Centro Journal ISSN: 1538-6279 [email protected] The City University of New York Estados Unidos

Carp, David M. Salsa Symbiosis: , Eddie Palmieris Chief Collaborator in the Making of La Perfecta Centro Journal, vol. XVI, núm. 2, fall, 2004, pp. 42-61 The City University of New York New York, Estados Unidos

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Volume7 xv1 Number 2 fall 2004 Salsa Symbiosis: Barry Rogers, ’s Chief Collaborator in the Making of La Perfecta

DAVID M. CARP

ABSTRACT

Cuban musical modalities, particularly son and its hybrids, have been passionately adopted by dancers and listeners throughout the Hispanic Caribbean basin; fueled by a major Puerto Rican migration, New York became a major part of this hybridization. By the late 1960’s, this music was being marketed under the magnificently effective catchall phrase salsa. One of the groups that helped define this music was Eddie Palmieri’s dance band, La Perfecta. Of all of the bands of salsa’s period of nascency (the early 1960s), it arguably presented the most potent mix of Cuban musical tradition and mid-twentieth century American musical styles. The key element in La Perfecta’s success was the collaboration of leader Eddie Palmieri and Barry Rogers. Although Barry Rogers is best remem-bered as a trombonist, the breadth and dynamism of his musical conceptions made him one of the most important figures in vernacular American music, in addition to his role in the patrimony of salsa. [Key words: Eddie Palmieri, salsa, hybridization, Barry Rogers, musical styles, New York]

Barry Rogers, Eddie Palmieri; Location unknown; mid-1960’s; Courtesy of Chris Rogers.

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Bronx roots and beginnings very unique and long-lasting expression Barron W. Rogers (a name that he of this addiction. “One thing he really cordially detested) was born in the did well and [which] always amazed Bronx on May 22, 1935. Descended from me,” she said, is that “he could do this Polish Jews who came to New York via sort of old man coro singing. He sounded London, the Rogers family (original like one of those little wizened guys in “This is your bible, study it hard.” The bible is Eddie name: Rogenstein) possessed abundant La . He would screw musicality. As youngsters living in East his face up and the trombone would Palmieri’s “Páginas de Mujer,” and the advice that of Harlem, Barry’s father William and hang on his arm and this funny voice seasoned trumpeter Ray Vega to trombonist and several of his uncles sang in the choir would come out of his mouth and it ethnomusicologist Christopher Washburne. The specific bit of Joseph Rosenblatt, one of the great never came out at any other time.” cantors of the twentieth century. But Barry was one of the few New Yorkers of chapter and verse referred to was a 24-measure trombone the only family member of this who actively collected African records solo played by Barry Rogers with Palmieri’s stellar and generation to pursue the arts during the 1950s. This was one of many pioneering band, La Perfecta. It’s not just brass players who professionally was Barry’s uncle Milton, interests he shared over the years with who maintained an active career as a percussionist Ernest Philip “Phil” feel this way about Rogers’ role as a musical inspiration. pianist, composer, educator, and Newsum, who offered the following Pianist Oscar Hernández had this to say: “I knew all of bandleader, and whom Barry credited observation: “Either it didn’t turn him Barry’s solos by heart, I could sing them all. I could say that as a major role model. Barry’s mother, on or it was great music, but nothing Phyllis Lacompte Taylor, was a trained was ever strange to him. It seems like Barry is probably the instrumentalist other than pianists zoologist who also taught public school everything he heard he could that had the biggest influence on me.” And in a Satur day science. Along with her teaching career understand right away. It made sense, Review article from as early as 1967, famed art historian and she also conducted a considerable it was comprehensible. Sometimes he amount of field research in Mexico, would scare me because he could catch mambo lover Robert Farris Thompson predicted the profound the Caribbean basin, and . on to things so fast.” and definitive influence of La Perfecta on what soon would These trips inspired her to study the By the time he entered Bronx be called salsa: “The chief proponents of this music, a new traditional musics she encountered Vocational High School, Barry already from an anthropological perspective, had a year or so of trombone playing solution to the problem of Afro-Latin form, are two which was accomplished largely through under his belt. One of Barry’s extra- intelligent New Yorkers named Eddie Palmieri and Barry collecting field recordings and curricular activities was playing in a Rogers.... I do not think that it is an exaggeration to suggest commercially issued discs. As a child small mixed Latin combo of students and young adolescent, Barry was that included a Dominican saxophone that the Eddie Palmieri ensemble is artistically the most exposed to both folkloric and popular and clarinet player named Johnny promising dance band now performing in the .” music from West Africa, Mexico, Pacheco. It wasn’t long before Barry The explosive potential sensed by Thompson more than and the Caribbean. Family members was introduced to percussionist Benny and friends believe that records of late Bonilla, pianists Rupert Branker and thirty years ago was fulfilled: salsa has become one of the 1940s New York mambo music were Arthur Jenkins, and other Bronx Latin world’s major dance musics, the international expression of also brought home by Mrs. Rogers. music performers. It must be pointed Latino and Latin American culture. The role of Eddie Palmieri In an interview with Robert Farris out that non-Latin residents of Harlem, Thompson, Barry made it clear that Morrisania, and Bedford-Stuyvesant and La Perfecta in this development has been acknowledged, hearing ’s “Babarabatiri” had easy access to through at least in part. The same can hardly be said for his chief was his equivalent of St. Paul viewing local record stores, black-oriented radio collaborator, Barry Rogers. Damascus; there would be no turning stations, and many live venues. In fact, back. Given his listening experiences it was not unheard of for African-American and his maternal influences, it’s hardly teenage musicians to be hooked on surprising that during his teen years Latin before becoming players. Barry became passionate about Afro- It was in this particular milieu that Cuban music in all of its manifestations. Barry Rogers obtained his first signif- His wife Louise Rogers remembers one icant experience in playing Latin music.

