When Cachao left Cuba in the 1960s, he settled in the best possible spot for a musician with such a wide repertoire, New York City. The city catered to all his musical interest while providing extensive practical work opportunities. New York held classical music ensembles from symphonies to chamber groups, salsa bands, charangas, descargas, rumbas, jazz big bands, and small groups. Venues rose from small clubs to major concert halls, and a thriving recording business captured a great deal of it. The possibilities far exceeded Havana’s music scene, especially considering Cuba’s political direction in the early 1960s. In many ways, Cachao’s move to New York not only guaranteed escape from Cuba’s new government, but it also signaled a new and exciting piece of his career.

At the same time that Cachao experienced a career boost, New York gained one of the world’s strongest and most innovative musicians. Musicians in New York’s knowledgeable Latin music scene realized Cachao’s importance and welcomed him with open arms. They understood Cachao’s importance in the lineage of the Cuban music tradition, and they honored him as a revered mentor. Latin bands flooded Cachao with work and often featured him in their ensembles. They paid tribute to him in concert and on recordings, ensuring that Latin music listeners knew about Cachao’s history. New York’s Latin musicians appreciated Cachao and he became a major piece of the scene during the 1960s.

As a result of both the thriving music scene and the many opportunities that it provided him, Cachao played at the top of his game. His performances reflected sharp technical skills, a commanding presence, and a childlike enthusiasm for his art. The musicians surrounding him rose to the occasion; playing with a legend inspired outstanding performances. New York’s whole music scene became a stronger place through Cachao’s influence. Recordings captured several of these moments, giving us a historical record of this period. Although these albums don’t match the digital clarity of today’s recordings, the sonic quality of Cachao’s New York albums signals a distinct improvement over his work in Cuba. Many examples of Cachao’s New York period exist, but I’ve chosen three albums that showcase Cachao in three different settings. Again, if you’ve got other albums that you love from this period that you’d like to share, leave a comment, we’d love to hear about it!

Tito Tito Tito, Tito Rodriguez
Latin dance bands filled a healthy portion of the New York music scene, creating a perfect work environment for the legendary bass player. He remained very busy with a variety of orquestas during his time in New York, moving between the city’s numerous working bands. Naturally, the creator of the mambo fit perfectly in the “Big 3″ mambo bands; Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez all made use of Cachao’s skills. He made regular commitments to the Machito band and later Rodriguez’s orchestra, while subbing often with Puente. His stylistic knowledge, musical ability, and kind nature kept him occupied with consistent work.

Cachao’s time with Rodriguez resulted in a couple of classic recordings. The 1964 album Tito Tito Tito found the band revisiting their classic Palladium sound. While the band created a stir anywhere they performed, the revival of an older approach, combined with Cachao’s relentless swing ensured a classic recording. The 1968 release Big Band Latino brought together multiple generations, pairing Cachao with percussionist Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez, saxophonist Mario Rivera, trumpet player Victor Paz, and more. Cachao’s presence alone elevated these albums into another musical level, but the additional repertoire and musicians solidified their classic status.

Tito Tito Tito holds special significance for a couple of reasons. In addition to the Palladium material, the album includes two descargas, with Cachao providing momentum. “Descarga Malanga” transitions from 6/8 into an up-tempo mambo, providing open space for soloists. The moving jazz harmonies reveal Cachao’s tumbao moving through a variety of colors; his percussive attacks cut through the recording, pushing the song’s groove. The band recognizes the originator with “Descarga Cachao,” a revised version of the classic “Descarga Cubana.” Cachao takes an especially virtuosic solo here, showcasing the master at the top of his game. Place these tracks alongside the solid dance material, and you’ve got a classic piece of Cachao in New York.

Patato & Totico, Carlos “Patato” Valdes & Eugene “Totico” Arango
One of Cachao’s strengths as a musician was his connection to his roots and thorough knowledge of Cuban culture. Cachao grew up around Afro-Cuban music and soaked in every bit of it from folkloric to dance music. He retained a textbook knowledge of rumba rhythms and songs as well as Santeria chants and bata parts. He performed with Cuban son groups and memorized a wealth of that genre’s standards. He played bass with one of the island’s most influential charanga orquestas, and he wrote most of its music. Without a doubt, Cachao’s experience with Afro-Cuban genres informed him tremendously; coupled with his experience as a classical musician and jazz improviser, Cachao fit into any context.

