Andres Ayala Bas

ID 0678900
May 10th, 2018

Mongo Santamaria Was The Beginning Without An End

A Mongo Santamaria concert is a mesmerizing spectacle for both eyes and ears, and
even in his seventies, this seemingly ageless Cuban percussionist/bandleader could energize
packed behemoth arenas such as the Hollywood Bowl. This past sentence was said by a famous
music online story teller Richard S. Ginell. After 1950 the latin music started to change in the
world. In 1950 he moved to New York City where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal
Tjader, Fania All Stars, Dizzy Gillespie, Paul Horn, Victor Feldman and Lalo Schifrin, these artists
are the ones that collaborate to make the latin music a chance to go worldwide. They took
Mongo and made magic.
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (1917-2003) was a rumba quinto master and
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. 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.
In the 1950’s Cuba was the Great Music Hall of the Caribbean. The past six decades, the
Cuban music have been changing and influenced by the other genres around the world.
Elements from funk, jazz and Mediterranean music. Music is the universal language and
therefore we transcend and look for something better every day. Alexander Abreu and Havana D
Primera, Isaac Delgado, Manolito, Trabuco and other artist saw that and took the Cuban music
and adapted for everyone. I personally love Cuban music. I hear Cuban music literally every day
and wasn’t until I actually listen to the music and not just hear sound. And change my music
perception. Is so satisfying to hear that piano go wild. Is something hard to explain.
Cuban Modern Jazz is thanks to that great people who collaborate in the past and the
people who are doing music this days because they are the one innovating music. Puerto Rico
and Cuba share a lot. I’m Puerto Rican and we have very similar culture, home, weather and
people. We are like brother islands to be honest. Taking little bit out of Cuba In Puerto Rico we
have a big scene of salsa and timba music. People like Manolito, Pedro Martinez, Alexander
Abreu and many others are very well-known people in the Island. We have a big influence in our
music. People thinks that Salsa comes from Cuba another people say that comes from Puerto
Rico but the true is that it came from the heart and culture of the world. African sounds in the
percussion. The music pattern goes back in time. The roots are Africa. Cuban Modern Jazz is
thanks to the Africa music and Africa’s heart. Cuban Music is African Strong.
But above all and going back to Mongo, in the 1960’s they sent back Mongo to Havana
to make two albums. Those albums later became a symbol to study because it contains a lot of
patterns used for rituals and the different types of Rumba, been the one that make Cuba rich in
music. The second LP was called Our Man in Havana was made introducing the violin and Cuban
flute to latin music later called cha-cha but that’s another story.
 In the 1962 the missile crisis made Mongo and other musicians had economic problems
so the worst moments were about to came worst. That same year he goes back to New York to
play with many musicians to survive. He started playing with Herbie Hancock, “Watermelon
Man” came out of those rehearsals and was recorded and went on top of the chart by month.
Mongo been famous for composing the standard jazz “Afro Blue” he got another push because
of the fusion of latin music and jazz later called Latin Jazz. He became a very requested musician
around the states.
He always came back to his roots. He had his roots with him all the time. He took his
culture with him. His career was known for been a bifurcated. Jazz and Afro-Cuban music as
one. He was getting Herbie’s song famous at the same time as recording what was going to be
the next sensation in Cuba. Years pass and Mongo still popular in United States, like he wasn’t
descending, he was actually going up all the time. In 1981 Dizzy Gillespie was going to perfume
in Montreux Jazz Festival, and he invited Mongo to performed one song called Summertime,
remembering those times they spent together.
In his last years with us in this world, he started having health problems thanks to the
accident he had in 1950 in Texas. But that didn’t stop him at all. He continues giving music
around the world. Why? How? With what strength? I think that the only thing heled him stand
was his African roots. He came a long way to give up in his life that easy. He was out of his
country surviving and he did.
In 1997, Mongo took stage with his most dear friends. Armanda Peraza, Francisco
Aguabella, Hidalgo, Mark Quiñones, Cachao, Paquito D’Rivera and Arturo Sandoval. This was
the first International Latin Jazz Festival in Los Angeles. He was described as the best
Ambassador of Cuban Music. He gave to the world aa large of history and information that was
going to be study by a lot of people in the world.
From Danzon to Cuban Jazz is a long way to go in time. And he went thru all of them. He
knows classical music as modern music. He is a pioneer of the Cuban music. Like he always said:
“I am a Sonero”. He will always be the “sonero”. African roots everywhere, here right? Amazing
indeed.

References
- From Afro-Cuban Rhythms to Latin Jazz, Chapter 5 (University of California Press, 2006)
Drumming in Cuba by Raul Fernandez
- @2018 AllMusic, Member of the RhythmOne Group by Richard S. Ginell
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_jazz
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/cuban-jazz-ma0000011930