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The chicken and booze circuit Barry’s arrival in the Dickens stuff that those recorded was It’s experiences such as this that Barry By the early 1950s, still in his teens, organization more or less coincided very rhythmically oriented and really recalled in a 1977 WBAI-FM interview Barry was playing Latin music with with Hugo’s decision to reduce the size appealed to the black community of with Pablo “Yoruba” Guzmán. “It was a groups of Latinos, black Americans and of the group. A long time Dickens devotee, Harlem. They really identified with it school for us all, that’s where I was really white ethnics in lounges, dance halls, Phil Newsum recalls the transition: because it minimized the amount of first exposed to Latin music. And boy, and nightclubs all over Harlem and the “Before Barry came into it the band Spanish and maximized the rhythm, did I learn a few things about the world Bronx. He had also discovered jazz and was really chart-bound. But when Hugo so that the language didn’t mean much.” and life and music, that was my first began frequenting Branker’s, Count put the big band aside and we started All of Hugo’s sidemen and numerous experience with really heavy playing. Basie’s, and any clubs that held jam going out with the three-horn front line, audience members speak fondly of Dickens’ And when I came out of that I ran into sessions. The spring of 1956 marked the Barry really took over how it was “Ol’ Man River Mambo.” Other numbers Eddie and I just threw in there what beginning of his most significant pre- organized. Hugo handled the business frequently recalled are “Speak Low,” I had learned in the past three or four Palmieri musical experience, a band but Barry would say, hey, you do this and “Nica’s Dream,” “Old Devil Moon” years with Hugo’s group.” It’s no accident led by an African American tenor I’ll do this and you do that. We weren’t and “Spontaneous Combustion”; that all of the surviving participants in saxophonist named Hugo Dickens. using charts, it was all head arrange- typical Cuban tunes in the book included the Sabú Martínez and his Jazz Espagnole The bread and butter of Hugo’s work ments. And the freedom that it gave cha chas such as “Chanchullo” and recording are Hugo Dickens alumnae. (and that of competitors such as David everybody made all the guys really happy “Los Marcianos” and the danzón “A lmendra.” The importance of Mongo Santamaría’s Preudhomme “Joe Panama,” Alfred Du because not being bound by the charts, Whether based on the changes of a post- groups to the emerging Mire “Al La Paris,” and Henry “Pucho” everybody who had this kind of jazz 32-bar song or on the more open form Latin jazz of the 1960’s is undisputed; Brown) was dances thrown by the African disposition anyway, they felt like they characteristic of a montuno, solos from alto key Mongo sidemen such as Bobby American social clubs of Harlem, had unlimited freedom to be creative, player Bobby Porcelli, trumpeter Marty Capers, Rodgers Grant, Hubert Laws, a thriving scene during the 1950s. which they did. And the band kind of Sheller, and Barry Rogers were common. Bobby Porcelli, and Marty Sheller are all Although a soft-spoken gentleman, took off and everybody’s morale went up, Not much recorded evidence of graduates of the Hugo Dickens Academy. Hugo always had the ability to relate we were just one happy bunch of dudes. African American experiments with Perhaps the most far-reaching impor- well to club members and promoters; Alot of that I believe was due to Barry.” Latin music characteristic of the later tance of the uptown Latin-oriented in his heyday in the mid- to late 1950s, This freewheeling atmosphere was an ‘50s has survived. There are no known scene is that this is clearly where Barry he was able to provide regular (if not ideal setting for developing the concept commercial recordings of any of Hugo Rogers developed a personal inter- high paying) employment. The work of playing “hard bop” a la Art Blakey or Dickens’ groups; the best existing pretation of African-based music that consisted of fashion shows, afternoon Horace Silver with the underpinning of documentation consists of 8-millimeter was to reach its full fruition with Eddie cocktail sips, and “chicken and booze” authentic Afro-Cuban rhythm. A key films taken by Barry (unfortunately there Palmieri’s La Perfecta. dances, where audience members point of origin for this approach can are no soundtracks). One of the most reserved tables and brought their own be found in the early 1950s frustrating examples of this situation is Perfecting La Perfecta brown bags and bottles. These affairs recordings of Tito Rodríguez, many the lack of any recordings of Hugo’s One of salsa’s most influential figures took place at Harlem venues such as the of which were very popular in Harlem. experimentation with multiple began as a bandleader in 1960, when Savoy Ballroom, Dawn Casino, Audubon Phil Newsum cites Rodríguez’s version trombones. An eyewitness for this trend the use of this word as a magnificently Ballroom, Rockland Palace, Broadway of “Sun Sun Babae” in this context. is Steve Berríos, Junior, who by 1961 was effective catch-all phrase was very much Casino, Royal Manor, Renaissance “The break in ‘Sun Sun Babae,’ the one playing both trumpet and percussion a thing of the future. Active at first Ballroom, and the Celebrity Club. with the repeated rhythmic figure— with Latin-oriented uptown groups. fronting trios for weddings, bar mitzvahs, It was taken for granted that a musician it wasn’t always exactly the same, He remembers the presence of two and hotel engagements, Eddie Palmieri working the “chicken and booze” circuit but Rodríguez incorporated a similar trombones in some of Hugo’s longed for a vehicle to play the rugged would be able to play jazz, rhythm and type of thing in one tune after another. interpretations of “Ol’ Man River,” Cuban music so dear to his heart. blues, calypso, and Latin. This was Even the later ones, like ‘Ol’ Man River,’ “Work Song,” “Chanchullo,” “Nica’s The key to reaching this goal became particularly true of Hugo’s various they had three breaks in the middle and Dream,” and “Saint Thomas”; other considerably clearer after a visit to a units, considering the caliber of many then the rhythm would come in, there trombonists besides Barry included social club called the Tritons, located of his musicians: Marty Sheller, would be a break and the rhythm Steve Pulliam, John Gordon, and Jack above Loew’s Spooner Theatre in the Bobby Porcelli, Bobby Capers, Peter would come in. He incorporated ostinato Hitchcock. Berríos and other informants Hunts Point sector of the Bronx. This is Sims “Pete La Roca,” Eddie Diehl, figures in the middle of a lot of his remember that one trombone would where Eddie heard Barry jamming with Hubert Laws, Ted Curson, and Rodgers mambos and then having the rhythm play repeated riff figures and the other the likes of and the rest Grant are only a few of Hugo’s better- come in behind furious—it was very one would respond to these figures by was history—this, at least, is how Eddie known side musicians. effective, it was wonderful. But all of the soloing in a call-and-response style. usually tells the story. Trumpet player Joe

