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 Monday, May 8th 2006, New York City, New York: It was the party of the year
and it was held appropriately high above Manhattan in Dizzy's Club Coca Cola.
The stage, set in front of a wall of large windows, revealed the majestic cityscape-as
much Candido's as Woody Allen's or Robert DeNiro's.
Candido Camero celebrated his 85th birthday, as he has for so many years,
in a special concert birthday party. When he graced the stage, the Havana-born
percussionist's moves harkened back to his early days in the Big Apple, when
he revolutionized techniques for playing congas with a legion of acclaimed
artists, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Machito, Tommy Dorsey,
Stan Kenton, Mario Bauza and Tony Bennett. Co-sponsored by LP and the New School
in Manhattan, the fete was packed for both 7:30 and 9:30 shows-a rarity for
any club on a Monday night! But this was no ordinary celebration.
Performing under the direction of LP artist and dynamic educator Bobby
Sanabria,
the New School Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, an elite twenty-four piece student
band, captured the audience's attention. LP founder and accomplished photographer
Martin Cohen was on hand, as was the
New School Executive Director Martin Mueller, several of his faculty peers,
and many Latin music fans.
The New School band was in full swing when, during the latter portion of their
set, Candido joined in. The master appeared in front of the band stand with
his signature LP
Candido Camero Original Model Congas. The clean white finish,
Candido's choice for so many years, glowed in the spotlights. Incidentally,
for decades Candido has selected white for aesthetic and practical reasons. "I
chose white," Candido explains, "because for years congueros were
relegated to the dark corners of club stages. A white finish makes the percussionist
stand out proudly. And the white of my signature congas absorbs stage light
and radiates it outward."
As the energy escalated, Candido delighted the audience when he broke into
a spontaneous dance. Belying his advancing years, the Grammy nominee was obviously
in fine form. Bobby Sanabria, who also received a Grammy nomination (for his
album Live and in Clave), joined in on drumset. The staff graciously sliced
Candido's birthday cake, serving it to the audience while the band broke out
in a unique rendition of "Happy Birthday". Later Candido posed
for photographs and signed autographs.
LP is proud once again to have co-sponsored Candido's birthday party/concert.
The grand setting called attention to this artist's enormous contribution
to Latin music-a "New York story" in itself.
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