Today, Maestro Armando Peraza celebrates his 85th Birthday!
Armando, born in Havana, Cuba has been on the cutting edge of music spanning Afro-Cuban to Jazz to Rock with groups performers such as Conjunto Kubavana (with Potato Valdez), Slim Galliard, Machito, Perez Prado and Tito Puente.
While most of his Cuban compatriots settled in proximity of the 'Jazz Capital' - New York City - Armando has made the San Francisco Bay Area his home since the 1940s, becoming an imporant collaborator in the jazz scenes of the Fillmore District and the North Beach/Broadway area clubs of the late 50s/early 60s; and providing that Afro-Cuban rhythmic foundation for bandleaders such as George Shearing, Carlos Federico, Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, Carlos Santana, The Machete Ensemble, and many more.
Two evenings of tributes to Armando are being held this weekend at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland
Check out this week's article in the San Francisco Chronicle
...and enjoy a few of the many highlights from his illustrious career:
Armando Peraza with José Areas - Percussion solos
(Live in Montreux Jazz Festival, 1988)
Armando se junta con Tata Güines despues 30 años para un Changüi con Cubanismo en San Francisco, 1998:
Armando with George Shearing and Peggy Lee
(Armando's composition, "Mambo in Miami" starts at 2:45:)
Armando Peraza at the annual NAMM music convention, Los Angeles, January 2009:
(with Giovanni Hidalgo and Jesus Diaz)
With Santana and Herbie Hancock in 1981: Percussion Jam
(also featuring percussionists Raul Rekow and Orestes Vilato)
¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Maestro!
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