"Rhythm is the soul of life. The whole universe revolves in rhythm. Every thing and every human action revolves in rhythm." Baba Tunji
Ernie Plays
L.P. Accents,
Eddie Montalvo
Signature Series
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L.P. Players Roster
Influences
To many to list....
Tata Guines, Jorge "El Nino" Alfonso, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, Patato Valdes, Pello El Afrokan, Victor Pantoja, Eddie Montalvo, David "La Mole" Ortiz, Papo Pepin, Jimmie Morales, Richie Bastar, Stratton E. Howlett III a.k.a. "Skip", Georgie Padilla, Joe Cuba, Armando Peraza, Francisco Aguabella, Johnny Rodriguez Sr & Jr, Pequeno Johnny Rivero, Kako Bastar, Tommy Lopez , Eladio Perez, Danny Thompson, Papo Clemente, Wilfredo "Willito" Lopez, Perico Hernandez, Rolito Soto, Jose Grajales, Frankie Malabe, Ruben Cachete Maldonado, Chembo Corniel, Jerry Gonzales, Martin Quinones, Miguel "Pollo" Torres, Milton Cardona, Ray Romero, Giovanni Hidalgo, Sammy Garcia, Roberto Roena, Pablo Rosario, Louis Bauzo, Chino Nunez, David Rosado Cuba, William "Kachiro" Thompson, Paoli Mejias, Javier Oquendo, Roberto Vizcaino, Panga, Miguel "Anga" Diaz, Pedrito Martinez, Anthony Carrillo, Richie Flores, Celso Clemente, Chokie Lopes, Chiripin, Jorge Gonzalez, Carlito Soto, Louie Rivera, Yeyito Iglesias, Willie Bobo , Ray Colon, Tito Puente, Rafael Cortijo, Willie Rosario, Manny Oquendo, Endel Dueno, Domingo "Kuki" Santos, Nicky Marrero, Orestes Vilato, Guillermo Barretto, Jimmy Delgado, Pancho Roman, Papo Rodriguez, Ramon Banda, Poncho Sanchez, Ramon "Monguito" Ramos, Victor Baez, Tony Rosa, Joey DeLeon, Tiki Pasillas, Freddie Crespo, Leo Perez and many more...
Ernesto Valenzuela was born August 26, 1975, in Los Angeles, California to a musical family. Following Ernesto's early enthusiasm for singing, he discovered that percussion is where his passion lay. But it wasn't until he saw Carlos Santana's world class percussion section live as a kid that he completely fell in love with Latin percussion.
In 1996 Ernesto, Arturo and Ruben Valenzuela co-founded La Orquesta Primo in San Diego with the help of Manny Rivera Cepeda (Familia Cepeda de P.R.). While with Orquesta Primo, Ernesto had the opportunity to share the stage with El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Tito Nieves, Manny Oquendo and Conjunto Libre, Oscar DeLeon, Irakere, Cubanismo, Albita, Poncho Sanchez and others. Orquesta Primo has also recorded several live morning news shows for N.B.C. and performed at various fairs and festivals including Del Mar Fair, Annual Puerto Rican Day Festivals, International Student Fair, Cox Film Festival and Gas Lamp Quarter street scenes and venues among others.
Ernesto's credentials include conguero / coroista / co-Founder of Orquesta Primo from 1996 to 2002, and he is now currently a freelance conguero / bongocero / coroista. Some of the noted artists Ernesto has accompanied include Andy Montanez, Tony Vega, Azuquita y su Melao, Tito Puente Jr., Anthony Cruz, Nino Segarra, Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma, Ommy Cardona, Joe Lopez, Chepito Areas, Rudy Regalado y Chevere, Carmelo Garcia, Octavio Figueroa y La Combinacion, Yari More', Orquesta Pa' Goza' de Phil Robinson, Orquesta Guarare' and many others.
The music on the player is from various gigs I did with
Azuquita y su Melao here in Los Angeles...
Tavio Figueroa y La Combinacion featuring
Legendary Victor "Negrito" Pantoja on bongo y campana
and Conjunto Oye..
Please Support Live Music..
Dont let the juke box put me out of my job! :)
One of my most recent and most memorable performances on congas with Tony Vega from Puerto Rico @ The Conga Room, (Part 1)
(Part 2)
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Me playing Congas with Maestro Andy Montanez from Puerto Rico @ The Conga Room
Heres a video of me back in 2001 or 2002,
playing congas with Camilo Azuquita y su Melao
These videos are from Hollywood Park Casino,
Playing congas with Ommy Cardona from Puerto Rico
Playing congas with Joe Lopez from Puerto Rico
Playing congas with Nino Segarra from Puerto Rico
WHATS UP ERNIE, COUSIN ART GOT YOUR NUMBER WILL BE CALLING YOU SOON. SAY HI TO ALL THE PRIMOS & PRIMAS. MOVED DOWN HERE BY YOUR SISTER ADRIANA HOUSE, STILL UNPACKING WITH LOTS TO DO.
Papín… Papín… Que Sigue La Rumba Emir Garcia Meralla
Ricardo Abreu, Papín, has died, and we are like never before about to start rewriting a history and a legend.
Ricardo Abreu, Papín, was born in Havana in the middle of the ‘30s in the district of Marianao, in an area known as Pocitos. He was the eldest of eleven siblings, of whom the three boys joined in 1959 a group that Papín founded at the request of the executives of the Tropicana cabaret and which from that time on was known as Los Papines, as a substitution for the name Papín y sus rumberos, the first of his groups and with which he had obtained a notable repercussion in such a famous Cuban cabaret.
Considered by experts as one of the great rumberos, Papín contributed to the musical genre of the rumba, the way in which the tambor quinto (high-pitched conga drum) was played in the area where he was born, which significantly differed from the way in which this drum was played in the rest of the city of Havana and Matanzas, the main nuclei on the Island where the rumba, as a musical expression, has been cultivated with intensity for over one hundred years.
Los Papines, the group that he conducted during fifty years, has been considered by specialized critics and the leading media as the “elegants of rumba” for playing this musical expression with a stylishness and poise that opened the doors of important theatres such as the Lincoln Center in New York and the Olympia in Paris. Papín also contributed his knowledge to the rest of his nephews, one of whom, Luis, joined Los Papines after the death of Alfredo Abreu in the year 2001.
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