Mongo Santamaría

Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. His biggest hit was his rendition of Herbie Hancock's " Watermelon Man", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. From the 1970s, he recorded mainly salsa and Latin jazz, before retiring in the late 1990s.

Mongo learned to play the congas as an amateur rumba musician in the streets of Havana. He then learned the bongos from Clemente "Chicho" Piquero and toured with various successful bands such as the Lecuona Cuban Boys and Sonora Matancera. In 1950, he moved to New York City, where he became Tito Puente's ''conguero'' and in 1957 he joined Cal Tjader's band. He then formed his own charanga, while at the same time recording some of the first rumba and Santería music albums. By the end of the decade, he had his first pachanga hit, "Para ti". He then became a pioneer of boogaloo with "Watermelon Man" and later signed record deals with Columbia, Atlantic and Fania. He collaborated with salsa artists and became a member of the Fania All-Stars, often showcasing his conga solos against Ray Barretto. In his later years, Santamaría recorded mostly Latin jazz for Concord Jazz and Chesky Records.

Biography

Master rumbero

Santamaría learned rumba as a kid in the streets of Havana's Jesús María neighborhood. He reminisced: "In the neighborhood where I came from we had all kinds of music, mostly from Africa. We did not leave it alone; we changed it our way. The music we made dealt with religion and conversation. The drum was our tool and we used it for everything" (1979: 19). Gerard points out: "Santamaría, like other drummers of his generation, learned music in the streets by observing different drummers. When he started playing professionally, he learned on the job. His approach was utilitarian, not theoretical" (2001: 29). Santamaría was mentored on bongos and congas by Clemente "Chicho" Piquero, who played in Beny Moré's band. He recalled: "I would go with Chicho and play the tumbadora and also the uinto I would play everything because I learned a lot from Chicho—because he could play everything" (2001: 137).

Santamaría recorded some of the very first recorded folkloric rumbas. Because he recorded for mainstream jazz labels, his folkloric records were consistently available to the public. Santamaría's albums tended to list the personnel and their instruments; so record buyers came to know other Cuban rumberos, such as Armando Peraza, Francisco Aguabella, Julito Collazo, Carlos Vidal Bolado, Modesto Duran and Pablo Mozo. The 10 inch 33 1/3 rpm phonorecord ''Afro-Cuban Drums'' by Santamaría was recorded in SMC's New York City studios on November 3, 1952. Santamaría's next recordings with folkloric rumba were on ''Changó'' (re-issued as ''Drums and Chants'') recorded in New York (1954). ''Yambú'' (1958), ''Mongo'' (1959), and ''Bembé'' (1960) followed.

Santamaría did not analyze his personal style: "When I play I don't know how I do it, or what I do ... I just play" (2001: 29). The following example is an excerpt from a quinto performance by Santamaría on his composition "Mi guaguancó" (1959). The excerpt shows variations on two main motifs, marked as A and B. Santamaría's repetition of what is typically a secondary phrase (B), makes it the primary motif here.

Drummer, band leader, innovator

Santamaría began playing bongos with Septeto Beloña in 1937. In the 1940s he worked in the house band of the prestigious Tropicana nightclub. When Chicho could not go on the tour in Mexico in the late 1940s, he recommended Santamaría for the job. Mexico opened Santamaría up to the wider world beyond his island home. After returning from Mexico in 1950, Santamaría moved to New York City, where he became Tito Puente's conga player. In 1957 Mongo Santamaría joined Cal Tjader's Latin jazz combo.

In 1959 Santamaría recorded "Afro Blue," the first jazz standard built upon a typical African 3:2 cross-rhythm, or hemiola. The song begins with the bass repeatedly playing 6 cross-beats per each measure of 12/8, or 6 cross-beats per 4 main beats—6:4 (two cells of 3:2). The following example shows the original ostinato "Afro Blue" bass line. The slashed noteheads indicate the main beats (not bass notes), where you would normally tap your foot to "keep time."

In 1960 Santamaría went to Havana, Cuba with Willie Bobo to record two albums "Mongo In Havana" and "Bembe y Nuestro Hombre En La Habana." After recording, he returned to New York City to form the charanga orquestra La Sabrosa.

In late 1962 Chick Corea had given notice and Santamaría needed a pianist to fill in for the upcoming weekend gigs. Herbie Hancock got the temporary job. Hancock recalls what happened the night that Santamaría discovered " Watermelon Man", the only tune of Santamaría's to reach the top of the pop charts:

The sudden success of the song (which Mongo Santamaria recorded on December 17, 1962) propelled Santamaría into his niche of blending Afro-Cuban and African American music. Santamaría went on to record Cuban-flavored versions of popular music R&B and Motown songs.

Awards and honors

Santamaria was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame and the Billboard Latin Music Hall o Fame the following year.

Death

On February 1, 2003 Santamaria died in Miami, Florida, after suffering a stroke, at the age of 85. He is buried in Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum) in Miami, Florida.

