Orestes Vilató (born 12 May 1944 in
Camagüey,
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
) 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 timbales, percussion and sang backing vocals. He moved to New York City when he was 12 years old, after his father was hired by the Cuban airline
Cubana de Aviación.He is considered to be one of the foremost timbaleros in the salsa genre. He has been a strong musical presence in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene playing with several groups like the Machete Ensemble and Los Kimbos. He has also been an influential music mentor to many owing to his deep musical knowledge and generous nature.
Discography
With
Bobby Hutcherson
*''
Ambos Mundos'' (Landmark, 1989)
With
Buddy Montgomery
*''
So Why Not?'' (Landmark, 1988)
References
1944 births
Living people
American entertainers of Cuban descent
Afro-Cuban jazz musicians
Machete Ensemble members
Fania All-Stars members
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