TITO PUENTE (COMPOSER, PERCUSSIONIST)

Born on April 20, 1923 in New York City, Ernest Anthony Puente, Jr. developed an early interest in music listening to big band jazz on the radio. He studied piano for seven years, learning current pop songs, classical pieces, and traditional Latin music. At the same time, young Puente took percussion lessons, focusing upon fundamental technique, reading, and big band drumming. He soon began singing with a local group and performed ballroom dance with his sister Anna. Puente’s passion for music drove his activities from a young age, allowing him to build important professional skills.

A Young Professional Musician

Still in his pre-teen years, Puente began performing with a variety of groups around New York City. During his time with Los Happy Boys, Puente became interested in Latin percussion and absorbed basic timbale technique. His refined sight-reading abilities gained him a sub position and eventually a permanent job with the Machito Orchestra. In addition, he maintained steady work with pianists Noro Morales and Jose Curbelo. During his early high school years, Puente booked his weekends full of professional gigs. After two years, he left high school and pursued music full time. By the early 1940’s, Puente worked full-time for the Machito Orchestra and completed his first recordings with both Machito and Jose Curbelo. His music career stopped abruptly in 1942 after being drafted into the Navy.

Navy Days

Despite his military duties, he continued to immerse himself in music during his three year Navy stint. He performed in the bar, playing saxophone and congas, and worked as the ship’s bugler. Puente met a shipmate with big band arranging experience and learned the basics of writing. He created some original material that he sent back to New York; he received a round of positive response from his former band mates. Between musical activities, Puente saw action in nine World War II battles, for which he received a Presidential commendation. In 1945, the Navy honorably discharged Puente, and he returned to New York.

New York Bandleader and Recording Artist

Upon Puente’s return, he jumped headfirst into a musical lifestyle, grabbing all New York could offer. The G.I. Bill paid his tuition at the Julliard School of Music, where he studied theory, conducting, and orchestration. He continued to write arrangements for local Latin bandleaders, including Morales and Curbelo. Puente’s performance schedule remained full as he worked with his former employers as well as the Copacabana nightclub’s Brazilian band. He occasionally led a small band for pick-up gigs until Federico Pagani offered him a regular Sunday afternoon gig at the Alma Dance Studios. The next year, the Alma changed owners, and it became the center of Latin dance music, the Palladium. Puente held a regular gig for many years, expanding his conjunto to a mini big band. By the early 1950s, Puente’s reputation as a bandleader had grown enough to move him into a recording career.

Over the next ten years, Puente recorded a number of classic albums. In 1951, he began recording for the New York based Tico label. He released a variety of dance albums until 1955, when he created the landmark Puente in Percussion, an album featuring only percussion and bass. Puente moved to RCA in 1956 and scored a hit with Cuban Carnival. He followed that album with Puente Goes Jazz, another album that found great success. In 1957, Puente recorded another classic percussion album entitled Top Percussion, and then Night Beat, which featured Doc Severinson. He then recorded the essential Latin album, 1958’s Dance Mania, which included important Puente hits “El Cayuco,” “Mambo Gozon,” and “Hong Kong Mambo.” He recorded a few more albums for RCA, but despite successful sales, the label never completely supported Puente’s work. In the early 1960s, he moved onto other avenues.

New Honors and Success

The 1960s and 1970s brought a string of commercial successes and honors for Puente. He recorded a variety of albums with singer La Lupe such as 1965’s Tito Puente Swings/The Exciting Lupe Sings and 1967’s El Rey y Yo. Puente also joined vocalist Celia Cruz for several albums including the 1966 album Cuba Y Puerto Rico Son and the 1969 release Quimbo Quimbumbia. In 1970, guitarist Carlos Santana included a rock version of Puente’s “Oye Como Va” on his hugely successful album Abraxas. Two years later, Santana recorded another Puente classic “Para Los Rumberos,” which became a part of Santana III. Both these tracks received immense amounts of airplay and massive sales, which introduced Puente to a new audience. In the late 70s, Puente traveled to Europe and Japan as part of the Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble, an all-star Latin Jazz group. Puente received adoration around the world, reflecting the long reaching influenced created by his music.

Moving Into The Millenium

The 1980s and 1990s saw more boosts in Puente’s career, starting with a move to Concord Picante Records. He released a string of albums throughout the 1980s, including the Grammy winning recordings On Broadway, Mambo Diablo, and Goza Mi Timbal. He maintained a rigorous touring schedule, regularly traveling with his small group around the world. In 1989, Puente was honored with both the Downbeat Reader’s Poll Top Percussionist Award and the National Academy of Arts and Science Eubie Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1991, he appeared in the movie, The Mambo Kings, and then released his 100th album as a solo artist, The Mambo King: His 100th Album. He was featured in The Cosby Show and animated in The Simpsons. In 1997, President Bill Clinton honored Puente with National Medal of Arts and in 2000; he won his fifth Grammy Award for Mambo Birdland. Until the millennium, Puente continued to create and received a wealth of gratitude for his gifts.

Puente died during a grueling 14-hour heart surgery on May 31, 2000. Fans and musicians around the world mourned, but ultimately, the world rejoiced in Puente’s massive musical legacy. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award Posthumously from the Grammy Foundation in 2003. An uncountable number of musicians have felt Puente’s influence, and many more will likely discover the King. An impeccable musician, a strong professional, an entertaining showman, Puente left a rich history of recordings and performances, most likely the most influential Latin music artist in history.

Biography courtesy Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz