Manny Oquendo

Name:  Manny Oquendo
Date of birth: 1 January 1931
Place of birth: New York
Deceased: 25 March 2009

American master percussionist, who founded and co-directed the world-famous ensemble “Conjunto Libre” for more than 35 years. Oquendo started to study percussion at the age of 14. His main instrument was “timbales”, and by the end of the ‘40s he played with the best tropical and Latin music groups, like Juan “El Boy” Torres, Chano Pozo.

In 1950 he joined Tito Puente’s orchestra on the bongos.
In 1962 Oquendo settled in with Eddie Palmieri’s influential La Perfecta, where they made a unique sound by replacing the traditional trumpet line with trombones.
In 1974 he co-founded Conjunto Libre with Andy Gonzalez, the bassist of La Perfecta. Manny Oquendo & Libre represents the traditions of Latin music, being  strongly influenced by the Afro-Cuban heritages.

"I'd proposed forming our own band, and Manny was a little skeptical," Gonzalez said. "But when he realized I was a serious scholar, he got interested in the idea. There was a lot going on at that time; you had, in New York, the Young Lords, the 'Viva Puerto Rico Libre' movement. That word was in the air a lot -liberation. We decided we'd have a band that was free to incorporate jazz, Afro-Cuban, to explore alternatives, so we named it Libre."

Unfortunately Manny Oquendo passed away in 2009, but his rich musical legacy and memory continues to live on.

Discography:
1976    Con Salsa, Con Ritmo
1979    Con Salsa, Con Ritmo, Vol. 2.
1979    Los Lideres de la Salsa
1981    Libre Increible
1983    Ritmo, Sonido, y Estilo
1994    Mejor que Nunca
1996    Muevete!
1999    Ahora
1999    Tiene Calidad, Vol. 2.
1999    Libre
2000    Los New Yorkinos
2000    Manny Oquendo y su Conjunto Libre


by Zsuzsa Melkvi
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About the Author: Zsuzsa Melkvi is a salsa dancer and teacher, having competed in Latin-American and Standard dances from 1995-1998. She is also the founder of Baila Cuba (www.bailacuba.hu), a Dance company focused on giving exclusively pure Afro-Cuban workshops in Hungary. Zsuzsa holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Hertfordshire.