Mambo In The City Salsa Podcast
Get ready to move and groove as Mambo In the City Salsa Podcast takes you on a rhythmic journey through the captivating world of Salsa in the heart of New York City!
This podcast is not your ordinary salsa experience—it's a lively, informative, and entertaining monthly show that will have you tapping your feet and swaying your hips.
Hosted by the talented concert photographer Adrian Montanez, Mambo In the City Salsa Podcast is your ticket to discovering the rich history, vibrant music, and incredible artists that have shaped the Salsa scene in the Big Apple.
From salsa music reviews that will have you itching to hit the dance floor to exclusive artist interviews that unveil the stories behind the music, this podcast goes beyond the surface to bring you an in-depth exploration of the Salsa world.
But wait, there's more!
Mambo In the City Salsa Podcast isn't just about talking—it's about experiencing the music firsthand.
Through Adrian's concert blogs, you'll feel like you're right there, grooving to the infectious rhythms, and soaking up the electrifying energy of live performances.
But it doesn't stop there.
This podcast is all about community, celebrating the Latin music culture, and bringing people together. Mambo In the City invites you to be a part of the Salsa family and join the conversation.
Connect with like-minded music lovers, share your thoughts, and stay up to date with the latest happenings in the Salsa world by subscribing to their website, MambointheCity.com.
So, whether you're a seasoned Salsa enthusiast or someone looking to dip their toes into this captivating genre, Mambo In the City Salsa Podcast promises to educate, entertain, and get you grooving like never before. Don't miss out on the fun—tune in, subscribe, and let the Salsa adventure begin! #Salsa #Mambo #SalsaPodcast
Mambo In The City Salsa Podcast
Episode 44: Congero Legendario "CHEMBO"!
GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATED Percussionist Wilson “Chembo” Corniel was
born in Manhattan on November 22, 1953 of proud Puerto Rican parents; Chembo
was raised in the humble streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn. It was during these years,
as a quick-witted youngster, that he had the privilege and honor to study with such percussion luminaries as, Tommy Lopez Sr., “Little Ray” Romero, Louie Bauzo, and Cachete Maldonado.Chembo honed his skills at The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in New York, and also at the prestigious La Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana, Cuba under the direction of the great Chucho Valdés.
In Cuba Chembo studied with Roberto Vizcaino Guillot, Jose Luis Quintana “Changuito”, Papo Angarica,
Alejandro Cavajal Guerra, Lazaro Poderoso, Julito Fantoma, Sandy Perez
(Grupo Afro Cuba De Mantanzas).
His intense studies with such legends noted above channeled his energy onto a path where Wilson “Chembo” Corniel has now created a reputation for himself among musicians and the public. Today, he is considered as one of the best hard-hitting, versatile percussionists around!
Without any further to do. Please welcome to the mumbo in the city south of podcast Chambu coordinate. Let me switch over, bro. Come up that man. Oh hey, how you doing.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me, man, thank you.
Speaker 1:My pleasure, my brother, how you doing, how you been.
Speaker 2:Everything is good, man. It's funny that you're mentioning a Tito Neves. He's from the area too. I know his mother's father. We grew up together. I hung out mostly with his cousin. He played timbales, etolatra and we will. You know, we grew up. There's a lot of musicians in the scene here that that I seen grow up. Man, we're all kids and we started together and Tito was one of them and I got to play with him for about four or five years. So he's a brother from another mother in the neighborhood of Red Hook, you know. But everything is good. China, stay alive and and and keep busy and and China, you know, and I would die of a modicine, you know.
Speaker 1:Word man. Those are some beautiful con guys behind you, bro, oh.
Speaker 2:I got about 14 pairs of con guys. This is only the ones I have up in in my home studio that I used to record tracks for For people who who needs like, like percussion tracks and stuff like that. So I do that home here. So Mike's in my setup over here and these are always here. I have another setup in in my studio in the basement in the bottom where I rehearse my band, so I got another four over there. No, the three upstairs. Sorry, we had go.
Speaker 1:I got a Now, now, do you have your own line of con guys? No, no, no, no.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, not that famous yet. They're waiting for, bro, what they waiting for. You know I've been with LP 43 years, Nunkka, and I see guys who joined yesterday. You know, you know, you know what are you gonna do. I mean, you know it's what it is, you know, you know, didn't get his line until he was like 95. I don't want to wait that long, but you know, LP Made some, you know, candido con guys and he always liked those white drums, you know those white fiberglass con guys.
Speaker 2:So they just put a stick on his name. He's nothing like a fancy design or anything like that, but you know he had his line later on.
Speaker 2:But you know, company have been sold to different people, so there's different. Every time they do that I have to reintroduce myself to the artist's relation, you know, and all those people and and now that the line is in California is not over here on the East Coast any longer they deal with a lot of musicians from there that are mostly like in the pop field and rock. You know, some Latin you know, but mostly those kind of guys that are, you know, getting pushed.
Speaker 1:Ahead. Now, you know, with that, or stand, or spike, yes, I mean, then it's hard to reintroduce yourself because, number one, the beauty of what you've done over these years, right, nobody's gonna understand that, yeah, I know I Mean, although you get the point across, but it's gonna. You know, take a lot, we understand where, where, where.
Speaker 2:You know where I was coming from and how, how, the background and and and and and and the resume that I have, you know, and they were people who know he's, he's on black, he's some guys who just doing it as a job, don't know the roots of our music, because this is a corporation that only sees us as a commodity and pushes it as Far as that, you know, but not with the Knowing what this instrument means to us. You know and and and what we do with this instrument. We take it around the world. You know, and and show the people how it's played and and what to do with this, with this item. You know. So you know, and I see it that way too but it gets tiring because they're tiny, selling, you know. You know. That's why I don't push that anymore, because you know you got to keep like chasing these guys and I just go along. Just give me two drums and I'm good. You know. So if that happens, it happens easy, no, palante you know that's it.
Speaker 2:You let your work speak for itself, man, because yeah you know they got to see what I did is gonna be or it's over 50 years now that I've been doing. Is it so at 40, at 42 or 43 years with a we're like percussion, you know which. You know it was very hip in the beginning. Martin calling, you know he took care of all of us here and all his staff, the people they were sad when they, they had to move out and Got sold and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:You know, but you got to keep doing it, you know. You know you got to keep doing it.
