Eugenio Arango

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Eugenio Arango , also Totico (born June 2, 1934 in Havana , † January 21, 2011 in the Bronx , New York City ) was a Cuba- born percussionist and singer who was one of the popular musicians on the New York rumba scene .

Live and act

Eugenio Arango grew up in the Los Sitios district of Havana, was initially a dock worker and also played in local rumba bars. In 1959 he left the island as a sailor , came to Boston and then moved to New York City. In 1961 he worked on Max Roach's album Percussion Bitter Sweet ; he could also be heard on recordings by the Cuban flutist / violinist Pupi Legarreta ( Salsa Nova con Pupi Legarreta , 1963). At the end of the decade he recorded rumba music under his own name. As a singer, he recorded the Verve album Patato & Totico in 1968 with Patato Valdes , in which Arsenio Rodríguez and Cachao López played. This album was successful in the 1960s and 1970s in New York rumba subculture ( Nuyorican generation ) venues such as Orchard Beach in the Bronx, Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, and Central Park .

Arango also played in various night club bands and recorded with the Puerto Rican percussionist Kako Bastar ( Kako y Totico ). He was also active in the Afro-Cuban religious community of Santería and taught percussion, especially the 6/8 rhythms of Güiro . In 1982 his album Totico y sus Rumberos appeared , on which the percussionist Orlando (Puntilla) Rios and a number of younger Latin musicians participated. It also contained a rumba version of the 1962 doo-wop hit What's Your Name .

Discographic notes

  • Patato y Totico (Verve, 1967)
  • Kako, Totico Y El Trabuco - La Maquina Y El Motor (around 1970)
  • Totico y sus Rumberos (Montuno, 1982)
  • Sonido Sólido (Top Ten Records, 1995)

Web links

Individual proof

  1. ↑ a b c Obituary by Ben Ratcliff in the New York Times (February 1, 2011)
personal data
SURNAME Arango, Eugenio
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Totico
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Cuban musician
DATE OF BIRTH June 2, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Havana , Cuba
DATE OF DEATH January 21, 2011
Place of death Bronx , New York City