A musical legend in his own right, Cándido Camero (born on April 22, 1921) was one of the most popular and sought-after Latin percussionists of his generation. Considered a pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz and an innovator within the genre, Camero is credited with popularizing the use of multiple conga drums and bongos in popular music during the second half of the 20th century. Hailing from San Antonio de los Baños in Havana, he grew up in a music-loving household and started playing make-believe percussion with tins and cans. Camero quickly picked up the tres and the bass before focusing on bongos and congas. During his teenage years, he started performing professionally with several ensembles such as Gloria Habanera and Arsenio Rodríguez’s Conjunto Segundo. He also took part in the house band at the CMQ radio station for six years and played with Arnaldo Romeu’s orchestra at the Tropicana Club right before moving to New York in 1952. During his stay in the city, Camero made friends and recorded with jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Taylor, and Stan Kenton, and made his recording debut as a bandleader with Candido in 1956. Throughout the 60s and 70s, he became a highly in-demand studio musician as his talents were solicited by the likes of Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, and Sonny Rollins, and released a couple of funk jazz-inspired solo albums, most notably 1970’s Beautiful on Blue Note Records. After the success of cult albums Dancin’ and Prancin’ and Candy’s Funk, both released via Salsoul in 1979, Camero took a much-deserved break from his recording schedule and made a comeback in the early aughts with The Conga Kings (2000), Jazz Descargas (2001), and Inolvidable (2004), which earned a nomination for Best Tropical Latin Album at the Grammy Awards that year. More accolades ensued with the release of the documentary Candido: Hands of Fire in 2006 and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys in 2009. Camero continued to perform well into the 2010s and released The Master, his last studio full-length in 2014 - six years before passing away at the age of 99 in 2020.
