Downbeat

And Before That, There Was Mongo Santamaría … (downbeat column)

Master conguero, bandleader, and composer Ramón “Mongo” Santamaría died February 1st at Baptist Hospital in Miami. He had been in life support after a stroke. He was 85. A mailman in his youth in Havana, Cuba, Santamaría went on to become, for the next 60 years, one of the most influential musicians in Afro-Cuban music …

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Reissues and compilations. Latin music back to the future (downbeat column)

Reissues are a chance to catch up with the past and, occasionally, reassess not only history but also the present. That’s the case with several recent releases – including a couple of reissues and two compilations. Poet, diplomat, bohemian extraordinaire Vinicius de Moraes was perhaps the greatest lyricist in bossa nova. His collaboration with Antonio …

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