Mongo was first and foremost a quintero and a bonocero. When he wanted to have batá, a bembé or iyesá caja, or an abakuá bonkó on a record, he would hire Francisco Aguabella or Julito Collazo. Francisco and Julito had a wider vocabulary of Afro-Cuban percussion, but they did not achieve anything close to Mongo’s level of musical success.
- Julito Collazo, Francisco Aguabella, and Mongo Santamaria playing chekeres (also known as agbes, or guiros), New York City, 1957. The photo was taken at the recording sessions for Tito Puente's masterpiece "Top Percussion."
Thanks to Mark Sander's blog: Fidel's Eyeglasses, for this historic photo.
To my knowledge, there are no recordings of Mongo playing caja (lead) on either bembé or palo. However, we do hear phrases associated with those parts, in Mongo’s solos on 6/8 jazz tunes. While Mongo is my favorite conguero, I prefer Francisco’s solo on the original version of “Afro Blue” (1958) because of the complexity of its bonkó-like phrases.
- Afro Roots (1958, 1959) featuring the original version of "Afro Blue," and some classic rumbas with Mongo on quinto.
- afro roots.jpg (98.13 KiB) Viewed 14753 times
Since the Cuban Revolution, with the Cuban government’s support of professional and amateur folkloric groups, it is common to hear drummers versed in a wide range of folkloric music. Even many Cuban trap drummers today, have extensive knowledge of the folkloric music. The same can be said of many contemporary professional and amateur percussionists in this country, including myself.
Mongo simply grew up in a different era, the era when the tumbadora (conga drum) was first integrated into popular music groups, and you had to learn by watching. I credit Mongo, more than anyone else, with bringing the quinto vocabulary into stage band drum solos. His timbale solo on “Mon Ti” (1957) remains one of the best recorded solos on that instrument.
-David
- Top Percussion (1957) by Tito Puente. "Mon Ti" features Mongo (1st) and Tito (2nd) on timbales.