Speaker 1:I had some great memories up there during his birthday parties and and those type of things and I should have put this photo up. We, we were part of a big photo at his last photo shoot yes, up in the Bronx. I posted up later, but that was. That was a great time and that was a 40th anniversary. Alhuacin and that canido was was there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everybody everybody was there even people who, not without people, they're affiliated with him as a family. Yeah, who was in the circle? You know that that always respected all the drummers, all the percussionists from LP and that we work with all the pianist they're some of the bass players were there. You know all the other people. You know horn players that that were affiliated with Martin. You know they were there, so it was like more a big family. I remember that shot.
Speaker 1:Amazing shot, an amazing setup he had. You know he had these guys put up. You know Martin's a master at the photography part. Oh yeah, I was happy to be part of that, that that photo, and and I'm not a percussionist, I got in, I guess, because I'm a photographer and I would help out at LP and you know.
Speaker 2:So that's how he Respends that also. You know that's he. You're in his field and, and besides photography, with the videos and now the book, you know he has history and I was, you know, you know I met him. You know my first photo shoot was in 1982, you know, with him, you know, and he always was Very helpful and helping, you know, throughout my career, you know so, and he was always a friend, always invited me to the parties and you know you know those parties were. You know, oh yeah, bands and food.
Speaker 1:Is who is who we show up. Man. I mean, yeah, yeah, he went to his house and you know we was walking around and playing instruments and all the beautiful photos like you said, you know, like a Disneyland for percussionist man.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Shout out to Martin Cohen. We were at the. Was it a Tito Puente Mambo Diablo concert a few weeks ago. Okay so, but speaking of you know those, those years was your years of music. You know who influenced you the most in terms of you know who was the first percussionist. You saw that you said, yo, I have to do this.
Speaker 2:Well, it's funny. It's funny that you say that because I always have this story that you know, being raised in Brooklyn and everything we used to go every Sunday. You know, the family used to go to the station wagon and on a Sunday morning and go to Coney Island, everybody pack it in. You know your mother, come on out. I think when I will yada, oh, with the cover, yeah, don't watch, you, don't keep it over and stuff, you know, and everybody's in the back with a baby. So the kids on the back and I was, I think, about nine, ten, it could be about even more, in that, about nine to ten. And you know we saw the Coney Island and there and the next bay, there was always a rumba, you know, and I'm here, but he, all those drums have it as a way, wait.
Speaker 2:After we said we settled down, I ran over there and I stood there most of the time. You know, I didn't get it to the water and when I, when I got close, I see these, these gentlemen playing these rumba, I said wow, that shit is killing. You know that's killing it and you know, and the one that that was there playing it was a pop open. So when I seen Papa when I heard him play and he was with Johnny Zemard. He had a lot of good friends. He's from Brooklyn also. His brother was from Brooklyn at the time, so they would jam every Sunday there. And when I see Papa I say, man, I wanna do that man the way he did. I was hitting the drum a little bit because my uncle had a drum.
Speaker 2:He lived next door to us in the projects and after school I used to take this Mexican drum to my house because his wife, my aunt, had a top eight day with a plant on top of it like a piece of furniture, you know, and the corn on top of the conga. So I took that out.
Speaker 2:Hey, you know so I was just banging on it. But when I heard Papa play the next day, I went home. The night I went home and I locked myself up in the room and started practicing for the next 40 years. You know, wow, you know, papa was a big influence.
Speaker 2:Later on I had guys who took me under their wing and they seen I had a little bit of talent and I studied with Tommy Lopez, little Ray Romero, you know. They were in the neighborhood later on, you know, hanging out at this conga shop on Brooklyn, skin on Skin on Smith Street, yeah. And so Tommy moved in the area and I was there every day almost. And then you know all of us, a couple of young guys were hanging out at the shop at the time. They had a room in the back and Tommy used to hang out. So the owner of the shop, he said why don't you take these kids in the room in the back and charge them five dollars and get a lesson? You know you make some money while you're here. So this is how I started taking lessons with them. Then, after that, you know I would I saw this house. He went to Roomba's Little.
Speaker 1:Ray.
Speaker 2:Romero.
Speaker 1:For people who don't know. Tell the people about Tommy Lopez. You know Tommy.
Speaker 2:Lopez, you know, was the conga player, the original conga player, the Eddie Palmieri's La Perfecta the original La Perfecta, which is a band with two trombones and a flute, and they were from the 60s, the 1960s. Eddie Palmieri, tommy Lopez, was the conga player there on all those classic recordings that you hear now that are being redone. But the original band was La Perfecta and he had many okendo and timbales. So that was the combination the Bali conga, no bongo, but many okendo playing timbales and double up on bongo. So this was something that nobody was doing at the time either doing two instruments there at one time, you know, switching back and forth. He had Dave Perez on bass, George Castro on flute, barry Rogers on trombone, jose Rodriguez on trombone. Mae Imaepintana was the singer there at the time, you know so, and he is the father of, you know, the famous Chuck Lopez, the bongo player that we call Eddie later on, you know.
Speaker 2:So, chuck, we grew up almost together like brothers, you know cause we hung out a lot and stuff when we were younger, so you know he would go see his dad and we were just hanging out, so you know. So he comes with a family of tradition and at that time Tommy was hanging out with guys like Julito Collaso, Fatalto, tautico, kako. You know, these are guys who are the roots of New York percussion. You know, afro-caribbean, afro-cuban, afro-portuguese percussion, wow.
Speaker 2:You know I got to hang with all of them, you know, and Tommy took me all the way, all the time to all those hangs, and this is how I kind of blended in and started learning and started checking out other people.
Speaker 1:What did Tommy Lopez teach you that you know stuck with you the most in terms of playing la conga?
Speaker 2:Well, the main thing that he taught me was once he put that drum in between his legs, he repeated the respect that he had. I seen him address the drum, like you know, he respected that drum first before you play. Is that just? He didn't teach me licks like that and started banging away and stuff like that. But the attitude you have with that drum as one once he played that drum, he was one person with that drum. So when he sat down and I said, oh man, I just I just seen that, you know, it just kind of went like this and you know he approached the drum, where he approaches the drum and address the drum before he played, a, a, a, a. You know, like a person like he was like okay, we're going to work together, cause you can't beat the drum, the drum is going to beat you, the drum will kick your butt, you know. So he had that respect in order to before he started playing and it went. And then, when it went, his dubao and his timing and his control, you know that's what blew me away. You know the whole, the whole Afinke, the whole respect that he had for that drum.
