Tito Puente

Tito Puente, Sr., (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., was an influential Latin jazz and mambo musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey" (the King) of the timbales and "The King of Latin Music". He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz compositions that helped keep his career going for 50 years. He and his music appear in many films such as "The Mambo Kings" and Fernando Trueba's "Calle 54". He guest starred on several television shows including "The Cosby Show" and "The Simpsons".

Biography

Tito Puente Sr. served in the Navy for three years during World War II after being drafted in 1942. He was discharged with a Presidential Commendation for serving in nine battles. The GI Bill allowed him to study music at Juilliard School of Music, where he completed a formal education in conducting, orchestration and theory. In 1969, he received the key to the City of New York from former Mayor John Lindsay. In 1992 he was inducted into the National Congressional Record, and in 1993 he received the Smithsonian Medal.

During the 1950s, Puente was at the height of his popularity, and helped to bring Afro-Cuban and Caribbean sounds, like mambo, son, and cha-cha-cha, to mainstream audiences (he was so successful playing popular Afro-Cuban rhythms that many people mistakenly identify him as Cuban). "Dance Mania", possibly Puente's most well known album was released in 1958. [Wilds, Tony. "Allmusic". " [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:gifrxqqgldje Dance Mania Review] ".] Later, he moved into more diverse sounds, including pop music, bossa nova and others, eventually settling down with a fusion of Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres that became known as "salsa" (a term that he disliked). In 1979 Puente won the first of five Grammy Awards for the albums "A Tribute to Benny Moré", "On Broadway", "Mambo Diablo", and "Goza Mi Timbal". His best friend's name was Katelin Rose. In 1990, Puente was awarded the "James Smithson Bicentennial Medal." He was also awarded a Grammy at the first Latin Grammy Awards, winning Best Traditional Tropical Album for "Mambo Birdland". He was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. After a heart attack following a show in Puerto Rico, Puente had heart surgery in New York City, from which he never recovered. He died on May 31, 2000, just a few months after shooting for the music video Calle 54, in which Puente was wearing an all-white outfit with his band. [Calle 54 Video Commentary]

Tito Puente's name is often mentioned in a television production called [http://laepocafilm.com "La Epoca,"] , a film about the Palladium era in New York, Afro-Cuban music and rhythms, Mambo and Salsa as dances and music and much more. The film discusses many of Tito Puente's as well as Arsenio Rodriguez's contributions, and features interviews with some of the musicians Puente recorded with such as Alfonso "El Panameno" Joseph, Luis Mangual, Julian Lianos and others.

Honors

During the presidency of Sen. Roberto Rexach Benítez, Tito Puente received the unique honor of not only having a special session of the Senate of Puerto Rico dedicated to him, but being allowed to perform in his unique style on the floor of the Senate while it was in session.

On September 10, 2007, a United States Post Office in Harlem was named after him at a ceremony presided by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. José Serrano (D-NY).

An amphitheatre was named in his honor at Luis Muñoz Marín Park, next to the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Personal life

His daughter, Audrey Puente, is Chief Meteorologist with WWOR-TV. His son, Tito Puente, Jr., continues his father's legacy as a popular percussionist. His granddaughter, Julianne Puente, is a middle school history teacher at the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York. He was a godfather to Sheila E and R&B singer Angela Bofill. Puente owned "Tito Puente's" restaurant in located on City Island in the Bronx, New York, which has a mural dedicated to Latin jazz pioneers. [ [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=8445 Jazz News: Tito Puente's Restaurant: New Musical Format ] ] Both SUNY Old Westbury and Hunter College awarded Puente with honorary doctorates of arts & sciences for his work in music and in helping young artists through the Tito Puente Scholarship fund.

