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 Basic Test by Bobby Sanabria, 1990
Postscript by Bobby Sanabria, June 2000
PART 1: EARLY YEARS
The aphorism: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Consider for a moment the parts that make up Tito Puente: master drummer, percussionist, pianist, saxophonist, vocalist, composer, orchestrator, arranger, and conductor. Out of the lengthy list of musicians who have contributed to the development and acceptance of Latin music throughout the world, none is more recognized than the man known simply as "the king." For over fifty years he has been a constant source of inspiration to serious students of percussion, composition, and arranging, and has thrilled dancers and concert goers around the world.
Tito was born Ernest Anthony Puente, Jr. in New York City on April 20, 1923. His father, Ernest Sr. from Guanadillas, and mother, Ercilia Ortiz from Coamo, had arrived in New York from Puerto Rico only shortly before his birth. Tito grew up in East Harlem; a community made largely of Hispanic émigrés, referred as "El Barrio." Tito recalls, "My parents moved from Brooklyn to El Barrio because at the time, landlords would give you two months free rent. We constantly moved from one block to another until my father finally established himself. He eventually became a foreman at the Gem Razor Blade Company in Brooklyn." The Puente family would later grow to five members, with the addition of a daughter, Anna, and son Robert Anthony, who would die tragically at the age of four as a result of a fall from a fire escape.
Young "Ernesto" grew up during the full flower of the Jazz Age and absorbed its culture like a sponge, spending countless hours listening to big band music on the radio and seeing vaudeville acts and the latest Hollywood movie musicals. Puente's precocious interest in music did not go unnoticed. His mother packed him off to the New York School of Music, which had a branch near their home on 125th and Lenox Avenue. "I remember I used to go on Saturdays for my lesson," recalls Tito. "At the time I was enrolled at Public School 184, where I would practice my lessons on the school piano." Tito continued these lessons for seven years, also occasionally being tutored by pianist Victoria Hernandez, sister of Puerto Rico's most renowned composer, Rafael Hernandez, and Luis Varona, an early pianist in the Machito Orchestra who would one day play in the Tito Puente Orchestra.
After his lesson Tito would entertain his parents, playing semi-classical pieces and the current pop tunes of the day. "One of my most vivid memories is playing the Puerto Rican danza, "Miss Amores" for my mother. She loved when I would play that." Spurned on by the comments of the neighbors, who heard his insistent tapping, Ercilia sought out a drum teacher for her son. Still studying piano, Tito began lessons with a Mr. Williams, a show drummer teacher. "He knew absolutely nothing about Latin music," remembers Tito, "but I wasn't going to him for that. He gave me a good foundation: snare drum technique, how to interpret figures in charts and accompany shows. I would listen to the great dance bands of the day on the radio, Goodman, Gene Krupa. I even won a drum contest playing his solo on "Sing, Sing, Sing," note for note."
In addition to listening to big jazz, Tito was influenced by the music coming out of Cuba. His early favorites included Arsenio Rodriguez and La Orchestra Casino De La Playa, which featured singer Miguelito Valdez. Tito expanded his artistic talents; singing in a neighborhood barbershop quartet and studying dance with his younger sister, Anna. They would eventually perform together as a child song-and-dance team. "Annie and I studied all forms of ballroom dancing, including acrobatic tap." Tito recalls. "We were inspired of course by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. I pride myself on being one of the few bandleaders who really knows how to dance. It's something that more young band leaders should investigate." Anna too would die tragically in her teens after a long illness.
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