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Tito Puente

The Cuban Roots Of Rock And Roll

Chuck Berry is one of the early rock and roll artists who were inspired by Latin music. Terry Fincher/Getty Images hide caption

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Terry Fincher/Getty Images

Alt.Latino

The Cuban Roots Of Rock And Roll

Can you hear the cha-cha-cha in "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"? Or the mambo in "What I'd Say"? Dive into early rock and roll's Cuban DNA.

The Cuban Roots Of Rock And Roll

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Willie Bobo: An Appreciation And A New Album

Percussionist Willie Bobo (left) with son Eric Bobo. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Alt.Latino

Willie Bobo: An Appreciation And A New Album

The percussionist and bandleader, who died in 1983, played a significant role in Latin jazz history. A new album of recently recovered music is cause for revisiting his legacy.

Willie Bobo: An Appreciation And A New Album

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Carlos Santana Breaks Down His Band's Trailblazing Sound

Santana's original lineup reunites for Santana IV, out April 15. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alt.Latino

Carlos Santana Breaks Down His Band's Trailblazing Sound

The original Santana made music history nearly 50 years ago. As the band reunites for a short tour this spring, the guitarist tells Alt.Latino how he and his collaborators did it.

Carlos Santana Breaks Down His Band's Trailblazing Sound

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Alt.Latino Lays Out A Sonic Altar For Dia De Los Muertos

Join us as we celebrate Day Of The Dead, Alt.Latino style. Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images

Alt.Latino

Alt.Latino Lays Out A Sonic Altar For Dia De Los Muertos

Celebrate Saturday's holiday (and, by extension, lost loved ones) with laughter, tears and music.

Alt.Latino Lays Out A Sonic Altar For Dia De Los Muertos

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Tito x 2: Celebrating The Kings Of Mambo Again

Tito Rodriguez's greatest-hits disc El Inolvidable is a singer's paradise, with everything from smoking mambos to creamy boleros. Better yet, Rodriguez fronted a band with some of the best chops in Latin music. Chuck Stewart hide caption

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Chuck Stewart

Review

Music Reviews

Tito x 2: Celebrating The Kings Of Mambo Again

Fresh Air

Music critic Milo Miles reviews two new collections of tunes from the late Latin pioneers Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente. The two were rivals on the bandstand of the Palladium, the epicenter of the 1950s mambo craze.

Tito x 2: Celebrating The Kings Of Mambo Again

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Give The Drummer Some: Conga/Timbal Duos

Tito Puente, above playing in London, was one of the best percussionists of any era. Simon Ritter/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption

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Take Five: A Jazz Sampler

Give The Drummer Some: Conga/Timbal Duos

Want a great conversation-starter with a fan of Latin jazz? Ask, "What's your favorite pairing of conga and timbales?" Many long-standing percussion duos display seemingly telepathic interplay — the intensity of a runaway train mixed with the kind of swing that makes hips move by themselves. Picking five was a chore, but here they are.

Tito Puente: 'El Rey'

Tito Puente, performing in 1983. AFP/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/AFP/Getty Images

NPR's 'Jazz Profiles'

Tito Puente: 'El Rey'

He was a dynamic percussionist, a masterful arranger and an irrepressible showman. Throughout a career lasting more than 50 years, Puente fused American jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms, earning him the title King of Latin Music.

Tito Puente: 'El Rey'

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Music Interviews

Tito Puente's Self-Titled Masterwork Examined

The Latin percussionist's classic 1972 album captures one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century at his peak. Bobby Sanabria, himself an award-winning bandleader, discusses the music and career of "El Rey del Timbal," Tito Puente.

Tito Puente's Self-Titled Masterwork Examined

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Review

Basic Jazz Record Library

Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble: 'Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1980'

In the 1970s, instrument manufacturer Martin Cohen asked Tito Puente and other Latin musicians to produce several albums to help market congas, timbales, and bongos. The recordings, including the album Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1980, became must-haves for Latin jazz lovers.

Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble: 'Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1980'

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Basic Jazz Record Library

Tito Puente: 'The Complete RCA Recordings'

Timbales virtuoso. Vibraphonist. Bongo player. Saxophonist. These are just a few of Tito Puente's titles. Perhaps best known for his appearance in the 1992 film The Mambo Kings, he also helped fuel the cha-cha craze in the 1950s. This five-disc set gives a broad overview of Puente's innovative, danceable style.

Tito Puente: 'The Complete RCA Recordings'

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Basic Jazz Record Library

Tito Puente: 'El Rey: Live 1984'

When people think of Latin jazz, they often think of just one name: Tito Puente. Nicknamed "The King of Mambo," the Puerto Rican recorded more than 100 albums and won multiple Grammy Awards. In 1984, Puente performed his Latin magic in front of a San Francisco audience, resulting in El Rey: Live 1984.

Tito Puente: 'El Rey: Live 1984'

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'Oye Como Va'

Carlos Santana with bassist David Brown performing at Woodstock. Tucker Ransom/Getty Images hide caption

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Tucker Ransom/Getty Images

Music

'Oye Como Va'

Tito Puente's song reached its widest audience when it was released by Santana, helping solidify their place in history as one of the fathers of Latin rock.

'Oye Como Va'

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