In memoriam: Cecil Carter

Cecil Carter
(Photo taken by me)

Born in New York City
Died in San Francisco, California March 13 2012
R.I.P. / D.E.P
Iba ayé ba yé t'orún mi hermano.

We were friends since we were teenagers.

Cecil Carter.. a great Rumbero, a humble wonderful person.

Will be very much missed by all of us who knew him, played

Rumba with him, both here in N.Y.C. as well as San Francisco and actually..... all over parts of the U.S.

Those of us who knew Cecil well, knows that he was a master at "riding" freight trains all over the United States, from N.Y.C. to California, New Mexico, Tucson Arizona, Florida, the Carolinas, practically everywhere!
During the years I lived in New Orleans ('73-'86), Cecil came to visit me many times in the 1970's and 1980's.
In 1985, there was a large and dangerous hurricane coming close to New Orleans... it pouring heavy sheets of rain with lightening and thunder.... 70 mile an hour winds outside.... at about 12 midnight I heard someone knocking at my front door...
I opened the door and there was Cecil.... soaking wet literally down to the bone!!!
He looked like a soaked street cat.... I let him in and we smoked some good herb and laughed about it for the next 25 years!
I really will miss him very much.

Central Park Rumberos
1982 N.Y.C.
Cecil Carter on the left wearing the black shirt.

Cecil Carter playing Tumbadora.
Central Park 1981-'82

Grupo Erékusú.
1976 - New Orleans
A rumba group I put together in New Orleans.
L-R: Humberto "Pupy" Menez, Rubén González,
Cecil Carter & Myself.

Central Park, N.Y.C. 1974-'75
Cecil Carter playing his Chekere made for him by my dad.

Photos N.Y.C. - 1978 - 1982 - 1985

Left to right:

'Howard Levy', *'John Amira' (*Author, Olu Bata, teacher)

*'John Mason' (*Author, Babalao, director of the Yorùbá Theological Arch ministry) and myself.

Front: My father and Haitian master drummer Frisner Augustin.

All of us are holding Chekeré's made by my father.
Photo above taken in 1978.

Central Park Rumberos
Photo above taken in Central Park N.Y.C. 1982

Standing left to right:
'Cecil Carter' holding Chekere. Elio "Yeyito" Flores white hat red shirt. 'John Mason' white hat.
'Eddie Bobé'. 'Nicky'. 'Pablito'. Abraham "Abe" Rodriguez' hat sunglasses holding my dads cigar.
My father on the end holding one his favorite Chekeres he made.. he called it "The Pickle".
Front middle: "Rocky" (R.I.P.) 'Felix Sanabria'. Squating front right: 'Ralph' ("El Unico").

Two photos of my band at the New Orleans Jazz Festival 1985

'Eddie Bobé', myself and my father playing Chekere.

My father playing his favorite "Pickle" Chekere,

New Orleans drummer 'Noel Kendrik' playing Okonkolo Bata,
'Eddie Bobé' playing Iyá Bata and myself playing Itotele Bata.

All Chekeres and Bata drums made by my father.

Manuel Martinez Olivera "El Llanero" y "Los Afortunados" N.Y.C. Rumba 1985

Manuel Martinez Olivera "El Llanero"

Born: 1930 La Habana, Cuba
Died: Jan. 29th 2010, N.Y.C.
*** Iba ayé ba yé t'orún ***
R.I.P.

An important figure in the post 1980 and well into the 1990's N.Y.C. Cuban rumba scene, Manuel Martinez Olivera known as "El Llanero" or simply Manolo, came to the U.S. from La Habana via the mass exodus out from the Port of Mariel in Cuba that took place in 1980.
Manuel Martinez Olivera was the person responsible for creating the term "Guarapachangueo", as applied to a particular style of Cuban rumba first created in 1975- ‘76.

He quickly became a respected singer within the N.Y.C. rumba scene, specifically in the Sunday rumbas that had been taking place in Central Park since the early 1970's.

In the N.Y.C. Central Park Rumba "after 1980", Manuel Martinez Olivera was one of the first to "sing and phrase correctly within the rumba Clavés musical time signature"...
something that the "Newyorican" & "African American" rumberos and drummers were unaccustomed to "pre 1980".

(Many other changes took place during the "post 1980" time period, two important other changes being placing the Clavé on the "other side" of the 'Tres Dos' drum rhythm & vice versa, as well as playing the 'Quinto' drum as to "mark/marcado" the dancer as opossed to playing 'Quinto' and making it/phrasing it to come out sounding like a timbale solo.)