Speaker 2:And then he started. Then he started, you know taking off. On top of that, you know Building up the initial sit down. You know, like, like, like, saludando al tambor primero. You know how you doing blah, blah, blah, blah, like, like, like, like. You know. You know. So when I see that and it wasn't anything said, it's something I seen that. I I seen a few guys do that, not just grab the drum, okay to tocar, but you know he stood a time there. You know they do a golpe aqui, otro acar. He looked at it, positioned himself straight back. You know ready to play. You know and and and that's. You know I grew up that way professionally. You know when we go to gigs and you know kind of come from that school, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, what a beautiful school and it was to. You know that opportunity you had with with Tommy Lopez. I got to see his, his son, once at the old timers day and I took a video of him. You know, I had never seen his son, or unfortunately I never got to see Tommy play, but just when he sat down to play, like you said, there's something about you know the way those guys play. Right, I'm getting goosebumps talking about it, but you know that that's something that I'm sure that you never forget.
Speaker 1:And and and anybody for people who don't know, chembo also teaches. Okay, chembo, yes. So remember when you, if you ever reach out to Chembo for a conga lesson or something, how we, out of this pandemic, and probably probably doing you know you can do some in-person ones Remember where this is coming from. Remember his lineage of you know teachers here and what you're getting if you ever are lucky enough to get a class with, with Chembo. Now let me ask you growing up, you know the Brown Brothers around you, and, and, and, and Louis Boussot and Pavlito El Indio, and you know, barrette, what tell us when you met Ray Barretto?
Speaker 2:Ah well, during that conga shop. It's called Skin on Skin was a conga shop in Brooklyn and there is where I met Barretto Mongo because all the congettos started coming down. It was interesting what are these guys making, these handmade drums? You know they're bending the iron. There's not a machine thing there. You know, you know and and and I seen.
Speaker 2:I seen a drum how it's been made from the staves of the wood. I seen a rod turning to hooks for the congas, how they cut it and then they bend it and thread it. You know they're making handmade, you know everything. So I bet a lot of a lot of people congettos masters. They passed through the shop there and I got real, real, you know, introduced to them. I got real close to them. I got introduced to them.
Speaker 2:You know I was one of the kids that were hanging out there that loved to play and I remember that I said go with my money so I can get two drums from Skin on Skin and they were almost ready and then the varnish had a dry and the good thing about that that I like that I helped make that drum. I, after he cut those rods and twisted it, I was making a thread. It's a little instrument that has a thread on. So you put it in the beginning of that rod and you start spinning around and it makes a thread. And then you bring it back, you know you oil it. So I made my own threads there.
Speaker 2:So I seen how the drum was put together, glued and everything like that, you know, which is a whole different. Other respect when you see the drum, I know how it's made. I could tell by looking at it. You know what the craftsmanship is. So my drum was getting dried and I waited about three months for them and Brella walks in and they're on the shelf. Brella walks in and say, okay, how much of a drum is that right there? You know he couldn't wait to three months to get a drum.
Speaker 1:I'll take those right there.
Speaker 2:He said, no, no, that's this guy here, this kid, and they took him to the side. He said, no, no, we're about to get. No, no, he didn't sell it. He didn't sell it. You know, that's his, that's Chamberlain's drums, you know. So that's what we kind of he said who the hell are you? But later on then we knew, you know, we got, you know, we got more friendly and everything. He should go see us. When I played with Ray Vega at Cabajal's back in the early nineties, he come visit us, visit me, and he was sitting and play with the band and he would love to play drums, not congas. He did congas a couple of times, but he's a jazz drummer, so he would like to play drums with Ray Vega's band, you know. So we got a nice report. But I met a lot of guys Mongo came down, chete, other rumeros, you know, and the people there were on the scene playing, you know, and the salsa scene playing at the time. I met a lot of guys who were there.
Speaker 1:I remember I used to hang out with a musician I see this all the time musician named Harry Adorno. Oh yeah, and Harry used to take me the first time. I'll never forget that the first time he took me to JCR, you know, like you said, they have those factories and he had all the photos on the wall and just you know they used to sell timbaleros and bongoseros, going to JCR and buying, you know and who's who Some of them were going on tour, they were going to drums, things like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of people from Puerto Rico all around the world. They go there. You get two or three bells because they got to go to colleagues and now one of his bells are worth, you know, hundreds, you know, if not thousands. You know, for the bells that he has now, because those are classic bells, a lot of friends. I got a couple of friends of mine that are making their own bells, sort of similar, you know now, to the sound. But Gali is Gali, you know, and anything with his label on it they are collective items, you know no-transcript.
Speaker 1:That's incredible. I got to meet, luckily I got to meet Riveretto at Madison Square Garden and I also saw him at the, at the Latin Quarter, when Rafi had the Latin Quarter, like one night, you know, and I got to hear you know that shit, that, that, that you know. You know I'm talking about the goods, you know, let me, I never forget that night, you know, I close my eyes and I just, you know, I felt like I was at the cheetah, even though you know, but just his sound. You know, just close your eyes, I do the Pomeri too you know yes.
Speaker 1:Eddie playing yes.
Speaker 2:I was playing at those times and I was in the cheetah where when they had that that, the historic recording there I was at Yankee Stadium in 73, when when Fanny also is when Yankee Stadium and I used to, you know, also in the neighborhood, I know of you heard of Tuffy Sanchez. Tuffy is it was a rough Macau. Yeah, yeah, right here, man. He didn't let nobody into the door. You know nobody.
Speaker 2:No, he's not here but so so he lived there. He did the Red Hook man, you know, and he was. He was like family with us too. He's like a second father to us. So you know he was working with Ralphie and he gave me two tickets. He said you want some tickets for the thing for free? I say, oh, yeah, I had to go to the Bronx at midnight and paste up those palesters, those posters, with the bucket of glue in the brush. So we're like about five kids. You know he had a station where they were putting up posters at three o'clock in the morning, you know, for the, for the event, and I got two tickets, you know, to get to to see, yeah, the family, all stars. But this is what I did and it's a funny story. But you know Tuffy was always cool with me, you know, he was like family, you know he's seen us grow up, you know.
Speaker 1:Do you remember where you sat for the funny?
Speaker 2:No Close, and he was like towards the middle somewhere, but it wasn't too far. I seen a lot, but it was so many people there and it was. It was chaos. You really was. You know, once they started playing, it was nothing like I I seen before. You know, the only feeling I had something like that was the first time I played with Madison Square Garden, with Bobby Rodriguez in la compañía, when I, when I went to Madison Square Garden to play this is like 77, 79, almost 80, we did think of with Ralph MacArthur, each of throne, all the salsa dances all the time, all the salsa concerts, all the time, and the crowd there was so packed, it was so noisy. I like all I heard was noise, you know, and and everything was dark and roaring, not only in front but behind you, with the people behind you too, and we started playing and I don't know, man, I was so scared, yeah, like so overwhelmed, like wow, you know, I never forget that feeling. That's how I guess the final order felt at that time, because it was overwhelming.
