Changuito (born José Luis Quintana on January 18, 1948) is a
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
n
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
ist.
Biography
Quintana was born in 1948 in
Casablanca, Cuba.
[Changuito]
", '' National Geographic'', retrieved 2010-08-28 As a child he played professionally in bands such as Havana Jazz (joining aged 8), with his musician father, and with La Pandilla de los Cabezas de Perros.
At the age of 13, he volunteered for military service and played in army bands, serving for three years, during which he also played in the jazz band Estrellas de Occidente.
His mother died when he was 17 years old. In 1964 he joined the popular band Los Harmonicos, followed by a year in Sonorama 6, and spells as drummer in Souvinir and La Orchestra de Musica Moderna.
In 1970 he joined
Los Van Van.
They created the
songo
Songo may refer to:
* Songo music, a type of contemporary Cuban music originating in Havana
* Songo people, of northern Angola
* Songo-salsa, a style of music that blends Spanish rapping and hip hop beats with salsa music and songo
* Songo.mn, ...
, where a combination of percussion instruments (
timbales
Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfi ...
,
cowbell
A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are ...
s,
wood blocks, electronic drums, and
cymbals) and hand techniques are characteristic.
He first recorded as a solo artist in 1992 and became recognized as a teacher of percussion.
In 1996 Changuito was nominated for a Grammy award for his work with Carlos "Patato" Valdes and Orestes Vilato, produced by Greg Landau.
[Moses, Catherine (1999) ''Real Life in Castro's Cuba'', Scholarly Resources Inc., , p. 93] This was his first recording in the United States and it highlighted many aspects of his playing overlooked in his Van Van recordings. He also played on a recording with Greg Landau accompanying Puerto Rican poet Piri Thomas along with Patato and Orestes. He has also contributed to recordings by
Hilario Durán.
[Enter the Alma Records 3-CD Giveaway!]
", allaboutjazz.com, 8 August 2010, retrieved 2010-08-28
Changuito taught other percussionists including
Giovanni Hidalgo
Giovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. "Mañenguito" (born November 22, 1963) is a Latin jazz percussionist.
Early years
Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he received his primary education. His grandfather was a musician, and his father, José ...
, Karl Perazzo (of
Santana), and Ginaski Wop (member of Bardamu project).
"Changuito special"
In the 1970s Changuito developed the technique of simultaneously playing timbale and bongo bell parts when he held the timbales chair in
Los Van Van. The example below shows the combined bell patterns (written in a 2-3
clave sequence).
Selected Discography
*
962Cal Tjader
Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, even as he continued to perform music of Afro-Jazz, ...
- ''Cal Tjader Plays The Contemporary Music Of Mexico And Brasil''
*
994Flora Purim
Flora Purim (born March 6, 1942) is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Return to Forever with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. She has recorded and performed with ...
- ''Speed of Light''
*
995 Orestes Vilató, Changuito,
Patato - ''Ritmo Y Candela: Rhythm at the Crossroads''
*
997Juan Formell
Juan Climaco Formell Cortina (August 2, 1942 – May 1, 2014) was a Cuban bassist, composer, and arranger, best known as the director of Los Van Van. He was a creator of popular danceable music and credited with bringing electronic instrumentati ...
and
Los Van Van - ''De Cuba''
*
999Fourth World (
Airto Moreira and Flora Purim) - ''Last Journey''
*
000Changuito /
Cándido Fabré
Cándido Fabré (born in San Luis, Santiago de Cuba) is a Cuban musician, song writer, and singer famous for his skilled improvisation. He was born on September 20, 1959, in the municipality of San Luis (Santiago de Cuba), into a musical family; ...
/ Tiburon - ''El Muso Y Su Sonora''
*
000Maraca - ''Descarga Total''
*
000Airto Moreira - ''Homeless''
*
000Brice Wassy - ''Shrine Dance''
*
001Clave Y Guaguanco with
Celeste Mendoza
Celeste Mendoza (born Santiago de Cuba 6 April 1930, died Havana 22 November 1998), was a Cuban singer.
Biography
Celeste Mendoza was born in Santiago de Cuba in 1930. She was best known for her singing of guaguancos, the music of the street r ...
and Changuito - ''Noche De La Rumba''
*
001Changuito - ''Syncopation''
*
002Kysha25 (from Italy) LP Culebras - in the song Ambatula
*
002Maraca - ''Tremenda Rumba!''
*
002Giraldo Piloto - ''Klimax''
*
004 Diego el Cigala and
Bebo Valdés
Dionisio Ramón Emilio Valdés Amaro (October 9, 1918 – March 22, 2013), better known as Bebo Valdés, was a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. He was a central figure in the golden age of Cuban music, especially due to his big b ...
- ''Lagrimas Negras''
*
005Kysha25 (from Italy) - LP Farandula
*
007Changuito - ''Telegrafias Sin Hilo''
CD Universe
References
Further reading
*Jose Luis Quintana "Changuito" (1998) ''Changuito: A Master's Approach to Timbales'', Alfred Publishing Co.,
Performances on YouTube
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{{Authority control
1948 births
Living people
Cuban percussionists
Conga players
Timbaleros