Candido Camero

Candido Camero

Percussionist Candido Camero playing at a concert in 2008.
Background information
Birth name Candido de Guerra Camero
Born April 22, 1921
Origin Cuba
Genres Jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz, Disco
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Conga, bongo, various percussion instruments
Labels ABC-Paramount, Blue Note, Polydor, Salsoul
Associated acts Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, many others

Cándido de Guerra Camero, also known simply as Candido (born April 22, 1921) is a Cuban-born percussionist (mainly conga and bongo) is the most recorded conga drummer in the history of jazz. He also plays the tres (Cuban mandolin), drumset and acoustic bass. He has worked in a all aspects of popular music from pop, rock, r & b, disco as well as Afro-Cuban dance music and Latin jazz. He is the first player to develop the techniques to play multiple conga drums, co-ordinated independence and the use of multiple percussion - one player playing a variety of percussion instruments silmultaneously.

Career

Early in his career, Camero recorded in his native Cuba with many of the early pioneers of the son movement as well as being the conga drummer for the Tropicana night club in Havana for eight years. He first appeared in NYC in the musical review, Tidbits, at the Plymouth Theater on Broadway in 1946 backing up the Cuban dance team of Carmen and Rolando. In 1948 he made his first U.S. recording with Machito and His Afro-Cubans on the tune, "El Rey Del Mambo." as well as working with Dizzy Gillespie. During 1953-54, he was in the Billy Taylor Trio and in 1954 he performed and recorded with Stan Kenton.[1][2]

He also enjoyed success during the disco era of the 1970s, most notably with the Babatunde Olatunji-penned track "Jingo" from his Dancin' and Prancin' album, which he recorded for Salsoul Records in 1979. The album has also been acknowledged as an influence and precursor to house music, predating the emergence of the genre by over 5 years.[3]

Camero was honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2008.[4]

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Gene Ammons

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Billy Taylor

With Bennie Green

With Art Blakey

With Don Elliott

With the Lecuona Cuban Boys

With Randy Weston

With Sonny Rollins

With Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic

With Wynton Kelly

With Grant Green

With Illinois Jacquet

With Wes Montgomery

With Elvin Jones

With Ellen McIlwaine

References

  1. ↑ "Candido Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
  2. ↑ "Candido at All About Jazz". Retrieved 4 April 2010.
  3. ↑ Discogs: Post-Disco/Proto-House/Garage
  4. ↑ "NEA Jazz Masters: Candido Camero, Percussionist". Retrieved 17 October 2011.

External links

Media related to Candido Camero at Wikimedia Commons