Armando Peraza (May 30, 1924 – April 14, 2014) was a

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave, and Afro-Brazilian jazz, which ...

percussionist and a member of the rock band Santana. Peraza 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). ...

bongos Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...

, and

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

Biography

Early life

Born in Lawton Batista,

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba in 1924 (although the birth year is uncertain), he was orphaned by age 7 and lived on the streets. When he was twelve, he supported himself by selling vegetables, coaching boxing, playing semi-pro baseball, and becoming a loan shark. His music career began at seventeen when he heard at a baseball game that bandleader Alberto Ruiz was looking for a conga player. Ruiz's brother was on the same baseball team as Peraza. Despite the absence of experience in music, he practiced and won the audition.

Moving to New York

He left Cuba for Mexico in 1948 to tend to his sick friend,

conga 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) ...

drummer

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 an ...

. They arrived in New York City in 1949. After playing in Machito's big band, Peraza was invited by

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

to participate in a recording session that included

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

. He recorded with

Slim Gaillard Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (January 9, 1911 – February 26, 1991), also known as McVouty, was an American jazz singer and songwriter who played piano, guitar, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone. Gaillard was noted for his comedic vocalese singi ...

in New York in November 1949 in a session that produced "Bongo City". He toured the U.S. with Gaillard's band until they reached San Francisco, where Gaillard owned the nightclub

Bop City Bop City (also known as Jimbo's Bop City) was a jazz club operated by John "Jimbo" Edwards in San Francisco from 1949 to 1965. It was situated in the back room of a Victorian house at 1690 Post Street, in the Western Addition district. Durin ...

. After a period in Mexico, where he recorded with Perez Prado and did some soundtracks for the Mexican movie industry, he returned to the U.S. and settled in San Francisco. While on the West Coast, he worked with

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 a ...

, toured extensively with

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians an ...

and

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

, and played in California for Mexican farm workers with Puerto Rican actor and musician Tony Martinez (who played "Pepino" on the TV show ''

The Real McCoys ''The Real McCoys'' is an American situation comedy starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Compan ...

''). Armando also led an Afro-Cuban dance review at the Cable Car Village club in San Francisco, attracting a clientele from Hollywood that included

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

, and

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

Working with Shearing and Tjader

In 1954, while in San Francisco with pianist

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

, Peraza met

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, even as he continued to perform music of Afro-Jazz, ...

, Brubeck's drummer at the time. Jazz critic

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

recommended Peraza to Fantasy Records to record an Afro-Cuban album with Tjader. The result was ''Ritmo Caliente'', which combined Afro-Cuban rhythms with a jazz sensibility. He was introduced to British pianist

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 ...

by bassist

Al McKibbon Al McKibbon (January 1, 1919 – July 29, 2005) was an American jazz double bassist, known for his work in bop, hard bop, and Latin jazz. In 1947, after working with Lucky Millinder, Tab Smith, J. C. Heard, and Coleman Hawkins, he replaced ...

. He spent the next twelve years with Shearing, a collaboration that put Peraza at the front of Afro-Cuban music. He emerged as a composer, writing and recording twenty-one songs for Shearing, such as "Mambo in Chimes", "Mambo in Miami", "Ritmo Africano", "Armando's Hideaway", "This is Africa", and "Estampa Cubana". These recordings were during the mambo craze in the U.S. and the world. Peraza's technique and power as a hand drummer became a feature of Shearing's performances. He toured all over the world with Shearing, but it was in America that he experienced persistent and institutionalized racism. In Miami during dates with Shearing and

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 ...

in 1959, Peraza and black members of the band were prohibited from staying at the same hotel as the white musicians. Shearing and Lee resolved the situation by threatening to quit the performance unless Peraza and the others were allowed to stay at their hotel. Shearing's was one of the first racially integrated jazz groups. While with Shearing, Peraza had opportunity to play with the classical symphonies of Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Oklahoma City. In 1959, Peraza joined

for the ''Mongo'' album with conga drummer Francisco Aguabella, another contemporary and friend of Peraza. "Afro-Blue" became a jazz standard after

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

recorded it. The album combined with ''Yambo'' in the compilation ''Afro Roots'' in 1972. In the 1960s, Peraza was a member of Cal Tjader's band for six years. He was encouraged to perform and record in southern California by jazz drummer Shelly Manne. Peraza performed throughout the area at such venues as Shelly's Manne-Hole (owned Manne) and The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. A highlight was performing with the

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

Band at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

. Through his friendship with Manne, he was introduced to

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

, who hired Peraza to play in her orchestra for ''The Judy Garland Show'', a television series that ran from 1963 to 1964. In the fall of 1964, he recorded the album ''Soul Sauce'' with Tjader. The single "Guachi Guaro" won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1965. Although Peraza preferred being a featured performer to leading, he did record one solo album, ''Wild Thing'' (1968), for Skye, a label owned by Tjader,

Gary McFarland Gary Robert McFarland (October 23, 1933 – November 3, 1971) was an American composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist. He recorded for the jazz imprints Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s. '' Down Beat magazine'' said he made "on ...