Speaker 1:What a beautiful time, man. Oh yeah, I'm. I Met Chumbo on a person level during the Tito Rodriguez junior rehearsals. For those of you that don't know, chumbo is part of it. Tito Rodriguez junior big band. For how long now have you been in the big band?
Speaker 2:I Was on and off because I did Some tours with him to Turkey, germany. We did a tour of Europe and then after that I Get to play with him to about maybe a year because he had other guys playing with him and then a steadily now for the last, going on three years or so, and Georgie was in the band to Georgie Gonzalez recipes. He was, he was with me in the band when I got in there and we were together in Georgia. I knew, you know, we was younger too. I know for a long time, you know, as he grew and progressed. Also, speaking of Georgie, you know.
Speaker 2:Yes, Georgie was was also in the band, you know, and he had a great Podcast with his brother last week. I enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:Thank you, can you see that right there, that pop.
Speaker 2:No, you got to read it.
Speaker 1:I got my so Ricky Ricky's joining us. He says I'm a huge fan. Thank you for coming to my brother's week, oh.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, okay, ricky, yeah, no, no, it was. He's a pleasure man. I. I kind of had to take a double look. When I see, when I see Ricky, I say wait. Those what he has here, you already walking around here. You know, they were like twins, you know, yeah, totally man you know so. So no, no, I was glad I met him there and you know he's, he's got a sweetheart, just like Georgie, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, I. So the night of the he bet the Santa Rosa concert that Tita Rodriguez, he bet the Santa Rosa concert at hostos. When you sat in the dressing room we started talking, you mentioned when you started there was a Sixth hat that you part of, called to and company.
Speaker 2:The first band was called Zee and company and company.
Speaker 1:You know I wrote to and it's a Z.
Speaker 2:For there were three brothers in the band and this every product, your key was so because he was a sex take with vibes and stuff. Zee and company, the three brothers the last name was servos, their father was Greek and their mother was Puerto Rican. But they went to the land side, one of them saying One play vibes, you're gonna play piano, and it was a sex tech. Zee and company was from Brooklyn. That's one of my first like neighborhood bands really. You know, I played with other neighborhood bands when I started playing, but then this is like the V band, I'll play with C bands now. Yeah, the V band, over here I was playing with these guys and we so open up a lot of these places in Bay Ridge, the Riviera, the red plum, you know places like that that we open up for Bobby Rodriguez. He la company out, which is when was the hottest band, one of the hottest bands out at the time, and we open up for them. So Zee, company and then by Rodriguez and company. You know we're the company bands. So anyway, this is also where Bobby see me play and then offered me the gig a little later on For by Rodriguez, a company, a band, so he see me with that group was Zee and company.
Speaker 2:You know a lot in a similar corner checking me out and my, my, my friend, charlie Salinas. We were working in in some B bands in the Bronx. I should drive up to a Bronx sometimes to play with some bands up there and and Charlie used to come down to Brooklyn sometimes and play with some bands here. So he kind of recommended me for the for the gig and then once I got on there it was straight up, you know playing with over all the top bands. You know alternating with heck the law, go by, check, or Everybody, everybody, because we were the house man in the course. So at the time you know where's that? Three, four times a week.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Alternate with everybody, you know, and this is where I got a chance to play with the other bands, because some of the conga players, like Little Ray, was played with Machito and he was taking a two-way vacation he asked me to cover for him with Machito. So I played with Machito two weeks with the father. You know, graciela, you know, and I know, and, and I and Tommy and Chuck, he was playing bongo and his son is playing team ball is.
Speaker 1:But we're right there. So okay, cuz that's that percussion section, before you go any further. All right, you got Mario Grillo on team ball, right, no fun conga. And then you have Chuck. Okay, so what, what? What's? What's going on there, bro? What was that? Like that dynamic?
Speaker 2:That was, that was my, my boot camp. I, that was my boot camp on playing where you're supposed to play and playing the music. That was there, noera, inventando nada. You know, you had to tighten up your belt and you had to play and you had to concentrate. You know, noera, not happy stuff and throwing this and this and this all around and started throwing licks and stuff. It's all una marcha like it was like an elephant coming at you, you know. You know like jogging on you, you know like trotting, you know, and you know, with Machito it was an experience and a half. And then I got to travel with the big three and then we played with Mario some of his music, which I grew up listening to. Also in Coney Island. We did that with the big three, with Tito and Machito playing some of their music.
Speaker 1:What a story bro. Yeah yeah, graciela, so you doing boleros yeah.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, boleros, beautiful. The best things I love for those big bands is when Tito Rodriguez boleros, you know, you know they're like, you know they're like Cortabena's, you know yeah.
Speaker 2:And the way Roberto sang them, you know the way the father sang them. You know, yeah, you know, and this is not only with my Tito. You know, I got to play with Tito Puente because I went on tour with them when he recorded his 100th album, giovanni, playing conga zia, and he had other commitments and then I got the call from Johnny Rodriguez to to go on tour with the South America and a couple of countries there in South America, you know. So I got to play with them. Travel, we'll get that Broadway. We went to Colombia, to Cartagena. Everybody I don't know who else everybody had to let me. I got to to sit in a couple of times, you know, in some of the clubs.
Speaker 1:Be quick. What was, what was Machito like as a band leader?
Speaker 2:You know he was like your father. He was like your father. You know he was business, but you know he was like I was. I felt like I felt like I was home Speaking to a relative, you know, like he had the same respect for you and everything like that. Yeah, I never seen him mad at anything like that, you know. Or you know he was such a happy, old, lucky, and he made business. You know, you know, once, once you get it a play, you know you got to play. You know, and don't know him, and he got it and it goes on the papers, on the paper. You know you took it, I, you know, and at that time I was also, you know, learning how to read music, which was helping me out a lot now in the, in the later future.
Speaker 2:You know, luckily, I glad I had a friend of mine, a ref Lee Tiano. When I went on we went on tours with Jose Bejo. I joined Jose Bejo's band, ref Lee Tiano trumpet player. He played with the level, so he was a trumpet player, jose Bejo's band, and on tours he told me to buy this syncopation book and we took it and he was my roommate. Yeah, after the gigs we spent hours just going over it, you know, and it kind of stuck on me because he would test me the next day and I would answer him. You know me the simple notes, you know, and it was just I kind of carried on from there, which is helping me now a lot, you know, with the things that I'm doing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and with Bobby Rodriguez, I mean. The other day I was listening to one of his albums, latin from Manhattan, and the piano solos, man, you know, in those, in those albums I mean, and we I don't know what the photo is, but the name of the piano player doesn't come to me. Now, because I'm excited, I'm talking to you Aldorsi, aldorsi. So let let let, for those again who will never know, or if their name will come up again, you play with Aldorsi right, yeah.
