Lou Peréz - Pianist, flautist, composer & arranger -N.Y.C.

Lou Peréz was born in New York City in 1921, his father was Cuban, his mother Puerto Rican.
He and his parents moved to Cuba when he was four years old, then moved back to the the U.S. when he was 12 or 13 years old.

A "masterful musician and arranger", 'Lou Peréz' wrote between 300 and 500 compositions, played drums and vibraphone, his main instruments were flute and piano. He also sang.
As a young musician, he was involved in the bands of Gilberto Valdés, Noro Morales and Belisario López among many others.
He wrote music for T.V. commercials and films as well.

'Lou Peréz' very sadly died in N.Y.C. in 2005, the result a car accident. He was 77 years old.
One of his sons, 'Ron' is a V.P. of a computer corp., his other son 'Louis A. Perez Jr.' is a professor at the University Of North Carolina and author of the following books:
"Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution" - 1988
"Cuba and the United States" -1990
"Guide to Cuban Collections in the United States" - 1991
"Cuba" - 1995
"On Becoming Cuban" - 2001
"Cuba: Picturing Change" - 2002
"To Die In Cuba" - 2005
(all 7 books available on Amazon.com)

I never had the good fortune to play with Lou Peréz , although I met him several times near the end of his life. He was a true gentleman, very personable... with great soul.
This is not a definitive discography or biography, just twelve great recordings by him.
I really like Lou's music and his playing, and that he chose to have 'Marcelino Guerra' singing on several of these LP's.

"Para La Fiesta Voy" - 1961
(Reissued on CD)
Rudy Calzado vocal & coro

"Bon Bon De Chocolate!" - 1962
(Ajay vinyl LP)
Rudy Calzado: vocal

7. "Asi Se Baila Mi Son"

"Que buena está... Elena!!"

Elena Madera was from N.Y.C. with a Cuban mother & West Indian father.
Her singing style and voice was brusque, harsh & screechy ("torrid"?)... but Lou's arrangements and band sound great .
Early 1960's vinyl LP, nothing really special.

6. Hermosa Tierra

11. Canto Karabali

"Tamboleo"
1964?
Marcelino Guerra: coro
(Reissued on CD but they took everything from vinyl)

6."Mamá, Mamá, Mamá"

10. "Bodas De Oro"

11. "Oye Tu Veras"



Lou Peréz and his Orq.
Recorded in N.Y.C. - 1966
Lou Peréz: flute & vocal, Cachao: acoustic bass,
Marcelino Guerra: vocal & coro, "El Negro" Vivar: trumpet,
Alberto Fajardo & Pupy Legarreta violins.
(possibly obscure rough mixes)

The odd thing about this is that the songs are the same as on the LP "Of Latin Extraction".. but the mixes are different. For example, on "Adios Amor", Lou Perez is singing... but the same song on the LP "Of Latin Extraction" below, there is no vocal.
I have listened to both recordings closely, these are the same songs, but perhaps these may be the original 'rough mixes' before the actual LP "Of Latin Extraction" was released.
Marcelino Guerra is definitely singing, but there is no mention of his name and no mention of Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar on trumpet or Alberto Fajardo & Pupy Legarreta on the LP.

3. "Adios Mi Amor"
Vocal: Lou Peréz
(version with vocal)

6. "En Carne Propia"
Vocal: Lou Peréz
Trumpet: Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar

"Of Latin Extraction"

Vinyl LP on the Madrid label

Marcelino "Rapindey" Guerra sings on several songs as well as in the coro and Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar plays trumpet on one song, but their names are not listed on the LP.
"Cachao" plays his ass off!!

4. "Guantanamo"

6. "Martina"
(Lou's great composition in 5/4 & 3/4)

7. "El Palo Tiene Curujey"
Vocal: Marcelino Guerra

12. "Guantanamera"
Vocal: Marcelino Guerra

"Barrio"

1972 Parnaso vinyl LP

3. "No Tienes Gandinga"
Vocal: Marcelino Guerra

"¡Que Calor!"
Lou Peréz y su Conjunto Tipico1974
(Originally on Parnaso, this is a Seeco pressing)

Leader, conductor & Flute: Lou Perez

Vocal on several songs: Roberto Torres

Piano: Larry Kiviat
Bass: Israel "Cachao" López (Ibayé bayé tonu)
Timbales: Nicky Marrero
Conga: Ray Mantilla
Bongoes: Manny Oquendo (Ibayé bayé tonu)
Trumpets: Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros & Alberto "Panama" De Mercado

2. "El Reloj De Pastora"
Comp: Arsenio Rodriguez
Vocal: Marcelino Guerra

"Fantasia Africana"

1975 CD
Javier Vazquez: piano
Virgilio Marti: tumbadoras
Osvaldo "Chihuahua" Martinez: Güiro

"Nuestra Herencia"
1976 Tico vinyl LP

With Edy Martinez: Piano.
Israel "Cachao"Lopez: bass.
Julito Collazo, "Cachete" Maldonado & Steve Berrios: Batá drums.

