Ed Calle is a saxophonist deeply rooted in Latin jazz. His musical journey began in junior high and high school, where he played in school bands and at his local church at just 12 years o...
Candido Camero was born in Cuba on April 22, 1921. By the age of four he was already interested in percussive instruments--a field he would revolutionize by blending Latin beats with jazz...
Sal Cracchiolo learned how to play the trumpet on his mother’s horn. As his love of the instrument grew she saw to it that Sal received classical trumpet lessons with some of the top teac...
Jim Merod is the founder of BluePort Sound recording studio and BluePort Jazz, his record label. Since the early 1990s, Jim has recorded a long list of legendary jazz, blues, and latin mu...
Airto Moreira has gained international recognition as one of the world’s leading Latin percussionists. He has introduced an innovative approach to playing percussion as well as teaching c...
Luis Orta is a jazz saxophonist from Puerto Rico who spent much of his NAMM Oral History interview engaging us with the rich history of Latin Jazz. He spoke of the importance of the percu...
Ralph Peer II is the Chairman and CEO of Peermusic, which was formed by his father in 1928. While his father played a historic role in early-recorded music, the publishing company is equa...
Specs Powell played jazz drums during the hey-day of 52nd Street in New York City. He worked hard -- sometimes four gigs a night -- playing behind such legends as Billie Holiday, John Kir...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Tito Puente helped revolutionize Latin music, in particular...
Walfredo Reyes Sr. is the Cuban-born percussionist who became known around the world for his style of playing. He is also known to many drummers as the father of two great percussionists,...
Chaim Rubinov played the piano in his home as a child and when school age he began playing the trumpet , thanks to the encouragement of his band director. He grew up in Montreal, where t...
Poncho Sanchez has the heart and soul of his Latin music roots and the love and feel for funk. The result of these passions is the unique style that has helped establish him as a talented...
Fred Sanchez is the founder of the band El Chicano, the Latin soul group from Los Angeles, that helped define Latin Rock in the late 1960s and 1970s. The band was formed by several high s...
Arturo Sandoval is the Cuba born jazz trumpeter best known for the 2000 film “For Love of Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story” in which Andy Garcia portrayed Arturo. Over the years he has ...
Marty Sheller was the award-winning arranger and jazz trumpeter whose musical skills can be heard on hundreds of recordings. He worked with Mongo Santamaria for many years (yes, that is M...
Bongo Bob Smith has had an amazing musical journey, which all began with his love of the music of Puerto Rico. Before the term World Music was used, Bob was exploring music from many coun...
Jaime Valle started out playing top 40 hits, but before long grew tired and was looking for something new when he happened upon jazz. It was a match made in heaven. After studying with Ho...
Ricky Zayas remembers with a smile purchasing his first trumpet back in 1987 for just $60.00! The instrument came about based on the urging of a neighbor and the influence of his band dir...
