Sabu Martinez

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Louis "Sabu" Martinez (born July 14, 1930 in New York City , † January 13, 1979 in Stockholm ) was an American percussionist who mainly performed on the congas . He is considered a key musician of early Latin jazz .

Live and act

Martinez began performing in a trio every third night for money in Manhattan at the age of eleven . Then he played in the orchestras of Marcelino Guerra and Catalino Rolón . 1944 spent time in Puerto Rico before doing military service. He then played in the trio of the Mambo pioneer Joe Loco and from 1946 also appeared occasionally with Art Blakey , with whom he also went to the record studio; so at the end of the 1950s he made a decisive contribution to his albums Orgy in Rhythm and Holiday for Skins .

In 1948 he replaced Chano Pozo in Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra ; the following year he also appeared with Benny Goodman . Over the next decade he played with Charlie Parker , Duke Ellington , Count Basie , JJ Johnson , Horace Silver , Thelonious Monk , Charles Mingus , Mary Lou Williams , Lionel Hampton , Noro Morales , Marcelino Guerra , Esy Morales , the Lecuona Cuban Boys , Miguelito Valdés and Tito Rodríguez . He also accompanied the singers Tony Bennett , Sammy Davis, Jr. , and Harry Belafonte . A heroin addiction overshadowed this time.

From 1957 he directed his own bands, with which he recorded three outstanding percussion-dominated albums by 1958. The album Jazz Espagnole followed in 1960 . He then moved to Puerto Rico, where he worked with the Johnny Conquet Orchestra, among others . There he met his future wife, a Swede, with whom he moved to Sweden in 1967.

There he worked with Lill Lindfors , Cornelis Vreeswijk , Merit Hemmingson , the Swedish radio jazz groups , Bengt-Arne Wallin , the Eero Koisvistoinen Music Society , Ivan Oscarsson , Mads Vinding , Bernt Rosengren ( First Move ) and Juhani Aaltonen / Otto Donner , but also with Art Farmer , George Russell ( The Essence of George Russell , Vertical Form VI ), Tony Scott ( Manteca ), Ed Thigpen , Charlie Mariano , Rick Kiefer and Greetje Kauffeld . There were also collaborations with the Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band ( Latin Kaleidoscope ) and with Peter Herbolzheimer's Rhythm Combination & Brass ( Wide Open ). From 1973 he headed his group Burnt Sugar . He died of complications from cancer.

Discographic notes

  • Palo Congo ( Blue Note 1957, with a.o. Arsenio Rodríguez )
  • Sorcery! (1958)
  • Safari with Sabu (Vix 1958, with Gene Allen , Cecil Payne , Jack Hitchcock, Oscar Pettiford , Ray Barretto , Evelio Quintero, Ray Romero, Steve Berrios )
  • Jazz Espagnole (Alegre Records 1960, with Marty Sheller , Bobby Porcelli , Arty Jenkins, Bill Salter, Ernie Newsum, Louie Ramirez )
  • Groovin 'with Sabu Martinez ( Metronome 1968, with Rune Gustafsson , Sture Nordin)
  • Sabu Martinez och Björbobandet Aurora Borealis (Coop 1971, with Sege Johansson, Göte Magnusson, Lollo Berglund, Sigge Ferm, Olle Redhe, Evald Karlsson, Olle Moberg, Lennart Lundberg, Hans-Olov Berglund, Sven-Olof Andersson, Filip Jansson, Acke Sundberg , Thord Önnerud, Arne Lidman, Bertil Spåman, Rolf Hedéen, Pierre Svärd, Gösta Norell, Lars Christians, Johnny Martinez, John Haglund)
  • Afro Temple (Grammofonverket 1973, with Christer Boustedt , Bernt Rosengren , Red Mitchell , Ali Lundbohm, Stephen Möller, Per Arne Almeflo, Conny Lundström, Johnny Martinez, Bo Östen Svensson, Peter Perlowsky, Christina Martinez, Margarita Martinez)
  • Burned Sugar (Mellotronen 2008, with Bernt Rosengren, Wlodek Gulgowski , Jan Bergman, Kåre Ström, Bo Östen Svensson, Johnny Martinez, Fredrik Norén , Stephan Möller, Petur Island Östlund, rec. 1973–74)
  • Sabu Martinez / Sahib Shihab Winds & Skins (Mellotronen 2008, with Christer Boustedt, Palle Danielsson , Daoud Amin, Ivan Krillzarin, Johnny Martinez, René Martinez, rec. 1967–68)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Sabu Martinez at Allmusic (English)
  2. ^ Scott Yanow: Afro-Cuban Jazz . Hal Leonard, 2000, ISBN 978-0-87930-619-9 , pp. 72 .
personal data
SURNAME Martinez, Sabu
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Martinez, Louis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American percussionist (congas)
DATE OF BIRTH July 14, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH January 13, 1979
Place of death Stockholm