Speaker 1:What was it like playing with Aldorsi and give a little bit of his history?
Speaker 2:Aldorsi. He, he was African American, pure African American player. He had a brother named Ralph Dorsey, who was a famous percussionist conga player. His brother, ralph Dorsey, played a lot with the, with the jazz scene, like who's the other conga player at the time, like Ralph MacDonald, you know, playing the pop and then, and you know, and that kind of stuff. So, aldorsi, I met him when I first joined the band and and he's one of the original members of the band, he was a great player and they came out because by Rodriguez played clarinet also, not only saxophone and flute, so we had like a Dixieland sound, you know, in Latin.
Speaker 2:So he put that in there. We started doing a lot of stuff in English like what they are doing now English salsa, you know what happened, what happened, man, you know, and some other stuff, suddenly kind of love, you know. So we were doing that English stuff back there in the 70s and late 70s and the 80s. You know, I was a big part of the band. Besides Toti Negron on bass, we had Joe Wallace on trumpet, Eddie Iglesias Hernandez on trombone and Bobby was on flute, clarinet and tenor and tenor sax. Junior Coloan was singing, jose Acota was singing Coro. It is myself and Charlie Salina playing timbales doubling up.
Speaker 2:I came in after after the Latin from an Indian album. I recorded two albums with him the Force of the 80s. I can't change the routine. It's the second record I recorded, so I came in a little bit later after, not the original. There were like two guys before me and then I came in, but I think I lasted about four or five years with him.
Speaker 1:Wow, Absolutely. And also you got to travel. Did you travel the most with Bobby Rodriguez right? Where did you guys travel to?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, living in Brooklyn, in Red Hook, I was still living with my mother and I never took a plane out of there. You know, I never took, you know, the first year I joined and we're like going to Columbia five times that year. You know, and it was kind of weird because I'm going, I'm going inside this plane for free, I didn't buy a ticket. I'm sitting down in this plane. I'm saying they're going to catch me and throw me out any minute.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that the promoters buy the ticket and we're already taking care of you know the plane started taking off.
Speaker 1:Oh, I got old one, oh my Lord.
Speaker 2:But I didn't know, you know. You know I never flew out of there. I went to Puerto Rico once or twice, but nothing like to go to to perform in Columbia. We did a lot of San Francisco. A lot of good friends of ours in San Francisco, los Angeles, they loved this over there a lot. We did once or twice in Puerto Rico. We did all around, all around, you know, but mostly in Latin America, venezuela, you know, and we're like one of the hottest bands at the time. You know, we were young and we were all young and crazy, you know, but we had three or four gigs a day, you know. We talked about the whole week, you know. Maybe one or two on Monday and one on Tuesday when it was a through Sunday. Three and four, you know, gigs for three or four years in a row, you know.
Speaker 2:So I'm training there, you know, with my hands you know, because I was playing a wooden drum and we didn't have no microphones for us.
Speaker 2:So the brass got the mic on the singers. So we really had to dig into that drum, you know, into that wood drum, you know, and you know, and it would have rubbed floor, it would have muffed the sound, you know, this is how we, you know, we had to do it. So we had to make our job easier. So there's ways and techniques breathing techniques that I had to use and not stress too much but get a good sound, you know. So I was figuring out how to make my job easier, you know.
Speaker 1:And plus you're traveling and you need to use your hands every night and all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Every night. Yeah, every night, every night, and it was. I remember one mistake I did that we're in the course of and we were coming from a third job this is the second and we got one more after that and you know, I had a. I was soloing every place we play I had at least a solo all the time.
Speaker 2:So so we're in the back and my hands were like throbbing and in the back of the course. So they had this in Nevada, like if they make ice, you hear it, you hear ice drop, you know that kind of stuff. So I opened it up, I stuck my hands in there for a while in between sets. You know that they were hurting and I thought I asked Bobby. I said, bobby, maybe you know this set. You know. You know, don't give me a solo set. You know my hands are okay, that's cool, don't worry. So if you start playing the first number, he gave me a solo, but I can't hold on. I said, okay, I'll be okay. How your hands feeling today? They fine, but I learned from there.
Speaker 2:I never said that, you know.
Speaker 1:There was a con me player back in the day with a canario, have you said, gentlemen? I forgot his name because it's been a long time since I've seen him or juicy played with him. No, he was older than juicy, though.
Speaker 2:Let me see what play with him man. He had a lot of guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was heavy set and I remember no, no three, no three.
Speaker 2:Yeah, would have go to play with that group. O'chentas, I forgot his name. Yeah, and I'm even a big old, a big Colón. He knows him. Yeah, yeah. I know the cat, yeah, yeah, yeah, and Dedo, dedo was always with him for years. You know it's a compaio, you know the canario timbalero.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember at the Copa, one time he just came over to me and he showed me his hands, and his hands. Well, you know, he had tape on him, but it was cut up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you still. That's how it was. That's how it was at those times.
Speaker 2:We didn't have these synthetic heads that we use it now. You know that makes your job easier. You know that came recently, you know, but we had to dig on this and especially if he was humid they would get mongol. You know they said when are you like a third? And you had to keep tuning them. You know, and it's a whole different thing with your instrument that you had to take care of and you had to adapt to in order to get the full advantage, you know, of the sound. You know the weather. You know it's a whole lot of factors. And then you imagine in February, when it's 20 below zero, then you had to play where the place is hot and your hands is just taking that one extreme to the other to bang and when it, when they hot, then you bring it straight to the, to the street, and I call weather. You know that hurts you because you get like a windburn.
Speaker 1:You know you know, it's a whole different thing.
Speaker 2:So you got to wear gloves, you got to make sure you have gloves in there and take care of and protect them. You know all that little things you know, and you got to know how to play. You got to know how to play. That's number one.
Speaker 1:I got an opportunity one time to to. I used to take bongo lessons with Louis Campana.
Speaker 2:Oh, my boy Right. You know, louis is a good guy, man, louis, that's my brother, I don't know when he was growing up to. He's from the neighborhood too, from Brooklyn.
Speaker 1:I got to get him on the, on the podcast. I'm sure he has some outstanding stories, but he got. He got me a chance to sit in with people and then play one goal. Oh, south G C Port, when these, when Raffi used to have the parties at the South G C Port on the boat, yeah. So I sit down and he counts the number. I think it was do second, do say something like that, and I start hitting these. Number one I didn't know shit about sound technique, you know, but I wanted the experience you know, give it a little Pete.
