Mongo Santamaria - LP covers & photos

"Mongo Santamaria's Afro-Cuban Drums"

1952 SMC-Pro-Art LP592
With original cover artwork by
David Stone Martin


1955 Tico vinyl 10' inch LP-137

This was originally supposed to be a Silvestre Mendez' LP, but at the time Tico felt Mongo Santamaria's name was better known.
Silvestre Mendez wrote five and sings most of the songs on this LP.

"Chango"
Mongo Santamaria And His Afro-Cubans
featuring Silvestre Mendez
1955 Tico vinyl 7' inch 45rpm EP

"Our Man In Havana" - 1959

Original vinyl LP on the Fantasy label.
(Beautiful shiny high gloss cover & red vinyl)


"Mongo In Havana"
Original 1960 vinyl LP on the Fantasy label.
(Beautiful shiny high gloss cover & red vinyl)

Great photo of Mongo on a Havana hotel balcony.
This original 1960 cover photo is impossible to find anywhere on the internet.
Both '59 & '60 recording's reissued on one CD several years ago.

Close up of Mongo Santamaria's hand while playing. 1970s
Born in 'Jesus Maria', La Habana April 7th 1917
 Died in Miami, Florida Feb. 1st, 2003

A young Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria

Tumbadoras made by Gonzalo Vergara - Cuba

Tumbadoras (Congas) made during the 1950's and 1960's by the Cuban master drum maker Gonzalo Vergara are the "gold standard" which the two best American drum makers; the late 'Nataly "Junior" Tirado Ruiz' and 'Jay Bereck' of "Skin On Skin" based their drums on in both style and shape.

(The major difference between "Skin On Skin" and "Junior" Tirado's drums is that Jay Bereck "steams" the wood into shape, and Nataly "Junior" Tirado Ruiz used horizontal "cuts" to bend the wood into shape, which is what Gonzalo Vergara did.
The third American drum maker currently making drums with "root retention" going back to Gonzalo Vergara is Matthew Smith of "Ritmo".
(though his drums are more an "excellent hybrid" of both "Skin On Skin" and "Juniors")

Two Drummers playing three tunable tumbadoras made by
 Gonzalo Vergara. Photo in the Panart recording studios
in Havana with José Fajardo on flute,1950's.

"Jabuco" de Conjunto Roberto Faz,
playing a 10½ inch Vergara.

Fajardos drummer playing a 10½ inch Vergara.
 Oscar Valdés Sr. playing a 10½ inch Vergara.
(Father of Oscar Valdés Jr. ex Irakere singer)

Rogelio "Yeyito" Iglesias
Posing with a 10½ inch Vergara 1950's.

The late Luis Abreu
with a 10½ inch Vergara 1963.

A young Beny Moré playing
a 10½ inch Vergara Mid 1950's.

Beny Moré with two Vergara's in the car.
The original RCA LP cover 1960-'61.

A Vergara on a Celina y Rutillio LP cover.

A 10½ inch Vergara on the cover of Sensacion's LP.

Enrique Lazaga from 'Ritmo Oriental'
posing with a Vergara 1959 or '60.

Juan Claro Bravo from 'Ritmo Oriental' playing 
a Vergara (and wearing "The Eyeglasses")
 Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria playing 
his Vergara's 1950's with Tito Puente's band.

Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria playing 
his Vergara's with his band 70's.
 

Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria in his house,

his two Vergara's behind him on the right.

Ramon 'Mongo' Santamaria with Tjaders quintet

'59-'60 with his two Vergara's.

 

Mongo with his two Vergara's
  Mongo with his two Vergara's, the red
one he had covered in fiberglass in the U.S.

Cuban drummer Marcelino Valdés
playing two Vergara's, early 60's.

Ernesto Tito Puente,
posing with a 10½ inch Vergara.

Ray Baretto

With his two "old beat up" drums made by Gonzalo Vergara.
They were given to him by Mongo Santamaria.
(Info via 'Dario' "El Rey de las tumbadoras Cubanas" en Miami)

Ray Baretto
(con "Los Espejuelos" de verdad)

An Oak wood Vergara, restored by
master drum maker, Matthew Smith. 

