Johnny Rodriguez, the most recorded percussionist in the world of Afro-Cuban based dance music – salsa, known by the sobriquet “Dandy,” died of 78: Videos

Johnny Rodriguez, the most recorded percussionist in the world of Afro-Cuban based dance music (salsa), known by the sobriquet “Dandy,” died on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 78.

His passing was confirmed on social media by his daughter Adrian. The cause of death were complications due to a series of strokes. A master of the battery of Afro-Cuban percussion which includes the timbales, conga, and minor percussion like the guiro, he was particularly revered for his virtuosity on the bongó and the cencerro (hand held bell).

Latin music historian René Lopez stated, “Johnny was the last of the what we would call the ‘old school’ on that instrument. Everything he played was impeccable. His repiques (conversational improvised licks) were always played in good taste, in clave,… he never overplayed and his bell playing was always on the money.”

John Rodriguez Jr. was born September 11, 1945 in NYC’s Eastside Puerto Rican enclave known as “El Barrio” or Spanish Harlem. His father John “La Vaca Pequeña” Rodriguez Sr., was a highly respected percussionist, in particular on the bongó, who played with well known orchestras like that of pianist Noro Morales. His mother Tati was a well known mambo dancer who eventually hosted her own show on Spanish language TV in the New York area. Both were of Puerto Rican descent.

Transversing Harlem’s First, Second, Third, Park, Lexington, Madison, 5th Avenues from 96th to 125th streets, El Barrio received its nom de plum due to the growing immigration of Cubans and migration of Puerto Ricans to the area in the 1930s which came to its height in the post Word War II era. The interaction between African American jazz musicians and their vibrant culture from Harlem’s west side with Cubans and Puerto Ricans and their own rich musical culture on the east side would eventually intersect at the Park Palace Ballroom. Located on E.110th Street and 5th Avenue, the geographic dividing line of both areas, it would give birth to the formation of Machito & The Afro-Cubans who rehearsed and did their first performances there in 1939.

Musically directed by Mario Bauzá, it would be the first ensemble to actively utilize jazz harmony and arranging technique with jazz soloists in a big band setting combined with authentic Afro-Cuban rhythms. Thus Afro-Cuban jazz was born in NYC, not in Cuba.

A young Johnny would be witness to this experiencing it directly with boyhood friends like Willie Bobo, Manny Oquendo and others who eventually themselves would become well known percussionists. He would get his sobriquet “Dandy”, not from the term used in Cuba for the drum major in the carnival percussion groups known as conga de comparsas, or someone who dresses well, but from his sister Jeanette. “When she was young she couldn’t pronounce my nickname ‘Johnny’ correctly and it would come out ‘Dandy’.”

A lucrative musical offer to John’s father would move the family to Los Angeles during John’s early high school years where he discovered his passion for Cuban percussion. “I took a musical aptitude test and they told me I scored high for rhythm and they recommended I play drums but my love was the percussion. My Dad was my first teacher on congas and the other instruments but till this day my favorite is the bongó.”

His first professional gigs was as a teenager playing timbales. According to longtime colleague, friend, and fellow percussionist José “Woody” Madera, Johnny during this time had auditioned for future National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master conguero Ray Barretto’s band. “Ray told him that he wasn’t ready yet, but Tati his mother told Ray, ‘Don’t worry, one day he will.’ ”

After the family returned to New York City Johnny began playing timbales on Saturdays with the house band at NYC’s Taft Hotel. This ensemble would play opening sets for whomever was the headlining “star” Latin band booked that weekend. It afforded Johnny not only valuable experience but also exposure to veteran bandleaders and fellow players.

In an interview with Boston based WBUR FM radio host José Masso, Rodriguez recalled that he was allowed to sit in with the Tito Puente Orchestra as an apprentice for a few months before earning a place in its rhythm section.

“I went from being a kid, coming into the band as a 16 year old, to being a man…”

It would lead to his first record date with the mighty timbale titan, the 1963 album Excitante Ritmo De Tito Puente – The Exciting Rhythm of Tito Puente. 

CARIBE – composed and arranged by Ray Santos. Johnny Rodriguez – bongó/cencerro (hand held bell), Papi Cadavieco – congas, Tito Puente – timbales

Here’s an example of that with Johnny being featured with the Joe Cuba Sextette from their 1965 release COMING AT YOU. Joe had previously recorded the piece in a trumpet based conjunto setting in 1956. In this newer up tempo version, the band is in what became its signature sound, a vibes dominant small combo.

