Francisco Aguabella (October 10, 1925 – May 7, 2010) was an Afro-Cuban percussionist whose career spanned folk, jazz, and dance bands. He was a prolific session musician and recorded seven albums as a leader.

Biography

In Cuba

Aguabella was born in

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, Cuba. He demonstrated a special aptitude for drumming at an early age, and was initiated into several Afro-Cuban drumming traditions, including batá, iyesá, arará, olokún, and abakuá. Aguabella also grew up with rumba.

In the United States

In the 1950s, he left Cuba to perform with

Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for ma ...

in the Shelley Winters film ''

Mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music *Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particular ...

'' filmed in Italy. He immigrated to the United States in 1953 and performed and toured with

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

for the next seven years. Francisco Aguabella is one of a handful of Cuban percussionists who came to the United States in the 1940s and 50s. Other notable Cuban percussionists who came to the U.S. during that time include

Chano Pozo Luciano Pozo González (January 7, 1915 – December 3, 1948), known professionally as Chano Pozo, was a Cuban jazz percussionist, singer, dancer, and composer. Despite only living to age 33, he played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz. ...

, Mongo Santamaria,

Armando Peraza Armando Peraza (May 30, 1924 – April 14, 2014) was a Latin jazz percussionist and a member of the rock band Santana. Peraza played congas, bongos, and timbales. Biography Early life Born in Lawton Batista, Havana, Cuba in 1924 (although the b ...

Julito Collazo Julio "Julito" Collazo (1925 – March 5, 2004) was a master percussionist. Collazo was born in Havana, Cuba. He began playing the ritual music of Santería on the batá drums at the age of fifteen. He moved to United States in the 1950s to join ...

Carlos Vidal Bolado Carlos Vidal Bolado also known as "Vidal Bolado" (1914–1996) was a Cuban conga drummer and an original member of Machito and his Afro-Cubans. Vidal holds the double distinction of being the first to record authentic folkloric Cuban rumba and ...

and Modesto Durán. During his long career Aguabella performed in Europe, Australia, South America, and all over the United States (including the White House). Francisco enjoyed an extensive music performing and recording career and delighted many audiences with his masterful and powerful rhythms. Francisco performed with many great jazz artists such as

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria,

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. Early life Pal ...

Cachao Israel López Valdés (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), better known as Cachao ( ), was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo and a master of the descarga (improvised jam sessions). T ...

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical elemen ...

, Cal Tjader, Nancy Wilson,

Poncho Sanchez Poncho Sánchez (born Filoberto Sanchez, October 30, 1951) is an American ''conguero'' (conga player), Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer. In 2000, he and his ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the C ...

Bebo Valdes Bebo ( ) was an American social networking website that originally operated from 2005 until its bankruptcy in 2013 and relaunched in February 2021. The site relaunched several times after its bankruptcy with a number of short-lived offerings, ...

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

, and numerous others. He is featured in the 1995 documentary ''Sworn to the Drum'' by filmmaker Les Blank, and is featured in a documentary titled ''Aguabella'' currently in production, directed by actor/filmmaker

Orestes Matacena Orestes Matacena (born August 29, 1941) is a Cuban–American actor, director, producer and writer. His most notable appearance is in the 1994 film '' The Mask'' as crime boss Niko. In 1973, Matacena appeared as Olimpio in the Duo Theatre produ ...

('' The Mask'', '' Bitter Sugar''). He has also appeared with his ensemble on television programs including the Orlando Jones Show on FX. During the 1970s he was a member of the Jorge Santana Latin rock band

Malo Mal, which in Spanish means ''bad or evil'', may also refer to: Places *Malo, Italy, a town *Malo Island, formerly known as St. Bartholomew, Vanuatu * Malo (Solomon Islands), an island *Malo, Washington, Ferry County, Washington, United States * ...

. Francisco was a widely recognized master conguero and bata artist, a caring and knowledgeable instructor. Aguabella was a faculty member at the annual

Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance and Drum The annual ''Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance & Drum'' workshops were founded by Howie Kaufman and are hosted by the Humboldt State University Office of Extended Education in Arcata, California. The classes focus on Afro-Cuban folkloric song, dance, ...

workshop hosted by the

Humboldt State University California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universi ...

Office of Extended Education in Arcata, California. He lived in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he taught Afro-Cuban drumming to undergraduate and graduate students at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. Aguabella died in Los Angeles on May 7, 2010 of a cancer-related illness.

Instruments

Aguabella played

congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest) ...

, bata, quinto, coro,

shekere The shekere (from Yoruba Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀) is a West African percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. The Shekere originated in a tribe in Nigeria called the Yoruba. The ins ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, claves, bongos, timbales, cajon and other assorted percussion instruments.

Awards and honors

Francisco received numerous awards including a 1992 National Heritage Fellowship from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, the Durfee Foundation's Master Musicians' Fellowship, and recognition by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Discography

As leader

* ''Dance the Latin Way'' (Fantasy, 1962) * ''Hitting Hard'' (Epsilon 1977) * ''Oriza: Santeria Religion Afrocubana'' ( Cubop/Ubiquity, 1993) * ''H2O'' (Cubop, 1999) * ''Agua de Cuba'' (Cubop, 1999) * ''Cubacan'' (Cubop, 2002) * ''Cantos a los Orishas'' (Pimienta, 2002) * ''Ochimini'' (Cubop, 2004)

As sideman

With

* ''Master Sessions Volume I'' (Epic, 1994) * ''Master Sessions Volume II'' (Epic, 1995) With

* ''

Mink Jazz ''Mink Jazz'' is a 1963 studio album by Peggy Lee, arranged by Benny Carter and Max Bennett. Track listing # " It's a Big Wide Wonderful World" (John Rox) – 1:37 # " Whisper Not" (Leonard Feather, Benny Golson) – 2:17 # "My Silent Love" ...