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de Mare remembers leading a Louis singing coro, so when we’d play a mambo Prima-style shuffle band that included the first part would be given to José or both Barry and Eddie; de Mare claims the highest notes would be given to him, that Barry was aware of Eddie’s rhythmic anything that would make it easier for genius from the get-go. Not surprisingly, Barry, who always had problems with his one of the earliest instrumentations that lip. Fever sores, that was a problem. Eddie used to express his musical vision He taught himself to play the trombone was a conjunto. Here’s Barry’s first memory in the unorthodox way of learning and of the next stage: “We started with one put too much pressure and that took a lot trombone and a rhythm section and a out of him. And even José Rodrígues told singer and that was the group. ‘Cause when me once, ”If he keeps playing the way he we got together and jammed it just blew plays he’s gonna die.“ That instrument everything away. So he got rid of the takes so much out of you and the way trumpets and we just worked as a quintet he plays! Just the recordings told you for some time. Then we added George that, imagine live! Those trombones, Castro on flute and the last thing to come when they used to get into a riff behind in was the second trombone, that was at the flute they don’t stop and then Barry least a year after we started the group.” just takes off and keeps going and we just The first regular second trombonist kept pushing and pushing. That instru- with La Perfecta was Mark Weinstein. ment is not an instrument to be able to Although he can be seen in the do that and they did it. And unfortunately photograph on the cover of the Alegre it cost them dearly because they both Eddie Palmieri: La Perfecta, the passed away, they were both young.” second trombone parts are actually La Perfecta’s flute and two-trombone played by a Brazilian named João Donato. lineup drew immediate comparison After approximately one year Mark with the instrumentation of charanga, moved to Europe and was replaced by which was still hot in New York; in fact, Joe Orange, another excellent jazz baptized the group trombonist. During the year of Joe’s with the name trombanga. But the tenure the album El Molestoso was model for Eddie’s music was certainly not recorded. (Mark Weinstein came back charanga, at least in regard to musical for the “Contento estoy,” which form. For Mark Weinstein, the model uses three trombones.) By the appearance that inspired Eddie and Barry was Félix of Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso, the second Chapottín. “If you know enough about trombonist was José Rodrígues, Cuban 78s from the ‘40s and early ‘50s a Dominican who had resided in Brazil you hear a lot of Eddie’s . for a number of years, and who stayed But think of the Chapottín album with Palmieri until 1974. Eddie Palmieri that has a very sort of abstract, recalled what is considered by all almost cartoon-y cover with Miguelito (including Weinstein and Orange) to be Cuní. That’s the best Chapottín, his most successful trombone section: with ‘Quimbombó’ on it. And that was “Barry Rogers and José Rodrígues were the model, there were a couple of other so opposite in what they individually conjuntos. But it wasn’t really a matter could do and we worked it that way. of stealing. Because Eddie’s band, bizarrely, For example, Barry was involved in was Cuban revivalist, and the model of

Top left: La Perfecta. Kutsher’s Country Club, Monticello, NY, Summer 1962 Joe Rivera, Barry Rogers, , , George Castro, Chicky Perez. Courtesy of Joe Rivera. Bottom left: La Perfecta. Kutsher’s Country Club, Monticello, NY, Summer 1962 Eddie Palmieri, Joe Rivera, Barry Rogers, Ismael Quintana, Manny Oquendo, George Castro. Courtesy of Joe Rivera.

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the trombone improvisation came from the singer had sung or whatever. I then the line of the music. Now these little to African-American low brass groups the way Chapottín, the soloist, would had to get it from him in that interval innocent Yale students had never heard that play gospel-inflected call-and- play against the trumpets. Then Barry and then if I didn’t get it the first time Palladium-type intensity, I mean they response patterns in Central Park extended that, but that was the model.” he’d do it again, if I didn’t get it the had never heard a trombone that loud! and other New York public spaces. One clear example of the kind of second time he was angry at me. But remember, in the Palladium if it isn’t Mark Weinstein describes the first time “borrowing” described by Mark is Then I’d start playing that lick, Barry all-out intensity you’re going to lose your he heard the Fabulous Hummingbirds, “La Gioconda” as recorded by Orquesta would join in playing the lick with me audience. Well, he was Palladium trained a band of five trombones and a tuba. Aragón on their album Danzones de Hoy in unison, then in harmony and then so he had learned to pick up notes off of “When I heard them I fell down because yAyer. The uptempo final section of the the shit would happen. Barry would the heels and toes of the people, he saw the lead trombone player was doing Aragón version opens the version of the then start slowly, almost the way a sitar them as eighth notes and whatever. exactly what Barry did! Now Barry really tune recorded by La Perfecta on El Molestoso player develops a solo, he would start Barry’s genius was to have such a highly loved rhythm and blues, and what he to very slowly move that lick defined inner pulse control in the African was doing was playing a rhythm and into not quite a solo but into sense, so that if you look at the feet of blues kind of shout against a salsa vamp. a sequence of ever increasing the guys in the movie, boom!, he was able But it wasn’t until I heard these guys, sophistication. We outswung to reconstruct what kind of mambo they this trombone band from somewhere in Tito’s band with all of his were dancing to, that it was a fast batiri Saint Albans and South Jamaica, that I fuckin’ cymbals, with all of or a slow kain. He made me see the dance realized that Barry had really invented his triplets, with all of his floor as sheet music.” One thing that something, and it was using the sticks over his head. Because Thompson always noticed about trombone to play essentially vocalistic when Barry would get the Palladium musicians in general was their music using the inflections of the pots on there was nothing athleticism. I remember interviewing trombone the way a voice could do it. in the world that was more Alfred Levy, aka Alfredito, and asked him ‘Cause that’s what the trombone can do, exciting, nothing, nothing! why didn’t you play the Palladium more it can do what a voice can do. So Barry Not all of the high notes, frequently. He said, “Well, the reason was playing trombone like a rhythm and not all of the screaming I don’t play at the Palladium, man, blues singer and that’s what connected trumpets and the saxophones. the Palladium’s a laundry!” I’ll never with the black audience.” When Barry would start to forget that, the Palladium’s a laundry, Along with this strong African- move through a sequence of you’ve got to work and then I realized, American tie, the Cuban traditions were improvisations there was yeah! And I watched Barry play, sweat fundamental to Barry’s style. It’s been nothing in the world that pouring down from his hair, his thick, said that Barry Rogers was one of the

