Afro-Cuban conga player, percussionist, and bandleader Mongo Santamaria is one of the most influential players of his generation. A popular performer since 1963, the year the Herbie Hancock-penned "Watermelon Man" reached the pop charts in the United States, Santamaria has explored his own Cuban musical roots throughout his career and has blended elements of jazz, rhythm and blues, rock, and popular music with the traditional sounds of his homeland. A "mesmerizing spectacle for both eyes and ears" in concert, the master percussionist "creates an incantory spell rooted in Cuban religious rituals, quietly seating himself before his congas and soloing with total command over the rhythmic spaces between the beats while his band pumps out an endless vamp," asserted All Music Guide contributor Richard S. Ginell. In addition to his ability to captivate an audience (evidenced on the hypnotic "Mazacote" from his 1972 African Roots album), Santamaria has proven himself a powerful bandleader as well. Many future notables have passed through Santamaria's ranks or collaborated with the conga player, from Nat Adderly and Jimmy Cobb, through Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, and Bob James. According to music historians, no Cuban percussionist, with the exception of Santana's Armando Peraza (and not counting Desi Arnaz), has reached as many listeners as Santamaria.

Touring and recording songs well into his late seventies, Santamaria in his later years has expressed his annoyance over the name given to his generation's music by critics and the press when several entertainers revived Cuban-influenced music during the 1990s. "What they call `salsa' is the Afro-Cuban music that we did 50 years ago," he told Aaron Cohen of Down Beat in November of 1999. "I don't see calling it a new thing. We used to call it mambo, guaracha, guanco, and every other name. Today they take everything and just call it salsa. It's an economical thing--with the Cuban Revolution, they tried to forget the music had anything to do with Cuba."

Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria was born on April 7, 1922, in Havana, Cuba. Raised in the city's Jesus Maria district, Santamaria was exposed to all kinds of Afro-Cuban rhythms--rumbas and Santeria rituals were everywhere. During his childhood, Santamaria first played the violin, but eventually switched to drums, dropping out of school in his teens to become a professional musician. In spite of his youth, he played...