Martin Cohen (entrepreneur)

Last updated
Martin Cohen
Born(1939-01-28)28 January 1939
CitizenshipAmerican
Education City College of New York. Graduated 1961 Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
Engineering career
DisciplineEntrepreneur,
Mechanical engineer,
Photographer
ProjectsFounder Latin Percussion, Founder congahead.com, Photographer - capturing Latin, Jazz, World musicians (1950s - present)
Significant designPercussion instrument inventions and improvements
Significant advance8 Patents for Vibra-Slap, Cabasa/Afuche and other musical instrument designs
[1]

Martin Cohen (born January 28, 1939) is an American inventor, entrepreneur, mechanical engineer, and photographer, best known as the founder of the Latin Percussion company. He invented many percussion instruments used in the Latin, Jazz, World, for which he was awarded 8 patents. [1] Cohen has captured and documented thousands of Latin and jazz musicians and performances through photography, videos, and audio recordings. [2] [3]

Contents

Latin Percussion Corp

Cohen was influenced by Cal Tjader, Candido, Herbie Mann, Jose Mangual, Chano Pozo and others at the Birdland Jazz Club in New York. [4] He was unable to find authentic bongos to learn on due to the U.S./Cuba embargo of 1960. [4] [2] As a mechanical engineer by trade, he decided to construct them himself in the machine shop of Bendix, NJ with assistance from a local wood turner. [5] He made bongos in his garage and sold them through consignment stores. After the reputation of his business began to grow, he was approached by CBS house musician Specs Powell. At Powell's insistence Cohen designed and sold him a stand for a pair of bongos, something which was not widely used or available at that time. [4]

In August 1964 Cohen decided to quit his engineering job. At first he found work making traps (some at least of his own design) for percussionist and Foley artist Carroll Bratman's firm Carroll Sound while also founding the company named Latin Percussion to sell his Latin percussion instruments. [4] [6] He made instruments in his basement until he opened a small factory in Palisades Park NJ in 1969, and then a larger facility in Garfield NJ . [7] In order to meet demand and remain competitive instrument production moved mostly to Thailand in the 1980s. [4] Cohen became known for his high degree of personal involvement in his business, especially in actively managing and promoting endorsements and interactions with the users of his instruments. [8] In 1979 Cohen assembled a "super group" of musicians featuring Tito Puente, Carlos "Patato" Valdez and Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez called the Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble for the purpose of expanding the LP instrument market beyond the US by touring Europe, Japan, and the Montreaux Jazz Festival. [9]

In 2002 Latin Percussion was sold to Kaman Music, [10] who sold it to Fender in 2008, who then sold it to Drum Workshop in 2014. [11]

Photography

Cohen has photographically documented the Latin music scene through thousands of photos of musical stars such as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Patato, Carlos Santana, Samuel Torres, Issac Delgado, Jeremy Bosch, Porfi Baloa y Los Adolescentes, Los Van Van, Giovanni Hidalgo [5] Thousands of Cohen's Latin music photos can be viewed on www.congahead.com

A photo Cohen took of Tito Puente was issued as a United States Postage Stamp in 2011. [12]

Music recordings

As producer: [3]

1974 Understanding Latin Rhythms, Vol 1, and Vol II Down To Basics feat. José Mangual Jr., José Mangual Sr., Carlos "Patato" Valdez, Ofelio Fernández, Manny Oquendo, and Milton Cardona

1975 Masacote Guaguanco feat. Jose Mangual Jr.

1976 Authority feat. Carlos "Patato" Valdez

1977 Buyú feat. Jose Mangual, Sr.

1977 Ready For Freddy feat. Carlos "Patato" Valdez

1977 My Own Image album feat. Luis "Perico" Ortiz

1978 Drum Solos Vols. 1, 2, 3 feat. Eddie Montalvo and Charlie Santiago

1979 El Clavo feat. Ray Reyes, La Orquesta Refrain

1979 Alfredo - Alfredo de la Fé

1979 Dandy's Dandy, A Latin Affair - Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez

1979 Just Like Magic - The Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble feat. Tito Puente, Carlos "Patato" Valdez and Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez

1979 Por Primera Vez - Conjunto Cache

1980 Bata y Rumba feat. Carlos "Patato" Valdez

1980 Live at Montreaux feat. Tito Puente, Carlos "Patato" Valdez and Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez

2002 Montvale Rumba feat. Pedrito" Martínez and Little Johnny Rivero

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timbales</span> Shallow single-headed drums with a metal casing

Timbales or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size. They were developed as an alternative to classical timpani in Cuba in the early 20th century and later spread across Latin America and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bongo drum</span> Afro-Cuban drum

Bongos are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger hembra and the smaller macho, which are joined by a wooden bridge. They are played with both hands and usually held between the legs, although in some cases, as in classical music, they may be played with sticks or mounted on stands.

A descarga is an improvised jam session consisting of variations on Cuban music themes, primarily son montuno, but also guajira, bolero, guaracha and rumba. The genre is strongly influenced by jazz and it was developed in Havana during the 1950s. Important figures in the emergence of the genre were Cachao, Julio Gutiérrez, Bebo Valdés, Peruchín and Niño Rivera in Cuba, and Tito Puente, Machito and Mario Bauzá in New York. Originally, descargas were promoted by record companies such as Panart, Maype and Gema under the label Cuban jam sessions. From the 1960s, the descarga format was usually adapted by large salsa ensembles, most notably the Fania All-Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machito</span> Latin jazz musician

Machito was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music. He was raised in Havana with the singer Graciela, his foster sister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin Percussion</span> Brand of percussion instruments

Latin Percussion, also known as LP, is a brand of percussion instruments, specializing in ethnic instruments and Latin percussion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cándido Camero</span> Cuban percussionist (1921–2020)

