By José Gandue @Gandour
Photo by Martin Cohen
His original name was William Correa. He was born in the 1930s in Spanish Harlem, And since he realized that his thing was the timbales and joined the Afro-Cuban jazz scene, he became one of the most outstanding talents in the Puerto Rican/New York cultural environment, or better known as "Nuyorican"«.In the music world he was known as Willie Bobo, based on the nickname given to her by the pianist Mary Lou Williams in the early fifties.
From the age of 19, alongside another percussion star, Mongo Santamaría, was part of the orchestra of Tito Puente, and then played with renowned musicians such as George Shearing, Cal Tjader, Carlos Santana and others. He recorded with prestigious labels such as Verve Records, Fantasy, Tico, Roulette, and Blue Note. He died in 1983. at the young age of 49, after suffering from cancer.
We tell you all this because of his son Eric (known for his work, of course, as a percussionist in Cypress Hill)), and the company Nacional Records have decided to publish Dig My Feeling, a compilation of never-before-released recordings by the maestro Willie.
This album was born, in Eric's words, when he rummaged through his mother's belongings. As he himself puts it: «The discovery of these Finding tapes in my mother's closet was an amazing moment … a rediscovery of my father through music began that I had never heard before. It was an opportunity to share this previously unreleased music with their fans, those who had enjoyed his art y also for new fans, ready to discover his genius. «
The album will be released worldwide on September 19th, but the company has decided to release a first single called Broasted or Fried. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.