Speaker 1:And, and I remember, man, I started busting veins like crazy bro, and I'm like bro, I would. I see what are you going to do now? Yeah, you know, by the time I finish, it was time to grab the belt.
Speaker 2:He was out. Yes, a lot of people think it's just to hit the bottom of the hit the con guys. So it's such a primitive instrument but it's so modern and you know you treat it like a piano or violin. You know it's just as delicate, you know. So there's also techniques to everything. You know everything you do is always a technique and I'm like I'll let you say, go play a little brutal stuff like that. You know there's a lot of things that you got to learn when you play an instrument tuning, taking care of it. You know what scans who are. You know it's a whole lot of things. You know you have to maintain your instrument so you could just have your job, you know, you sound good, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I'm speaking of Peter Konde. Give us a bit of Konde story. Tell us you know by your time, with Peter Konde we got better you know, kind of recommended me for Peter Konde.
Speaker 2:I did a couple of things with his seat. I was so happy. We did some, some, some gigs at a Broadway 96. A European place of me, mongo Move Tambien. You know he can play some bangles, you know, I think he's like a bar.
Speaker 1:A hero, a by land, you know.
Speaker 2:You know we got tiger. You know she does my friend and Francis, her mother the rest of these, you know. She was always nice to me and you know he liked the way I played all the time. He's always, like you know, shaking my hand when I finished the gig. You know he was beautiful, a cantal man like you know yeah. I was going for one yeah you know people's.
Speaker 2:I love them too. You know a lot of guys are unfortunate that I got to work with, and he's one of the guys you know we have speaking to see that she's here.
Speaker 1:She's listening to the podcast. Oh, hold on one second.
Speaker 2:She said don't stop, no stuff.
Speaker 1:She says. He says listen, chamo is my boy, he knows it, I love him a lot. She's talking about the conga from before. You know, manifesting of respect, playing before the conga. Jose Cruz says lots of history, see, is he. Rodriguez says last time I saw Burrito was a night at LQ. Amazing, I was me. And is he standing next to each other at night at the Latin Quarter to watch the play and then see that this? You know things we were talking about before it's up. He was no joke.
Speaker 2:He knows.
Speaker 1:Okay, hold on, we'll come back to this question. Second, I'm a river. It says I'm a mustaludo. Chamo is a family musical. Let's see here. Jose Cruz asked let's see, let's see where you go. Sorry, man. Okay, do you still have your trio? Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:As a matter of fact, we had a gig on Friday at Brothers Smokehouse in Paramount New Jersey this past Friday. What is it Today? Saturday, yesterday.
Speaker 1:Today.
Speaker 2:Sunday, sunday, friday, we played there and it's also part of the poor calling trio, so we kind of share the band. You know, when they all want me to put my trio, I work with Paul Collin on Tenor Sax and Alex Ayala on bass. So it's a trio with sax, bass and conga nama. So there's no piano, there's no. You know, we work at any works, you know, and we recorded an album and right now we're going to record, next month, our second album with this trio and I work in different, you know situations and I'm working with this guitar player, juan Ma Morale, that we do. I'm doing a lot of work with him. The last two years, three years, I've been with him. We're doing a lot of little clubs and stuff like that, little restaurants, and that's a trio with the guitar, conga and saxophone. So it's a different combination. Juan Ma sings also and plays. You know guitar and you know. So you know it's kind of nice because I can work from a trio to my quintet and to a big band, you know, like Tito's, you know. You know, and I think for myself that each one has a different style of playing. You know the conga, you know, like. You know you don't play like one salsa style to all of these bands. There's a way of playing with big band. There's a way of playing with the caranga band. You know caranga is more than one conga and a timbal. Conjuto is a conga and a bongo. So you know no timbal. So there's different structures.
Speaker 2:You know, if I'm going to do Latin jazz, I can open up and play three, four congas. I can't do that. I play in a caranga, you know. So you know when you adapt to the style, you know you have Latin music but there's different styles of Latin music when you have to adapt to each one and play that style. If I'm going to play with Okita Broadway, I'm listening to Aragón Acaño. You know the way it's played. You know, I know double roles and all this. You know it's an all-op. Even. You know, when you do some Latin jazz, some Jerry Gonzalez stuff, I can open up. You know, and I love that because it gives me more freedom to play my drums, not only be restricted and play salsa, but it gives me the freedom to do, to open up and explore. And this is what jazz is about, because it's improvisation. So I'm doing the Latin jazz thing and to try to keep it true, into the nature of the drum and of the genre that I'm performing with, you know.
Speaker 1:Speaking of the drum, you have a beautiful set of drums back there and he was kind enough to tune them up.
Speaker 2:Did I.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so he was going to go. He was going to go that way. I was going to play the guitar and Bro I mean Johnny Rodriguez has high-touching in my house from Vegas having fun doing the show way after he bet the concert with Tito Rodriguez Jr.
Speaker 2:Man. Let me tell you about Johnny Johnny Boy Johnny's one who put me on that Tiro Puente tour. As a matter of fact, I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time when Johnny was playing a gig in SOB's, I remember, with Mitch Frome and we had a big mambo dance group that he put together for editorials, I think it was, and we played there and Johnny was playing the go. Johnny I knew for many, many, many, many years and he's always a mentor to play with him.
Speaker 2:Playing that music with Tito Rodriguez Jr that we did that night is one of the highlights of my career because I grew up listening to that music and to have Johnny who recorded there and play with them. You know he's a master, you know, and I respect him so much and God give him a long life and good health for him, because he's one of the pioneers, one of the real living legends of this music and I learn from him all the time I see him and he does a lot and he's still active now and doing a lot of good things for the instrument, you know, and for the music and I'm glad for him, I'm super glad. And Yamil Kurey that was on my bucket list to play with Johnny, with Tiro Rodriguez Jr and Hibeto singing. He was there, you know. I think that had to be one of the best concerts of the year.
Speaker 2:You know, those videos that you took, you know, and the other videos. When I hit that music, you know, you know, and take it. True, I studied that, you know, I had the papers a you know, yeah, I was, I was me, I was doing my homework, because the hardest things for those big bands, for me is Is the boleros. Yeah, I'll be orchestrated. You know the arrangement. The arrangement is made like like, like kind of a cinema, kind of a thing they had they had To be triplets and they had little pauses that you had to stop with everybody to not play through them, you know. So I just try to, you know, by listening to the original record and looking at the chart. So I did my homework, man, you know, and I want to those boleros to be just like the record.
