Many people that visit this web page have asked me the same question almost every day. Who
invented the mambo? I have answered this question here and many times via e-mail, but, it seems that
to really understand the answer you must know more of what took place before Damaso Perez Prado appears in the
mambo scene.
So lets go back to what took place before 1950. I am going to concentrate only in the development of the mambo,
yet everything is related to other forms and experimentation by music leaders both in Cuba and in the USA.
What we know today as Latin Jazz is really a movement that started both in the US and Cuba in the early 40's as
a consequence of the search for new sounds.
On the Latin side we have Frank Grillo, nicknamed "Machito" who came to New York in 1937 as lead singer
of ESTRELLAS HABANERAS and violinist Alberto Iznaga who play with Orquesta Siboney. But, you must know that Machito
was born in Tampa, Florida from Cuban parents, which fled Cuba for political reasons. So he was a US citizen. Machito
and Iznega played with Xavier Cugat, which also came from Cuba. In the early 40's Machito formed his own orchestra
known as Machito and His Afro-Cubans Boys. Mario Bauza who was playing with Jazz bands (and who was married to
Machito's sister) joined Machito and became his musical director. He developed a distinctive sound that was going
to characterize Machito for the next 20 years. Tito Puente, who played with Machito at the time, brought also his
own ideas. Joe Loco, who was Machito's pianist also contributed to the good sound of Machito. When Joe Loco left
the orchestra to form his own band, Rene Hernandez (who was a master of the piano) replaced him. Machito's percussionists
Carlos Vidal and Jose Mangual revolutionize the USA with their percussive style. Alberto Socarras was also involved
in this new Cubanismo avant- movement. The orchestras of Enrique Madriguera and Xavier Cugat where gaining popularity
both with Latin and non-Latin "bailadores."
To complicate the situation further, we have master pianist Noro Morales, who came to New York from Puerto Rico
in the mid 1930's to place himself in the middle of all this movement. He was gaining popularity with his new sexteto.
Later on, he formed his own orchestra and took with him, Tito Rodriguez, as lead singer. On the other hand, Pupi
Campos and Diosa Costello (who was a very well known dancer) joined Noro's group. In other words, the sexteto grew
to a full-blown big band. The sounds of Noro Morales, with his masterful compositions were taking the USA, Cuba
and the Latin markets like a storm. Ed Sullivan was forced to bring him to his show.
Later on Pupi Campo decided to form a new orchestra that was very well known in New York in the early 40's. Tito
Puente on timbales and Charlie Palmieri on the piano made Pupi Campo the best sound around at the time. Can you
imagine that? Jose Curbelo, who was another master of the piano, came to New York around 1939 to play for Xavier
Cugat. Jose Curbelo was too good to be sitting in a stool and he decided to form his own orchestra. He took with
him, Polito Galindez as lead singer, and Tito Puente as timbalero. Later on he replaced Polito with Tito Rodriguez.
Jose Curbelo big band was pushing hard the competition. He used to play against Machito on different nightclubs.
Un duelo de Orquestas. Tito Rodriguez, Tito Puente and Jose Curbelo were good friends and his band had many followers.
So the environment was heavy with all these "masters of masters" competing against each other. The competition
was rough and only the best survived.
In the mid 1940, Rene Touzet, who was also a Cuban pianist, formed his own orchestra, but, with non-Latin musicians,
like trumpeter Pete Canddoli and altoist Alt Pepper. He also took arranger Johnny Mandel who was considered a wizard.
Touzet's group was very popular with non-Latin and his music was heavy duty.
So you have to understand that all these people were unknowingly setting up the stage for the Latin Invasion of
the USA. The Latin Jazz progressive movement on one side and the Cuban rhythms on the other were far apart initially,
but, curiously were converging to a point that set the stage for the mambo.
The effect of Chano Pozo to the attitudes of Jazz musicians in the whole USA was permanent. Unfortunately, Chano
was killed in 1948 on a dispute for drugs. "Cabito", a veteran of the Second World War kill him because
Chano slapped his face. Chano's real name was Luciano Pozo y Gonzalez. He was Cuban born and a member of the Black
Cuban Abakua secret society. He descended from Nigerian slaves brought to Cuba to work the sugarcane fields. His
contribution to Latin-Jazz is enormous and permanent. You must listen only to two of his compositions to understand
what I mean. I am referring to Manteca and Tin-Tin-Deo. Sabu Martinez, a Puerto Rican bongo player, played alongside
Chano Pozo in Gillespie's orchestra. Also Chino (not Chano) Pozo and Carlos Vidal played for Gillespie. So you
see that Dizzy was enamored with the Afro-Cuban music very early in his career. But, Dizzy was not alone. Stan
Kenton, Billy May, and Charlie Parker were experimenting with Cuban percussion inserted in the form of Jazz. So,
Latin influences are in Jazz music and many people are not aware of that.
Many people are not aware that who brought the "mambo sound live" to New York was Arsenio Rodriguez.
Arsenio was experimenting with the new sound in Cuba. When he came to take care of his eye problem in New York,
he brought with him his ideas. He formed a new group that he called ARSENIO Y SUS ESTRELLAS. Miguelito Cuni and
Felix Chappttin took over his conjunto in Cuba. Cuni and Chappottin replaced Arsenio with Nino Rivera, who was
a tres master. New York Cuban musician went to see Arsenio perform and that's been all started. Arsenio set the
New York mambo craze. You must understand the New York mambo was different from Perez Prado's mambo.
The mambo rhythm had originally developed in the Afro-Cuban religion. Perez Prado told me that the word was of
Congo-Angolan origin. Cachao inserted the rhythm when he was playing his bass with Arcano Y sus Maravillas. Arsenio
inserted the mambo rhythm when he was montuneando. None of them had the tremendous success as Perez Prado did.
That is because Perez Prado took another approach to the mambo rhythm. Though the mambo movement was reaching its
peak in New York at the end of 1949, nobody was able to take it outside New York.
Perez Prado route was different. He took his mambo's ideas from Cuba to Mexico. This was a very odd approach. Prior
to that time the only thing that Mexican knew about Cuba was the danzon and in a very limited scale. He was lucky
to meet Benny More who at the time was stranded in Mexico together with other Cuban percussionist. Both of them
joined forces and took over the Mexican airwaves in a revolutionary manner. When RCA Victor learned what was going
on in Mexico, they decided to bring the new sound to the American soil. When people in New York listened to the
following mambos the revolutionary fire started. (Que Rico el mambo, Mambo #5, Mambo #8, Caballo Negro, Maria Cristina,
Locas Por el mambo, Babarabatibiri and many other sang by Benny More.)
That's when Latin musician in New York started (in the early 50's) to join the mambo
bandwagon. Tito Rodriguez left Jose Curbelo and formed his own band that he called it LOS DIABLOS
DEL MAMBO. Tito Puente also left Jose Curbelo to form his own group that he called THE PICADILLY BOYS. Not only
Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente, but also, Machito join the mambo bandwagon. You must understand that all these
musician were followers of the mambo craze. None of them invented the mambo and non-of them were considered the
mambo king. RCA VICTOR used the term THE MAMBO KING to promote Perez
Prado's recordings. He became the mambo king and the others followed him. The followers came from both sides, that
is, from Latin and non-Latin musicians. There were three non-Latin ethnic groups in the USA that loved LATIN MUSIC.
These are; Jews, Blacks and Italian. Prominent musicians from these ethnic groups started their own Latin bands.!!
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