Latin legend

Two Latin music stars honor their mentor with a ‘Birthday Tribute to Tito Puente’ at the College of New Jersey’s Kendall Hall Theater on April 20.

By: Susan Van Dongen
   Before Ricky, Enriqué and J.Lo there was Tito.
   People who think Latin music has just recently blossomed have some history to learn.
   Even during the gee-whiz all-American late ’40s, Latin music cooked. Bandleaders like Machito and his brother-in-law Mario Bauzá introduced the pulsating rhythms and searing horns that drive the heart of the distinctive sound. When Juilliard-trained percussionist Tito Puente and his band became one of the regulars at New York’s Palladium, they took the cha-cha and mambo to unforeseen artistic heights.

"I was born the same year as Tito’s Dance Mania — one of the greatest Latin recordings ever made," drummer Bobby Sanabria says.

   On April 20, two contemporary stars of Latin music will honor the late Tito Puente, who died June 1, 2000. The Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Big Band and the Bobby Sanabria Afro-Cuban Big Band will perform a "Birthday Tribute to Tito Puente" at The College of New Jersey’s Kendall Hall Theater. The bands also will welcome legendary conga master Cándido, who is marking his own 80th birthday.
   Mr. Sanabria is pleased that Latin music is so popular right now. One senses, however, he’s been waiting for the rest of the world to catch up with what he already knew.
   "The general public realizes the value of this music, but the Latin explosion has always been a big part of the culture," says Mr. Sanabria from his home in the Bronx.
   Born to Puerto Rican parents in 1957 in the "Fort Apache" section of the South Bronx, the drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, recording artist and educator has performed with such legendary figures as Dizzy Gillespie, Paquito D’Rivera and Mongo Santamaria. He also had the privilege of playing with Mario Bauzá and considers Tito Puente his mentor. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Puente, Mr. Sanabria might have focused on baseball instead.
   "I had always wanted to study music and that was my goal," he says. "But I also wanted to play second base for the Yankees, or be an astronaut. With music, I discovered a way to combine athletics and science and then add the element of creativity, which made it even better."
   As a child, he hitched his musical wagon to a superstar and idolized Tito Puente, a fellow New Yorker born to Puerto Rican parents.
   "I was born the same year as Tito’s Dance Mania — one of the greatest Latin recordings ever made," Mr. Sanabria says. "Besides my father, Tito Puente and Mario Bauzá are the biggest influences in my life. The main reason I went to college was because of Tito Puente. He inspired me as a kid and it came full circle when I got to perform with his orchestra. He recorded on my first solo album, a duo featuring drum set and timbales. He’s a very dear person to me."

Eddie Palmieri will perform the music of late percussionist Tito Puente with his Latin Jazz Big Band at the College of New Jersey.

   Mr. Sanabria may take for granted the way America currently embraces Latin music and culture, but just 25 years ago he had to blaze some new territory. In 1975, he was the first Puerto Rican student enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating with honors in 1979.
   He says it wasn’t so hard to be the first, and in fact the strange surroundings mesmerized him.
   "I had come from the South Bronx, which was a very different environment from Berklee," Sanabria says. "It was fascinating to meet people from all over the world. What we had in common was that we all loved jazz."
   Formal education helped polish his already considerable skills and also taught Sanabria the subtleties of arranging, composing and conducting.
   After graduation, Mr. Sanabria played with another one of his childhood heroes, Mongo Santamaria. He became a sought-after studio musician, writer and arranger.
   In 1993, Mr. Sanabria and his band, Ascensión, released the highly acclaimed CD, ¡NYC Aché!, which traces Afro-Cuban rhythms from their African roots to sounds of contemporary New York City. Last June, Mr. Sanabria and his 19-piece big band released Afro-Cuban Dream…Live & In Clave!!!, nominated for a Grammy in 2000.
   Closing the show will be virtuoso pianist, composer and bandleader Eddie Palmieri and his Latin Jazz Band, whose latest release, Masterpiece, won the 2001 Grammy for "best Salsa Album."
   Mr. Sanabria knows him, too.
   "He was one of my heroes growing up, so it’s going to be a real treat," Mr. Sanabria says. "He’s been around for almost 40 years and has really stretched the boundaries of Latin music. I want to continue the tradition, and my big band is an extension of that."
   Education is another way to take Latin culture to a new generation, and Mr. Sanabria takes his teaching very seriously. He is currently on the faculty at the Drummers’ Collective, and conducts two unusual Afro-Cuban student jazz orchestras at New York’s New School and the Manhattan School of Music.
   "It’s just another way to get more people aware of the tradition and to pass it down," Mr. Sanabria says. "I see these these kinds of programs growing, but first you’ll have to have people who are musically multi-lingual. It’s not just about knowing the techniques, you have to have the historical perspective."
   One of the most compelling elements to Afro-Cuban music is the relationship between the various rhythms and the orishas, or spirits.
   "The different rhythms talk to the West African gods in their pantheon," Mr. Sanabria explains. "That’s what helps to make the music so exciting. The rhythms make you want to dance, but deep down, the root of the rhythm is spiritual. Each polyrhythm was used to communicate this spirituality. So when you hear a great orchestra playing Afro-Cuban music and you see people dancing to it, it’s almost like a religious experience.
   "Part of my mission is to connect with the spiritual," he says. "These are very powerful forces that can be used to enlighten and uplift, and also to help people forget about the mundaneness in their lives. The spirits are always there."
The Bobby Sanabria Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band will perform A Birthday Tribute to Tito Puente in Kendall Hall Theater, the College of New Jersey, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, April 20, 8 p.m. The Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Band and special guest Càndido also appear. Tickets cost $12-$25. For information, call (609) 771-2775.