Artist:Willie Bobo
Song:Soul Foo Young
Album:Lost & Found
Willie Bobo is one of the all time greats of latin jazz percussion. He was born William Correa Feb. 28, 1934 in Spanish Harlem in New York City. By the age of 14 he was playing congas with Perez Prado. Then he studied with Mongo Santamaria and served as his translator. At age 19 he joined Tito Puente's band. He was given the nickname "Bobo" by pianist Mary Lou Williams. He emerged as a leader in 1963 with several hit records on Verve that merged latin music with jazz & pop including Spanish Grease. He also played tons of sessions. Then he moved to Los Angeles and was a regular on Bill Cosby's first sitcom. He continued to record until his death from cancer on Sept. 15, 1983 at age 49. Lost & Found is a CD of unfinished recordings recently discovered in the family home by Willie's son Eric Bobo and released by Concord Jazz in 2006. Soul Foo Young holds up pretty well to Bobo's best recordings. It was written by Steve Hoffsteter of The Cruzados. I couldn't find any video footage of Willie Bobo but Concord has posted a trailer for Lost & Found so that will have to do.
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