Daniel Ponce died short of his 60th birthday at 59 years of age. He would've turned 60 on July 21st of this year. He died on March 14th in Miami Beach. Upon his arrival to NY in 1980 along with Puntilla and others, they changed and modernized how percussion was being played that had gone stale due to the Cuban situation. As they sang, "Somos los cubanos que venimos invadiendo, la timba no es como ayer"
When I moved back here to N.Y.C. in 1986 (from New Orleans), I would see him often at 'The Village Gate' and gigging around town. He eventually started to hang out and play at the Central Park Rumba's and also at a Rumba that took place during the cold Manhattan winters inside an old VFW post in the east village.
I played rumba with him many times, if he didn't like what was going on, he could be very hard, as he had a very "tough street personality", there was always talk that he carried a pistol in his sock, though I was more interested in playing with him than what was in his sock. If he liked you, everything was cool. We got along great.
A lot of players didn't dig him when he first "arrived" on the N.Y.C. scene, as he had real "Cuban attitude" and played with a very "physically powerful" fresh new style which "intimidated" many of the older and younger established players.
Daniel Ponce died short of his 60th birthday at 59 years of age. He would've turned 60 on July 21st of this year. He died on March 14th in Miami Beach. Upon his arrival to NY in 1980 along with Puntilla and others, they changed and modernized how percussion was being played that had gone stale due to the Cuban situation. As they sang, "Somos los cubanos que venimos invadiendo, la timba no es como ayer"
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved back here to N.Y.C. in 1986 (from New Orleans), I would see him often at 'The Village Gate' and gigging around town.
ReplyDeleteHe eventually started to hang out and play at the Central Park Rumba's and also at a Rumba that took place during the cold Manhattan winters inside an old VFW post in the east village.
I played rumba with him many times, if he didn't like what was going on, he could be very hard, as he had a very "tough street personality", there was always talk that he carried a pistol in his sock, though I was more interested in playing with him than what was in his sock.
If he liked you, everything was cool.
We got along great.
A lot of players didn't dig him when he first "arrived" on the N.Y.C. scene, as he had real "Cuban attitude" and played with a very "physically powerful" fresh new style which "intimidated" many of the older and younger established players.