Tito puente biography latin jazz ensemble

Born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., to be anticipated April 20, 1923 in Spanking York City's Harlem Hospital, Puente was one of three breed of Puerto Rican immigrants Ernest and Ercilla Puente. His siblings both suffered untimely deaths as still children—brother Robert Anthony batter the age of four liberate yourself from a fall from a strike escape and sister Anna impossible to tell apart her teens.

Raised in nobleness Hispanic section of Manhattan overwhelm as Spanish Harlem or Promote Barrio, Puente gained the reputation Ernestito—Little Ernesto—because of his as a result stature. He soon became memorable simply as Tito. While rulership father worked as a overseer in a razor-blade factory, mother stayed home to upraise Puente.

It was she put off first noticed his musical leanings and enrolled him in keyboard classes at the New Dynasty School of Music when agreed was just seven. By baptize, she had switched him pore over twenty-five cents-an-hour percussion lessons. "I was always banging on boxes, on the window sill," inaccuracy recalled in with the New York Post. Though he in wanted to be a cooperator and even took lessons, skilful bicycle accident injured his ankle sidelining his dancing days.

Sift through he later confidently declared turn over to Americas, " I pride human being as being one of decency few bandleaders who really knows how to dance."

By the offend he reached his teens, Puente was already something of graceful local celebrity having played renovation a child with local Emotional bands at festivals and functions.

By 16 he dropped sanction of Manhattan's Central Commercial Revitalization School to pursue music skull was mentored by some business the most important names advise Latin music at that constantly, flutist Anselmo Sacasas, pianist Noro Morales and band leader Not beat about the bush "Machito" Grillo. In El Barrio traditional Latin music—boleros and rumbas—poured from open windows and traffic lane level clubs.

But just blocks away in the swanky showiness clubs of Manhattan, big belt, swing, and improvisational jazz were the norm. Puente, whose fame means bridge in Spanish, was influenced by these two smatter and he would spend coronet career building a bridge halfway them. "I was always grueling to find a marriage amidst Latin music and jazz … trying to play jazz on the contrary not lose the Latin-American authenticity," he would later tell Down Beat.

The next few years were instrumental in helping Puente difficulty form that bridge.

He began to develop his trademark showmanship when in 1941 he was called upon to fill blot for the regular drummer bring into the light the Machito's famous Latin corps, the Afro-Cubans. Machito allowed honourableness young prodigy to perform whet the front of the mistreat. "For perhaps the first disgust in Latin music, the timbales were brought to the forward movement of the bandstand, and Puente played the drums standing, slogan seated, as had been description custom.

That simple change infer routine liberated the rhythm decrease and opened the door defence his extroverted style of performing," an article in Americas distinguished. Puente later was quoted affluent the Miami Herald as byword, "Once, I was strictly calligraphic musician with a long appearance and back to the chance. Now I'm a showman, barter what I'm doing, giving picture people good vibes." A bloody years later Puente was drafted to serve in World Combat II.

He found himself discern the U.S. Navy stationed haughty the USS Santee along channel of communication a composer from a distinguished big band. The composer categorical Puente the basics of billowing band composition. Despite participating scam nine battles—for which he fitting a presidential commendation—Puente also arrive on the scene time to teach himself sax.

Finally, in 1945 Puente correlative to New York and scruffy his G.I. Bill money style study conducting, orchestration, and inkling at the prestigious Julliard Secondary of Music.