Cándido Camero


Cándido de Guerra Camero, also known simply as Cándido, is a Cuban conga and bongo player. He also plays the tres, drums, and acoustic bass. He has worked in many genres of popular music from pop, rock, R&B and disco to Afro-Cuban dance music and Latin jazz. He is the first player to develop techniques to play multiple conga drums, coordinated independence and the use of multiple percussion, one player playing a variety of percussion instruments simultaneously.

Career

Early in his career, Camero recorded in his native Cuba with many of the early pioneers of the son movement as well as being the conga drummer for the Tropicana night club in Havana from its opening night in 1940 and subsequently for the next eight years. He first appeared in NYC in the musical review, Tidbits, at the Plymouth Theater on Broadway in 1946 backing up the Cuban dance team of Carmen and Rolando. In 1948 he made his first U.S. recording with Machito and His Afro-Cubans on the tune, "El Rey Del Mambo." as well as working with Dizzy Gillespie. During 1953–54, he was in the Billy Taylor Trio and in 1954 he performed and recorded with Stan Kenton.
He also enjoyed success during the disco era of the 1970s, most notably with the Babatunde Olatunji-penned track "Jingo" from his Dancin' and Prancin' album, which he recorded for Salsoul Records in 1979. The album has also been acknowledged as an influence and precursor to house music, predating the emergence of the genre by over five years.
Camero was honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2008.

Discography

As leader

With Bobby Sanabria
With Benjamin Lapidus
With Gene Ammons
With Art Blakey
With Ray Bryant
With Kenny Burrell
With Dizzy Gillespie
;With Coleman Hawkins
With Billy Taylor
With Bennie Green
With Duke Ellington
With Don Elliott
With Stan Kenton
With the Lecuona Cuban Boys
With Randy Weston
With Sonny Rollins
With Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic
With Wynton Kelly
With Grant Green
With Illinois Jacquet
With Gary McFarland
With Wes Montgomery
With Tico All-Stars
With Bobby Hutcherson
  • Now!
With Elvin Jones
  • Poly-Currents
  • Coalition
  • New Agenda
With Ellen McIlwaine
With Erroll Garner
  • Mambo Moves Garner
With Tito Puente
  • Top Percussion
With Machito'