Orlando Puntilla Rios RIP

[ralph]

I just came across a message from Felix Sanabria:

Orlando "Puntilla" Rios, one of the greats of anya and rumba passed away this morning in Montifiore hospital in the Bronx. May Shango accompany him to ile Olorun. We have truly lost one of the greats..


Puntilla was truly one of the greats, this is a sad day...

[congaDR]

RIP Puntillo!

Thank you for everything. One of the truly gracious grand masters of the tradition has enriched our lives with his knowledge, talent.. and one of the broadest, open hearted smiles around. He was all class. We are so lucky he fathered a son to carry the tradition.

T

[ABAKUA]

A truly sad blow to our world.
Sadly missed, dearly remembered, greatly honored and respected.

[ralph]

here is the latest from Tito Garcia:

Tamboleros;
Orlando "Puntilla" Ros passed away this morning while hospitalized in New
York, about 1 a.m. EST due to complications following a triple-bypass heart
surgery done a few days ago. My condolences to his family and all his Anya
"crew".

If I may, I want to take a second to go over a little Puntilla history as I know it. Puntilla came to the US in 80's with Los Marielitos. He along with a couple of notable cuban expatriates made the trip...(Manuel Martines Olivares, etc...)
Puntilla settled in the Bronx, and was probably the biggest exponent of bata and rumba that the city has seen since. Puntilla set up shop and basically set up the new school of bata playing. I don't know exactly what line he comes from, but I am thinking it is Angarica's...he also was connected with many tamboleros in Cuba, most notably Pancho Quinto, Los Aspirinas, Maximino, Clave Y Guaguanco, etc....his reach was far...as I right this I am dissappointed in just how little info I have on him...I'm going to work to piece together some info. Puntilla was definitely one of the most important cat to touch these parts in the last 30 years...

I would recommend the following titles:

http://www.amazon.com/Totico-Y-Sus-Rumb ... 856&sr=8-3

(one if not the first recording of Puntilla in the states with the then crop of elite NYC and Cuban Rumberos)

http://www.amazon.com/Lucumi-Long-John- ... 921&sr=1-2

(Puntilla's collabo with the Late PENALTY, and Changuito, a great experimental/fusion recording with great vocals and concepts)

http://larkinthemorning.com/product.asp ... 1218637175

A live toque de santo with Puntilla and his then group, great historical recordings, and great vocals

http://www.amazon.com/Tribute-Gonzalo-A ... 100&sr=8-1

the latest recording (that I know of featuring Puntilla with members of Rumberos de Cuba, Yoruba Andbado, and others...its going for like 2 bucks!!!! used at Amazon..

there are a couple of other recordings in which he is in like the Kip Hanrahan projects, and the When the Spirits Dance Mambo project, but these are harder to come by, there is also a "De la Habana a Nueva York" recording which he did, which i would love to get my hands on, but for now, thats that.

[ralph]

THIS CAME THROUGH:

Master traditional vocalist and Afro Cuban drummer Orlando "Puntilla" Rios has joined the ancestors on August 12th, 2008. Passing away early this morning, due to complications from heart surgery, he was a prolific musician, drummer and close friend of the Caribbean Cultural Center, African Diaspora Institute.


He arrived from Cuba in 1981 with the Mariel boatlift. He formed an Afro-Cuban folkloric group called Nueva Generacion (New Generation) bringing the evolution of Afro Cuban rhythms to the New York Afro Latino community that for too long had been inaccessible. An initiate in the varied Afro Cuban belief systems of Cuba, elders had trained him and passed on their knowledge of el "fundamento" (the secrets of sacred drum) so that he possessed extensive knowledge on the sacred intelligence and understanding of the rituals and sacred musical uniqueness of each tradition.

Orlando "Puntilla" Rios was the consummate teacher and mentor to students and professional musicians interested in learning the history, traditional and popular rhythms that are the expressions of African traditions in Cuba. His mastery of the two-headed, sacred bata drums and teachings have left a school of master drummers that will follow his teachings. Orlando "Puntilla's" Rios performances with jazz musicians and popular artists such as Celia Cruz, Mario Bauza, Chico O'Farrill among many others has contributed to the popularization and internationalization of the sacred rhythms of Afro Cuba to the world.

The community of Lucumi's/Yoruba's in the Americas mourn the passing of Orlando "Puntilla" Rios who was the musical director for the documentary "When the Spirits Dance Mambo." As a "Padrino – Godfather" of the Caribbean Cultural Center – African Diaspora Institute the Board of Directors, Staff and Membership honor his spirit.

[ralph]

to all the tri state cats...



I have received word (have not been able to reconfirm it) that the viewing
for Puntilla starts tomorrow (Thursday) at 4pm, at the Montero Funeral Home,
1848 Westchester Avenue in the Bronx. This is the only obit I have seen so
far . . .

[congaDR]

What a talent...

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