Origin Cuba Occupation(s) Musician | Name Candido Camero Role Musical Artist | |
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Birth name Candido de Guerra Camero Born April 22, 1921 (age 102) ( 1921-04-22 ) Instruments Conga, bongo, various percussion instruments Associated acts Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, many others Albums Brujeias De Candido, Drum Fever, In Indigo, Inolvidable Awards Latin Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award Genres Jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz, Disco Record labels Salsoul Records, Blue Note Records, Polydor Records, ABC Records Similar People Carlos "Patato" Valdes, Giovanni Hidalgo, Al Cohn, Kenny Clarke, Gene Ammons | ||
Candido Camero celebrates his 91st Birthday
Cándido de Guerra Camero, also known simply as Candido (born April 22, 1921) is a Cuban-born percussionist (mainly conga and bongo) and the most recorded conga drummer in the history of jazz. He also plays the tres (Cuban mandolin), drums, and acoustic bass. He has worked in many genres of popular music from pop, rock, R&B and disco to Afro-Cuban dance music and Latin jazz. He is the first player to develop techniques to play multiple conga drums, coordinated independence and the use of multiple percussion, one player playing a variety of percussion instruments simultaneously.
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Career
Early in his career, Camero recorded in his native Cuba with many of the early pioneers of the son movement as well as being the conga drummer for the Tropicana night club in Havana for eight years. He first appeared in NYC in the musical review, Tidbits, at the Plymouth Theater on Broadway in 1946 backing up the Cuban dance team of Carmen and Rolando. In 1948 he made his first U.S. recording with Machito and His Afro-Cubans on the tune, "El Rey Del Mambo." as well as working with Dizzy Gillespie. During 1953–54, he was in the Billy Taylor Trio and in 1954 he performed and recorded with Stan Kenton.
He also enjoyed success during the disco era of the 1970s, most notably with the Babatunde Olatunji-penned track "Jingo" from his Dancin' and Prancin' album, which he recorded for Salsoul Records in 1979. The album has also been acknowledged as an influence and precursor to house music, predating the emergence of the genre by over five years.
Camero was honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2008.
As leader
As sideman
With Gene Ammons
With Art Blakey
With Ray Bryant
With Kenny Burrell
With Dizzy Gillespie
With Billy Taylor
With Bennie Green
With Don Elliott
With Stan Kenton
With the Lecuona Cuban Boys
With Randy Weston
With Sonny Rollins
With Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic
With Wynton Kelly
With Grant Green
With Illinois Jacquet
With Gary McFarland
With Wes Montgomery
With Tico All-Stars
With Bobby Hutcherson
With Elvin Jones
With Ellen McIlwaine