, and

Gábor Szabó Gábor István Szabó (March 8, 1936 – February 26, 1982) was a Hungarian American guitarist whose style incorporated jazz, pop, rock, and Hungarian music. Early years Szabó was born in Budapest, Hungary. He began playing guitar at the age ...

. The album featured performances by pianist

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

, saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, and flautist Johnny Pacheco. When rock music became popular in the 1960s, Peraza was the first Afro-Cuban percussionist to add conga drums to a rock track, notably on

Harvey Mandel Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945) is an American guitarist best known as a member of Canned Heat. He also played with Charlie Musselwhite and John Mayall as well as maintaining a solo career. Early life Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan, ...

's ''Cristo Redentor'' album in 1968.

Joining Santana

In January 1972, at the age of 47, Peraza joined the rock band Santana and influenced the band in melding Afro-Cuban, jazz, rock, and blues. Peraza remained with

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 feature ...

for nearly twenty years and played to millions of people around the world, partnering with percussionists

José Areas José Octavio "Chepito" Areas Dávila (born 25 July 1946) is a Nicaraguan percussionist best known for having played timbales and Conga drums in the Latin rock group Santana in 1969–1977 and 1987–1989. In 1998, he was inducted into the Rock ...

Mingo Lewis James "Mingo" Lewis (born 8 December 1953) is an American percussionist and drummer who played with Santana, Al Di Meola, Return to Forever (he was a band member for Di Meola's first five albums), and The Tubes. Playing Lewis plays congas, bon ...

, Raul Rekow, and

Orestes Vilató Orestes Vilató (born 12 May 1944 in Camagüey, Cuba) is a Cuban percussionist who has worked as a sideman with Ray Barretto, Johnny Pacheco, Cachao, and the Fania All-Stars. Vilató also worked with Carlos Santana, for whom he played timbale ...

. He wrote or co-wrote sixteen songs recorded by Santana, such as "Gitano" from the album '' Amigos'' (1976) for which Peraza sang the lyrics. Peraza retired from Santana in 1990 at the age of 66, although traveled to

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, who ...

for a 1992 concert with Santana in front of a crowd of over 100,000 people. In 2005 he appeared on a recording by

John Santos John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, ''20th Anniversary'', which included "El Changüí de Peraza" with Peraza on bongos. In 2002, he returned to his native Cuba, his first trip there in over fifty years. In July 2006, Peraza, at 82 years of age, made a rare appearance with Santana for a three show performance at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

in Switzerland. This was the first of a number of summer live appearances. Later he appeared at the San José Jazz Festival in California with the Julius Melendez Latin Jazz Ensemble. He taught drum clinics in California with Raul Rekow and Karl Perazzo, both members of Santana. He recorded with pianist Rebeca Mauleon on ''Descarga en California'' (Universal/Pimienta) and co-wrote a song on ''Cepeda Forever'' in honor of his friend, baseball player

Orlando Cepeda Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes (; born September 17, 1937), nicknamed "the Baby Bull" and "Peruchin", is a Puerto Rican former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for six teams from 1958 to 1974, primarily the San Francisco Giants. ...

. In 2007, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Voices of Latin Rock. The tribute show was held at Bimbo's nightclub in San Francisco and was attended by Carlos Santana, who presented Peraza with an award. Also attending and performing were members of the band Malo and a reunion of the original Santana band with

, Mike Carabello,

Gregg Rolie Gregg Alan Rolie (born June 17, 1947) is an American singer and keyboardist. Rolie served as lead singer of the bands Santana and Journey – both of which he co-founded. He also helmed rock group The Storm, performed in Ringo Starr & His A ...

, and Michael Shrieve. Every January, the Voices of Latin Rock present the Armando Peraza Award for achievement in the San Francisco Bay Area. Peraza died of pneumonia on April 14, 2014 at the age of 89.

Discography

As leader

* ''Wild Thing'' (

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

, 1968)

As sideman

With

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

* ''

'' (Qwest Records, 1984) With Gato Barbieri * ''Tropico'' (A&M, 1978) With

Victor Feldman Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...

* '' Latinsville!'' (Contemporary, 1960) With

Albert Hammond Albert Louis Hammond OBE (born 18 May 1944) is a British-Gibraltarian singer, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific songwriter, he also collaborated with other songwriters such as Mike Hazlewood, John Bettis, Diane Warren, Holly Knight ...

* ''

'' (Mums Records, 1974) With

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often in ...

* '' The Healer'' (Chameleon, 1989) With

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...