JOE CUBA’S MAMBO – composed and arranged by Hector Rivera – Johnny Rodriguez – bongó/cencerro (hand held bell), Joe Cuba – congas, Cheo Feliciano – vocals

The Palladium Ballroom located at W. 53rd Street and Broadway was founded in 1948 by retired Jewish tailor Maxwell Hyman. Until its closing in 1966 it was the epicenter of Cuban based dance music in New York City. The three biggest bandleaders – Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez had redefined the music with their big band jazz oriented approach to mambo and cha-cha-cha and the Palladium was their laboratory. A block away on W. 52nd Street, was the home of progressive jazz, Birdland. It was not an uncommon sight to witness musicians from the jazz and Latin music scenes sitting it with each other at both venues. With the Palladium’s open for all policy, it became a multi-cultural, multi-racial hipsters paradise. In 1962, with Johnny now a full fledged member of the Puente orchestra, a chance meeting would change the course of history.

Bronx born and raised Martin Cohen was working as an engineer for a small company. He and his then wife Marylin would attend the happenings at The Palladium.

“We went on a Wednesday night which was when Killer Joe Piro would give the mambo dance lesson before the bands would go on. He’d always yell out, ‘Vaya means go!’ I saw Johnny playing bongó with Puente and it was the most exciting thing I’ve ever witnessed. In my entire life nothing will ever surpass that moment. I introduced myself to him and I was in awe. Here was this teenager who was dressed to the nines and already dating showgirls.”

“He asked me if I could make some bongó shells for his dad which I did. I met his mom and she introduced me to Willie Bobo at the Club Count Basie. She told him that he should endorse the timbales I was making. The very next day Willie became the very first LP endorser. That first endorser photo I shot of him was done in Co-Op City in the Bronx. That first meeting changed everything in my life.”

By the late 60s Johnny had joined vocalist Tito Rodriguez band. A stickler for precision and presentation, saxophonist and Rodriguez alumnus Gene Jefferson recalled. “That band was completely different than Machito’s or Puente’s band. Tito (Rodriguez) wouldn’t let the timbale player do a fill unless he approved it.” Johnny recalled, “From him I learned discipline. Plus we always looked good…dressed to a T.”

Here’s Johnny on the 1968 Tito Rodriguez album Big Band Latino. The opening track, “Esta Es Mi Orquesta (This is My Orchestra), based on a similar piece by the Stan Kenton Orchestra, introduces each member of the band getting a short solo spotlight. Tito introduces Dandy at the 4 minute mark by saying in Spanish, here translated to English,”The youngest in the orchestra, but the greatest in courage…”

Fania became a machine churning out hundreds of albums on a yearly basis with a constant list of bandleaders recording on a weekly basis. Most of the sessions were supervised by Pacheco with Dandy being a first call studio player for the label. In a conversation I had with Fania producer, timbalero, composer, arranger, bandleader Louie Ramirez he stated, “Dandy was like the Rock of Gibraltar. Whether it was on congas or bongó his playing was so solid and tasty that you had to have him on the sessions.”

Proof of that taste can be heard here on the mega-selling album that brought Cuban born Celia Cruz to the forefront as the Queen of Salsa. Produced by Fania vice president Johnny Pacheco and released in 1974, “Celia & Johnny,” showcases her as a virtuosic sonera (female vocal improvisor) on typical Cuban forms like the son montuno, guaracha, and rumba. Johnny drives the bus with his rock solid tumbao’s (repetitive rhythms) on congas as he takes a solo on this guaracha composed by Alberto Castillo which is an ode to Celia’s homeland. It’s a clinic on how to play fast tempos and soloing/talking on the drum in clave.

During this time period Johnny had been steadily working with future NEA Jazz Master, conguero Ray Barretto’s conjunto (a group featuring two to three trumpets). The percussive triumvirate of Barreto on congas, Oreste Vilato on timbales and Dandy on bongo’ would provide listeners with some of the most exciting playing both live and on wax ever witnessed. Here’s an example of the band at the height of its powers as they all trade on this modern son montuno composed by Ray featured on their last recording as a working group, QUE VIVA LA MUSICA from 1972.

