Cándido Camero Guerra (Photo: Johan Broberg-Flickr)
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Cándido Camero Guerra, one of the great Cuban instrumentalists of all time and the only percussionist on the island to win the Jazz Master Award, died on Saturday at the age of 99 at his home in the Bronx, New York, as confirmed by relatives.
“He died a natural death, while he slept, in peace, just as he lived. His close friends are very proud, not only of his immense musical work but also of his life. We met while working but we became a family ”, he told Las Americas newspaper, the playwright Iván Acosta, one of his closest friends. “A unique artist and an exceptional human being have left.”
“Before going to bed, the night before, he was laughing, with a very good appetite as always, his mind had it very well despite being about to turn 100 years old [en abril]. His humility, education and good character made him surround himself with love until the last of his days. We will always remember him, ”his lawyer and also friend Roberto Marrero said.
Known as the father of modern Cuban percussion, Camero became a legend for lovers of jazz, Latin jazz, and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
Origin and arrival in the United States
Born in El Cerro, Havana, on April 22, 1921, he began to play the bongo at age 4 and made his professional debut at age 14. His father was the one who taught him to take his first steps with tres, an instrument that She became part of the Gloria Habanera Septet, in which she accompanied great figures such as Ramón Mongo Santamaría and Luciano Chano Pozo. With the latter, he performed the well-known song “Manteca”.
In July 1946, when he was only 25 years old, he arrived in Miami and from there, he left for New York to accompany the dancers Carmen and Rolando in a show where Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were the stars. In the Big Apple he established his residence for more than seven decades and developed most of his work.
Shortly after his arrival in the United States, he was hired by pianist Billy Taylor and later by trumpeter and composer Dizzy Gillespie.
He was also a soloist for Stan Kenton’s big band and successfully toured prestigious venues accompanied by his güiro and three congas with different tunings. To achieve specific sounds, Cándido flipped the Afro-Cuban congas or tumbadoras, which contributed to the formation of his style. He was the first percussionist to popularize congas in the field of jazz and popular music in the world.
Artistic legacy of Cándido Camero
During his artistic life, he made more than 700 recordings as an instrumentalist, composer and arranger. At the same time he worked alongside greats of the 20th century such as: Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Tito Puente, La Lupe, Celia Cruz, Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Lionel Hampton, Mongo Santamaría, Buddy Rich, Billie Holiday, Clark Terry and his friend Tony Bennett, just to mention a few names.
Part of his legacy was recorded in the documentary “Cándido manos de fuego”, by the director Iván Acosta. The feature film has been screened at film festivals, music events, and broadcast on television stations in the United States and other nations. The Latin Jazz USA production company produced a self-titled album, recorded like the film between New York and Miami.
Candido Camero’s family
Cándido is survived in New Jersey by his grandson Julián Camero, 51, and his great-granddaughter Juliett, 10 months. In Cuba, where he refused to return due to differences with the communist government, his daughter Emerita and other relatives remain.
“My grandfather was an example for me in everything. I arrived in Miami on a raft in 1991 and I only knew him from photos ”, recalled Julián Camero, from New Jersey.
“When Emigration called him, he told them that he would be very happy to take over. He asked me if I wanted to stay with him and I said yes. I went to New York and he found me a job, he taught me many things, he always gave me very good advice, he was practically the one who trained me because when you arrive from Cuba you come with the wrong ideology. I owe him a lot and he will always be in my heart ”.
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