Mongo Santamaria: My uncle

"The first time I met my uncle was in 1977 when his mother - my grandma - died. Miriam Makeba, the Southafrican singer, had asked a UN diplomat of Cuba to let him into the country so he could attend the funeral. At that time Cuba and USA had no relationship, it was in the middle of the political ice age. Mongo had a meeting with the Minister of Culture and the government agreed to a concert. In 1978, my uncle performed at the Teatro America in Habana. The family was seated in the front row. I was 15 years old and went to highschool. When I heard him play I only had one dream: to become a conguero like my uncle. I was fascinated by watching his hands move so fast and beat the drums very powerfully. After that concert we celebrated a big party in my family's house together with him. I remember him as a charming man who laughed a lot. In 1983, I met him again in the Habana Libre Hotel. I had started with percussion and he told me his story as a musician. Mongo's roots have always been the Afro-Cuban rhythm. "If you want to become a musician you must know one thing: Play simple. Then people will never stop listening to your music." And I never stopped: for me there is no day without Mongo's music.

At Cuba, Mongo Santamaria is not as well-known as in the rest of the world. Because his music was recorded by American companies, his Cds can not be sold. His heritage is the fusion of Cuban music with American jazz and we should be proud of him as one of Cuba's sons. I love his music and want to record a tribute to Mongo about how we Cubans like to play his compositions: Para Mongo a lo cubano".

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PARA MONGO A LA CUBANO

For more than four decades, Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria has been known as the greatest conga player in the world. He played with most famous jazz musicians like Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Herbie Hancock, Santana and Dizzy Gillespie. Mongo has recorded more than 70 albums and his songs were listed among the Top Ten of the pop charts; his most famous compositions are Afro Blue and Para Ti. His pretty and melodic cover of "Watermelon Man." is also very popular.

Mongo Santamaria was born in 1917 in the district Jes?r?in Old Habana. His nephew Roberto grew up in the very same house. In 1947, Mongo left Cuba and went to Mexico. In 1960, he emigrated again, this time to the USA. In the US he became a trademark for his fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythm and American jazz.

When Roberto heard his uncle play in 1978 at a concert in La Habana, the 15-year-old boy decided to become a conguero like Santamaria. Roberto met his uncle several times and discussed the Afro-Cuban roots of latin jazz with him. Mongo Santamaria died in February 2003.