La Perfecta. Kutsher’s Country Club, Monticello, NY, Summer 1962 was more exciting and the athletic neck. The same thing with Gilbert first to play the trombone in the manner Ismael Quintana, Manny Oquendo, Barry Rogers. Courtesy of Joe Rivera. dancers loved Barry Rogers.” López, all those guys, it was like the of Felix Chapottín, Chocolate Armenteros, Superbowl. That’s another part of him, and the great Afro-Cuban trumpet almost note for note. The main difference Dancing the trombone, Barry style it may be that the strain of producing all players—that is to say, like a great sonero. is the substitution of two trombones for This link between Barry’s playing and out mambo sounds at Palladium intensity Playing in the most typical Cuban way violins and lowering the key from E dancing is key to his contribution to may have weakened his heart.” Or, put possible was one of Barry’s principal minor to C minor, which makes it easily the success of La Perfecta, and to the another way, in Farris Thompson’s words, goals. He made it his business to under- playable in its new instrumentation. beginnings of salsa. An early chronicler “Barry danced his trombone.” stand how the music was structured, Weinstein describes the “road map” of Palladium history, Robert Farris La Perfecta’s initial audience was o that he could play and write in a for a representative Palmieri/Rogers Thompson had ample opportunity to see heavily Puerto Rican, the majority ethnic manner that grew organically from the chart. “You play down the head and La Perfecta in this setting. The Palladium group that patronized Bronx venues such music, rather than imposing externally there’d be the first montuno, in the closed its doors in 1966; two years later, as the Tritons and the Caravana Club. derived techniques. His understanding first montuno Barry would always be he invited Barry Rogers to lecture at Yale. The crowd that Eddie won at the of tumbao was sound enough to enable singing coro. And while the singer was It wasn’t until then that he realized the Palladium was the African Americans, him to play an occasional second part improvising Barry’d turn around and depth of Barry’s connection to whose musical traditions also exerted an during Tommy López solos; considering during the four bars of the singer’s movement. “I had films from the influence on Barry’s broad stylisic range, Tommy’s demands on a personal and musical improvisation he would play some- Palladium with no sound, Barry looked and because of his centrality to the band, level, this was obviously no small feat! thing for me to play, picking it up at the screen and from the feet on the La Perfecta sound. Some insight Barry’s understanding of Cuban either out of the air or from something reconstructed the sound and played off into this process can be gained by listening musical structures was further deepened

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through intense listening to the music clear and logical way. Likewise, Symbiotic Arrangements and that J.J. was a great player but altogether of Arsenio Rodríguez and study of tres his experience both as a player and “that f#*@in’ trombone” too easy to imitate in a superficial way. playing. In fact, he learned this collector of rhythm and blues music It’s true that Eddie gained a lot from Perhaps the real substance to the instrument well enough to record on allowed him to incorporate the blues scale being around Barry; it’s also true that comparison between Barry and J.J. can tres with La Perfecta, Johnny Pacheco, into Latin music to an unprecedented Barry found La Perfecta to be an be found in examining their approach to and the Cesta All Stars. Listening to degree. The vocal inflections and rhythmic incomparable learning experience. arranging. Although the musical contexts Cuban 78 rpm records with Manny concept of King Curtis, James Brown, and With Manny Oquendo as the band’s are certainly different, it’s logical to Oquendo and dubbing many onto open other Rogers favorites were a rich stylistic bongocero, timbalero, and Cuban music compare the J.J. and lineup reel tape provided a fine sense of Afro- vein he mined successfully for the rest of guru in residence, how could it be with the Barry Rogers/José Rodrigues Cuban musical nuance. As much as Barry his life. In listening to Barry’s final solo otherwise? A less known aspect of how equivalent strictly in terms of how the Rogers respected and loved the Cuban on “No Me Hagas Sufrir” (Eddie Palmieri — the Eddie Palmieri experience benefited instruments function. To begin with, Barry is suggested by Joan Fagin, the difficulty of writing for two trombones an English fashion designer and close is the difficulty of any kind of two-part friend of Barry’s. “He felt that they had composing. Searching the collected collaborated really well, that they were works of even the greatest composers will great together because Eddie could yield very few masterpieces written for provide the basic idea and he would two single-line instruments. Then there’s develop it and do the . the issue of the limitations of the And that’s how he preferred to work instrument vis-a-vis the idiosyncrasies because he found it very difficult to of manipulating the slide. This can be innovate himself, innovate in the sense true even for as great a technician as J.J. of creating a melody or anything like that. Johnson (for that matter, Barry Rogers He admired people who could do that, was no slouch when it came to slide this included his wife Louise, who he said technique). The notes played by J.J. and was very good at that, and Eddie, but he Kai on their classic are cannily had trouble with that. Even just a little chosen for their intervallic weight and phrase, he could do something with it for their artful use of two of the oldest but to start from zero was not his thing.” devices in any composer’s bag of tricks: An especially fascinating aspect of the tension and release. It is especially in Eddie/Barry symbiosis is La Perfecta’s their ballad work that one can hear arrangements, specifically the trombone frequent use of diatonic dissonance, writing. When it came time to create also known as “white note dissonance.” horn lines, Barry’s experience as a listener Slow-moving passages using voicings to jazz records and participant in jam based on seconds or fourths open up sessions paid off enormously. The trom- a large number of possibilities for Alegre All Stars recording session, New York, early 1960’s. Ray Maldonado, Puchi Boulong, Barry Rogers. bone playing of J.J. Johnson is often cited resolution, and these possibilities are Courtesy of Roy Ramirez. as a major influence on Barry, the obvious used to their fullest potential. models he studied so assiduously, Eddie Palmieri) one is struck immediately parallel being that between the J.J. No aspect of J.J. Johnson’s musical copying them was not enough. by how Barry phrases, articulates, slides, Johnson/Kai Winding duo and Eddie’s landscape was terra incognita for Barry One fundamental difference between and bends the pitches in a way that bears various two trombone frontlines. In Rogers, who knew J.J.’s records and the original and Barry’s interpretation amazing likeness to a great soul singer. terms of approach to the horn itself, J.J. caught his club appearances. One of the involves the fundamental grounding of For a listener with any experience listening and Barry are night and day, J.J. having great thrills of Barry’s life was sharing typical Cuban brass soloing in diatonic to rhythm and blues, it’s easy to create the more refined technique and Barry the stage of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw harmony, with occasional chromatic words in one’s own mind for the trombone being the brasher and more strident of with J.J.’s group as a member of Jimmy passages of an ornamental nature. line, and to imagine Otis Redding singing the two (there’s more to follow about Wormworth’s American Jazz Quintet The excellence of Barry’s ear and his them. Perhaps these influences and Barry’s relation with the trombone...). in the summer of 1957. It seems clear jazz background enabled him to hear connections have something to do with Joe Orange claims that Barry’s favorite that J.J.’s arranging concepts were harmonies implied by the basic diatonic Eddie’s magnetic appeal to many African- jazz trombonist of the early ‘60s was absorbed by Barry, whether consciously or idiom, and to graft on extensions in a American and non-Latino audiences. ; he quotes Barry as saying otherwise. Barry’s economy as a writer is