Speaker 2:You know, play right through it, you know. But I want to hit those little hits, those iron voices, the little little effects, you know, and the way, in the style, in the style of big band, you know, and, and to me that was challenging and I loved it, man. I think we had a good time and I thank Johnny for for being there, man, and it was a pleasure for me always to see him and to play with him even more.
Speaker 1:What's it like playing next to John Danny Rodriguez. Forget it heaven.
Speaker 2:Heaven. I mean, you know I play a lot where a lot of other bongal players that you know you know is is. You got to know. You know what to do and when to do it. You know not to throw stuff in there when it's not no lo pide, you know it's um. You know he played to the form of the music. You know when you go to a different section, you know how to fill it there with a singer singing you back up a little bit. You know it's like anything else. You know there's a place for you where you put those accents in there. And then when you come in the bell, what, what pattern bell, if it's mambo bell or if it's a Latin jazz, you know you would change the combination of the of the hits. You know but you know to know the, the, the way of of using your instrument to that and and the sound you're gonna sound that Johnny's got. You know all my albums. I have six albums out.
Speaker 2:My third album things I wanted to do Luckily got a nomination, a Grammy nomination, on my third album. Now I released my latest one, artistas music, or see poet us, which I have for the producee, another doing some spoken word, and I got to record my this tune. I always love the palmieri. A Palocha too, oh yeah. So we recorded that. Nice arrangement would have the marketing young playing piano. He did your management, palocha, you know. And we got a Felipe Luciano do some spoken word on on a support tree. On there Is my L East Carlo also doing some spoken word there, you know.
Speaker 2:So we got a lot of cats, a lot of friends of mine. We did a tribute to don't punch Oteri, volando con don't punch Oteri. He recorded with me in 2014 before he passed away and I had the tracks in my hard drive and we kind of cleaned it up and we took it out this year and we dedicated. You know he was a good friend. I met him in Cuba, you know. I went there about three or four times and we kind of hit it off and his son recorded on my first record, junior Terry, on base when he came from Cuba. I met him in Cuba and also Landed sentence Is is an album that that recorded in 2016 and we featured his friend of mine is girl singer. She's very great, she's out of our Berkeley and she does theater and stuff like that cat gang and she sang lush life, which was a highlight for me, to always include a ballot. You know I tried to a jazz ballot, to you know, in a volatile form.
Speaker 2:You know, and also I invited my good friend James Zola on trumpet. We played together back in the South of war African American guy jazz, very well-known jazz player now, and a bought him back and he did a couple of songs with me also. And on this one we had the band was Frank Fontaine on tenor sax and Darren or Gator on piano on that album, ian Stewart on base and Joel Mateo on drums. So that was the quintet at that time and a beautiful album. You know. All my music is beautiful, you know. You know. So what I tried to do is like my next album. My next record has got to be better than the last one. So this is how I had to keep up the par. Those are all my records there. This is afro blue bunk with a. Lovia Franca and Jimmy Owens, I believe, was on a. La hija de mongo sang afro blue, wow, santa Maria. So I played out for blues and and she sang, she wrote the lyrics to that. Mungo was supposed to record it but he passed away and I did a.
Speaker 2:I did a production at the Flushing Town Hall dancing with the ancestors. Attribute to mongo, a to Tommy and all of the other people. Channel, you know. And and I got a Iliana. She wanted to sing afro blue. Say what's this? He said no, my father wanted me to write songs in Spanish for Afro blue and he never got to record it. So I had the honor to record it and I asked for permission and Her mother came out to the studio and she she was there for the session in Iliana really did a great job. If you got to, if you get a chance here afro blue monk, afro blue, iliana, santa Maria singing and their beautiful job and you know, and I was honored because mongo was supposed to be quoted Wow, I got a chance to do that. So, instead of letting go to the side, I asked for permission and then she gave it to me with great honors. I say, yeah, let's do this, you know yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm out, you know, to the studio you to witness it also as you record it.
Speaker 1:Oh say cruises, I love that song. Afro blue, it's a jazz standard. Yeah, yeah, did you ever a salsa band, you know, did you have that? Good, I was in all stars. Did you ever have like a?
Speaker 2:Salsa band. I never had, whatever. What I did was I played with all these salsa bands. So I wanted to do some other things because what I was figuring that you know playing my drum, you know if you do a salsa or you're doing is playing time for the dancers. You know, yes, I might try is cool, it's cool. I want to open up more. So that's why I got into the Latin jazz with Ray Vega and Chris Washburn back in the 90s and stuff, and then I like that, you know, I got a third drum and I started messing around and I feel a little bit more freer. But you know I never made a salsa band.
Speaker 2:Some guy asked me that last year. Say man, you're roots are in salsa. You know why don't you record a salsa album? So it was interesting. So what I did? I took out a single of Siamese Majoral and Victor Garcia, que tiene un grupo que se llama la San Juan era en Puerto Rico, and Victor always recalls where he built all like some Duals with a lot of bands in Puerto Rico. I love his band, a San Juan era. I used to hear him a lot in San Juan when we were as a go-to. All the time I see him at the lounges and killing band. I think David Cuba is playing a steamboat on there.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, in the group and you know, and I always like his, his Congo. You know he sings and plays his piano like well, god, they don't sing the places base. You know like two separate people in one. You know okay, can't a sonnette, a cosa. So I had him sing as as a sonata mayoral. So I just threw that out there, see to see her reaction. People like it. They're not pursuing like but a Salsa, you know record yeah. So I never had a salsa band per se. You know we've had like some light jazz. We do some what that cast off of a say when he called me for that. I get that. You know what are you handle. You know you are good here. Get the guys Vamos a retro a to everybody got the routine. You know you know pay. Pero as far as having something like that to make some arrangements and and to, you know it's kind of hard. You know it's hard with five guys.
Speaker 2:I got over here and I'm gonna be with 12 or 15 guys, you know. Trying to get a sub, you know, for this guy can make you this guy. You know it's not like before. You still put one band years ago and that was your band. You know you played with them because we had worked for everybody. But I don't want to talk, freelancing even more than before.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I remember going to rehearsals and I don't know how the band leaders did it. You know you get a, get a guy on the phone hey, I'm on the bridge. You know I'm stuck, or. You know there's a lot of discipline there with those and a lot of patience you know, yeah, it's hard, it's hard, I get it.
Speaker 2:I get it with four guys, you know, and you know, luckily I managed to keep it with that with the same four, rigidly. Matthew do one or twice. You know different guys, but the nucleus is always there. My music is hard and and I can't just can't everybody, you know to come in here and just play this. We play not meters, we do stuff in five and it's seven, we do six, eight stuff. We go into straight ahead, you know.
