Alfonso Joseph

Alfonso Joseph

Alfonso "El Panameno" Joseph was born in the Republic of Panama, and immigrated to New York at 11 years of age, where he studied music and became one of the forefront bassists of Cuban legend Arsenio Rodriguez. Joseph is a featured guest in a major television production about the era of Afro-Cuban music at The Palladium in New York [http://laepocafilm.com/aboutthefilm.html "La Epoca"] .

Joseph's musical career began in the mid-1950s, learning and playing guitar with many Puerto Rican groups, "conjuntos", and playing diverse rhythmic variations of Puerto Rican music. He replaced the guitar strings with electronic strings and used the guitar as a bass, playing only the last four strings. With this convention, he became a bass player. Soon after, he graduated to Fender bass guitar and an Ampeg bass amplifier. Joseph was one of handful of bass players at that time, who introduced and popularized the bass guitar in the Latin, Jazz, Latin/Jazz and R&B venue.

Throughout the 1960s, Joseph performed at the Palladium and in the late Sixties and early Seventies, he performed at the Roseland Ballroom, two of New York City's most famous venues. During the same era, he also played bass at Birdland, a famous NYC club where all the jazz and Latin Jazz greats have performed.

As a bass player and vocalist, Joseph accompanied, recorded and performed with some of the most popular and prominent bandleaders and musicians during the heyday of Latin music and Latin Jazz. Historians and fans of this era as well as the older generation of Latinos, will remember most of these artists such as Arsenio Rodriguez, Candido, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Machito, Johnny Pacheco, Yomo Toro, Cachao, Miguelito Valdez, Doc Cheetham, Alfredo "Chocolate" Armentero, Mauricio Smith, Richie Ray, Marcelino Guerra and many others.

Arsenio Rodriguez was a tres guitarist, a renown master of Afro-Cuban music and in particular is regarded as the originator of a Latin style called the "son montuno". Rodriguez personally taught Joseph the intricate techniques of Cuban bass rhythms and syncopation. Joseph performed with Arsenio at Carnegie Hall and recorded with Rodriguez on Ansonia Records "Arsenio Rodriguez y Su Conjunto", Vol.2) and Tico Records ("Arsenio Dice... Arsenio Says").

Candido, the great Cuban Latin-Jazz percussionist, also personally coached and trained Joseph on Cuban bass rhythms and syncopation. Joseph recorded with Candido as vocalist, with Tito Puente conducting and playing vibes and timbales and he often substituted with Cachao on bass, (Tico Records, "Candido's Latin McGuffas Dust").

After the death of his mentor, Arsenio Rodriguez, Joseph partially retreated from performing and relocated to the Litchfield Hills of northwestern Connecticut, dedicating most of his time to composing and orchestrating. In this undertaking, he conceived the vision of employing his knowledge, skills and technique as acquired from Latin and Classical music into one form. Joseph has since relocated to Richmond, Virginia and has been a sugject interviewed in the major national television production called [http://laepocafilm.com "La Epoca,"] which is about the Palladium-era in New York, and Afro-Cuban music and rhythms, Mambo and Salsa as dances and as music and much more, partly discussed in this [http://laepocafilm.com/LaEpocaPreview03.wmv "segment trailer"] of the movie. The movie is expected to be released in theaters across the nation and in Latin America in September 2008, and later on DVD.

External links

* [http://www.laepocafilm.com/ "La Epoca" documentary film about The Palladium]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Joseph Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias — Joseph Ferdinand Electoral Prince of Bavaria Prince of Asturias Josef Ferdinand by Joseph Vivien in 1698 House House of Wittelsbach Father Maximilian II Emanuel …   Wikipedia

  • ALFONSO° — ALFONSO°, name of many Spanish sovereigns. Of special significance in Jewish history were the following: Kings of Aragon ALFONSO I (1104–34; the Battler ). After capturing Tudela from the Moors in 1114, he permitted Jews who had fled during the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Alfonso X de Castilla y León — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Alfonso X de Castilla y de León Rey de Castilla y de León Retrato moderno de Alfonso X con sus tablas astronómicas. Situado en la sala de la Chimenea del Alcázar de Segovia …   Wikipedia Español

  • Alfonso X de Castilla — Rey de Castilla[1] Alfonso X en una miniatura medieval del Libro de los juegos …   Wikipedia Español

  • Alfonso de Borbón y Dampierre — Duque de Cádiz Pretendiente legitimista al trono de Francia 20 de marzo de 1975 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz — ( Alfonso Jaime Marcelino Manuel Victor Maria de Borbón y Dampierre , French citizen as Alphonse de Bourbon ) (April 20, 1936 ndash; January 30, 1989) was a grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and a legitimist claimant to the throne of France …   Wikipedia

  • Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara — Alfonso d Este redirects here. For the later duke of this name, see Alfonso II d Este, Duke of Ferrara. Alfonso d Este Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio Alfonso d Este, after Titian (attributed to Bastia …   Wikipedia

  • Alfonso XIII of Spain — Alfonso XIII ( Alfonso León Fernando Maria Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbon y Austria Lorena ); when anglicised Alphonse Leon Ferdinand Mary James Isidor Pascal Anthony of Bourbon and Austria Lorraine (May 17, 1886 ndash; February 28, 1941) …   Wikipedia

  • Alfonso Muzzarelli — (b. 22 August 1749, at Ferrara; d. 25 May 1813, at Paris) was an Italian Jesuit theologian and scholar. Life He entered the Jesuit novitiate on 20 October 1768, and taught grammar at Bologna and Imola. After the suppression of the order in 1773… …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph Pérez — Joseph Pérez, Casa de Velázquez (2009). Joseph Pérez (Laroque d Olmes, Ariège, Francia, 14 de enero de 1931)[1] es un historiador e hispani …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”