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as pronounced as his economy as a player; (from the Azúcar pa’ Ti album) is replete octaves are common. La Perfecta’s charts La Perfecta a la Barry, Barry a la this is obvious from listening to La with mystery and expectation, which is show a far greater degree of harmonic Perfecta: challenges and legacies Perfecta albums. A listener can forget created by a kind of harmonic ambiguity intricacy and jazz influence, without 1968, the year after his participation in that there are usually only two trombones between the keys of F minor and A flat sacrificing one iota of sabor. On Mon the Champagne album, was the last year on these records, the ear sometimes being minor. The harmonies outlined by the Rivera’s recordings the most common in which Barry Rogers worked for Eddie fooled by the craft with which the notes intervals of the two trombone parts are high note for the trombones is the G Palmieri on a regular basis. Over the next have been selected and the intensity with mirrored and developed marvelously in a above the piano’s middle C; some A’s decade and a half he would return to the which they have been played. When a series of runs and other pianistic devices and a very rare B flat can be heard. Palmieri organization on a per project third trombone is available (an example improvised by Eddie. Exactly who created Sometimes it seems that where Mon’s basis. Recorded fruits of these later being the bolero “Contento Estoy”), this arrangement? To me the real question trombone sections leave off, in terms of collaborations include Sentido, The Sun of it’s also a shock that there are only three is this: could such an arrangement have range, Eddie’s begin. Much of what Barry Latin Music, and Eddie Palmieri, some of horns; the mastery of shell voicings and been created in any way other than the plays on La Perfecta albums lies between the greatest Latin music ever committed clever use of simultaneous major and Palmieri/ Rogers collaboration? the F above middle C and the C a fifth to disc. Nevertheless, Barry needed a minor harmony is a guarantee for some With all of the sharing of ideas between above this note. There’s no question that more dependable way of supporting his gorgeous backgrounds for the lead the two key musicians of La Perfecta, his exploitation of a consistently higher family. A temporary solution was joining instrument or voice. When we ask however, there is one aspect of the music range than any previous trombonist in the house band at Lloyd Price’s Turntable who wrote any of these arrangements that clearly comes from Barry Rogers— Latin music contributed to La Perfecta’s in October 1968 (this club was known as (Joe Orange thinks that the three- the voicing of the trombone parts. visceral excitement. Writing in this range Birdland in its previous incarnation). trombone version of “Contento Estoy” Joe Orange remembers driving to the also has a practical advantage— It was also time for Barry to look for fresh was written by Eddie), we may be posing Palmieri home in Brentwood, New York, the trombonist will normally have to musical challenges and play not only with an unanswerable question. in Barry’s Volkswagen. “Eddie had use only the first three or four positions, New York’s best Latin musicians, but with In some ways, trying to separate the written out the charts on the piano, he and will not have to move the slide as New York’s best musicians, period. Palmieri from the Rogers contributions had copied the trombone parts and we far as playing parts written in a middle Young New York Latino musicians of to a La Perfecta arrangement can be would play them. And then we would to lower range. It is this middle to lower the 1960s were mesmerized by the fiery compared to unscrambling an egg. start to just discuss and change and move range where much of ’s trombones heard on La Perfecta’s records Eddie Palmieri has always given Barry things around so that it felt right for the trombone parts are written. and in personal appearances. One was Rogers full credit for exposing him to a trombones. He really wrote for the An excellent source on this subject is Joe a teenager, Willie Colón, who became tremendous variety of new musical ideas, trombone, other than the volume it’s very Orange, who both played with La Perfecta aware of Barry’s solo through Joe Cotto’s particularly from the cutting edge of early comfortable playing Eddie’s music on the and subbed on Mon Rivera’s band at dances hit recording “Dolores.” A fledgling 1960s jazz. As noted, this relationship trombone, the range is perfect. I’m sure and recorded with him. Joe observed: trumpet player, Willie immediately defied the fixed roles of teacher and he got that from Barry, the music lent “You can hear a lot of trombone bands memorized the solo and decided to student. Arranger and trumpet player itself very, very easily to the trombone.” where the writer doesn’t understand the switch instruments: “When I first Marty Sheller alluded to this type of With no value judgment intended, instrument he’s writing for like Eddie did, heard a trombone solo by Barry I said, musical symbiosis when I asked him to it is revealing of La Perfecta’s distinctive and that’s the difference. And you can even ‘What the hell is that?’ It sounded like comment on their mutual growth as style to compare the horn parts created hear the awkwardness in the execution. an elephant, it was so big and angry and writers: “I think they both had the same by Barry Rogers and Eddie Palmieri Mon’s is kind of rough because he didn’t powerful and just brilliant. I started way of thinking about harmony. That’s why with Mon Rivera’s charts for three and write for that upper middle register. doubling on the trumpet and trombone it’s almost interchangeable, the arrange- four trombones; Mon Rivera, after all, His lines may look easy on paper, but they and then finally I dropped the trumpet ments that Barry would do and the is considered Eddie’s main forerunner in can be a lot more awkward than they look. and I started a two- trombone band. arrangements that Eddie would do. bringing the multiple trombone line to But Eddie really knew where the sound of And that’s when things really started It’s almost like Duke Ellington and Billy the front of Latin music. Mon’s more the trombone was, which is really in that happening because it was such a contrast Strayhorn.” Particularly worthy of note is intuitive execution was based on middle to upper register.” It must be noted from these big bands with all the a mutual interest in harmonic exploration, arrangements which used simple diatonic that playing in this range was one of the saxophones. You know, the old-timers a topic which fascinated (and still fascinates) harmonies often presented homo- hallmarks of innovative trombonists of the would get up and they’d have like four Eddie Palmieri; this resulted in genuine rhythmically. The chord changes are late 1920s, giving them a newly acquired trumpets, five saxes, a flute player, and wonderful forms of musical dialogue often limited to tonic and dominant facility compared with earlier players. As a you know, a legion of musicians on the between Eddie and Barry. The trombone- harmony, with an occasional subdom- student of the playing of Jack Teagarden, stage. And then we’d come up and it based introduction to the Palmieri inant or other scale degree. His triads Lawrence Brown, and J.C. Higginbotham, was like one of these little rap groups, composition “Solo Pensar en Ti” are usually voiced as closely as possible; Barry Rogers understood this perfectly. two trombones and a rhythm section.

