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Tito Puente, Sr., (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., was an influential Latin jazz
Latin jazz

Latin jazz is the general term given to music that combines rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz and classical harmonies from Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States....
 and mambo musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem
Spanish Harlem

Spanish Harlem, also known as El Barrio and East Harlem, is a predominantly low income neighborhood in Harlem, a neighborhood of New York City, in the north-eastern part of the borough of Manhattan....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, Puente is often credited as "El Rey" (the King) of the timbales
Timbales

Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Music of Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-tom drum, and usually much higher tuned....
 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.






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Tito Puente, Sr., (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., was an influential Latin jazz
Latin jazz

Latin jazz is the general term given to music that combines rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz and classical harmonies from Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States....
 and mambo musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem
Spanish Harlem

Spanish Harlem, also known as El Barrio and East Harlem, is a predominantly low income neighborhood in Harlem, a neighborhood of New York City, in the north-eastern part of the borough of Manhattan....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, Puente is often credited as "El Rey" (the King) of the timbales
Timbales

Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Music of Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-tom drum, and usually much higher tuned....
 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
The Mambo Kings

The Mambo Kings is a 1992 film starring Antonio Banderas and Armand Assante and directed by Arne Glimcher based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos....
 and Fernando Trueba's Calle 54
Calle 54

Calle 54 is a 2000 documentary film about Latin jazz by Spain director Fernando Trueba. With only minimal introductory voiceovers, the film consists of studio performances by a wide array of Latin Jazz musicians....
. He guest starred on several television shows including The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show

The Cosby Show is an United States television program situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, first airing on September 20, 1984 and running for eight seasons on the NBC television network, until April 30, 1992....
 and The Simpsons
The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an Television in the United States animated cartoon Situation comedy created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company....
.

Biography

Tito Puente Sr. served in the Navy for three years during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 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
John Lindsay

John Vliet Lindsay was an United States politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1959 to 1965 and as Mayor of New York of New York City from 1966 to 1973....
. In 1992 he was inducted into the National Congressional Record, and in 1993 he received the Smithsonian Medal.

Titopuentesimpsons
During the 1950s, Puente was at the height of his popularity, and helped to bring Afro-Cuban and Caribbean sounds, like mambo, son
Son (music)

Son cubano is a style of music that originated in Cuba and was popular in the 1920s to 1950s worldwide. Son combines the structure and elements of Spanish language canci?n and the Spanish guitar with African rhythms and percussion instruments of Bantu peoples and Arar? origin....
, and cha-cha-cha
Cha-cha-cha (music)

The cha-cha-ch? is a style of Cuban dance music....
, to mainstream audiences (he was so successful playing popular Afro-Cuban rhythms that many people mistakenly identify him as Cuban). Dance Mania
Dance Mania (album)

Dance Mania is an album by Latin music musician Tito Puente, Sr.....
, possibly Puente's most well known album was released in 1958. Later, he moved into more diverse sounds, including pop music
Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
, bossa nova
Bossa nova

Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music popularized by Ant?nio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and Jo?o Gilberto. Bossa nova acquired a large following, initially by young musicians and college students....
 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. 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
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

The Grammy Award Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording" ....
 in 2000. After a heart attack
Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when the Blood flow to part of the heart is interrupted. This is most commonly due to occlusion of a coronary artery following the rupture of a Vulnerable plaque, which is an unstable collection of lipids and white blood cells in the wall of an artery....
 following a show in Puerto Rico, Puente had heart surgery in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, from which he never recovered. He died on May 31, 2000, just a few months after shooting for the music video Calle 54
Calle 54

Calle 54 is a 2000 documentary film about Latin jazz by Spain director Fernando Trueba. With only minimal introductory voiceovers, the film consists of studio performances by a wide array of Latin Jazz musicians....
, in which Puente was wearing an all-white outfit with his band.

Tito Puente's name is often mentioned in a television production called , a film about the Palladium era
Palladium Ballroom

The Palladium Ballroom was a second-floor dancehall on 53rd Street and Broadway in New York City which became famous for its excellent Latin music....
 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
Alfonso Joseph

Alfonso "El Panameno" Joseph was born in the Republic of Panama, and immigrated to New York at 11 years of age, where he studied music and became one of the forefront bassists of Cuban legend Arsenio Rodriguez....
, Luis Mangual, Julian Lianos and others.

Honors

During the presidency of Sen. Roberto Rexach Benítez
Roberto Rexach Benítez

Roberto Rexach Ben?tez, the tenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico , has served as a member of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives under the Popular Democratic Party and as a member of the Senate under the pro-statehood New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico ....
, Tito Puente received the unique honor of not only having a special session of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico

The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the state legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an additional eleven senators are elected at-large....
 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
Harlem

Harlem is a Neighbourhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African-American residential, cultural, and business center....
 was named after him at a ceremony presided by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. José Serrano
José Serrano

Jos? Enrique Serrano is a New York politician, currently representing the state's New York's 16th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives....
 (D-NY).

An amphitheatre
Amphitheatre

An amphitheatre is an open-air venue for spectator sports, concerts, rallies, or theatrical performances. There are two similar, but distinct types of amphitheatres: Ancient amphitheatres, built by the ancient Rome, were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used for spectator sports; these comp...
 was named in his honor at Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín

Jos? Luis Alberto Mu?oz Mar?n was a Puerto Rican people poet, journalist, and politician. He was the first Democracy election Governor of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico and considered one of the most important 20th century political figures in the Americas....
 Park, next to the Roberto Clemente Coliseum
Roberto Clemente Coliseum

The Roberto Clemente Coliseum is a sports arena and concert arena in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico. It was, for many years, Puerto Rico's largest event facility, and it continues being one of the largest....
, in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan is the Capital and largest Municipalities of Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico. As of the United States Census Bureau, it has a population of 433,733, making it the List of United States cities by population city under the jurisdiction of the United States....
.

  • 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)


Further reading

  • , by Jim Payne and Tito Puente.
  • Steven Loza
    Steven Loza

    Steven Joseph Loza is professor of ethnomusicology at UCLA and Lecturer III in music at the University of New Mexico. He is an authour of two books and editor of four anthologies in Latin music, including the first in-depth biography of Tito Puente....
     (1999) Tito Puente and the Making of Latin Music, University of Illinois Press
    University of Illinois Press

    The University of Illinois Press , is a major United States university press and part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign....


External links

  • by Ted Giorgia ()


See also

  • La Lupe
    La Lupe

    La Lupe, or La Yiyiyi, born Guadalupe Victoria Yol? Raymond was a Cuban singer of several musical genres: boleros, guarachas and latin soul in particular....
  • Santos Colon
    Santos Colon

    ?ngel Santos Col?n Vega , aka Santitos Col?n, was a Puerto Rico salsa music singer and crooner, born in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico and raised in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico....
  • Vibraphonist
    Vibraphonist

    Notable players of the vibraphone include:* Roy Ayers* Karl Berger* Jeff Berman* Austin Billings* Jack Brokensha* Larry Bunker* Rusty Burge* Gary Burton...