Benny Velarde is a well-known timbalero who has been part of the Latin music scene in the Bay Area since the 1950s. Most famously, he was part of Cal Tjader's quintet. He has continued to lead small bands and orchestras for the past 50 years.
I went to see Velarde (or, just "Benny!" as audience members called him) last night at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco. The group featured excellent musicianship and dynamic interplay among the percussionists. One things I noticed about the timbales, which are still pretty new to me, is how a small change in the rhythms and patterns can dramatically change the momentum of the overall group sound. An emphatic drum hit on the "one" can signal the transition between soloists; changing the clave rhythm from cowbell to cymbal can propel the whole ensemble forward with a new sense of urgency.
Velarde himself is a joy to watch. He is in his ninth decade, a survivor of cancer, and yet, unlike other big names known for still doing their thing (B.B. King comes to mind), he can maintain his inspired playing for over two hours. Afterward, he had enough gusto to accept his SF Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award with three separate mini-speeches, detailing his boyhood in Panama and the history of his career as a Bay Area legend. Go Benny!
Below is a recording of his biggest hit, "Baila Mi Guaguanco". Check out the early Cal Tjader Quintet recordings for more of his sound.
No comments:
Post a Comment