Carlos “Patato” Valdes: 1926 – 2007
The Latin Jazz world lost another important figure this past Tuesday, December 4th as Carlos “Patato” Valdes died of complications from emphysema. Patato had been on tour with The Conga Kings in November, performing at his usual high standard. After a show at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, he left town by plane, where he experienced difficulty breathing. The flight was rerouted to Cleveland, where Patato remained hospitalized until his death on Tuesday. The 81-year-old conguero left a legacy upon the Latin Jazz world in many different ways.
Born in 1926, Patato grew up among the Havana music scene. His father was a tres player in several son conjuntos during the 1920s, and a young Patato internalized the influences around him. He soon began playing the tres and the marimbula, eventually moving to congas and percussion. He performed with a variety of local groups in his pre-teens, building his skills as a rumbero. By the age of 19, he earned a gig with La Sonora Matancera, which allowed him to work professionally as a musician. A year later, his friend Armando Peraza introduced him to Alberto Ruiz, leader of Conjunto Kubavana, who offered Patato a job as the band’s conguero. Patato and Peraza soon left Kubavana and began working with Chano Pozo’s Conjunto Azul, a higher profile gig that lasted until Pozo left to the States in 1947. Peraza left to the United States in 1949 and Patato joined the popular Havana band Conjunto Casion. The group gained a huge following in Cuba and traveled to New York for a performance in 1952. New York impressed Patato, leading him to leave Cuba in 1954 for a permanent relocation to the Big Apple.
Once Patato arrived in New York, he immediately jumped into the growing Latin Jazz scene and became an in-demand musician. Mongo Santamaria recommended him to Tito Puente, who made immediate use of the conguero’s skills. During that time, he recorded two influential albums with Puente, the 1955 release Cuban Carnival and 1956’s Puente In Percussion. Jazz trumpet player Kenny Dorham utilized Patato on his 1955 recording Afro-Cuban, blending his knowledge of Cuban music with several straight ahead jazz musicians. Over the next few years, Patato recorded with many artists from both the Latin and jazz realms, including Machito’s orchestra and Art Blakey. In the late 1950s, Patato began a steady gig with jazz flautist Herbie Mann that lasted over a decade. He recorded a variety of albums with Mann including iFlautista!, Right Now, and Live At Newport. In 1967, Patato created a legendary rumba record with percussionist Totico entitled Patato & Totico. This release included bassist Israel “Cachao” Lopez and tresero Arsenio Rodriguez, resulting in a historical meeting of Cuban music legends. Over the next few decades, Patato’s influence never faded, and he performed or recorded with all the major names in Latin Jazz.
Patato altered the face of modern conga playing during his career, forever changing the state of the instrument. Traditionally, drummers nailed skins onto the wood frame, leaving each conga with a single tone. Congueros would use the heat from candles to stretch the skin, creating a different pitch. This change was temporary, as the skin quickly returned to its original tension once the candle disappeared. Patato developed the tunable metal frame that held the conga head in place; drummers could tighten or loosen the frame and change the pitch. He patented the invention and worked with the LP Company to create the Patato model conga, a product that remains one of their biggest sellers today. This innovation allowed conga players to tune their instrument around different songs and play melodically – an approach that Patato always demonstrated in his playing. The percussion world owes a debt of gratitude to Patato for this creation.
Patato’s outgoing personality, showmanship, and sense of humor locked his presence into the minds of many people around the world. A top rumbero, Patato often danced around his congas during performances, and actually became known for dancing on top of his drums. He appeared in the film And God Created Women, in which he gave Bridget Bardot a mambo dancing lesson. His on and off stage antics became legendary, always creating a fun environment for his colleagues and fans. In many ways, he really reached out to a wide spectrum of people with Cuban music.
With Patato’s passing, Latin Jazz has lost a master percussionist, a visionary artist, and a kind soul. We’ll be celebrating Patato again over the next week; let’s keep him in our mind for the time being. Patato influenced a great number of people – share your thoughts and memories about Patato below in comments. Do you have a favorite recording? An especially strong memory of Patato in concert? Did you get to spend some time with him? Share with us in the comments, and let’s all celebrate Patato’s life and contributions to the art form!
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