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That became the standard of the salsa ‘cause they didn’t feel they were getting’ been playing and the kind of work he most of their work with dance bands. band now, if you listen to salsa radio their money’s worth. And poor Barry, was doing. I hasten to add that Joe The “fuzz and buzz” that makes the sound now the rule is that it’s a trombone he was sick half the time, I mean he was Orange is totally in awe of the greatness of an instrument project well in a large band.” Or, if not literally a trombone always coming down with colds. He looked of Barry’s ears and the brilliance of his space is worse than unnecessary in a band, a trumpet-and-trombone like death warmed over and it wasn’t conceptions; he’s on record as saying recording situation. Microphones are very frontline. One of the most common because of drugs or anything like that, that Barry Rogers was the most musical unforgiving of bright, edgy tonal qualities, dispositions of these instruments is two I think it just took so much out of him.” trombone player he’s ever heard. which tend to record poorly. This approach trumpets and two trombones, a scoring Like many Latino trombonists coming Rather than studying with trombone became more and more internalized by initially popularized by up in the 1970s, Angel “Papo” Vásquez players, it was Barry’s choice to seek help Barry throughout the ‘70s. Still, it was (not coinci-dentally, many of Harlow’s received his first real incentive to master from non-trombone-playing instrumental impossible to mistake his playing for charts for these instruments were the instrument from listening to La diagnosticians. One of New York’s most anyone else’s. A thorough student of his written by Mark Weinstein, one of Perfecta records. Papo’s first meeting with celebrated “chop doctors” was a saxo- father’s playing, Chris Rogers offers the Barry Roger’s earliest disciples). one of his idols provided some advice that phone player named Carmine Caruso, following comments. “There was a definite There were older trombonists who surprised him. “Barry told me, ‘Listen, who was known for extraordinary insight evolution to his approach with the were turned off by what they perceived man, when you play with these electric into how to make a brass player’s lip, air, trombone. He probably would refer to as the crassness of this new style. One of bass players, people with electric and psyche work productively together. his style in the beginning as ‘elephant them was Jack Hitchcock, a veteran big instruments, you put your bell into the Barry’s son Chris is a highly gifted trumpet trombone’ because he was just pounding band musician who was no stranger to microphone.’ He kind of messed up his player and composer/arranger, a featured the horn on his face, playing really loud. Latin music. His credits included work chops when he was with Eddie Palmieri’s soloist for five years with Gerry Mulligan’s I don’t know how he could do it, both as a trombonist and vibraphonist band. They used to play real loud and he Concert Jazz Band. He has also worked and definitely in the long run that’s not with José Curbelo and writing for both used to not use the microphone too with many of the top Latin groups of the the productive way to play. If you’re really and the short-lived but much. And that’s when they started using ‘80s and ‘90s. He was always aware of his overblowing, you’re playing your loudest exciting Patato/Mangual Band of 1960. the baby bass, the electric Ampeg bass father’s search for self-improvement. the whole time and you’re probably cutting The changing expectations in Latin and electric and I guess he out- “He definitely practiced every day, your dynamic range. I think that’s probably trombone playing were not to his liking; blew his chops.” It’s a given among brass I have vivid memories of him practicing. how it was on the gigs, but I know that by the 1970s he had left the Latin scene players that one’s “chops” are slow to In fact if I listen to my childhood cassettes changed. Listen to Eddie Palmieri’s White and was making his living playing club develop and easy to mess up. When of myself playing with my friends you can Album, I mean Barry’s tone on that is dates. When asked what was expected considering Barry’s early “chop problems,” often hear my dad practicing in the amazing and is so centered because he of trombone players in the Charlie it is important to keep in mind that when background. Later on he was more had somehow gotten to a point eventually Palmieri Orchestra of the mid ‘60s, La Perfecta was formed he had not been comfortable with being able to take a few where he decided OK, he’s not going to his response was “Loud, louder, and playing much more than ten years. days off and be able to come back strong. overblow, if there’s a mike he’s going use it loudest.” Hitchcock said: “You could Viewed in the context of a brass player’s But he had a very specific routine when he and he’s not going to kill himself. On the almost blame Barry Rogers for what entire career, that’s hardly any time at all. started practicing, you know, stuff for the liner notes for Eddie and ’s happened to trombones in Latin music. Joe Orange has a story from this period. brass embouchure. Carmine Caruso type album , they describe one I got to love Barry a lot, man, we got “A c ouple of times I talked Barry into slurring, harmonic exercises, he would of my father’s solos as swashbuckling. very close but at the time I hated his coming over to my house so we could play always do that to keep his range up.” I think my dad never lost that quality, guts. Because I was essentially a rather classical duets together. Barry couldn’t It was only after abandoning full-time he just refined it. That’s the way he played, soft trombone player and I liked it that play! I mean he could (makes loud noise) work in the Latin scene that Barry became graceful but amazingly strong presence way. Now Eddie Palmieri was the hot but he was doing that so much that when successful in resolving his struggles with regardless of whether he was overblowing band and Barry and José Rodrígues, he had to play with a lot of control and his chosen instrument; the need to play or playing softly. Amazing dynamics in his they pumped that stuff out and it was so softness and get into the high register he “loud, louder, and loudest” became a thing playing, which I would love to hear in other loud, I mean it was incredible. Then couldn’t do it! Now the problem wasn’t of the past. Working regularly during the players, that I very rarely hear. So I still Willie Colón comes up after him and reading, he could read. It was his 1970s as a recording artist both facilitated think of ‘elephant trombone’ as just a way says, ‘That must be the way you play!’ approach to the horn, he could just and necessitated a less strident approach of describing really loud, distorted, metal- So I mean all these guys are blatting away play what he could play at that time.” to playing. Generally speaking, musicians in-your-face playing.” and I finally got to play louder out of self- As surprising as it may be to hear a story who spend most of their professional lives By 1974, the year of some of his defense. ‘Cause whether I was with like this about one of salsa’s canonized playing for microphones play softer and greatest collaboration with Eddie Orlando Marín or whoever I was with it heroes, it makes sense when one with less tonal edge than musicians who Palmieri, Barry’s rethinking of his was, ‘Hey, man, can’t you play louder?’, considers the length of time Barry had perform in large concert halls or who do instrument was already paying off.

