Manny Oquendo
Manny Oquendo (January 1, 1931 – March 25, 2009)[1] was an American percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. His main instruments were bongos and timbales. [See: "Timbale Demonstration" (Manny Oquendo) and "The Martillo [Bongo] Pattern" (Manny Oquendo).] Oquendo's timbale solos were famous for their tastefully sparse, straight forward "tipico" phrasing.[2] His solos also incorporated the rhythmic language of the folkloric quinto, the lead drum of rumba.[3]
Oquendo grew up in New York, and began studying percussion in 1945. He worked in the bands of tropical and Latin music ensembles such as Carlos Valero, Luis del Campo, Juan "El Boy" Torres, Chano Pozo, Jose Budet, Juanito Sanabria, Marcelino Guerra, Jose Curbelo, and Pupi Campo. In 1950, he became the bongo player for Tito Puente. Following this he played with Tito Rodriquez in 1954 and Vincentico Valdes in 1955. He worked freelance in New York before joining Eddie Palmieri's La Perfecta orchestra in 1962, where he helped develop the New York-style mozambique rhythm.[4][5] He co-led Conjunto Libre (later simply Libre), with bassist Andy Gonzalez, from 1974, and had a worldwide hit with "Little Sunflower" in 1983.
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[edit] Discography
- Con Salsa, Con Ritmo (Salsoul Records, 1976)
- Con Salsa, Con Ritmo Vol. 2 - Tiene Calidad, (Salsoul, 1978)
- Los Lideres de la Salsa (Salsoul, 1979)
- Libre Increible (Salsoul, 1981)
- Ritmo, Sonido, y Estilo (Montuno Records, 1983)
- Mejor que Nunca (Milestone Records, 1994)
- Muevete! (Milestone, 1996)
- Ahora (Milestone, 1999)
- Los New Yorkinos (Milestone, 2000)
[edit] References
- ^ Grimes, William (April 12, 2009). "Manny Oquendo, Latin Band Leader and Stylistic Innovator, Dies at 78". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/arts/music/13oquendo.html. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
- ^ Peñalosa, David (2010). "Mambo Timbal Solo Excerpt," The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins p. 200. Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISBN 1-886502-80-3.
- ^ Peñalosa, David (2010). "Soloing in Popular Music," Rumba Quinto p. 112. Redway, CA: Bembe Books. ISBN 1453713131
- ^ "Timbale Demonstration" (Manny Oquendo). Unlocking Clave. Web. Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=200083626696964
- ^ Mozambique (Eddie Palmieri). Tico CD 1126 (1965).
[edit] Sources
- Manny Oquendo at Allmusic
- Manny Oquendo at lpmusic.com
- Herencia Latina - Obituary
[edit] Links
- "Mi mambo conga" (Eddie Palmieri 1965). Web. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcqLR2pvuoc
- "The History of the New York-Style Mozambique," Andy Gonzalez interviews Manny Oquendo. Unlocking Clave. Web. Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=196776013694392
- "Mozambique" (Manny Oquendo). Unlocking Clave. Web. Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=200210736684253
- "Timbale Demonstration" (Manny Oquendo). Unlocking Clave. Web. Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=200083626696964
