Jack Constanzo : The King Of Bongos , Lord Of Percussion
Apr 25th, 2008 by PFBlog
Percussion is the most tribal and primitive form of music . It has been the first musical experience of men and it still remains as a fascinating form of cultural creativity .
Jack Constanzo if for many of us the number one percussionist of all times . Specially if we are talking about bongos or congas ..
The way he played these drums is unique ..and , at the time, it was completely revolutionary ! No one had ever heard percussion sounds so explosive , contagious and powerful .
Jacks legacy will live throughout many many years , as long as there are people who feel the vibe of Constanzo´s rhythms flowing in their bodies and minds ..
Constanzo´s joy in playing could not only be seen in his face but every time he touched a set of drums you could see that he was destined for something much higher than what was previously done before .
He introduced millions of people to grooves from latin america , africa and exotic islands from the pacific . He showed us all how beatifull music can be when you dont care about frontiers or genres .. From cuba , to mozambique , from hawai to brazil , all elements of these rich cultures is present in every performance .
He still is making live gigs , even though he is well over 80 years of age now .
Everyone wants to know him and say they have had the chance to play life with one of the most outstanding and mind-blowing percussion artist ever to step into planet earth .
Costanzo started as a dancer, touring as a team with his wife before World War 2. After his discharge from the Navy, he worked as a dance instructor at the Beverly Hills Hotel when Latin band leader Bobby Ramos heard him playing bongos in a jam session and gavie his a job. Through the end of the 1940s, Costanzo worked with a number of Latin bands, including a revived version of the Lecuona Cuban Boys, Desi Arnaz, and Rene Touzet.
He was the first bongo drummer to join a jazz orchestra when, in 1947, he became part of the Stan Kenton organization. His musicianship was so unique that Kenton had “Bongo Riff” written to feature Costanzo. Since leaving the Kenton organization to work as a soloist, Jack Costanzo has
been featured with Nat Cole, Peggy Lee, and Francis Faye. He was featured with Buddy Rich in the Betty Grable-Harry James show. He has been seen on such unlikely programs as “Person to Person” with Ed Murrow and Marion Brando. He
has been a constant performer on “Shower of Stars,” N.B.C. Spectaculars, the Colgate Comedy Hour, the Red Skelton Show, the Perry Como Show and the Ed Sullivan Show.
For me he will always be known as the one and only , “Mr.Bongo” .
If you are interested in learning more about percussion loops and if you want to download some percussion loops try visiting www.futureloops.com . They have an amazing percussion loops title called “Future Percussion “ !