Cándido Camero Guerra, known simply as Cándido, was a Cuban conga and bongo player. He is considered a pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz and an innovator in conga drumming. He was responsible for the embracing of the tuneable conga drum, the first to play multiple congas developing the techniques that all players use today, as well as the combination of congas, bongos, and other instruments such as the foot-operated cowbell, an attached guiro, all played by just one person. Thus he is the creator of the multiple percussion set-up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oye Cómo Va</span> 1962 Tito Puente song

"Oye Cómo Va" is a 1962 cha-cha-chá by Tito Puente, originally released on El Rey Bravo. The song achieved worldwide popularity in 1970, when it was recorded by American rock group Santana for their album Abraxas. This version was released as a single in 1971, reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 11 on the Billboard Easy Listening survey, and number 32 on the R&B chart. The block chord ostinato pattern that repeats throughout the song was most likely borrowed by Puente from Cachao's 1957 mambo "Chanchullo", which was recorded by Puente in 1959.

Carlos Valdés Galán, better known as Patato, was a Cuban conga player. In 1954, he emigrated from La Habana to New York City where he continued his prolific career as a sideman for several jazz and Latin music ensembles, and occasionally as a bandleader. He contributed to the development of the tunable conga drum which revolutionized the use of the instrument in the US. His experimental descarga albums recorded for Latin Percussion are considered the counterpart to the commercial salsa boom of the 1970s. Tito Puente once called him "the greatest conguero alive today".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebeca Mauleon</span> American pianist, composer, and educator

Rebeca Mauleón is an American pianist, composer, arranger and writer, specializing in salsa and other Latin American and Afro-Caribbean music.

Manny Oquendo was an American percussionist of Puerto Rican ancestry. His main instruments were the timbales and the bongos.

The International Latin Music Hall of Fame (ILMHF) was an annual event established in 1999 and held in New York City to honor artists who have largely contributed to the Latin music genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Dawson</span> Musical artist

Roger Dawson is a jazz percussionist, conga drummer, bandleader, and jazz composer. He was a leading jazz and salsa disc jockey in the US and was acknowledged as being at the forefront of New York's salsa music explosion of the seventies and early eighties. He was the creator of the long-running "Salsa Meets Jazz" concert series at New York's Village Gate club.

John Rodríguez Jr., better known as Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez, is an American bongo player of Puerto Rican descent. He was the long-time bongosero for Tito Puente, and also played with Tito Rodríguez, Ray Barretto and Alfredo de la Fe. He belonged to several popular bands of the salsa era such as Tico All-Stars, Fania All-Stars and Típica 73.

<i>El Rey</i> (Tito Puente album) 1984 studio album by Tito Puente

El Rey is a 1984 Latin jazz album on the Concord Picante label by musician, band and orchestra leader, Tito Puente. Puente's move towards jazz came at the same time as Eddie Palmieri's albums. It includes performances by Tito Puente not only on timbales, but on vibraharp playing a medley of "Stella by Starlight" and "(Tu, Mi) Delirio", as well as "Autumn Leaves" and "Rainfall". There are also excellent, inventive, driving performances of two works by John Coltrane: "Giant Steps" and "Equinox", as well as Puente's own hit songs "Oye Como Va" and "Linda Chicana".

<i>Soul Burst</i> 1966 studio album by Cal Tjader

Soul Burst is an album by Latin jazz vibraphonist Cal Tjader recorded in early 1966 and released on the Verve label.

<i>Flautista!</i> 1960 live album by Herbie Mann

Flautista! is a live album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann recorded in 1959 for the Verve label.

<i>Latin Mann</i> 1965 studio album by Herbie Mann

Latin Mann is an album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann recorded for the Columbia label and released in 1965. Mann's contract with Atlantic Records allowed him to record the album for another label.

José Mangual Jr. is an American Salsa percussionist of Puerto Rican Descent, singer and composer best known for his recordings with Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe during the 1960s and 1970s salsa boom in New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Mangual Sr.</span> Puerto Rican Latin jazz & Salsa musician

Jose Mangual, Sr. was a Puerto Rican percussionist world renowned for his bongo drum performances and recordings during the 1940s and 1950s with groups such as Machito Orchestra, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Flip Philips, Abbie Lane and Nancy Ames. "He set a standard in bongo playing and was considered by many to have the greatest sound on the instrument." He is the father of Jose Mangual, Jr. and Luis Mangaul who are both well-known Salsa singers and percussionists. Both were born and raised in East Harlem.

Edwin "Eddie" Montalvo is an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Born and raised in the Bronx, he best known for playing the Congas for Hector Lavoe, Rubén Blades as well as with the Fania All-Stars.

References

  1. 1 2 "Martin Cohen patents".
  2. 1 2 Contreras, Felix. "The Best Unknown Music Photographer". NPR.
  3. 1 2 "Latin Percussion Ventures, Inc. Label | Releases | Discogs".
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Mattingly, Rick. "Hall of Fame - Martin Cohen". Percussion Arts Society.
  5. 1 2 Gonzalez, David. "Bongos, Congas and Cameras". New York TImes.
  6. "About". Latin Percussion. Latin Percussion. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  7. Levin, Eric. "What's a Nice Jewish Boy Doing as King of the Bongos?". People Magazine.
  8. "Oral History - Martin Cohen". National Association of Music Merchants .
  9. Horwitz, Murray. "Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble: 'Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1980'". NPR.
  10. "KAMAN MUSIC WELCOMES LATIN PERCUSSION (LP) TO THE FAMILY". KMC Music.
  11. "DW acquires KMC Music's percussion brands". ModernDrummer.
  12. "Latin Music Legends". US Postal Service. Retrieved 2017-04-30.