msjanemas
02-09-2005, 09:15 PM
La Dulzura De
Jimmy Delgado
by Jané Mas
Jimmy Delgado has achieved what many could not accomplish at such a young age. He managed to squeeze his way into the world of Latin Percussion among and alongside great legends through determination and self-discipline, and make a name for himself. His love for what first started out as a passion, and later developed into his life’s work, has given him a wonderful resume. After his new cd release, Salsa Con Dulzura, I decided to have a talk with Jimmy and learn more about him. Here is what he had to say.
JM: My earliest memory of you was of a young man on stage at the Corso Nightclub in Manhattan playing timbales with Luis Perico Ortiz during the late 70s. You were very a young timbalero playing the Latin Music Nightclub circuit. How did you manage to get to that point in your career so quickly considering many well-known percussionists were still active professionally in NYC? I mean, Manny Oquendo, Tito Puente, Orestes Vilato, Willie Rosario, Nicky Marrero, Jimmy Sabater, all graced the same stage you did during that same era.
JD: Let me start from the beginning. I was playing timbales with my Junior High School Band in 1972, the year Johnny Colon opened the East Harlem Music School, which was adjacent to I.S. 29. I got my first timbal lessons from the Timbal instructor of the East Harlem Music School, who happened to be Nicky Marrero. The following year, 1973, shortly after I turned 15 years old, Johnny Colon invited me to perform with his Orchestra in a Block Party at 111 Street between Lexington and Park. The other band performing at the same Block Party was Group Experimental Nueva Yorquino. I performed several Block Parties with Johnny Colon's band that summer.
JM: How was Nicky as an instructor compared to others?
JD: Nicky was an excellent teacher. I also took bass lessons with Andy Gonzalez for about a month. Andy would also suggest albums to listen to.
JM: Did you stay with Johnny Colon?
JD: No. In 1974 Ron Davis started his group, Orchestra Cimarron. Ron Davis was the music teacher and acting Assistant Principal at my Junior High, I.S. 29. Ron played the Valve Trombone and was freelancing with lots of the B & C Salsa bands of the day. We performed at many clubs, including Tony Pabon's TV show on channel 47. I stayed with the band until December. That's when Nicky went on a three-week tour with Eddie Palmieri, I substituted for Nicky in Orq. Tipica Novel. After Nicky return from his tour, I played in two other Charanga bands, Pupi Legareta and Tipica New York. In April of 1975, Chino De Jesus asked me if I wanted to be the Timbalero for his new band, Chino y su Conjunto Melao. I did my first recording with this group.
In November of that year, I received a call from pianis Luis Cruz to join his band. His band was backing Ismael Quintana all over New York. I thought "WOW" it would be great to play those tunes Ismael recorded for Vaya Records like "Mi Debilida", a song I witnessed being recorded. To be there watching Orestes, Bobby Valentin, Johnny Pacheco, Papo Lucca, Barry Rogers and other great musicians, all recording at the same time. It was really exciting to see history in the making. So I decided to join Luis Cruz's band. Later on in February of 76, Tipica 73 recruited Nicky and I was asked to join Tipica Novel. Then in April, Ray Barretto calls and asks me if I'd like to join the new Orchestra he was forming. I told Ray I had to think about it because I recently joined Novel and the band was working a lot. I called a friend of mine, I told him about Barretto's offer, and that I was undecided. He said to me, "You are crazy, You better take the gig with Barretto!" And so I did.
My union with Barretto's band lasted until December of 76. On the 25th of that month I subbed for LiL Ray Romero at gig in Roseland. Ray was the bongocero in Eddie Palmieri's Orq. Singing that evening with Eddie was my old boss Ismael Quintana, Victor Paz on trumpet, Charlie Cotto on timbal, Cachete on congas, and the other guys in the band. In 1977 I became the timbalero for Orquesta Guarare, another branch of a old Barretto Band.
JM: What was working with Barretto like?
JD: A good learning experience. However, I wasn't too crazy about the music he was playing. It was a fusion of Jazz and Salsa. I didn't want to play that type of music. What I wanted to play were those tunes he recorded with his old salsa band. Ray wanted me to play timbales using a bass drum, snare, and two cymbals. My heart wasn't really into it, yet the experience playing those exciting musical arrangements with the timbal set up gave me the experience I would use in the future. It wasn't until I rejoined the band in 83 that I was able to enjoy the music I always wanted to play, which was dance music. We took it to another level when it came to performing in concerts. It was exciting! I believe it was perhaps his second best band ever.
JM: After Ray you started appearing with Willie Colon later that year. Every musician wanted to be with this group. How did you manage to get in?
For the rest of the article click here:
http://www.salserosweb.com/interviews/
Jimmy Delgado
by Jané Mas
Jimmy Delgado has achieved what many could not accomplish at such a young age. He managed to squeeze his way into the world of Latin Percussion among and alongside great legends through determination and self-discipline, and make a name for himself. His love for what first started out as a passion, and later developed into his life’s work, has given him a wonderful resume. After his new cd release, Salsa Con Dulzura, I decided to have a talk with Jimmy and learn more about him. Here is what he had to say.
JM: My earliest memory of you was of a young man on stage at the Corso Nightclub in Manhattan playing timbales with Luis Perico Ortiz during the late 70s. You were very a young timbalero playing the Latin Music Nightclub circuit. How did you manage to get to that point in your career so quickly considering many well-known percussionists were still active professionally in NYC? I mean, Manny Oquendo, Tito Puente, Orestes Vilato, Willie Rosario, Nicky Marrero, Jimmy Sabater, all graced the same stage you did during that same era.
JD: Let me start from the beginning. I was playing timbales with my Junior High School Band in 1972, the year Johnny Colon opened the East Harlem Music School, which was adjacent to I.S. 29. I got my first timbal lessons from the Timbal instructor of the East Harlem Music School, who happened to be Nicky Marrero. The following year, 1973, shortly after I turned 15 years old, Johnny Colon invited me to perform with his Orchestra in a Block Party at 111 Street between Lexington and Park. The other band performing at the same Block Party was Group Experimental Nueva Yorquino. I performed several Block Parties with Johnny Colon's band that summer.
JM: How was Nicky as an instructor compared to others?
JD: Nicky was an excellent teacher. I also took bass lessons with Andy Gonzalez for about a month. Andy would also suggest albums to listen to.
JM: Did you stay with Johnny Colon?
JD: No. In 1974 Ron Davis started his group, Orchestra Cimarron. Ron Davis was the music teacher and acting Assistant Principal at my Junior High, I.S. 29. Ron played the Valve Trombone and was freelancing with lots of the B & C Salsa bands of the day. We performed at many clubs, including Tony Pabon's TV show on channel 47. I stayed with the band until December. That's when Nicky went on a three-week tour with Eddie Palmieri, I substituted for Nicky in Orq. Tipica Novel. After Nicky return from his tour, I played in two other Charanga bands, Pupi Legareta and Tipica New York. In April of 1975, Chino De Jesus asked me if I wanted to be the Timbalero for his new band, Chino y su Conjunto Melao. I did my first recording with this group.
In November of that year, I received a call from pianis Luis Cruz to join his band. His band was backing Ismael Quintana all over New York. I thought "WOW" it would be great to play those tunes Ismael recorded for Vaya Records like "Mi Debilida", a song I witnessed being recorded. To be there watching Orestes, Bobby Valentin, Johnny Pacheco, Papo Lucca, Barry Rogers and other great musicians, all recording at the same time. It was really exciting to see history in the making. So I decided to join Luis Cruz's band. Later on in February of 76, Tipica 73 recruited Nicky and I was asked to join Tipica Novel. Then in April, Ray Barretto calls and asks me if I'd like to join the new Orchestra he was forming. I told Ray I had to think about it because I recently joined Novel and the band was working a lot. I called a friend of mine, I told him about Barretto's offer, and that I was undecided. He said to me, "You are crazy, You better take the gig with Barretto!" And so I did.
My union with Barretto's band lasted until December of 76. On the 25th of that month I subbed for LiL Ray Romero at gig in Roseland. Ray was the bongocero in Eddie Palmieri's Orq. Singing that evening with Eddie was my old boss Ismael Quintana, Victor Paz on trumpet, Charlie Cotto on timbal, Cachete on congas, and the other guys in the band. In 1977 I became the timbalero for Orquesta Guarare, another branch of a old Barretto Band.
JM: What was working with Barretto like?
JD: A good learning experience. However, I wasn't too crazy about the music he was playing. It was a fusion of Jazz and Salsa. I didn't want to play that type of music. What I wanted to play were those tunes he recorded with his old salsa band. Ray wanted me to play timbales using a bass drum, snare, and two cymbals. My heart wasn't really into it, yet the experience playing those exciting musical arrangements with the timbal set up gave me the experience I would use in the future. It wasn't until I rejoined the band in 83 that I was able to enjoy the music I always wanted to play, which was dance music. We took it to another level when it came to performing in concerts. It was exciting! I believe it was perhaps his second best band ever.
JM: After Ray you started appearing with Willie Colon later that year. Every musician wanted to be with this group. How did you manage to get in?
For the rest of the article click here:
http://www.salserosweb.com/interviews/