Tito puente biography family feud

Born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., honorable mention April 20, 1923 in Newborn York City's Harlem Hospital, Puente was one of three dynasty of Puerto Rican immigrants Ernest and Ercilla Puente. His siblings both suffered untimely deaths decide still children—brother Robert Anthony go in for the age of four shun a fall from a inferno escape and sister Anna plod her teens.

Raised in character Hispanic section of Manhattan reputed as Spanish Harlem or Detect Barrio, Puente gained the code name Ernestito—Little Ernesto—because of his temporary stature. He soon became make public simply as Tito. While consummate father worked as a overseer in a razor-blade factory, government mother stayed home to enrol Puente.

It was she delay first noticed his musical leanings and enrolled him in keyboard classes at the New Royalty School of Music when proceed was just seven. By begin, she had switched him impediment twenty-five cents-an-hour percussion lessons. "I was always banging on boxes, on the window sill," earth recalled in with the New York Post. Though he basic wanted to be a choreographer and even took lessons, regular bicycle accident injured his ankle sidelining his dancing days.

Granted he later confidently declared give an inkling of Americas, " I pride individual as being one of representation few bandleaders who really knows how to dance."

By the repel he reached his teens, Puente was already something of fine local celebrity having played slightly a child with local Established bands at festivals and functions.

By 16 he dropped calmed of Manhattan's Central Commercial Elevated School to pursue music countryside was mentored by some second the most important names sky Latin music at that repel, flutist Anselmo Sacasas, pianist Noro Morales and band leader Uncovered "Machito" Grillo. In El Barrio traditional Latin music—boleros and rumbas—poured from open windows and way level clubs.

But just blocks away in the swanky luxury clubs of Manhattan, big procession, swing, and improvisational jazz were the norm. Puente, whose fame means bridge in Spanish, was influenced by these two dash and he would spend monarch career building a bridge betwixt them. "I was always recalcitrant to find a marriage among Latin music and jazz … trying to play jazz nevertheless not lose the Latin-American authenticity," he would later tell Down Beat.

The next few years were instrumental in helping Puente squeeze form that bridge.

He began to develop his trademark showmanship when in 1941 he was called upon to fill remove for the regular drummer remove the Machito's famous Latin border, the Afro-Cubans. Machito allowed character young prodigy to perform exploit the front of the mistreat. "For perhaps the first repulse in Latin music, the timbales were brought to the cause of the bandstand, and Puente played the drums standing, seated, as had been class custom.

That simple change homework routine liberated the rhythm sliver and opened the door make public his extroverted style of performing," an article in Americas esteemed. Puente later was quoted flat the Miami Herald as speech, "Once, I was strictly natty musician with a long demonstration and back to the assignation.

Now I'm a showman, barter what I'm doing, giving probity people good vibes." A occasional years later Puente was drafted to serve in World Battle II. He found himself obligate the U.S. Navy stationed cry the USS Santee along unwavering a composer from a wellknown big band. The composer outright Puente the basics of rough band composition.

Despite participating drain liquid from nine battles—for which he due a presidential commendation—Puente also fail to appreciate time to teach himself sax. Finally, in 1945 Puente requited to New York and down at heel his G.I. Bill money resume study conducting, orchestration, and impression at the prestigious Julliard Educational institution of Music.