May 12, 2010, 08:37 PM
Francisco Aguabella, Seminal Afro-Cuban Jazz Percussionist, Dead at Age 84
Posted on May 11th 2010 10:00AM by Lissette Corsa 0 CommentsAfro-Cuban jazz giant Francisco Aguabella died of cancer Friday in his Los Angeles home. He was 84.
The master conguero and sacred batá drummer left Cuba in the '50s and went on to have a prolific career in America's burgeoning Latin jazz and salsa scenes. Aguabella was an in-demand and versatile percussionist who shared the stage and worked with a wide range of A-list artists, including Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Cachao, Cal Tjader, Carlos Santana and even The Doors. Born in Matanzas, Cuba in 1925, Aguabella was 12 when he began playing the batá, a sacred drum shaped like an hourglass used in the Santeria religion. He moved to Havana in 1947, where he eventually started performing at one the city's leading nightclubs. Around that time he met dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham. Aguabella toured with her dance troupe in Italy and began work on the movie 'Mambo' before he eventually made his way to the U.S.
In 1992, Aguabella received a national heritage fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He also taught at UCLA. Aguabella was featured in the documentary 'Sworn to the Drum,' released in 1995; there is also a documentary about him in production by Orestes Matacena. He is survived by daughters Menina Givens, Martica Jenkins; sons Mario and Marco Aguabella; and seven grandchildren.
http://www.shoutcastblog.com/2010/05/11/...ead-at-84/
Posted on May 11th 2010 10:00AM by Lissette Corsa 0 CommentsAfro-Cuban jazz giant Francisco Aguabella died of cancer Friday in his Los Angeles home. He was 84.
The master conguero and sacred batá drummer left Cuba in the '50s and went on to have a prolific career in America's burgeoning Latin jazz and salsa scenes. Aguabella was an in-demand and versatile percussionist who shared the stage and worked with a wide range of A-list artists, including Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Cachao, Cal Tjader, Carlos Santana and even The Doors. Born in Matanzas, Cuba in 1925, Aguabella was 12 when he began playing the batá, a sacred drum shaped like an hourglass used in the Santeria religion. He moved to Havana in 1947, where he eventually started performing at one the city's leading nightclubs. Around that time he met dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham. Aguabella toured with her dance troupe in Italy and began work on the movie 'Mambo' before he eventually made his way to the U.S.
In 1992, Aguabella received a national heritage fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He also taught at UCLA. Aguabella was featured in the documentary 'Sworn to the Drum,' released in 1995; there is also a documentary about him in production by Orestes Matacena. He is survived by daughters Menina Givens, Martica Jenkins; sons Mario and Marco Aguabella; and seven grandchildren.
http://www.shoutcastblog.com/2010/05/11/...ead-at-84/