* '' Street Songs'' (Gordy, 1981) With

Brenda Patterson Brenda Patterson is an American blues singer, based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Patterson, at the time of her early albums, was married to the songwriter Domingo "Sam" Samudio, and was a backing singer for Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan. He ...

* ''Brenda Patterson'' (Playboy Records, 1973) With

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

* '' Frenesí'' (Rhino Records, 1992) With

Mongo Santamaria Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributa ...

* ''Mongo'' (Fantasy, 1959) * ''Afro Roots'' (Prestige, 1989) With Santana * ''

Caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

'' (1972) * ''

Love Devotion Surrender ''Love Devotion Surrender'' is an album released in 1973 by guitarists Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, with the backing of their respective bands, Santana and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album was inspired by the teachings of Sri Chinmoy an ...

'' (1972) * ''

Welcome A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. In some contexts ...

'' (1973) * '' Borboletta'' (1974) * '' Lotus'' (1974) * '' Illuminations'' (Columbia, 1974) * '' Amigos'' (1976) * ''

Inner Secrets ''Inner Secrets'' is the tenth studio album by Santana. It was released in 1978 and marks the start of the phase of Santana's career where he moved away from the fusion of Latin, jazz, rock and blues that marked his previous records and began to ...

'' (1978) * ''

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

'' (1979) * '' The Swing of Delight'' (Columbia, 1980) * '' Zebop'' (1981) * '' Shangó'' (1982) * '' Beyond Appearances'' (1985) * '' Blues for Salvador'' (Columbia, 1986) * ''

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving one ...

'' (1987) * ''

Viva Santana! ''Viva Santana!'' is a 1988 compilation album by Santana. The album's thirty tracks aim to provide an overview of Santana's first twenty years, concentrating on the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. It includes mostly live, previously unrelease ...

'' (1988) * ''

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 #" Gyp ...

'' (1990) With George Shearing * ''Shearing in Hi-Fi'' (MGM, 1955) * ''George Shearing Caravan'' (MGM, 1955) * ''An Evening with George Shearing'' (MGM, 1955) * ''The Shearing Spell'' (Capitol, 1955) * ''Velvet Carpet'' (Capitol, 1956) * ''Latin Escapade'' (Capitol, 1956) * '' Black Satin'' (Capitol, 1957) * '' In the Night'', George Shearing and Dakota Staton (Capitol, 1958) * ''Burnished Brass'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Blue Chiffon'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Latin Lace'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''George Shearing On Stage'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''Latin Affair'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''

Beauty and the Beat! ''Beauty and the Beat!'' is a 1959 album (see 1959 in music) by Peggy Lee, accompanied by the George Shearing Quintet. Sleeve notes The notes on the back cover of the original 1959 LP are in the exaggerated style that was common at the time an ...

'' George Shearing and

(Capitol, 1959) * '' On the Sunny Side of the Strip'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''Satin Affair'' (Capitol, 1959) * '' White Satin'' (Capitol, 1960) * ''

The Swingin's Mutual! ''The Swingin's Mutual!'' is an album by the George Shearing quintet, accompanied on the original 1961 release on six songs by the vocalist Nancy Wilson. Reception The initial ''Billboard'' review from March 13, 1961 commented of Wilson's sing ...

'' George Shearing and Nancy Wilson (Capitol, 1961) * ''Mood Latino'' (Capitol, 1962) * ''San Francisco Scene'' (Capitol, 1962) * ''Love Walked In'' George Shearing and The Montgomery Brothers (Jazzland, 1962) * '' Rare Form!'' (Capitol, 1965) * ''Latin Rendezvous'' (Capitol, 1965) With

* ''Ritmo Caliente!'' (Fantasy, 1955) * ''Mas Ritmo Caliente'' (Fantasy, 1957) * '' In a Latin Bag'' (Verve, 1961) * '' Soul Sauce'' (Verve, 1965) * '' Soul Bird: Whiffenpoof'' (Verve, 1965) * ''Along Comes Cal'' (Verve, 1967) * ''Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader'' (DCC Jazz, 1990 - Recorded 1968) * ''Cal Tjader Plugs In'' (Skye, 1969) With Randy Weston * ''

Uhuru Afrika ''Uhuru Afrika'' (subtitled/translated as ''Freedom Africa'') is an album by American jazz pianist Randy Weston recorded in 1960 and originally released on the Roulette label. The album features lyrics and liner notes by the poet Langston Hughes a ...

'' (Roulette, 1960)

References

External links

*
Armando Peraza LP Artist page

All About Jazz article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peraza, Armando 1924 births 2014 deaths Cuban jazz musicians Santana (band) members Conga players People from Havana Jazz percussionists Cuban jazz composers Skye Records artists Deaths from pneumonia in California Cuban emigrants to the United States