Daniel Ponce

A star percussionist and something of the best possible to result from Cuba because the heyday of Chano Pozo, Candido Camero, and Armando Peraza, Daniel Ponce displayed rhythmic mastery of both traditional Cuban noises and modern African-American rhythms. Ponce’s grandfather was a popular bata drum participant and offered his grandson his first training. Ponce performed cowbell with Los Brillantes in Havana at 11. He turned to congas as a teenager, and used Comparso Federacion Estudiantil Universitario. He found America in 1980, and quickly moved to NY. Andy and Jerry González asked Ponce to sit down in in the Town Gate, where he fulfilled saxophonist Paquito d’Rivera. He later on played on a set of d’Rivera albums, and do classes for Eddie Palmieri. But maker/bassist Expenses Laswell actually aided Ponce. He arrived him a program with Herbie Hancock that resulted in the critically and commercially effective release Future Surprise in the middle-’80s. Ponce do several periods for OAO and Celluloid, and released his first program as a head, New York Today!, in 1983. His following outing, Arawe, found its way to 1987, accompanied by Chango Te Llama in 1991. Ponce also led a set of New York groupings, New York Today and Jazzbata, furthermore to considerable program work on schedules led by others.