Percussionist Carlos “Patato” Valdes called upon Cachao’s knowledge of Afro-Cuban culture for the 1968 Verve release Patato & Totico. Cuban folkloric forms were flourishing at that time in the Latin music underground; while dancers avidly supported commercial salsa, Latin musicians built their chops around informal rumbas. Patato and Eugene “Totico” Arango decided to capture the city’s excitement about rumba on record. They disregarded commercial concerns and relied upon the traditional percussion and vocal rumba setting. At the same time, Patato and Totico decided to reflect New York with the “sound of the streets” by adding bass and tres. Cachao was the perfect choice for the bass spot, and renowned Cuban musician Arsenio Rodriguez played tres. The resulting album proved to be the only recorded meeting of these Cuban music legends.

Patato & Totico serves as an outstanding example of Cachao performing folkloric music and it showcases his interaction with similarly passionate Cuban music personalities. Cachao bristles with percussive energy behind Rodriguez’s solo on “Nuestro Barrio” and regularly alters his line to compliment Rodriguez’s improvisation. Cachao takes a brief solo on “A Que la Caer,” playing melodic variations on rumba licks between Rodriguez’s tres. Cachao’s bass blends into the percussion on “Ingrato Corazon,” and sometimes, the difference fades between his bass sound and the drummers. His bass line alternately creates polyrhythmic tension and pushes the overall flow on “Rezo Abuca,” serving as a link between the percussion and vocals. In a highly improvisational setting that traditionally favors drums and vocals, Cachao delivers a memorable performance that helped establish the standard for rumba recordings.

Descargas Live at the Village Gate, Vol. 3, Tico All-Stars
Cachao recorded in a variety of settings during his time in New York, but the descarga remained one of is specialties. His ability to spontaneously compose a piece of music based upon limited musical material consistently garnered exciting results. His ideas not only drove the rhythm section, but he had a gift for communicating these concepts to all the musicians in an ensemble, sometimes during the actual performance. His bass playing not only supported a group during an ensemble, but he regularly embellished his lines, driving the group to a higher dynamic. Cachao’s improvisational abilities led to numerous memorable solos; his improvisations were a combination of solid melodic development and a deep rhythmic vocabulary. In every sense, Cachao drove spontaneous descarga performance to a higher level.

Cachao’s descarga sessions recorded in Cuba and his participation in New York descargas inspired a generation of musicians wishing to capture the spontaneous and exciting nature. Individual dance bands took the opportunity to incorporate descargas into their repertoire, breaking the monotony of vocal features. Near the end of the 1960s, all-star configurations of popular bands became common, and the descarga served as a common ground for these gatherings. A legion of bass players also followed Cachao’s lead, attempting to internalize his overall approach and his musical invention. The most prolific of Cachao’s bass playing peers was Tito Puente’s regular bassist, Bobby Rodriguez. Already an established voice when Cachao arrived in New York, Rodriguez shared Cachao’s technical virtuosity, love for improvisation, and he also displayed a strong melodic voice. Cachao’s descargas served as the centerpiece for all these influences, and they launched a variety of great sessions.

Descargas Live at the Village Gate, Vol. 3 from the Tico All-Stars brought all these elements together into a grand jam session. The album places a variety of Latin music stars from the Tico Records label in an improvisatory setting. Some of the participating musicians included Tito Puente on timbales, Eddie Palmieri on piano, and Candido Camero on congas. The albums centerpiece, the over 18 minute jam session “Descargas De Contrabajos,” features Cachao and Rodriguez trading tumbaos and solos. The song starts with the legendary bass line from “Descarga Cubana” and evolves into a bass tour de force. Hearing the two musicians trade improvisations highlights both their common foundation and their individual styles. Cachao’s percussive aggression countered by Rodriguez’s melodic fluidity keep the descarga interesting throughout the extended time period and gives a wonderfully clear picture of the era’s most important bassists. In many ways, this recording showed Cachao’s immediate vitality and his long-term influence over a generation of musicians.

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Check Out More About Cachao’s Legendary Career:
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 1: Cachao In Cuba
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 3: Cachao’s Early Miami Years
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 4: Cachao’s Revitalized Career

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