1. "Our Heritage" (mini suite)

5. "No Hay Nada Como El Son"

8. "Mi Matanzas"

"De Todo Un Poco"
1977 Vinyl LP
With Edy Martinez on piano,
Julito Collazo, Batá.

"Lou Perez And His New York N.Y. Sound"
197?
3. "El Miri Miron"
Vocal: Marcelino Guerra

"Lou Peréz Live At The Palladium N.Y.C."
Sacodis label - 1979
(thanks to "Odara" for the photo)

'Louis Armstrong' & 'Lou Peréz'

Roseland Ballroom N.Y.C. 1966

The late Sonora Matancera guitarist Rogelio Martínez, the late Lou Peréz and the late Israel "Cachao" Lopez. 1970's

R.I.P.

*If anyone knows how to make a page in 'Wikipedia',
Lou Peréz should have his own page!

Antobal's Cuban All Stars 1957 & 1959 LP's

Antobal's Cuban All Stars

Cuban jazz arrangements by

 Chico O'Farril, Obdulio Morales,
Rene Hernandéz, Rafael Somavilla,
Alberto Iznaga and "Peruchin".
With many of the "first call" studio musicians
in Havana during the 1950's and early 1960's.

"Ay Caramba!"
1957
Antobal's Cuban All Stars

Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar: trumpet
Nilo Argudin: trumpet
Leonardo Timor Jr.: trumpet
Generoso "Tojo" Jimenéz : trombón
Antonio Linares: trombón
Amado Valdés: alto saxofón
Santiago Peñalver: alto saxofón
Emilio Peñalver: tenor saxofón
Pedro Chao: tenor saxofón
Oswaldo "Mosquitin" Urrutia: baritone saxofón
Pedro "Peruchin" Justiz: piano
"Felo" Hernandez: bajo
Marcelino Valdés: bongoes & Guiro
Guillermo "Barretico" Barreto:Drums & timbales
Girardo Rodriguez: tumbadora
"Justico" Antobal: maracas
Raul Azpiazu + Gina Martin: vocals

5. Este E' Mi Mambo
 (Piano solo: "Peruchin")

12. Ya Empezó
 

"Agua! Agua!"
1959
Antobal's Cuban All Stars
(cover photo with "Killer Joe" Piro in front of the girl)

Obdulio Morales: director
Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar: trumpet
Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros: trumpet
Domingo Corbacho: trumpet
Generoso "Tojo" Jimenéz : trombón
Antonio Linares: trombón
Santiago Peñalver: alto saxofón
Amado Valdés: alto saxofón
Emilio Peñalver: tenor saxofón
Emilio Chao: tenor saxofón
Oswaldo "Mosquitin" Urrutia: baritone saxofón
Pedro "Peruchin" Justiz: piano
"Felo" Hernandez: bajo
Guillermo "Barretico" Barreto: drums & timbales
"Oscarito" Valdés (Jr.): bongo y Güiro
Giraldo Rodriguez: tumbadora
"Justico" Antobal: maracas
Roberto Cordero: vocales

1. Agua! Agua!
(Piano solo: "Peruchin")

7. Los Timbales
(Guillermo Barreto: timbal)

Mango Mangüé
1959
Antobal's Cuban All Stars
(Cover art by Alarcón)

Obdulio Morales: director
Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar: trumpet
Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros: trumpet
Domingo Corbacho: trumpet
Generoso "Tojo" Jimenéz : trombón
Antonio Linares: trombón
Edilberto 'Eddy' Escrich: alto saxofón
Rafael Quesada: alto saxofón
Emilio Peñalver: tenor saxofón
Emilio Chao: tenor saxofón
Emilio Peñalver: flute
Oswaldo "Mosquitin" Urrutia: baritone saxofón
Pedro "Peruchin" Justiz: piano
"Felo" Hernandez: bajo
Guillermo "Barretico" Barreto: drums & timbales
 Oscar Valdés Sr.: tumbadora
Oscar "Oscarito" Valdés (Jr.): bongo y Güiro
Roberto Garcia: quinto
"Justico" Antobal: maracas
Roberto Cordero: vocales