Photo: Matthew Smith, Ritmo Drums.

El Sucu Sucu - Ritmo creado en La Isla Del Pinos, Cuba

A vinyl 45 rpm on Areito,
with several "rural" forms of 'Sucu Sucu'

In the photo above, you can see the Bongoes are connected with a strap & just "slung" over the musicians knee. This particular system goes back to the early style of bongoces played in 'Son' in the very early 1920's.

The 'Sucu Sucu', a "rural Cuban" rhythm that is reputed to have originated by a Woman named 'Bruna Castillo'.
It was purportedly created in 1840 in a house called "La Tumbita" that was close to a "village" named 'Santa Fe' which is now the second largest city on La 'Isla Del Pinos'.
(now called 'La Isla de la Juventude' since 1978)

The rhythm originally was known to have several names: "rumbita", "cotunto" up untill the 1920's when it was named 'Sucu Sucu' based on the sounds made by the style of playing the 'bandurria' and the sliding and dragging of the feet on the wooden floor of the "bohios" and "conucos".
(small houses of the campesinos/farmers at that time).

"WHAT WAS THE SUCU SUCU IN CUBAN MUSIC? "
An article writen by Maria del Carmen Mestas

To my knowledge, one the only few Cuban musicians still playing 'Sucu Sucu' and keeping it alive commercially is Ramon “Mongo” Rives, a 'Laúd' player and the great grandson of 'Bruna Castillo'.

"Maria Elena"
Mongo Rives


"Esto Es Sucu Sucu!"
'Ramon “Mongo” Rives'
Sucu Sucu - 2002 CD
(((Mongo Rives: Here)))


"El Sucu Sucu"
La Tumbita Criola de 'Ramon Mongo Rives
CD

"Familia González Rives"
Vinyl LP EGREM/Areito
La Mujer De Antonio
Sucu Sucu



1956
Cuban musican playing a 'Bandurria'
(FAQ's about the Bandurria)

1947
Cuban musician playing a 'Laúd'

Several examples of "rural" Sucu Sucu:

Compay Cotunto (1960's)

El Caiman (1960's)

El Caiman #2 (1967)

"Sucu Sucu" with drum & bottle (1960's)

Jean Vincent, Alberto Socarras, Marcelino Guerra, Mongo Santamaria, "Patato" Valdez, Willie Bobo "The Soul Of Haiti" 1957

"The Soul Of Haiti"

1957
Vinyl LP on Vanguard

On these sessions Haitian Jean Vincent brought in the master Alberto Socarras arranger and flute, Marcelino Guerra playing guitar, Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria together with Carlos "Patato" Valdez and William "Willie Bobo" Correa on percussion.

The arrangements by Socarras were meant to be lush, tropical and "exotic" which they are and his flute playing is uniquely "Socarras".
Mongo's drumming in 1957... physically powerful.
Mongo, Patato and Willie not being adept in "authentic Haitian drumming/rhythms", basically applied what they were adept at, which was Cuban derived drumming mostly in 6/8.
A lot of which was "improvisational" for these sessions.

7. Damballa

11. Pésé Café

13. Yanvalou

14. Haiti Cherie
Marcelino Guerra: guitar

Tito Puente "The Complete 78s" Vol - I, II, III, IV - N.Y.C.

Many of the original 78rpm records that were used for this four volume set, came from my fathers record collection that he sold to 'Joe Conzo' in the early 1980's.
Featuring 'Vicentico Valdés', 'Mongo Santamaria', 'Willie Bobo', 'Manny Oquendo' and 'Charlie Palmieri'

On these early recordings, Mongo is playing a 'tack head" drum (a drum that needed a can of 'Sterno' to heat the skin head to tune it) and later especially in Vol-IV, you can hear him playing his two drums made by 'Gonzalo Vergara'.

'Mongo' playing a "tack head" tumbadora.

'Mongo' playing his two 'Vergara's' with 'Tito Puente'.

(((Vol - I)))

(((Vol - II)))


(((Vol - III)))


(((Vol - IV)))