Titopuente the musician biography death

Tito Puente, donned the "King of Latin Jazz," was a pioneering force in Latin music, known for fusing styles and putting a big-band spin on traditional Latin music. In , Puente formed a band that would become known as the Tito Puente Orchestra.

How old was tito puente when he died

A decade later, he released his best-selling album, Dance Mania He learned to play a number of instruments as a child, beginning with the piano and then moving to percussion, saxophone, vibraphone and timbales paired high-pitched drums. After an apprenticeship in the historic Machito Orchestra, Puente was drafted into the U. Navy and served during World War II.

Returning to New York in , Puente used money from the G. In , he formed a band that would later become known as the Tito Puente Orchestra. By the s, the band was attracting large crowds and Puente, subsequently, became known as a Latin music sensation. Puente later added other Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms to his repertoire, including cha-cha, merengue, bossa nova and salsa, and his continuous experimentation and creativity earned him a reputation as a musical pioneer.

Throughout his career, which spanned more than five decades, Puente performed with a number of leading jazz performers, including George Shearing and Woody Herman, as well as with many stars of Latin music. In later years, he performed with many symphony orchestras. His album The Legend had been nominated for a Grammy in , and he would receive seven more nominations by the mids.

Puente went on to garner two more Grammys in the s, for the more traditional Latin jazz albums On Broadway and Mambo Diablo , and picked up a fourth in for Goza Mi Timbal. In , Puente was awarded an honorary degree at Columbia University. The following year, he received a Latin Grammy Award best traditional tropical Latin performance —his fifth Grammy — for Mambo Birdland.