 CD Reissue with  'Mango Mangüé' LP
plus second additional Antobal LP added.
Excellently remastered, great sound.
(Out of print)

"That Latin Beat"
Antobal's Latin All Stars
Vinyl LP on the Dot label

Luis Santi - Cuba / Miami

"Mambo Infierno"
1950-1955
Reissues from 78rpm's on a Tumbao CD
(Free on "the usual" file sharing sites)

"San Leopoldo Lo Tiene Ya'"
from a 78rpm

"A Bailar"
Conjunto Luis Santi - canta: Celio Gonzalez
Panart vinyl LP original 1957 cover.
(Free on "the usual" file sharing sites)


"A Bailar"
CD re-issue with the "usual horrible 'Musart' cover design".
Sold online @ .99 cents each song
Transferred from the vinyl LP, converted to MP3's
(Free on "the usual" file sharing sites)

5. La Pirata

9. Los Bomberos


"Luis Santi y Su Conjunto"
2 LP double album, not easy to find.

Two LP's by Cuban pianist Luis Santi. The sessions on LP #1 were recorded in Cuba between 1960 and 1965. Several swinging arangements on LP #1 which include the Juanito Marquez composition "Arimate Pa' ca", the classic "Echale Grasa" written by 'Augustin Ribot' and an interesting tune by Luis Santi that he calls "Mozan-Pa'ca-Pilón-Bique" (Mozambique-Pa'ca-Pilón) The sessions on LP #2 are all instrumentals, though I can't find any dates. Luis Santi left Cuba and arrived in Miami in 1970. I've never cared for his Miami LP's post 1970, though many are generally "sought after" LP's. These two vinyl LP's were "transferred" from LP's recorded in Cuba, then in Miami in the late 1970's re-released as 2 LP's in one record cover.

LP #1
Vocals: Gil Valladares, Máximo (“La araña”) y “Pitín”

4. "Bambaraquiti"

7. "Echale Grasa"

10. "Mozan-Pa'ca-Pilón-Bique"

LP #2
14. "Descarga En La Noche"
(nice acoustic bass solo)

16. "Ritmo Palenque"

"Como Reia Cuba"
Luis Santi y Su Conjunto

Vinyl LP appears both on the Kristal and Suave lables.
The production is a mess, songs in wrong order and there
are two other bands on this LP.
Cover says "Como Reia Cuba Vol. I" .....
but the labels on vinyl say "Como Bailaba CubaVol. III".

"Rosa Que Linda Eres"


"Perfidia"
Luis Santi y Su Conjunto
Vinyl LP Discuba
With a Woman on the cover that looks
like a heroin addict nodding out.

Over the last several months, these below have been sold on Amazon.com as .99 cent "remastered digital downloads", however.. they are not really "remastered", they were just transferred from vinyl LP's then converted to MP3's so they could easily be sold on online.

"Bien Cubano"
6 out of 10 are boleros.
Transferred from 78rpm's, converted to MP3's
Sold online @ .99 cents each song.
(Free on "the usual" file sharing sites)

Below are Luis Santi sessions recorded in Florida
after he left Cuba. Though they are considered so called
collectors recordings, for me they are not as interesting
as his recordings done previously in Cuba.

Sorry, No Espik Ingli
Recorded in Florida - 1970
With "El Negro Vivar": trumpet
Original vinyl LP
(LP free on "the usual" file sharing sites)


"Abran Paso"
Recorded in Hialeah, Florida - 1975
With "El Negro Vivar": trumpet
And Carlos "Patato" Valdes: tumbadoras
Tony Saydal: bongoes
Sold online @ .99 cents each song.
(LP & CD free on "the usual" file sharing sites)


"Con el Cuchillo en la Boca"
Sold online @ .99 cents each song.
Recorded in Florida - 1976
Transferred from LP's, converted to MP3's
(Both LP & CD free on "the usual" file sharing sites)

"El Bigote"
Sold online @ .99 cents each song.
Recorded in Florida
Transferred from LP's, converted to MP3's
(Both LP & CD free on "the usual" file sharing sites)


"Mi Nueva Generación"
Recorded in Florida
Same songs as on "La Piramide"
Vinyl LP free on "the usual" file sharing sites.


"La Piramide"
Recorded in Florida
Same songs as on "Mi Nueva Generación"
Vinyl LP free on "the usual" file sharing sites.