How many bands was tito puente in

He recorded his first hit, "Abaniquito, " on the Tico Records label a year later. Puente began churning out hits in the s while riding the crest of mambo's popularity, and recorded dance favorites such as "Barbarabatiri, " "El Rey del Timbai, " " Mambo la Roca, " and "Mambo Gallego.

Puente established himself as the foremost mambo musician of the s, and in the late s, fused Cuban "cha-cha-cha" beats with big band compositions. He remained flexible and open to experimentation by collaborating with others and fusing various musical styles such as mambo, jazz, salsa, and the big band sound of the s.

Puente epitomized the Latin-jazz crossover movement in music at the time. In on Tico Records, Puente released "Oye Como Va, " which was a resounding success and is now considered a classic.

Four years later in Puente performed a program of his compositions at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. Puente's music was not categorized as salsa until the s, as it contained elements of big band composition and jazz as well.

When Puente's classic hit "Oye Como Va" was covered by Carlos Santana in the early s, a new generation was introduced to Puente's music. In Puente toured Japan with his ensemble and discovered an enthusiastic new audience as well as the fact that he had achieved worldwide popularity. After returning from Japan, the musician and his orchestra played for U. In the course of his long career, Puente received eight Grammy Award nominations, more than any other musician in the Latin music field before Puente recorded his last big band albums in and He toured European cities with the Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble, and recorded albums with them as well in the s.

Puente continued to devote himself to composing, recording, and performing music throughout the s, but his interests broadened at this time. There he studied orchestration, conducting and music theory. In , Puente formed his own band the Piccadilly Boys. Mambo and cha-cha-cha were the rage at the time. The music with its high energy became a catalyst for bringing together people of all races and ethnicities.

Puente rode the wave of the mambo craze and went on to become a household name. Puente later led two groups; an orchestra and a jazz ensemble. He continued to record both Latin jazz and straight-ahead Latin music with many different artists and his own bands. Other awards and honorary degrees are too numerous to list.

Perez-Rubio In his lifetime, Puente recorded albums, composed over songs, and has over 2, arrangements to his credit. His showmanship, musical talent, and dedication to performing kept him in the spotlight from his early performances in the s until his death in He was born in in Spanish Harlem to parents who were both Puerto Rican immigrants. The sounds of Puerto Rican and Cuban music filled his childhood and influenced his music, as did the big band sounds he loved to listen to on the radio.

His early interest in drumming prompted noise complaints from his family's neighbors, who begged his mother to get Tito lessons. Puente's talent blossomed with his drumming lessons, and in the '40s he joined the Machito Orchestra when their drummer was drafted for World War II. This was his big break, and Puente played with them until he was also drafted into the Navy.