Remembering Tito Puente on his birthday

Celebrating bandleader Tito Puente's birthday with a stellar performance in Montreal you may have missed. 

Remembering Carlos "Patato" Valdes on his birthday

Celebrating the birthday of percussion maestro Carlos "Patato" Valdes with a performance of "Bacalao Con Pan" and more.

That time Tito Puente cut an album with Andy González & Paquito D'Rivera

Sure the sleeve of Caiman's Super All-Star LP from 1984 looks completely generic but this overlooked Tito Puente set is a burner!  

Pacquito & Tito are joined by Steve Turre, Claudio Roditi, Daniel Ponce, Ignacio Berroa, Chocolate Armenteros & Mario Rivera.

Celebrating Tito Puente's 100th Birthday on Thursday at WKCR-FM

WKCR is celebrating Tito Puente's centennial tomorrow by playing 24 hours of the mambo king's music starting at midnight.

Here's the scoop...

WKCR announces a 100th birthday celebration for Tito Puente, broadcast on FM and HD radio and online on Thursday, April 20th from 12:00AM TO 11:59PM. The special broadcast will preempt all regularly-scheduled Jazz and Latin shows, including Daybreak Express, Birdflight, Out To Lunch, and Jazz Alternatives.

Tune in to 89.9 FM to listen to WKCR's Tito Puente Birthday Broadcast in celebration of his 100th Anniversary. Born in New York City’s Spanish Harlem neighbourhood to Puerto Rican parents, Puente fused the influences from his own culture with those around him and became a pioneer for Latin Jazz. After studying music on the G.I. Bill at the Juilliard School of Music, he went on to heighten popularity in mambo, cha-cha-chá, and boogaloo.

Tito Puente is most famous for his song Oye Cómo Va on the album El Rey Bravo released in 1962 to Fania Records. Through collaborations with other reputable Latin musicians such as Celia Cruz, Santos Colon, Willie Colón, and La Lupe, Puente made a name for himself across various genres and crowds. In 1948, Tito Puente's performance with Tito Rodríguez and Machito put the Palladium on the map, and he helped establish it as a Latin music venue and dance space. Tune in for a day of dedication to the King of Latin Music”

The broadcast will be produced and hosted by WKCR's Latin and Jazz Departments. A programming schedule for the special broadcast is forthcoming. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for further updates. Online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org via web stream!

While you're waiting for the Tito Puente Birthday broadcast, check out an hour-long mix of some choice performances from "El Rey" below. 

Basil Kirchin Band vs. Tito Puente's Orchestra w/ Vincentico Valdés

Check out Basil and Ivor Kirchin's hard swingin' 1954 version of Tito Puente's classic "Mambo Macoco." 

One For The Weekend: Tito Puente

Tito Puente's Orchestra was joined by Vincentico Valdes for this cooker in 1949.

Latin jazz icon Eddie Palmieri explains why he plays piano like a drummer