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Tito Puente

Ernest Anthony Puente, Jr., Tito Puente is internationally recognized for his enormous and significant contributions to Latin music as a bandleader, composer, arranger, percussionist, and mentor. Popularly known as the “El Rey del Timbal” and the “King of Mambo”, he recorded more than 100 albums, published more than 400 compositions, and won six Grammy awards. Although he played and recorded jazz and salsa, Puente is one of only a handful of musicians who deserve the title “legendary”, primarily for his mastery of the mambo. Puente has been credited with introducing the timbal and the vibraphone to Afro-Cuban music, Puente also played the trap drums, the conga drums, the claves, the piano, and occasionally, the saxophone and the clarinet. While Puente was perhaps best known for his all-time best- selling 1958 mambo album “Dance Mania”, his eclectic sound has continued to transcend cultural and generational boundaries. As a testament to his popularity with a younger audience, Puente has recorded with rocker Carlos Santana and has performed regularly at college concerts throughout the country. He has also appeared in several films, received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and performed on television’s The David Letterman Show.

Born on 20 April 1923 in New York City, Puente’s artistic talents first developed in the field of dance. In 1935, his sister Anna and he became members of “Stars of the Future” a neighborhood artistic organization. On four occasions, Tito was honored for his exceptional dance ability.

After hearing a solo by Cuban pianist, Anselmo Sacassas Tito began his musical education on the piano. Occasional tutors were Victoria Hernandez, sister of Puerto Rico’s legendary composer Rafael Hernandez, and Luis Varona of the Machito orchestra who later would play with Tito’s orchestra. He also studied drums and idolized Gene Krupa. He later mastered the alto sax and was accomplished on the vibraphone.

Puente then went on to work with Cuban pianist and bandleader Jose Curbelo beginning in December of 1939. Curbelo became his first music mentor and perhaps more importantly taught Puente the fundamentals of the music business. He then played with Johnny Rodriguez, Anselmo Sacassas, the musician that had inspired his piano study, and the great Noro Morales.

In June 1942, he joined the Machito orchestra. Machito became Puente’s primary musical mentor. At one point Tito left Machito to play percussion for the Jack Cole dancers. Soon thereafter he was drafted into the Navy and served in World War II. He played saxophone and drums with the band on the ship. He learned how to arrange music from a pilot that played sax.

After his discharge from the Navy in 1945 with a presidential commendation, he returned to New York to work again with Curbello, Brazilian band leader Fernando Alvarez, featuring Charlie Palmieri on piano, and Pupi Campo. He then began study at the Julliard School of Music. There he studied orchestration, conducting and music theory. In 1949, Puente formed his own band the Piccadilly Boys.

In the 1950s during the Palladium era, Tito Puente’s band was one of the top three orchestras in New York City, along with the orchestras of Machito and Tito Rodriguez. Mambo and cha-cha-cha were the rage at the time. The music with its high energy became a catalyst for bringing together people of all races and ethnicities. Puente rode the wave of the mambo craze and went on to become a household name.

Puente had strong leanings toward jazz which he “Latinized”. Puente later led two groups; an orchestra and a jazz ensemble. He continued to record both Latin jazz and straight-ahead Latin music with many different artists and his own bands.

In 1970, Carlos Santana repopularized Tito Puente’s music with his rendition of Oye Como Va and in 1972, Para Los Rumberos. His last album: “Puente Caliente”, included classic Puente fare, such as the song partial Real Audio clip El Timbalón.

In 1979, he won the first of six Grammy Awards for his “Homenaje a Beny” album which was a tribute to the Cuban singer Beny More. Other Grammy awards came in 1983 for “On Broadway”; 1985 for “Mambo Diablo”; 1990 for “Gosa Mi Timbal”; 2000 for “Mambo Birdland”, and “Masterpiece” in 2001.

Puente was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990 and was featured in the 1992 film “The Mambo Kings”. He was also given the National Medal of Arts by then President Clinton in 1997 and was honored by the Library of Congress in April of 2000 as a Living Legend. The New York Times chose Puente’s “Dancemania” as one of the 25 most influential albums of the 20th century. Other awards and honorary degrees are too numerous to list. In his lifetime, Puente recorded 120 albums, composed over 450 songs, and has over 2,000 arrangements to his credit. He had over 10,000 live performances around the world. Shortly before his death, he completed work on an album with Eddie Palmieri released 18 July 2000, which won Grammy for Best Latin Jazz. The legend died at age 77 on 31 May 2000 in New York City. Source: music of puerto rico

Gear

Latin Percussion Tito Puente Model Timbales

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Craft Latino: Tito Puente; Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 3, 2024

One of the major benefits of the current vinyl renaissance is the availability of albums long forgotten, but in vital need of renewed attention. Concord Record's Craft imprimatur has been at the forefront in terms of releases that benefit from excellent sound and quality control. Especially fortuitous have been the reissues from the Latin music holdings of the Tico and Fania labels. This is classic music that now seems to have earned its rightful place among those who have far ...