Speaker 2:So it's a lot of changes in, in the, in the arrangements of the, of the music, because I like to venture out and try to push the envelope and try to test myself Also. Yeah, so I got to learn this stuff, I got to learn to play in nine. You know what is this, you know it makes me go out there and attack it. You know and study it and once I conquered I feel good. You know that I'm doing it in this, in this instrument, you know, and and it's something different, it's not gonna be a regular. You know Latin jazz and no for for Intro, the body solo, the mambo and our old songs, the same. You know, we try to make a Kind of a journey, musical journey, if you, if you will yeah.
Speaker 2:If I'm beginning to the end with different feelings and different time signatures, you know, and and try to get the best solos is out. You know, at the time too also, so you can appreciate, you know.
Speaker 1:Okay, let me ask you this for people who are getting into Percussion now, talking about the young people, somebody who's been, you know, with the best of the best, what's your advice? For? You know, let's say, in New York City, new York City's is, sauce has changed in New York City. Obviously, you know, I don't have to tell you but Somebody who's starting, you know, starting out and saying you know, I want to want to try this, I love congas, I love. You know, what's the best advice you can give them when it when it gets tough you know, when it gets tough until they're getting hired, or yeah well, first of all, they don't have to think about Getting hired or going to a gig and want to do this.
Speaker 2:They got to concentrate first and getting a sound out of that instrument, you know first is first. You know all that other stuff comes later on, once you gradually Accomplish, one step at a time. You got to get a sound out of the drum. You know there's four sounds for basic sounds. You got an open tone, you got a slap, you got the bass and you got a muff. You know they got to be clean. You know, with those four sounds, then you can do which is your tombow, which is that's 90% of the top of the of the time, that that rhythm that's gonna be played on 90% of the music is that 4, 4 to Bob pattern. But you got to play the sound. If you can't get a sound, it's not gonna sound like that. So you know I start from scratch, you know. You know from the bottom, get a sound. If you know they want me to teach you, oh, I'm gonna say what one call. You can't even get a sound, you know. You know, show me what one call, show me a slack. You know it is a political this, or and that's how I know the people who are gonna be serious They'll continue and they'll get frustrated. They'll try to work on the sound, you know, first, and then I see that they're coming back and they're working on it. They're not, you know. I progress on rhythms, timing, you know, and then once they got a nice little to bow and they try to do other rhythms and then start sneaking a little at a time. You know learning to read basic music. You know even his quarter notes and eight notes, you know. You know, because that's also part of the package. You know you can have your, your, your, your, your, sentimental, you know, but you have the technical part. If you want to want to work, they'll go higher. You were in a studio because you can beat, not because you can play good, but you're saving time because they gonna give you a try.
Speaker 2:You look at it, you do write it down once or twice or whatever. You look at it, you're not clear. You work it out and you record, you know, but all it's all part of it. So it depends on the person and and each everybody is different, you know, and nobody has. You know, if you have patience and time and everything like that.
Speaker 2:But when I was growing up I didn't have YouTube. I was listening to the record I put back to the needles. I hear a little mongo and I would like that. So I put the video over here on YouTube. You can learn how to play on YouTube Anybody I got. These kids are playing already. They play and they butts off and there's a lot of people showing all the more advanced stuff. But stick with the basic first and get that down, because it's like building a building the foundation has got to be strong, or else you're going to build, you're going to finish the whole thing and it's going to sink. You got to go back to square one and straighten out your foundation again, so you're going to wind up doing that later on Because you couldn't get a slap or you got the wrong technique, and then you get a bad habit To break out of. That bad habit is going to be twice as much. So you got to have patience and do it the right way from the beginning.
Speaker 1:Mira, tito Rodriguez says bye, El Bravo.
Speaker 2:Tito's retired now. Now you can hang. God bless you, tito man. Thank you for the opportunity. Look at this.
Speaker 1:Mira eso, mamá Mira eso.
Speaker 2:That's what I got on my screen saver. I mean it changes, it changes, but that's one of the pictures anyway. That's one of the. But it was a great opportunity. Man To play beautiful music like that is great.
Speaker 1:Bueno guys, this has been the Mambo in the City of South of Podcast. First of all, we want to thank Chembo for coming on and sharing his stories, so many stories. Chembo's done a few podcasts. We try to go a little different and get his insight on things and we appreciate you playing the drum for us. I mean, come on, man. I mean I know James Vélez, he's going to appreciate this podcast because, James, that's your boy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's kind of busy now. I think he went to this bombasso or something like that, so he would have been ABC all the way down.
Speaker 1:So where can people follow you?
Speaker 2:in terms of you know, I have my Facebook page Chembo for Daniel. I got Chembo for me, quintet. On Instagram, chembo Role, my record company Chembo Role, and then my website, chemboforanielcom that. I just refreshed it. I got some newer pictures.
Speaker 2:I got pictures now with my white hair because I wore my pictures before I had black hair, see, so I had to change your ego. That's the new website that Misha DeBerge is doing. Is handling that for me, doing a great job, put that all together for me, freshened it up for that. My website before was like 12 years old, but Misha is one of Chris DeBerge, who's a percussionist for Groove Collective a good brother of mine also so he designed all that stuff for me. You can hear it. Click on any iTunes, spotify. You can hear the album and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:What a.
Speaker 2:And I want to know. This is something for that Candido used to do. That's all. That's what, candy man, thank you.
Speaker 1:Chembo. Thank you so much. Guys Follow Chembo on his social media, his website, and again, many thanks to Chembo Cullenin for coming on and hanging out with us so much.
Speaker 2:Thank you and thanks for everybody who stood around and listening to my crap, but thank you for having me here and you got a great podcast. I'm going to say can't wait to see who's next. You know I'm into it now, so yeah, nice.
Speaker 1:I mean I've been talking to Peter Korn, I've been talking to Emilio, I've been talking to the other day I was talking to at the texting with Ray Sepulveda, so maybe that will happen. But, you know. Many things to come, my brother, and again I can't wait to see you play again live and Ypala and happy holidays to you and everybody else.
Speaker 2:Christmas and New Year's, hanukkah. Kwanzaa. Salud a todo mundo y have a happy New Year and a prosperous New Year Coming in a lot of work, a lot of money, good health.
Speaker 1:Thank you. God bless you, brother, I sure the great Chembo Cullenin guys. Thank you so much. Reprecia que muco la tura.
Speaker 2:Mira que muco.
Speaker 1:You started that one, bro Cuidate.