Recent discography

*"Mambo Beat: The Progressive Side of Tito Puente" (1994)
*"Mambo y cha cha cha "(1994)
*"The Best of Dance Mania" (1994)
*"Barbarabatiri" (1994)
*"Tito Puente's Golden Latin Jazz All Stars" (1994)
*"Top Percussion/Dance Mania" (1994)
*"20 Mambos/Take Five" (1995)
*"Fania Legends of Salsa Collection, Vol. 3" (1995)
*"Fiesta con Puente" (1995)
*"Jazzin" (1995)
*"Mambo Mococo (1949-51)" (1995)
*"Mambos with Puente (1949-51)" (1995)
*"More Mambos on Broadway" (1995)
*"Tea for Two" (1995)
*"The Complete RCA Victor Revolving Bandstand..." (1995)
*"Tito's Idea" (1995)
*"Yambeque: The Progressive Side of Tito Puente" (1995)
*"Cha Cha Chá: Live at Grossinger's" (1996)
*"El Rey de la Salsa" (1996)
*"El Rey del Timbal" (1996)
*"Special Delivery" (1996)
*"The Very Best of Tito Puente & Vicentico.." (1996)
*"Greatest Hits" (1996)
*"Jazz Latino, vol. 4" (1996)
*"Percussion's King" (1997)
*"Selection of Mambo & Cha Cha Cha" (1997)
*"50 Years of Swing" (1997)
*"Tito Meets Machito: Mambo Kings" (1997)
*"Cha Cha Cha Rumba Beguine" (1998)
*"Dance Mania '98: Live at Birdland" (1998)
*"The Very Best of Tito Puente" (1998)
*"Timbalero Tropical" (1998)
*"Yambeque" (1998)
*"Absolute Best" (1999)
*"Carnival" (1999)
*"Colección original" (1999)
*"Golden Latin Jazz All Stars: In Session" (1999)
*"Latin Flight" (1999)
*"Latin Kings" (1999)
*"Lo mejor de lo mejor" (1999)
*"Mambo Birdland" (1999)
*"Rey" (2000)
*"His Vibes & Orchestra" (2000)
*"Cha Cha Cha for Lovers" (2000)
*"Homenaje a Beny Moré. Vol. 3" (2000)
*"Dos ídolos. Su música" (2000)
*"Tito Puente y su Orquesta Mambo" (2000)
*"The Complete RCA Recordings. Vol. 1" (2000)
*"The Best of the Concord Years" (2000)
*"Por fin (Finally)" (2000)
*"Party with Puente!" (2000)
*"Obra maestra" (2000)
*"Mambo Mambo" (2000)
*"Mambo King Meets the Queen of Salsa" (2000)
*"Latin Abstract" (2000)
*"Kings of Mambo" (2000)
*"Cha Cha Cha for Lovers" (2000)
*"The Legends Collection: Tito Puente & Celia Cruz" (2001)
*"The Complete RCA Recordings, Vol. 2" (2001)
*"RCA Recordings" (2001)
*"Puente caliente" (2001)
*"The Best of..." (2001)
*"King of Mambo" (2001)
*"El Rey: Pa'lante! Straight!" (2001)
*"Cocktail Hour" (2001)
*"Selection. King of Mambo" (2001)
*"Herman Meets Puente" (2001)
*"Undisputed" (2001)
*"Fiesta" (2002)
*"Colección Diamante" (2002)
*"Tito Puente y Celia Cruz" (2002)
*"Live at the Playboy Jazz Festival" (2002)
*"King of Kings: The Very Best of Tito Puente" (2002)
*"Hot Timbales!" (2002)
*"Dr. Feelgood" (2002)
*"Carnaval de éxitos" (2002)
*"Caravan Mambo" (2002)
*"We Love Salsa" (2006)

References

Further reading

* [http://eldiariony.com/noticias/detail.aspx?section=17&desc=LOCALES&id=1714119 Tito Puente - King of Latin Music] , by Jim Payne and Tito Puente.
*Steven Loza (1999) "Tito Puente and the Making of Latin Music", "University of Illinois Press"

External Links

* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15404859 Tito Puente at NPR Music]
* [http://www.jazz.com/jazz-blog/2008/9/16/tito-puente-78s "Tito Puente: The Complete 78s (1949-1955)"] by Ted Gioia ( [http://www.jazz.com Jazz.com] )

ee also

*La Lupe
*Santos Colon
*Vibraphonist