Centro Journal ISSN: 1538-6279 [email protected] The City University of New York Estados Unidos Carp, David M. Salsa Symbiosis: Barry Rogers, 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 Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=37716205 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Carp(v4).qxd 3/1/05 7:11 AM Page 42 CENTRO Journal Volume7 xv1 Number 2 fall 2004 Salsa Symbiosis: Barry Rogers, Eddie Palmieri’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. [ 43 ] Carp(v4).qxd 3/1/05 7:11 AM Page 44 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 Sonora Matancera. 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 Africa. 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 United States.” 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 Tito Puente’s “Babarabatiri” had easy access to Latin music 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 jazz 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. [ 44 ] [ 45 ] Carp(v4).qxd 3/1/05 7:11 AM Page 46 The chicken and booze circuit Barry’s arrival in the Dickens stuff that those conjuntos 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.