| Descriptive "tags": |
latin • rumba • cuban • percussion • folk • cuba
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| Decades Active: |
1990s
•
2000s
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Biography
Carlos M. Valdés-Galan, 4 November 1926, Barrio Los Sitios, Havana, Cuba, d. 4 December 2007, New York, USA. Following in the footsteps of his musician father, Valdés first played the guitar-like tres, which functions as a rhythm instrument in Cuban bands, the marimbula and then the bass, before turning to percussion and in particular the conga drum. A prodigy, he played on television at the age of six. In his late teens he performed with several leading bands, including Sonora Matancera, Conjunto Kubavana, Conjunto Casino, and Conjunto Azul with Chano Pozo, at several noted venues, among which was the not-yet famous Buena Vista Social Club. After establishing his reputation as a leading percussionist in his homeland, Valdés was offered a trip to New York, USA, in 1947. Parental pressure forbade the journey (which Pozo took instead), but Valdés eventually made the trip in 1952 with Conjunto Casino. The current...
Read the Full Biography of Patato & Totico
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