Orgy in Rhythm: The Conga Kings & Ray Barretto Live at Iridium February 17 - 22

The Conga Kings and Ray Barretto Live at the Iridium. Percussion masters Ray Barretto and The Conga Kings will bring the language of Rhythm to New York City for one whole week. If you want to experience percussion at its most passionate, with the kind of raw sound that shakes your bones and makes your body move even if you're convinced you don't have rhythm, head over to Iridium, 1650 Broadway at 51st Street in Manhattan February 17 - 22, 2004. Performances begin at 8 pm and 10 pm.

(PRWEB) February 6, 2004 --The Conga Kings and Ray Barretto Live at the Iridium. Percussion masters Ray Barretto and The Conga Kings will bring the language of Rhythm to New York City for one whole week. If you want to experience percussion at its most passionate, with the kind of raw sound that shakes your bones and makes your body move even if you're convinced you don't have rhythm, head over to Iridium, 1650 Broadway at 51st Street in Manhattan February 17 - 22, 2004. Performances begin at 8 pm and 10 pm.

Candido Camero, the Havana-born 82-year old elder statesman of conga, is a living encyclopedia of the history of Cuban music. Born in La Habana's colorful El Cerro neighborhood, Candido has appeared on hundreds of albums, including more than 50 as bandleader. He has worked with almost all of the great jazz masters, including Clark Terry, Dinah Washington, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Mongo Santamaria, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, and Tito Puente

Those bemoaning the lack of a new direction within the jazz mainstream generally find freshness in its musical mixture with Latin rhythms. Conga drummer- percussionist Ray Barretto, who jammed with Charlie Parker, Max Roach and Art Blakey in the '40s and '50s, remains a vital force, leading his hard-driving New World Spirit sextet/septet. Known to his peers as "Hard Hands", Barretto is one of the first true crossover artists to blend latin and jazz rhythms. His artistry has graced more recordings than virtually any other conguero of his time.

For over 50 years, Carlos "Patato" Valdez has demonstrated how a musician can combine technical skill with superb showmanship. His conga playing fuses melody and rhythm, and his understanding of rhythm is rooted in dancing. Patato still dazzles onlookers with his famed dance moves at the age of 78 -- he's the man who gave Brigitte Bardot a mambo lesson in the film And God Created Woman -- dancing to his own solo in front of the congas, behind them and on top of them, bringing them to sing in voices no other conga player is able to create, luring them to tell tales full of melodies and poignancy. It is Patato's spontaneity and charm that enables him to draw audiences from vastly different backgrounds and cultures into the irresistable Afro-Cuban rhythms which he creates.

Giovanni Hidalgo was born in 1963 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. By the time he was five years old, he was immersed in the rhythms of Caribbean percussion. His father, Jose "Mañengue" Hidalgo, is a celebrated conguero in Puerto Rico to this day, and as a result of this drum-steeped upbringing, Giovanni developed a burning ambition to become a great musician. Giovanni may be younger than his fellow master congueros, "Patato" Valdez, Ray Barretto and Candido Camero, but a lifetime of prodigiously talented playing has earned him the respect of his peers.

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