ABSTRACT
Master Latin jazz bandleader and percussionist, Puente was born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., in Spanish Harlem to a Puerto Rican family. He began working as a drummer at age 13, working with several local bands through 1941, when he was drafted into the Navy. After World War II, Puento studied composition and piano at Juilliard and the New York School of Music. He formed his first group, the Piccadilly Boys, in 1947, recording for the small Tico label. In 1955 he signed with major label RCA Victor, and his large band, combining Big-Band jazz harmonies with Latin rhythms, became widely recognized as a leader in the salsa community. He returned to recording for Tico through the 1960s and 1970s, and then signed in 1982 with Concord Picante. Amazingly prolific, by 1992 he had recorded 100 albums. Puente remained active through the year of his death. He won five Grammy awards and numerous other honors; after his death in 2000, his final album, Mambo Birdland (RMM #84047), was awarded Best Traditional Tropical Performance at the first Latin Grammy awards ceremony. Many famed musicians and vocalist performed with his band over the years, including Celia Cruz and Charlie Palmieri.
