Modesto Duran

Among the great conga players, Modesto Duran performed on many essential recordings by best superstars and orchestra market leaders. His few information being a head prove him to become very capable for the reason that capacity, which is a pity he had not been “uncovered” and documented more. Hailing in the old portion of Havana, he 1st started there using the Gilberto Valdes Orchestra. During 12 years in Mexico, he used almost every other orchestras, including those of Esquivel, Luis Arcaraz, Armengol, and Marroquin. He travelled with Maria Antonietta Pons for seven years before getting the backbone from the Perez Prado corporation. Although Prado once stated there is no genuine difference between your cha cha cha and mambo, it had been Duran’s three-count defeat that offered mambo a distinctive identity and transformed the facial skin of Latin music. Shifting with Prado towards the U.S. in 1953, he caused Sonny Burke, Don Swan and Russ Garcia, aswell as performers Eartha Kitt, the DeCastros, Lena Horne, Natural herb Jeffries, and Harry Belafonte. That’s Duran on Belafonte’s popular, 1st Calypso recording. A musician’s musician, Duran got tremendous impact on additional conga players and Latin aficionados, primarily when you are on all of the ideal albums at the proper time.