Event
Carlos Federico Memorial Sextet - Tribute To A Mambo King!
Join us for a CD release party for The Carlos Federico Memorial Album, a glowing tribute album to mambo legend Carlos Federico.
Panamanian-American pianist Carlos Federico lit up the Bay Area in the 1950s with a mambo quintet that had dancers spinning. His compositions were recorded by George Shearing, Malo, Chepito Areas, Ritmo 74 and others. As an educator, he started the community Salsa Workshops at the Mission Cultural Center, Eastbay Center for the Performing Arts, Merritt College and many other spots where he taught students the art of Salsa and Latin Jazz. He passed away ten years ago without ever recording an album of himself playing his own music. The Carlos Federico Memorial Album is a Descarga Latin jam session recorded at the old KPFA studios in Berkeley in late 1985. It stands as testament to an unsung Bay Area Latin music pioneer.
Come join us as a stellar cast of Carlos Federico alumni celebrates his legacy for two wonderful nights. The Carlos Federico Memorial Sextet includes Teddy Strong (congas), Nerio DeGracia (vibes), David Belove (bass), David Frazier (bongo) and other special surprise guests.
Chuy Varela, Music Director at KCSM Jazz 91, will be our MC for both explosive evenings.
Carlos Federico Smart was born on Dec.12, 1930 in Colon, Panama. The son of a doctor, he came to the Bay Area in the late 1940s to study medicine at U.C. Berkeley. Growing up in Panama his family had a piano that he naturally gravitated towards. As a teen, he became captivated by the sounds of Afro-Cuban music and starting picking things out. Piano players like Noro Morales, Pedro Justiz âÂÂPeruchÃÂnâ and Perez Prado served as early influences.
Into the 1950s, as San Francisco's North Beach became a cultural mecca of the Beat generation and bongo fever struck, Carlos Federico and his Panamanians fueled a golden age of Latin music and dance playing around the Bay Area. The initiation of the Sunday afternoon "Mambo Sessions" at the Gold Room of the California Hotel in Oakland is what uplifted the band. The original quintet consisted of various musicians but prominently featured vibist Lionel Samuels, bassist Lou Gottlieb, drummer Ricardo Lewis, and timbaleros Willie Vargas or Bayard âÂÂBennyâ Velarde.
Television appearances on the Del Courtney Show helped the group garner a large loyal following. Federico and his pals had already grooving with their small group Afro-Cuban jazz thing for some time when Cal Tjader rose to prominence. In fact, Tjader grabbed players from Federico's band for his 1954 album, Modern Mambo Quintet. Musically, Carlos matured greatly in the 1950s thanks to his friendship with percussion great Armando Peraza, who he considered to be his first teacher.
It was through Armando that Federico encountered jazz great George Shearing, who asked to hear his compositions. Impressed, Shearing recorded his his âÂÂMambo Caribeâ and "Rondoâ on his Capitol LP, Latin Lace. It w
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LocationJazz at Pearl's
256 Columbus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133
United States
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| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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