Radio & Podcasts

Bah Humbug, Weather Music, Stocking Stuffer Singles

by David Brown
December 26, 2023

Personally, I do not celebrate Christmas. But for this week's show, I figured I'd get in the spirit and sprinkle a few offbeat holiday tunes into the mix. We start off with a Latin set with Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra's “Jingle Bells Mambo" followed by Herman's Heat and Puente's Beat; then a set of meteorological musings from Bill Orcutt and Red Garland; we'll then check out Monk's family Christmas work “A Merrier Christmas." The show will continue with a ...

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Multiple Reviews

Tito Puente: The Complete 78's Volumes 1 - 3, Dance Mania, Jazz & Live at the 1977 Monterey Jazz Festival

by Russ Musto
July 11, 2009

Tito Puente The Complete 78's Volumes 1--3 Fania 2009 Tito Puente Dancemania: Legacy Edition 2-CD Set RCA-Legacy 2009 Tito Puente Jazz Fania2009 Tito Puente Live At The 1977 Monterey Jazz Festival Monterey Jazz Festival2009 No musician was more responsible in ...

309

Album Review

Tito Puente: The Rough Guide to Tito Puente

Read "The Rough Guide to Tito Puente" reviewed by Norman Weinstein

by Norman Weinstein
September 4, 2005

There are a hell of a lot of Tito Puente compilations on the market, with those on the Rhino and Concord labels leading the pack, so you may wonder about the sagacity of checking out yet another one. The good news is that The Rough Guide to Tito Puente is well worth your time, simply because it is the most eccentric gathering of the Latin percussion master's work during his prime years from the '60s to the '80s.You ...

196

Album Review

Tito Puente & the Golden Latin Jazz All Stars: Tito Puente Live at the Playboy Jazz Festival

Read "Tito Puente Live at the Playboy Jazz Festival" reviewed by Javier AQ Ortiz

by Javier AQ Ortiz
January 12, 2003

Quick and to the Point: A terrific live documentation of Puente’s distinctive foray in Jazz.

The group and music in this gig is already documented in two recordings. At first, the live ‘92 Village Gate performance as part of the now defunct “Salsa Meets Jazz” series. At that time, Paquito D’Rivera and Claudio Roditi were in the group instead of Mario Rivera and Charlie Sepúlveda , who became the mainstays through the duration of the existence of this ...

246

Album Review

Tito Puente: Party With Puente!

by Jim Santella
October 1, 2000

A compilation from nine Concord Picante sessions, Party With Puente! includes selections from the following albums:

Out of this World El Rey Mambo Diablo Un Poco Loco Salsa Meets Jazz On Broadway Goza me Timbal Master Timbalero Mambo of the Times

Covering the period 1983-94, the albums feature strong Latin jazz performers such as congueros Francisco Aguabella & Jose Madera, trumpeters Jerry Gonzalez, Charlie ...

415

Album Review

Tito Puente: Oye Como Va: The Dance Collection

by Robert Spencer
November 1, 1997

The liner notes say that Tito Puente “has truly made himself the King of Latin Music on This Planet." Until Sun Ra can convince the King of Latin Music on Saturn to pay us a visit, Tito will do just fine. Oye Como Va -- hear how it goes. From the sound of it on this compilation of Puente entries from the Eighties and Nineties, it goes with fiery, exuberant, stop-on-a-dime ensembles, plus soloists who probably don't get all the ...

Video / DVD

Tito Puente's Cha-Cha-Cha

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 19, 2018

Yesterday, the temperature hit the mid-90s in New York. As the mercury climbed, thoughts turned to Tito Puente, the Les Brown of Latin dance music. In the 1950s, Puente was one of the so called “Big Three" mambo dance kings—Puente, Machito and Tito Rodriguez. While Machito veered toward Latin jazz and Rodriguez, a vocalist, was a bit more commercial, Puente's orchestra was primarily a dance band. But oh, what a dance band. The musicianship was extraordinary, as were the arrangements. ...
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Recording

Tito Puente: "Quatro"

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 7, 2013

Over the years, Tito Puente's Latin-jazz albums for RCA have been in and out of print. The 2001 Complete RCA Recordings, Vols. 1 and 2 (6 CDs each) are going for hundreds of dollars each—if you can find them. Now, to celebrate the late percussionist-bandleader's 90th birthday, RCA has released Tito Puente, Quatro: The Definitive Collection—a box that features four of his biggest albums remastered on four CDs plus a fifth with bonus material from the sessions. The music not ...
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Event

