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Tito Puente

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Tito Puente, born Ernest Anthony Puente in Harlem, New York, in 1923, grew up in Spanish Harlem as the son of Puerto Rican parents. As a seven-year-old boy he drummed on pots and window frames, after which his mother had him take piano lessons. At ten he chose percussion, inspired by the drummer Gene Krupa. He wanted to dance, but an ankle injury put an end to that. At sixteen he played in Ramon Oliver's band and then in Machito's orchestra, where he replaced a drummer who had been called up.

Music and breakthrough

After his service in the navy he studied conducting and orchestration at the Juilliard School. His teacher was Japanese, and Asian influences can be heard in his compositions and arrangements. Puente was a bandleader, percussionist on the timbales, vibraphonist and producer. He made dance music in mambo and Latin jazz and was called El Rey de los Timbales. Albums such as Mambo Caravan from 1956, Dance Mania from 1958 and Top Percussion from 1958 preserve that work. His music can be heard in films such as The Mambo Kings and Calle 54, and he also appeared in television programmes such as Sesame Street and The Simpsons.

Influence

Puente joined the Afro-Cuban sound of the mambo to the power of big band jazz. He died in 2000. Oye Como Va from 1963 and Ran Kan Kan from 1949 show how danceable that combination was.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Oye Como Va by Tito Puente. Notice the timbales, the tight rhythm and the short brass accents that drive the dance.

Discography

Studio albums

Other work

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: ArtistsLatin jazzMamboCha-cha-chá