Clave Royalty Kicks Back in New York
Down Beat
May 2007
Although Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros’ sound
was formed by a childhood of the Afro-Cuban
rhythms and rich musical history of his birthright, Armenteros
has little interest in music in Cuba
these days: “I don’t know anything about it there
now. I never cared for politics. Politics doesn’t
make for good music,” he said.
After telling a story about the famous 1950s Mexican cathouse
Bandidas, Armenteros shook his
finger to correct a misunderstanding. “We didn’t
go to mess around, you know, it was to play
music. I played there, everyone did,” he said.
It was the day after Thanksgiving. At Armentero’s elbow
was a tall glass of Remy Martin, which
he calls his “Do-Re-Me.” He was finishing the second
of four cigars for the visit, and often
leaned forward sharply when he made a point. With the added distraction
of the dazzling
photographs and memorabilia of a career covering the walls of
his Spanish Harlem apartment, it
was often hard to follow his rapid Spanish.
Born in 1928 in rural Ranchuelo and nicknamed for a Cuban boxer,
Armenteros is a living
bridge from the Cuban trumpet configurations of the 1940s to
modern son. Armenteros came to
New York in the late 1950s because he couldn’t resist jazz.
In Cuba, he had worked with
everyone of historical consequence, including blind tres genius
Arsenio Rodriguez, Perez
Prado, in 1946 on Nat King Cole’s first latin record, Rumba
a la King. Then in 1953 he
assembled and led the first Banda Gigante for the soon-to-be
infamous singer Benny Moré, the
Sinatra of Cuban music, in addition to being Armenteros’ first
cousin. Today, the Cuba that
Chocolate embodies can seem as exotic, fantastical and impossible
to locate as a fictional
kingdom in Voltaire’s Candide.
Once in New York permanently, Armenteros took over Mario Bauza’s
spot in Machito’s Afro-
Cubans, playing beside Doc Cheatham. He has been the premier
trumpeter in salsa and latin
jazz ever since, and his warm and atmospheric tone shows a relaxed
approach owing more to
Sweets Edison or Clifford Brown than to Dizzy Gillespie. Rick
Davies calls him “the most
important Cuban trumpet player of the second half of the 20th
Century.” Paquito D ’Rivera refers
to him as “one of the key figures in our music.” The
photographs of Armenteros alongside
musicians and admirers that adorn his walls tell the story of
his activities in the US: Machito,
Celia Cruz, Larry Harlow, the Palmieri brothers, Johnny Pacheco,
Bebo Valdés, Tito Puente,
Cachao, Chico O’Farrill, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito, Jimmy
Bosch. There is a proclamation from
former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial, and many photographs of
his better known admirers:
smoking cigars with Bill Cosby, shots with Andy Garcia. The latter
is a particularly strong
Chocolate fan; he included Chocolate in his Cachao documentary “Como
Mi Ritmo No Hay
Dos.”
As a bandleader, Armenteros has recorded for Salsoul, Caiman,
Cobo, and SAR where he
served as musical director. Lately he has made appearances in
several Cuban music DVDs of
live shows, most recently “The Cuban Swing: Tribute to
The Legend Chocolate Armenteros.”
Unlike Cachao or Arturo Sandoval, Armenteros never had any interest
in moving to the winters
of Miami. “Miami is too big for me. Here,” he said
of his neighborhood and immediate proximity
to the New York scene, “everything is right where I need
it. I can play with anyone. I can get
flights to anywhere from here.”
When asked about current and future projects, he leaned back
to put his arms behind his head
and answered “Nothing. I’m on vacation.” When
asked for how long, he shrugged while lighting
another cigar. Taking time to blow out the smoke, he flashed
his big smile, looked over his
glasses, and said again "vacation.“– download
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