He would read eight books a day, taking just ten seconds to read a page. He could read two pages simultaneously, his left eye reading the left page and his right eye reading the right page.
Julio Valdés and Cheo Junco on vocals. El difunto "Pancho El Bravo" on flute. Piano: Richard Egües First Violin: Miguel Barbón Brindis a.k.a."El Niño Prodigio"
An excellent review of these recordings as well as of the band and the musicians was written May 31, 2000, by the respected Cuban music historian, Señor 'Luis De Quesada' almost nine years ago...you can read it it Here.
"De Nuevo"
Vinyl LP on Maype
"Guayaba...Ahora Si" Julio Valdés: Vocal.
Vinyl LP
'Pancho El Bravo'"Los ineditos'en vivo"
Mid 1960's & early 1970's
Excellent sound quality.
2. Para gusto se han hecho los colores
12. Baila Kimbongolo "Charanga Tipica"Pancho El Bravo A CDon the 'Montmartre' label.
All 15 tracks taken from other vinyl LP'spoorly transferred from vinyl to CD, but swinging.60's and '70's Pancho El Bravo.
"La Charanga Que Entro En Orbita"
Pancho el Bravo
1990 Egrem/Areito vinyl LP
"Bótate Na' Ma'"
Pancho el Bravo y sus Candelas del Tira Tira
1949-1960-1961
Nicely remastered reissues on a Caney CD
("Gems of Christmas")Vinyl LP on the Cuban Gema label.
With several true gems. Miguelito Cuní with Andrés "Niño" Rivera Echevarria. Elena Burke with Juanito Marquez on electric guitar. (Elena Burke is amazing on this!) Rolando La' Serie with Bebo Valdés. Compay Segundo' with 'Amparito'. And Fernando Alvarez.
There are 12 songs, even though the cover lists 11. And also incorrectly lists Rolando La'Serie as the vocalist on #6, but it is it isMiguelito Cunísinging with 'Niño" Rivera's big band.
1. Esta Navidad - Rolando La'Serie. 2. Feliz Navidad - Fernando Alvarez. 3. Cancion De Pascuas - Elena Burke&Juanito Marquez. 4. Tres Magos De Oriente - Compay Segundo y Amparito. 5. Invierno Y Navidad - Miguelito Cuní&"Niño" Rivera 6. La Virgin Lloraba - Miguelito Cuní&"Niño" Rivera. 7. Navidad Gris - Fernando Alvarez. 8. Lechon Y Guanajo - Rolando La'Serie. 9. La Mano De Dios - Elena Burke&Juanito Marquez. 10. Villancici Guajiro - Compay Segundo y 'Amparito. 11. Mi Nochebuena En Oriente - Miguelito Cuní&"Niño" Rivera. 12. Un Amor En Navida - Fernando Alvarez.
2. Feliz Navidad Fernando Alvarez: voz
3. Cancion De Pascuas Elena Burke: voz&Juanito Marquez: elec. guitar
6. La Virgin Lloraba Miguelito Cuní con "Niño" Rivera y su Orq.
8. Lechon Y Guanajo Rolando La'Serie con Bebo Valdés y su Orq.
9. La Mano De Dios Elena Burke: voz&Juanito Marquez: elec. guitar
11. Mi Nochebuena En Oriente Miguelito Cuní: voz&"Niño" Rivera: tres solo
"Festejando Navedad Con Celia Cruz"
Celia y La Sonora Matancera
1. Feliz Navidad
This post has five videos featuring "Piri" playing quinto en rumba.
I like his "rhythmic sensibility" which gives him his own unique "style" of playing quinto.
Also refreshing is that he plays "nobody else's style" but his own.
He plays quinto in the first four videos, in the fifth video he plays Caja (tumbador) then gets up to let another drummer play, then returns to play quinto.
The first three videos, he plays with his Father who is sitting next to him. 'Juan De Dios' sings in several of them.
For more in depth information about 'Manley "Piri" López Herrera' and "Los Chinitos", you can view 'Patrice Banchereau's' excellent web page/s here.
"Estampas Populares" Vinyl LP on Egrem/Areito mid 1960's
Same LP, alternate Egrem cover
An LP of instrumental compositions and music by the legendary 'Bienvenido Julián Gutiérrez'. The orchestrations on this kill, due to these studios sessions directed by four superb bandleaders:
You are correctly seeing the price in the upper right corner on the back of the album jacket... that's what this LP sold for. Long out of print and rare.
Marlon playing bongoes with band. Tunable with metal lugs. (Photo contributed by 'Geordie Van Der Bosch')
After Marlon Brando died, many of his personal possessions were auctioned off publicly about ten years ago.Included were a pair of bongoes given to him by 'Mario Diaz' in 1956. I bought a pair made like these on Ebay five years ago on Ebay, I made the mistake of selling them.
These styles of bongoes (typically with red and black bands) were commonly sold in music stores in Havana in the 1950's, many sold at the well known 'Solis' music store in Havana. Drums sold by 'Solis' usually had the stores sticker on the inside of all their drums.
The reason why Solis put a "disclaimer" sticker on the inside was because the majority of drums were bought by tourists, who would then take them back to the U.S.A. where the climates were very different than in Cuba, in cold weather the wood often would contract, sometimes causing the 'stave's' to separate and the drums to then fall apart.
Below: Marlon's "tack head" tumbadora, with a "custom made" travel case with his name on the top. It was also auctioned off. (Photo contributed by 'Geordie Van Der Bosch')
Video: Marlon "jamming" with 'Jack Costanzo' Interviewed by 'Edward R. Murrow'.
Alberto Cruz Torres
Julio Valdés and Cheo Junco on vocals.
An excellent review of these recordings as well as of the band and the musicians was written May 31, 2000, by the respected Cuban music historian, Señor 'Luis De Quesada' almost nine years ago...you can read it it Here.
"De Nuevo"
"Guayaba...Ahora Si"
'Pancho El Bravo' "Los ineditos'en vivo" 
"Charanga Tipica"Pancho El Bravo
"Orumila Obbi Wáo"
"Gemas De Navidad!"
"Quija' Chequeré"
'John Storm Roberts'
"Manteca"
"Manteca"
La Gloria Matancera Vol - I
La Gloria Matancera Vol - II
Gloria Matancera 1955
"Estampas Populares"
Same LP, alternate Egrem cover
"Jazz Bata" 
"Jazz Nocturno" 
"Descarga"
"Pianoforte I"
"Pianoforte II"
Jesús "Chucho" Valdés
With a nice pair of early Cuban 1950's "tack-head" bongoes.
With an early 1950's Cuban "tack-head".
Marlon playing a 'Gonzalo Vergara' drum.
Marlon playing bongoes with band.
