Tito Puente Festival
at LatinJazzClub Magazine
Remembering Tito Puente
Yosvany Terry Cabrera (New York City)
Saxophone, piano, percussion
My knowledge about Tito's
music is not enough ( I always consider ) to make a great reflections
on his work. Nevertheless he was one of the most important figure
in the Afro-Cuban or Afro-Caribbean music, opening new doors
and expanding the language into new territories.
Living an incredible work
for the posterity and registering various important periods of
creation for the Latino & Caribbean culture. His name without
doubt entered the Pantheon of Sacred Deities who protect en guide
the course of music today and for the future. For many years
while he was a life it rested on his shoulder the - like the
version of the latino Atlas - the responsability of a culture
and the magic fenomeno of music.
Tomas Algarin (Atlanta, GA)
Executive Producer "Latin Aura" Jazz 91.9FM WCLK- Atlanta
"El Rey" Tito Puente
represents the best of what is Latin music, from the Mambo Era
of the 50's on up through what is now called Latin Jazz. Puente's
gift of music, his charisma, and his style made us all proud
to be Latinos and Nuyorican's in particular.
My fondest memory of Tito
has to be his gift to me of a set of his Timbale sticks following
his first performance in Atlanta back in the 1980's. It was the
first time in many years that he performed in Atlanta, and I
shared the stage with him as emcee. His gift to me embodied,
in that single gesture, the essence of the Tito Puente we all
learned to love and admire, that is, someone willing to give,
to share and to recognize talent in others. For me, Tito Puente
remains that which is the best of the past, the present and the
future of Latin music.
READ MORE:
Noted musicians, Jazz Journalists,
radio hosts reflect on the life and times of the "King of
Latin Music" Tito Puente: Larry
Harlow, Sonny Bravo, Jose Madera, John Santos, Arturo O'Farrill, Howard
Mandel, Victor Mendoza, JC Johnny Conga, Ruben
Rodriguez, Rudy Mangual, Ralph Irizarry, Mark Levine, Erik
Chico Manqueros, Vicki Sola', Cuban
Pete & Barbara Craddock, Chembo Corniel, Luis Moreno, Bob
DeSena, Ramiro Burr, Dr. Jazz, Kevin Espinosa, Nina
Olson, Andrea Brachfeld,
Mark
Weinstein, Richie Gajate, Michael Bongard, Jesse
"Chuy" Varela,
Memo
Acevedo, Norberto Rivera,
Richard
John Cadena, Trevor Salloum,
Rae Arroyo, Mark Holston, Thomas
Peña, Yosvany
Terry Cabrera, Tomas Algarin
BUY
TITO PUENTE MUSIC
This interview was edited
by
Bobby Ramirez
br@latinjazzclub.com
Photo by Jorge Garcia from
the album: Tito Puente Mambo Birdland