COCINANDO composed and arranged by Ray Barretto (congas), Orestes Vilato (timbales), John “Dandy” Rodriguez (bongó/cencerro), Rene’ Lopez (jazz trumpet w/ harmon mute), Roberto Rodriguez (trumpet), Luis Cruz (electric piano w/ wah-wah), Dave Perez (bass)

Although the ensemble was strongly grounded in traditional Cuban based dance music practice, it would eventually expand its boundaries by adding elements from rock like the electrified tres (the Cuban guitar with three sets of double strings) with a wah-wah pedal, elements of scat singing from jazz, contemporary jazz harmony, and eventually adding an electric violin player who also utilized wah-wah and effects pedals.

Here’s an example of the band in their early formation appearing on New Jersey Public TV with Johnny on the congas. The tune AMALIA BATISTA is a classic Cuban guaracha composed by Rodrigo Prats sung here by Adalberto Santiago. Sonny Bravo is featured on piano with Johnny on congas and coro (background vocals). Note the references they throw in to classic 1930s American music and radio which speaks to their sense of history as well as humor.

In 1977 Johnny would complete the circle of the Holy Trinity by recording with the Machito Orchestra on the acclaimed album Fireworks. Thus being being one of the few musicians to have performed and recorded with “The Big 3,”- Machito, Puente, and Tito Rodriguez. Here you hear Johnny on congas on the multi-movement Afro-Cuban Jazz opus composed and arranged by Jorge Millet, “Macho.” It features Cachete Maldonado on batá, Elliot Randall on guitar, Bobby Porcelli on alto sax, Charlie Palmieri on piano, Lew Soloff on piccolo trumpet and Nicky Marrero on timbales.

Martin states, “My concept was to demonstrate the instruments as they are played together in actual performance. It proved to be very successful as the group toured all over Europe. All of a sudden everyone wanted to study the rhythms and purchase LP products. It opened up a whole new market and Tito got exposed to a whole new audience. Up until then he had just been playing gigs like the Pan American Hotel in Queens and the local clubs in NYC. Because of what I came up with now he started to become more widely known overseas and finally started to make good money.”

Johnny eventually would become the de-facto straw boss of the band handling the behind the scenes business. It began to expand in size eventually adding horns morphing into a smaller version of Tito’s big band for touring as well as occasional forays into a full big band with 5 saxes, 4 trumpets, and 4 trombones. Here’s an example of that with the Tito Puente Orchestra performing in 1994 (the 1997 date is incorrect) at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater in a concert for the annual Tito Puente Scholarship Fund.

While Maestro Puente conducts, José Madera is on timbales, Papo Rodriguez is on bongó and cencerro, while Johnny is on congas. You’ll recognize the drummer. The soloists are Dave Valentin – flute, Reynaldo Jorge, Papo Vazquez, Sam Burtis – trombones, Ray Vega – trumpet. With the participation of the Eddie Torres Dancers, the video captures the spirit of mambo dancing New York style with all of its elegance, sass, and panache, just as it would happen at the Palladium Ballroom particularly on Wednesday nights when the weekly mambo dance contest would be held. As the legendary rock promoter Bill Graham once said, “Why should I want to be President of the United States. I’ve done something better. I won the mambo dance contest at the Palladium.”

After the death of Maestro Puente both Johnny and José decided to continue the legacy of the Mambo King who had contributed so much to modernizing the sound of Cuban music with jazz oriented big band arrangements. In 2002 The Latin Giants of Jazz, eventually the 21 piece Mambo Legends Orchestra or MLO, came into being. Musical direction was/is handled by the trio of José Madera who is the chief arranger, Johnny, and tenor saxophonist, flutist Mitch Frohman who each have had over 30 years of experience performing and recording with Tito. Here is an example from one of their many recordings, the 2010 Watch Out! ¡Ten Cuidado! on the tune “Para Todo El Mundo Rumba” arranged by José featuring Jorge Maldonado on vocals, José on timbales, George Delgado on congas and Dandy on bongó.

Johnny is survived by his sister Jeanette Arauco, his wife Dolores, his daughter Adrian, and his son David.

Services will be held in his honor on Friday August 30, 2024 from 12pm till 5pm PT at the Davis Funeral Home located at 1401 S. Rainbow Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada