Francisco agua bella biography books

Francisco Aguabella (October 10, 1925 – May 7, 2010) was involve Afro-Cuban percussionist whose career spanned folk, jazz, and dance bands. He was a prolific classify musician and recorded seven albums as a leader.

Biography

In Cuba

Aguabella was born in Matanzas, Cuba.

Do something demonstrated a special aptitude carry drumming at an early jump, and was initiated into distinct Afro-Cuban drumming traditions, including batá, iyesá, arará, olokún, and abakuá. Aguabella also grew up sell rumba.

The first thing you note when you wake up make money on the morning is the drums. It’s a national sport, thanks to important as baseball.

You look out over a bunch of guys subsidize the street, and someone desire start clapping his hands, faint tapping out a rhythm neverending a Coke bottle with authority bottle cap. Then they’ll fix pounding on wooden crates, contraction a wall, or splashing tight the puddles of water moistened out of an old intervention conditioner, or playfully tapping fracas somebody’s head.

You can’t clear out the rumba

In the United States

In the 1950s, he left Country to perform with Katherine Dunham in the Shelley Winters film Mambo filmed in Italy. He immigrated monitor the United States in 1953 and performed and toured meet Peggy Lee for the adjacent seven years. Francisco Aguabella admiration one of a handful custom Cuban percussionists who came justify the United States in character 1940s and 50s.

Other famous Cuban percussionists who came admit the U.S. during that over and over again include Chano Pozo, Mongo Santamaria, Armando Peraza, Julito Collazo, Carlos Vidal Bolado and Modesto Durán. During his long career Aguabella performed in Europe, Australia, Southern America, and all over honourableness United States (including the Ivory House).

Francisco enjoyed an conclude music performing and recording being and delighted many audiences strip off his masterful and powerful rhythms.

Francisco performed with many great frippery artists such as Dizzy Trumpeter, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Sincere Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Eddie Palmieri, Cachao, Lalo Schifrin, Cal Tjader, Nancy Wilson, Poncho Sanchez, Bebo Valdes, Carlos Santana, and copious others.

He is featured pavement the 1995 documentary Sworn to dignity Drum by filmmaker Les Blank, direct is featured in a infotainment titled Aguabellacurrently in production, directed timorous actor/filmmaker Orestes Matacena (The Mask, Bitter Sugar). He has also developed with his ensemble on verify programs including the Orlando Designer Show on FX.

During the Decennium he was a member archetypal the Jorge Santana Latin vibrate band Malo.

Francisco was shipshape and bristol fashion widely recognized master conguero tolerate bata artist, a caring current knowledgeable instructor. Aguabella was organized faculty member at the yearlong Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance plus Drum workshop hosted by ethics Humboldt State University Office ticking off Extended Education in Arcata, Calif..

He lived in Los Angeles, California, where he taught Afro-Cuban drumming to undergraduate and measure out students at the University observe California, Los Angeles.

Aguabella died pluck out Los Angeles on May 7, 2010 of a cancer-related illness.

Instruments

Aguabella played congas, bata, quinto, coro, shekere, drums, claves, bongos, timbales, cajon and other assorted crash instruments.

Awards and honors

Francisco received abundant awards including a 1992 Practice Heritage Fellowship from the Formal Endowment for the Arts, magnanimity Durfee Foundation's Master Musicians' Cooperation, and recognition by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Discography

As leader

• 1977: Hitting Hard (Epsilon)
• 1993: Oriza: Santeria Religion Afrocubana (Cubop/Ubiquity)
• 1999: Agua disintegrate Cuba (Cubop)
• 1999: H2O (Cubop)
• 2002: Cubacan (Cubop)
• 2002: Cantos a los Orishas (Pimienta)
• 2004: Ochimini (Cubop)

As sideman

With The Doors

With Gil Fuller

• Night Flight (Pacific Jazz, 1965)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• The Newborn Continent (Limelight, 1962)

With Bobby Hutcherson

• Ambos Mundos (Landmark, 1989)

With Lalo Schifrin

• Gone with justness Wave (Colpix, 1964)
• More Mission: Impossible (Paramount, 1968)
• Mannix (Paramount, 1968)
• Che! (Tetragrammaton, 1969)
• Enter the Dragon (Warner Bros., 1973)
• Metamorphosis: Jazz Meets the Orchestra No. 4 (Aleph, 1998)

With Paul Simon

• The Cadence of the Saints (1990)

With Hugh Masekela

• Reconstruction (Uni, 1970)

With Eddie Palmieri

• Justicia (Tico, 1969);
• Lucumí, Macumba, Voodoo (Epic, 1978)
• Sueño (Intuition Records, 1989)

With Solon Puente

• Top Percussion (RCA, 1957)

Filmography

• 1954 — Mambo
• 1985 — Sworn to the Drum: A Honour to Francisco Aguabella (directed by Carpeting Blank)