Biography
The concept for the quintet came to mind during the filming and recording for the documentary Lagrimas Negras that most of us were working on together Paquito Echevarria, Nelson Flaco Padron and I.
The three of us go back a lifetime of personal friendship and making music together. And specially Flaco and Paquito they know each other since they were kids in Habana in the 1950’s.
We want to use the Quintet as a promotional vehicle for the film and as an entity of it is own.
Instrumentation
The Cuban Legends are:
Pianist Paquito Echevarria who played with the celebrated bands of Havana in the 1950’s. In the 1960’s Paquito backed up Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and other international stars who performed in the famed Boom Boom Room on Miami Beach. In the mid-eighties, he formed the band Grupo Wal-Pa-Ta-Ca with Israel “Cachao†Lopez. One of his most recognizable riffs is in the introduction to the Miami Sound Machine’s hit-tune “Conga.â€
Percussionist Oscar Salas who has toured, performed and recorded with David Byrne, Jaco Pastorius, Arturo Sandoval, Eartha Kitt, Willy Chirino, Celia Cruz, the Brecker Brothers and Ira Sullivan among many other music al greats. Oscar’s style is unequivocally original, he melds the sounds of the rumba he heard on the streets of Havana with the R & B sounds he learned as an exile in Miami. He has lectured about the history of percussion at the Historical Museum of South Florida, and composed music for a number stage plays.
Nelson “Flaco†Padron started performing on percussion in Havana. In South Florida, he performed and/or recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Ramsey Lewis, Arturo Sandoval, Mongo Santamaria, Andy Gibb, James Brown, Joe Walsh, Menudo and Candido Camero among other notable world musicians.
The Cuban Legends will be augmented by Raphael Valencia on bass and Jesus†Chuchi†Jorge on trumpet and trombone.
Discography
Recording of our first album in progress.
Links
| http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/profile/OscarSalas |