Discography

As leader

* ''Afro-Cuban Drums'' (SMC Pro-Arte, 1952)
* ''Drums and Chants'' (''Changó'') (Vaya, 1954)
* ''Tambores y Cantos'' (1955)
* ''Yambu: Mongo Santamaria y Sus Ritmos Afro Cubano'' (1958)
* ''Mongo'' (Fantasy, 1959)
* ''Afro Roots'' (''Yambu'' and ''Mongo'') (Prestige, 1958, 1959)
* ''Our Man in Havana'' (1960)
* ''Mongo en la Habana (Mongo in Havana)'' (1960) with Carlos Embale and Merceditas Valdés
* ''Sabroso!'' (1960)
* '' !Arriba! La Pachanga'' (1961)
* ''Go, Mongo!'' (1962)
* ''Watermelon Man!'' (Battle, 1963)
* ''Mongo at the Village Gate'' (Riverside, 1963)
* ''Mongo Santamaria Introduces La Lupe'' (Riverside Records, 1963)
* ''El Bravo!'' (1964)
* ''Pussy Cat'' (1965)
* ''La Bamba'' (1965)
* ''Hey! Let's Party'' (1967)
* ''Mongo Mania (1967)
* ''Soul Bag'' (1968)
* ''Workin' on a Groovy Thing'' (1969)
* ''Stone Soul'' (1969)
* ''Afro-American Latin'' (1969 el. 2000
* ''Feelin' Alright'' (1970)
* ''Mongo '70'' (1970)
* ''Mongo's Way'' (1971)
* ''Up from the Roots'' (1972)
* ''Fuego'' (1972)
* ''Ubané'' (1974) with Justo Betancourt on vocalsRaul A. Fernandez, ''From Afro-Cuban rhythms to Latin Jazz'', University of California, 2006.
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* ''Afro-Indio'' (1975)
* ''Sofrito'' (1976)
* ''Amanecer'' (1977)
* ''A la Carte'' (1978)
* ''Red Hot'' (1979)
* ''You Better Believe It'' (1979)
* ''Images'' (1980)
* ''Summertime'' (1981)
* ''Mongo Magic'' (Roulette Records, 1982)
* ''Free Spirit (Espiritu Libre)'' (Tropical Budda Records, 1984)
* ''Soy Yo'' (1987)
* ''Live at Jazz Alley'' (Concord, 1990)
* '' Mongo Returns!'' (1995)
* ''Conga Blue'' (1995)
* ''Come on Home'' (1997)
* ''Mongo Santamaría'' (1998)

As sideman

With Fania All-Stars
* 1968 ''Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 2''
* 1974 ''Latin-Soul-Rock''
* 1975 ''Live at Yankee Stadium, Vol. 1''
* 1976 ''Live at Yankee Stadium, Vol. 2''
* 1976 ''Salsa''
* 1977 ''Rhythm Machine''
* 1986 ''Live in Japan 1976''
* 1987 ''Perfect Blend''

With Tito Puente
* 1956 ''Cuban Carnival''
* 1956 ''Puente Goes Jazz''
* 1956 ''Puente in Percussion''
* 1957 ''Let's Cha Cha with Puente''
* 1957 ''Night Beat''
* 1957 ''Top''
* 1959 ''Mucho Cha-Cha''
* 1964 ''Mucho Puente''
* 1992 ''Live at the Village Gate''
* 1994 ''El Timbral''

With Cal Tjader
* 1958 ''Cal Tjader's Latin Concert''
* 1959 ''A Night at the Black Hawk''
* 1959 ''Concert by the Sea, Vols. 1 & 2''
* 1959 ''Monterey Concerts''
* 1962 ''Latino con Cal Tjader''
* 1973 ''Los Ritmos Calientes''
* 1993 ''Black Orchid''

With others
* 1954 ''Afro'', Dizzy Gillespie (Norgran)
* 1958 '' Plenty of Horn'', Paul Horn (Dot)
* 1960 ''Latinsville!'', Victor Feldman (Contemporary)
* 1972 ''Wild Flower'', Hubert Laws (Atlantic)
* 1978 ''Touchdown'', Bob James
* 1989 ''Strut'', Hilton Ruiz
* 1991 ''The Birth of Soul'', Ray Charles
* 1993 ''Blues + Jazz'', Ray Charles
* 1996 ''Conga Blue'', Poncho Sanchez
* 1996 ''Steve Turre'', Steve Turre

References

External links

*
Mongo Santamaria
conga solo transcription

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santamaria, Mongo
1917 births
2003 deaths
Conga players
Cuban percussionists
Cuban emigrants to the United States
Afro-Cuban jazz percussionists
Latin jazz percussionists
Jazz fusion musicians
Avant-garde jazz musicians
Grammy Award winners
Chesky Records artists
Columbia Records artists
Fania Records artists
Riverside Records artists