Mongo Santamaría
Encyclopedia
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 in Havana
, Cuba
– February 1, 2003) was an Afro-Cuban
Latin jazz
percussionist
. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard
"Afro Blue
," recorded by John Coltrane
among others. In 1950 he moved to New York
where he played with Perez Prado
, Tito Puente
, Cal Tjader
, Fania All Stars, etc. He was an integral figure in the fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with R&B and soul
, paving the way for the boogaloo
era of the late 1960s. His 1963 hit rendition of Herbie Hancock
's "Watermelon Man" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
Mongo Santamaría was one of a handful of Cuban congueros ('conga players') who came to the United States in the 1940s and 50s. Other notable congueros who came to the U.S. during that time include Armando Peraza
, Chano Pozo
, Francisco Aguabella
, Julito Collazo
, Carlos Vidal Bolado
and Modesto Durán.
Santamaría inspired the stage name of Japanese actor Yūsuke Santamaria
. Additionally, his name is used as a pun in the film Blazing Saddles
. When the character Mongo enters a scene, a Spanish-speaking peasant cries "Mongo! Santa Maria!" before fleeing in terror.
He is buried in Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum
) in Miami, Florida.
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
– February 1, 2003) was an Afro-Cuban
Afro-Cuban
The term Afro-Cuban refers to Cubans of Sub Saharan African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community...
Latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
percussionist
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
"Afro Blue
Afro Blue
"Afro Blues" is a jazz standard composed by Mongo Santamaría, perhaps best known in its arrangement by John Coltrane.Coltrane's recordings of the piece have several features in common with his versions of "My Favorite Things", including a pulsating 3/4 jazz waltz rhythm, and a simple, almost...
," recorded by John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
among others. In 1950 he moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he played with Perez Prado
Perez Prado
Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...
, Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
, Cal Tjader
Cal Tjader
Callen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr. a.k.a. Cal Tjader was a Latin jazz musician, though he also explored various other jazz idioms. Unlike other American jazz musicians who experimented with the music from Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America, he never abandoned it, performing it until his...
, Fania All Stars, etc. He was an integral figure in the fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with R&B and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, paving the way for the boogaloo
Boogaloo
Boogaloo or bugalú is a genre of Latin music and dance that was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City among teenage Cubans, Puerto Ricans and other groups. The style was a fusion of popular African American R&B and soul with mambo and son montuno...
era of the late 1960s. His 1963 hit rendition of Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
's "Watermelon Man" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
Mongo Santamaría was one of a handful of Cuban congueros ('conga players') who came to the United States in the 1940s and 50s. Other notable congueros who came to the U.S. during that time include Armando Peraza
Armando Peraza
Armando Peraza is a Latin jazz percussionist. Through his long associations with jazz pianist George Shearing, vibraphonist Cal Tjader and guitarist Carlos Santana, he has been internationally known from the 1950s through to the 1990s...
, Chano Pozo
Chano Pozo
Chano Pozo was a percussionist, singer, dancer and composer who played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz...
, Francisco Aguabella
Francisco Aguabella
Francisco Aguabella was an Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist whose career began in the 1950s.-Biography:Aguabella was born in Matanzas, Cuba. In the 1950s, he left Cuba to perform with Katherine Dunham in the Shelley Winters film Mambo filmed in Italy...
, Julito Collazo
Julito Collazo
Julio "Julito" Collazo was a master percussionist.Collazo was born in Havana, Cuba. He began playing the ritual music of Santería on the batá drums at the age of fifteen. He moved to United States in the fifties to join in a world tour with the Afroamerican dancer Katherine Dunham and her Dance...
, Carlos Vidal Bolado
Carlos Vidal Bolado
Carlos Vidal Bolado was a Cuban conga drum musician and was one of the original Machito and his Afro-Cuban boys. Bolado holds the double distinction of being the first to record authentic folkloric Cuban rumba and the first to play congas in Latin jazz Carlos Vidal Bolado (1914–1996) was a...
and Modesto Durán.
Santamaría inspired the stage name of Japanese actor Yūsuke Santamaria
Yusuke Santamaria
, born , is an actor and singer born March 12, 1971 in Ōita Ōita Prefecture, Japan who premiered primarily on Japanese networks such as JDTV and JHJ. He was best known for his work on many popular game shows, television programs, and shorts. He is also known simply as "Yūsuke"...
. Additionally, his name is used as a pun in the film Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft. The movie was nominated for three...
. When the character Mongo enters a scene, a Spanish-speaking peasant cries "Mongo! Santa Maria!" before fleeing in terror.
He is buried in Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum
Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum
Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum is one of the oldest cemeteries in Miami, Florida.In 1913, Thomas O. Wilson, William N. Urmey and Clifton D. Benson established Woodlawn Park Cemetery...
) in Miami, Florida.
Discography
- Tambores y Cantos (1955)
- Afro-Roots (1960)
- Yambu: Mongo Santamaria y Sus Ritmos Afro Cubano (1958)
- Mongo (1959) - with the theme "Afro Blue"
- Our Man in Havana (1959)
- Mongo en La Habana (1960) with Carlos Embale and Merceditas Valdés
- Sabroso! (1960) - with tresero and composician Andrés Echeverría
- Go, Mongo! (1962)
- Watermelon man! (1963) (Battle RecordsBattle RecordsBattle Records may refer to*Battle records, a type of record used by DJs consisting of music samples.*Battle Records , a record label active in the 1950s and 1960s....
) - Mongo At The Village Gate (1963) (Riverside RecordsRiverside RecordsRiverside Records was a United States record label specializing in jazz. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer under his firm Bill Grauer Productions, Inc. in 1953, the label was a major presence in the jazz record industry for a decade...
) - El Bravo! (1964)
- La Bamba (1965)
- Pussy Cat (1965)
- "Hey! Let's Party" (1967)
- Afro-American Latin (1969)
- Stone Soul (1969)
- Mongo´70 (1970)
- Feelin' Alright (1970)
- Mongo's Way (1971)
- Up From the Roots (1972)
- "Fuego" (1972)
- Ubané (1974) with Justo BetancourtJusto BetancourtJusto Betancourt is a Cuban singer famous for his interpretation of Pa' bravo yo. He was born in Matanzas, but has lived a significant amount of time in the United States and Puerto Rico. His music shows Cuban influence but developed in the direction of Puerto-Rican Salsa...
on vocals - "Afro-Indio" (1975)
- Sofrito (1976)
- Amanecer (1977) - won a Grammy award
- Red Hot (1979)
- Soy Yo (1987)
- You Better Believe It (1979)
- Mambo Mongo (1993)
- Mongo Returns (Milestone RecordsMilestone RecordsMilestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....
, 1995) - Conga Blue (1995)
- Come on Home (1997)
- Mongo Santamaria (1998)