'' (Capitol, 1963) * ''

In the Name of Love IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

'' (Capitol, 1964) * '' Pass Me By'' (Capitol, 1965) With

* ''Ascencion'' (Warner Bros., 1974) * ''Dos'' (Warner Bros., 1972) * ''Evolution'' (Warner Bros., 1973) With

* '' Justicia'' (Tico, 1969) * ''Lucumí, Macumba, Voodoo '' (Epic, 1978) * ''Sueño'' (Intuition, 1989) * ''Champagne'' (Tico, 1990) With Tito Puente * ''Top Percussion'' (RCA, 1958) * ''El Rey'' (Concord Jazz Picante, 1984) With Mongo Santamaria * ''Yambu'' (Fantasy, 1958) * ''Afro Roots'' (Prestige, 1972) With

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

* ''

The Swing of Delight ''The Swing of Delight'' is a 1980 double album by Carlos Santana. It was released under his temporary Sanskrit name ''Devadip'' Carlos Santana, given to him by Sri Chinmoy. It peaked at #65 on the charts. On the album, Santana is joined by mu ...

'' (Columbia, 1980) * ''

Spirits Dancing in the Flesh ''Spirits Dancing in the Flesh'' is the sixteenth studio album by Santana. It reached eighty-five in the ''Billboard'' 200. Track listing #"Let There Be Light/Spirits Dancing in the Flesh" ( Carlos Santana, Chester D. Thompson) – 7:20 #" Gy ...

'' (Columbia, 1990) With

* ''

Gone with the Wave ''Gone with the Wave'' is a soundtrack album to the surf film of the same name by Argentine composer, pianist and conductor Lalo Schifrin recorded in 1964 and released on the Colpix Records, Colpix label.Payne, DLalo Schifrin discographyaccessed M ...

'' ( Colpix, 1965) * '' More Mission: Impossible'' (

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

, 1968) * ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...

'' (Paramount, 1968) * ''Che!'' (Tetragrammaton, 1969) * ''Enter the Dragon'' (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

, 1973) * ''Metamorphosis: Jazz Meets the Symphony No. 4'' (Aleph, 1998) With others *

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

Walfredo de los Reyes Walfredo de los Reyes Sr. is a Cuban percussionist, timbalero, and educator, in the fields of session recording, live performance, and clinics. He is the father of famed percussionists Walfredo Reyes Jr. and Daniel de los Reyes and of actor Kamar ...

, ''Ecue'' (Pablo, 1978) *

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

, ''Movie and TV Themes'' (Choreo/V.S.O.P. 1987) * Harry Betts, ''The Jazz Soul of Doctor Kildare'' (Choreo, 1962) *

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

, '' Other Voices'' (Elektra, 1971) * Pete Escovedo, ''Flying South'' (Concord Picante, 1995) *

Gil Fuller Walter Gilbert "Gil" Fuller (April 14, 1920, Los Angeles, California – May 26, 1994, San Diego, California) was an American jazz arranger. He is no relation to the jazz trumpeter and vocalist Walter Fuller (musician), Walter "Rosetta" Fuller. I ...

, '' Night Flight'' (

Pacific Jazz Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...

, 1966) *

, ''

The New Continent ''The New Continent'' is an album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band featuring performances arranged and composed by Lalo Schifrin and conducted by Benny Carter recorded in 1962 and released on the Limelight label.Limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when ...

, 1965) * Neal Hefti, ''Jazz Pops'' (Reprise, 2007) *

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

, ''Canyon Lady'' (Milestone, 1975) *

Bobby Hutcherson Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note album '' Components'', is one of his best-known compositions.Huey, Steve. "Components – Bob ...

, '' Ambos Mundos'' (Landmark, 1989) *

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups a ...

, ''Contemporary Latin Rhythms'' (Reprise, 1963) * Hugh Masekela, ''

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

'' (Chisa, 1970) *

Dave Mackay David Craig Mackay (14 November 1934 – 2 March 2015) was a Scottish football player and manager. Mackay was best known for a highly successful playing career with Heart of Midlothian, the Double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of 1961, an ...

Vicky Hamilton Vicky Hamilton (born April 1, 1958) is an American record executive, personal manager, promoter and club booker, journalist, playwright, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, and artist. She is noted for managing the early careers of Guns N' R ...

, ''Dave Mackay & Vicky Hamilton'' (Impulse!, 1969) *

Pages Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young mal ...

, ''Pages'' (Epic, 1978) * Emil Richards, ''Yazz Per Favore'' (Del-fi, 1961) *

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

, '' The Rhythm of the Saints'' (Warner Bros., 1990) *

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's ...

, ''The Wonder Bag'' (Vault 1970)

Filmography

*1954 — ''Mambo'' *1985 — ''Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella'' (directed by Les Blank)

References

External links

* * *
Francisco Aguabella DRUM! Magazine Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguabella, Francisco 1925 births 2010 deaths Conga players Batá drummers Cuban jazz percussionists Afro-Cuban jazz percussionists National Heritage Fellowship winners Musicians from Los Angeles Ubiquity Records artists Deaths from cancer in California People from Matanzas Cuban emigrants to the United States UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music faculty