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His astounding work on “Cobarde” tape editing, producing, which included Finale shows him playing passages up to a doing overdubs for other musicians. I mean On Wednesday, April 18, 1991, Barry Rogers went to sleep in his Washington Heights high F, something he would have never they’d leave me alone for hours, and I ran apartment. He never woke up. There was no history of any illness that could have dreamed of doing during the 1960s. the sessions, which I enjoyed doing. I gave provided any context or explanation. The shock to Barry’s friends, family, and On “Páginas de Mujer” from the 1981 it, and that’s the way I am. I give more than colleagues was compounded by the veil of mystery clouding the end of his life. release Eddie Palmieri (aka “The White I ever get paid for.” Although listed as the According to his cousin Heidi Rogers, the autopsy was inconclusive. Album”), Barry tosses off beautifully arranger of “Un Dia Bonito” (The Sun of The life and work of Barry Rogers is fraught with irony. Not a Latino, he helped centered high C’s and D’s, using all of the Latin Music), he is not credited for the change the face of Hispanic Caribbean music, especially in his vital role in the seminal crafty pitch choices and emotional direct- layering and molding of sound so brilliantly band La Perfecta. Not a scion of the African diaspora, he felt, mastered, performed ness of the halcyon days of La Perfecta. realized in this number. In his 1977 WBAI and taught Afro-Atlantic music as if it were part of his own make-up. Known best as Barry Rogers was endowed with a highly interview he recalled the sessions: a trombonist, he spent much of his life fighting “that fuckin’ trombone.” Although he acute pitch sense and a rhythmic feel that “I produced everything except the eventually won, it was an invisible battle to all but the keenest observers and his closest was both gutsy and precise. In addition, original rhythm track, without horns friends. A man who worshipped John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins and who began and he had the ability to keep track of detail and without the arrangement. After the ended his life playing jazz, he is best known as a salsero. The de facto leader of almost without losing awareness of the big picture. rhythm track was laid down by Eddie every band fortunate enough to count him as a member, he never officially led a band His sense of how to deal with musical and and the gang, without horns and without or had a hit record. His role (however vaguely formulated or insufficiently understood) technical problems that constantly arise singing, I had to go in there and cut it all in shaping the sounds of ‘60s salsa and ‘70s fusion masks another achievement, in a studio setting improved countless up with a razor blade with an engineer at possibly even greater: Barry Rogers can be considered to be one of the first world recording projects. Many of his the Electric Lady studios and we pieced musicians. The clouding of this achievement is probably the greatest irony of all. accomplishments in this area have never the entire thing together and overdid all To leave her the last word, Louise Rogers views Barry Rogers’ creativity from a been credited, financially or otherwise. the horns and the singing later.” In a 1998 slightly different perspective: “Barry had an ability to go to the heart of a given musical In a 1974 interview with John Storm interview for ’s website, Eddie vernacular. At the same time he never lost himself, he was always himself in doing it. Roberts, he presented the dilemma in summarizes Barry’s role: “‘Un Dia Bonito’ Which is why he was not someone who emulates beautiful things from the past, which he often found himself: “Now where is the maximum of our collaboration ever. he was really a creator in the stream of the past.” do you draw the line between arranging I never played piano like that again and and producing? You can’t. And of course I couldn’t do that again if I tried. you never get paid for it, for that reason. Because it was the magic between PHOTOGRAPHY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS But I did a hell of a lot of work on some he and I, he drew it out and I drew I would like to thank the following people for the use of photographs that appear albums that no one knows about, including everything out of him too.” with this article: Arthur Jenkins, Joe Rivera, Chris Rogers, Roy Ramirez. FURTHER READING For those interested in finding out more about Barry Rogers and his ambiente musical talent, there are several worthwhile sources. As an afterward to my 1998 Descarga interview with Eddie Palmieri, I recommended Robert Farris Thompson’s “New Voice From The Barrios,” published in the 10/28/67 issue of Saturday Review. Also cited was John Storm Roberts’ “Salsa’s Prodigal Son,” an interview with Palmieri that appeared in the 4/22/76 issue of Down Beat. Although considerable time has passed since their printing, both pieces hold up extremely well, due to the cogent thinking and imaginative writing of both authors. Another piece of great value is 7(0) Christopher Washburne’s “Play It Con Filin!: The Swing and Expression of Salsa,” which appeared in the fall/winter 1998 issue of Latin American Music Review, Volume 19, Number 2. This article contains accurate and well-annotated transcriptions of various salsa improvisations, including the solo from “Páginas de Mujer” referred to at the beginning of this piece. A SELECT LISTING OF LATIN MUSIC RECORDINGS, INCLUDING BARRY ROGERS Alegre All Stars, The Alegre All Stars Alegre All Stars, Vo l. 3 — Lost and Found Alegre All Stars, Vo l . 4 — Way Out Alegre All Stars, Te Invita Azuquita , La Foule Bataan, Joe Laso Bataan, Joe Singin’ Some Soul

