Alfonso Joseph
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Alfonso "El Panameno" Joseph was born in the Republic of Panamá, and migrated to New York at 11 years of age, where he studied music and became one of the forefront bassists of Cuban legend Arsenio Rodriguez. Mr Joseph is a featured guest in a major television production about the era of Afro-Cuban music at the Palladium in New York "La Epoca."
Alfonso's musical career began in the mid-nineteen fifties, learning and playing guitar with many Puerto Rican groups, 'conjuntos,' and playing diverse rhythmic variations of Puerto Rican music. He replaced the guitar strings with electronic strings and used the guitar as a bass, playing only the last four strings. With this convention, he became a bass player. Soon after, he graduated to Fender bass guitar and an Ampeg bass amplifier. Alfonso was one of handful of bass players at that time, who introduced and popularized the bass guitar in the Latin, Jazz, Latin/Jazz and R&B venue.
In the sixties, Alfonso performed at the Palladium and in the late sixties and early seventies he performed at Roseland, two of New York City's most famous ballrooms and dance halls. In the late sixties/early seventies, he also played bass at Birdland, where all the Jazz and Latin-Jazz greats performed.
As a bass player and vocalist, he accompanied, recorded and performed with some of the most popular and prominent bandleaders and musicians during the heyday of Latin music and Latin-Jazz. Historians and fans of this era as well as the older generation of Latinos, will remember most of these artists such as Arsenio Rodriguez, Candido, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Machito, Johnny Pacheco, Yomo Toro, Cachao, Miguelito Valdez, Doc Cheetham, Alfredo "Chocolate" Armentero, Mauricio Smith, Richie Ray, Marcelino Guerra and many others. Arsenio Rodriguez was a tres guitarist and earned renown as a master of Afro-Cuban music and in particular is regarded by many as the originator of a Latin style called the "son montuno". Arsenio personally taught Alfonso the intricate techniques of Cuban bass rhythms and syncopation. Alfonso performed with Arsenio at Carnegie Hall and recorded with Arsenio on Ansonia Records ("Arsenio Rodriguez y Su Conjunto", Vol.2) and Tico Records ("Arsenio Dice... Arsenio Says").
Candido, the great Cuban Latin-Jazz percussionist, also personally coached and trained Alfonso on Cuban bass rhythms and syncopation. Alfonso recorded with Candido as vocalist, with Tito Puente conducting and playing vibes and timbales and Cachao on bass, (Tico Records, "Candido's Latin McGuffas Dust").
After the death of his mentor, Arsenio Rodriguez, Alfonso partially retreated from performing and relocated to the Litchfield hills of northwestern Connecticut, dedicating most of his time to composing and orchestrating. In this undertaking, he conceived the vision of employing his knowledge, skills and technique as acquired from Latin and Classical music into one form.
