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 Salsa 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]
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 artistCarroll 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]
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