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Byrne, David Quintana, Ismael & , Amor, Vida y Sentimiento , Dos Rivera, Ismael, Feliz Navidad Cesta All Stars, Cesta All Stars, Vol. 1 Rivera, Mon, Mon y Sus Trombones (originally Que Gente Averigua) Colón, Willie, El Baquine de Angelitos Negros Rivera, Mon, Kijis-Konar Cortijo y su Combo, Caballo de Hierro (mixing) Sabater, Jimmy, Solo Cotto, Joe, Dolores Santamaria, Mongo, Ubane Cruz, Celia (w. Tito Puente), Cuba y Son... Tico All Stars, at the , Live, Vol. 1 Cruz, Celia, The Winners Tico All Stars, Descargas at the Village Gate, Live, Vol. 2 Dimond, Markolino/Frankie Dante, Beethoven’s V Tico All Stars, Descargas at the Village Gate, Live, Vol. 3 Entre Amigos, Entre Amigos Tico-Alegre All Stars, Live at Carnegie Hall, Vol. 1 Fania All Stars, Live Tjader, Cal, El Sonido Nuevo Fania All Stars, Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 2 Torres, Roberto, El Castigador Fania All Stars, Live at Yankee Stadium, Vol. 2 Valentin, Bobby, Afuera Fania All Stars, Salsa Fania All Stars, Tribute to Tito Rodríguez INTERVIEWS USED AS SOURCE MATERIAL FOR THIS ARTICLE Feliciano, Cheo, Felicidades (ALL CONDUCTED BY DAVID M. CARP UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED.) Feliciano, Cheo, The Singer Lolly Bienenfeld 3/13/99 Harlow, Larry, Our Latin Feeling/Nuestro Sentimiento Latino Steve Berríos Jr. 6/13/97 Libre, Con Salsa y con Ritmo, Vol. 1 Benny Bonilla 8/12/96 Libre, Tiene Calidad 10/13/98 Lupe, La, Un Encuentro con La Lupe — with Curet Alonso Mike Brecker 12/26/98 , Fireworks Willie Colón 9/7/92 Mann, Herbie, Brazil: Once Again Eddie Daniels 3/13/99 Mann, Herbie, Sunbelt Joe de Mare 5/4/99 Miranda, Ismael, No Voy al Festival Alfred Du Mire 5/15/97 Orquesta Broadway, Pasaporte Joan Fagin 2/15/97 Orquesta Novel, Salsamania Bernard Fox 3/20/97 Ortiz, Luis “Perico,” El Isleño John Gordon 4/11/99 Ortiz, Luis “Perico,” Sabor Tropical Rodgers Grant 6/9/96 Ortiz, Luis “Perico,” El Astro Oscar Hernández 4/5/99 Pacheco, Johnny, Johnny Pacheco con Pete (Conde) Rodriguez/La Perfecta Combinación Jack Hitchcock 7/10/97 Pacheco, Johnny, Pacheco — His Flute and Latin Jam Arthur Jenkins 5/10/96 Palmieri, Charlie, Mambo Show Luis Máquina 10/22/93 Palmieri, Eddie, La Perfecta Kenny Mills 4/14/97 Palmieri, Eddie, El Molestoso Phil Newsum 10/10/98; 10/17/98 Palmieri, Eddie, Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso Joe Orange 2/6/99 Palmieri, Eddie, Echando Pa’lante Johnny Pacheco 4/2/97 Palmieri, Eddie, Azucar Pa’ Ti Eddie Palmieri 8/13/98 Palmieri, Eddie, Mozambique Bob Porcelli 6/30/96 Palmieri, Eddie, Cal Tjader and Eddie Palmieri/El Sonido Nuevo Joe Rivera 1/30/99 Palmieri, Eddie, Molasses Barry Rogers 1974 (interview with John Storm Rogers) Palmieri, Eddie, Bamboleate Barry Rogers 1/30/77 (WBAI-FM, interview with Pablo “Yoruba” Guzmán) Palmieri, Eddie, Champagne Chris Rogers 11/10/96 Palmieri, Eddie, The Sun of Latin Music Heidi Rogers 4/22/99 Palmieri, Eddie, Unfinished Masterpiece Louise Rogers 4/17/97 Palmieri, Eddie, Eddie Palmieri 8/3/92 Playa Sextette, La, Si, Si, La Playa Lenny Seed 7/7/96 Playa Sextette, La, The La Playa Sextet in Puerto Rico Peter Sims 5/15/96 Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers, Legends of Acid Jazz — the Best of Pucho and the Soul Brothers Marty Sheller 5/26/96; 12/23/96 Puente, Tito, Cuba y Puerto Rico Son... Robert Farris Thompson 1/18/99 Puente, Tito, Va ya Puente Papo Vásquez 8/3/93 Quintana, Ismael, Ismael Quintana Mark Weinstein 11/24/96

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