Miami Lakes And KCC Productions Present Tito Puente, Jr

Source: Kimberly C Chmura
March 16, 2013

The Town of Miami Lakes’ Cultural Affairs Committee is excited to announce the Spring Concert in the Park scheduled for Saturday, March 16th beginning at 6:30 pm. This free event will be held at Picnic Park West located at 15151 Montrose Road (NW 82nd Avenue). Tito Puente, Jr. is on a passionate mission. The younger Puente is determined to nurture the musical legacy left by his father. He refuses to let his father become a distant memory. “He was just ...
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Recording

Sony Music Latin Releases Tito Puente: "Quatro" - 5CD/LP/Digital Box

Source: Cindy Byram PR
March 15, 2013

SONY MUSIC LATIN RELEASES LIMITED EDITION CELEBRATING 90th BIRTHDAY OF COMPOSER, BANDLEADER AND MUSICIAN STATE-OF-THE-ART REMASTERING OF LANDMARK RECORDINGS + BONUS DISK OF RARITIES, WITH LINER NOTES & MEMORABILIA Tito Puente would have celebrated his 90th birthday in 2013, as well as the 10th anniversary of his GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. To honor one of the 20th Century’s great musical figures, Sony Music Latin delivers something for the jazz master’s legions of fans to celebrate: the release of Tito Puente: ...
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Event

Tito Puente: Celebrating The History Of Latin Music And The Man Who Helped Create It

Source: Richard Blondet
October 8, 2012

FREE SEMINAR SERIES “Tito Puente: Celebrating the History of Latin Music and the Man Who Helped Create It" This free seminar series will highlight the history of Latin Music and Tito Puente based on the book “Mambo Diablo: My Journey with Tito Puente" and the impact Tito had on music the world over. Hosted by author Joe Conzo, noted music historian and producer, these seminars will kick off with a book signing and discussion about Tito Puente's remarkable life and ...
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Book / Magazine

Backbeat Books Publishes "Mambo Diablo: My Journey With Tito Puente" by Joe Conzo with David A. Perez

Source: Chris M. Slawecki
February 23, 2012

Tito Puente was more than a flamboyant percussionist; he was a multi-instrumentalist, a gifted composer and arranger, and one of the finest bandleaders of the last century. Mambo Diablo: My Journey with Tito Puente (Backbeat Books, $29.99) by Joe Conzo with David A. Pérez chronicles the remarkable life of the popular and combative King of Latin Music, who climbed from the barrio to international fame and recognition, influencing multiple generations of jazz and Latin artists from Dizzy Gillespie to Carlos ...
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Video / DVD

Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Candido Camero, and Ray Barretto

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
April 22, 2011

Percussion sits at the heart and soul of Latin Jazz, providing the music's cultural lifeline and rhythmic vitality. The use of percussion certainly sets Latin Jazz apart from straight ahead jazz, but it is so much more than a simple novelty. Embedded in each hit of the drum is a cultural legacy, associated with centuries of social development. When that deep legacy blends with the rich cultural history of the African American experience through jazz, miracles can happen. Percussionists are ...
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Event

Tribute to Tito Puente to Fund Latino Youth Programs

Source: Michael Ricci
December 3, 2009

"El Rey de los Timbales", Tito Puente will be honored at an event, which will also serve to launch a DVD of Puente's last performance in 2000, the year in which he died. The DVD will be available as of today for sale in stores across North America and Puerto Rico. Proceeds from the DVD sales will benefit HHF's youth programs. The event will feature performances from top Latin stars paying tribute to Tito Puente and raise funds for youth ...
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Performance / Tour

Tito Puente Latin Music Series Returns in Boston

Source: All About Jazz
June 12, 2009

From merengue and salsa to Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz, the fifth-annual Tito Puente Latin Music Series promises to heat-up two of Boston's neighborhood public parks in July with danceable rhythms. The series — presented by Berklee College of Music; Villa Victoria Center for the Arts; and ParkARTS — features Berklee faculty, students, and guest artists hailing from various parts of Latin America, including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Mexico. The free music series takes place on four Thursday ...
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Recording

¡Qué Viva el Rey!--Dance Mania: Legacy Edition Pays Tribute to Landmark '50s Album by Tito Puente--Latin Music Legend, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Recipient

Source: All About Jazz
May 1, 2009

"One of the 25 Most Significant Albums of the Last Century" --The New York Times Disc One: 12-song Dance Mania hit album of 1958, plus 10 bonus tracks Disc Two: 12-song Dance Mania Vol. 2 of 1961, plus 11 bonus tracks Liner notes capture the 1950s mambo craze in full swing--as Tito Puente becomes New York's “King of Latin Music" Available at both physical and digital retail outlets starting May 26, 2009, through RCA/U.S. Latin/Legacy “It reflects ...
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