo, Betty Grable, Harry James, Judy Garland, Patti Page, Jane Powell, Ray Anthony, Martin & Lewis, Frances Faye, Dinah Shore, Xavier Cugat, Tony Curtis and Eddie Fisher.
Some excerpts from an excellent article on Costanzo by George Varga that appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“I had to learn on my own, which is good, because I developed my own style. It seemed like it came natural. I listened to a lot of music. (Noted Spanish bandleader) Xavier Cugat was big. And, many years later, he hired me.”
“(An) aneurysm did not keep the tireless “Mr. Bongo” from headlining concerts periodically until as recently as late 2015. Nor did it deter him from practicing his drumming at home, nearly every day, until just a few weeks ago.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
New Orleans drum master Zigaboo Modeliste explains how he built the iconic drum riff to the funk classic “Hey Pocky A-Way” from the clave.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
Filmed June 1, 2013 at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in San Francisco
The jam (“descarga”) is based on Cachao’s “Las Boinas.”
The Cuba-based band Havana D´Primera is led by Cienfuegos-born trumpet player Alexander Abreu.
Back home, this very popular band is known for its “Timba” music, a combination of salsa, American funk/R&B, and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music.
Sabrosa.
Personnel:
Alexander Abreu – leader, vocals, trumpet
Tony Rodríguez – piano
Avis Tobías – bass
Harold Díaz Escobar – teclado
Keisel Jiménez – drums/percussion
Guillermo del Toro Varela – drums/percussion
Mauricio Gutiérrez Upman – drums/percussion
Amaury Pérez Rodríguez – trombone
Jannier Rodríguez – coro
Enrique Luis Pérez – coro
Rogelio Nápoles – guitar
Uyuni Martínez Romero – trumpet
Orlando Jesús Vázquez – trumpet
Angel Batule – sound engineer
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
I think Dizzy would have loved this band and this version of the classic he wrote with Chano Pozo.
Chicas de la Habana are, well, chicas de la Habana, young women from Havana.
They’re currently based in Madrid, Spain.
As is the case for so many outstanding Cuban musicians, it’s not easy finding information about them, but their music speaks for itself.
Great news!
You can now watch this video – and all Spanish language videos – with English subtitles. It’s free!
Click here for instructions on how to turn on English subtitles.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
You’ve got to hand it to Harvard. They’ve got money and in this case they knew how to spend it.
This short video is an excellent musical and visual survey of some of the best that the western part of Cuba has to offer music lovers.
Cuban saxophonist, percussionist and composer Yosvany Terry directs the jazz bands at Harvard where he is also a Visiting Senior Lecturer on Music.
He arranged to bring the school’s jazz band and other students to Cuba for a nine day tour.
They hit all the hot spots: Güines, the home of the birthplace of percussion genius Tata Güines; Mantanzas, where they heard the danzon group Orquesta Típica Miguel Failde and the rumba super group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas; and Havana where they met and played with Cuba jazz patriarch Bobby Carcassés, chekeré master Don Pancho Terry, trumpeter Julito Padrón, and bass player Gastón Joya.
They also visited three conservatories in Havana, Guillermo Tomás, Amadeo Roldán, and the National Schools for the Arts (La Ena), something casual tourists can’t do.
Great news!
You can now watch this video – and all Spanish language videos – with English subtitles. It’s free!
Click here for instructions on how to turn on English subtitles.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
Thelonious Monk
All year long, we borrow from Peter to pay Paul to keep Jazz on the Tube coming to you and thousands of others for free every day, 365 days a year.
We can’t do what we do without your help. Help keep Jazz on the Tube alive. THANKS!