During the mid 1980's a rumba group formed in N.Y.C. and was called "Los Afortunados".
Manuel Martinez Olivera was the principal lead singer. The band also included several others that I can remember: 'Paula Balin', Gina Schwartz & Elio "Yeyito" Flores singing coro, as well as Felix D. Sanabria (Quinto & Bata) and Abraham "Abe" Rodriguez (second voice), both respected drummers/rumberos. (Both to later play with and become musical disciples of the Orlando "Puntilla" Rios group.

Manuel Martinez Olivera, a.k.a. "El Llanero" never attained the "celebrity/notoriety" of a "Puntilla" or a Pedro Pablo Martinez, however.... "El Llanero" became and remains a much loved and respected figure in the history of the N.Y.C. rumba scene.

In 1985 a studio recording with 12 songs was done by Manuel Martinez Olivera y Los Afortunados, but never commercially released. These are from that recording session.

Personnel:

Manuel Martínez Olivera

Felix Sanabria - Dir.
Abe Rodríguez

Rocky Causcut

Ricky Soler

Mirta Masonet

Susan Sanabria

Paula Ballan

Junito Martínez

Reiko

1. Los Afortunados
Manuel Martinez Olivera: 
vocal and two drums

2. Habana
Manuel Martinez Olivera: lead vocal.
Abraham "Abe" Rodriguez: 2nd voice.

5. Ya No Hay Sol
Manuel Martinez Olivera: lead vocal.
Abraham Rodriguez: 2nd voice.

6. Ay Nena!
Manuel Martinez Olivera: lead vocal.
Abraham "Abe" Rodriguez: 2nd voice.

7. La Loma De Belen
Abraham "Abe" Rodriguez: lead vocal.
Manuel Martinez Olivera & Abraham Rodriguez: coro.

8. Beny Moré
Manuel Martinez Olivera: lead vocal.
Abraham "Abe" Rodriguez: 2nd voice.

10. Imbalayé
Manuel Martinez Olivera: lead vocal.
Abraham "Abe" Rodriguez: 2nd voice.

11. Igual Como Mabo D' Oriente
Manuel Martinez Olivera: vocal

Unfortunately, the later years did not fare well for Manolo as he had to enter a "home for the aged and infirm" in the Bronx, N.Y.
A photo of my friend Tito Sandoval a great N.Y.C. rumbero, dance teacher and drummer taken during a visit to him.

2008
Tito Sandoval visiting Manolo and 
playing rumba for him through an Ipod.

1982-'83
In the Bandshell, Central Park, N.Y.C.

Drummers left to right:
Cecil Carter: Tumbadora. R.I.P. Iba ayé ba yé t'orún
Elio "Yeyito" Flores, Tres dos.
"Pablito de Mariel": Quinto.
Manuel Martinez and Abraham "Abe" Rodriguez singing right side.
Tito Sandoval in red shirt.
My father playing Chekeré. Iba ayé ba yé t'orún

Manolo in Central Park, N.Y.C.
Photos from a video I shot.

Cantando junto con "Tao La Onda"

"El Llanero"
Manuel Martinez Olivera
Born: Jan. 1, 1930 La Habana, Cuba
Died: Jan. 29th, 2010, N.Y.C.
80 years old
*** Ibayé bayé tonu ***
R.I.P.

Rubén González / Cuban singer - Cuba / Miami / New Orleans

El Conjunto Niagra
cantando Rubén González.

Rubén González 4th in from the right.

Rubén singing lead vocals in
  these five songs with Conj. Niagara:
'Abasi-Abacúa' (1945)
'Rumba De Congo' (1945)
(with a killer bongó solo by Alfredo Boloña)
'Llego Dieguito' (1945)
'Tumba Mabo' (1945)
'Soltando Chispas' (1946)

Abasi-Abacúa

Rumba De Congo
(Bongó solo: Alfredo Boloña)

Llego Dieguito

Tumba Mabo

Soltando Chispas - 1946:

 The late 'Rubén González' was one of the singers for the Conjunto Niagra and also sang with the Pianist Anselmo Sacasas y Su Orq.
He left Cuba in the early 1960's, lived in Miami, before moving to New Orleans where he spent the rest of his life raising a family and singing with his small conjunto, before passing away in the late1980's.

I played Tumbadoras (Congas) in that small group from 1975-1986.
I found these pictures of us playing in a box I had stored away.

1975-76 New Orleans
Carlos Scott: timbales, Myself: tumbadoras
Hugo Espinoza: bajo, Carlos: sax, Rubén González: singer
Jaime Espinoza: piano

1976 - Grupo 'Erekusu'

A rumba group I put together in New Orleans.
Humberto "Pupy" Menez, Rubén González,
Cecil Carter and Myself.

1977-78 New Orleans Jazz Festival.