Tito Puente Honored in Animated Google Doodle

Tito Puente, the influential Nuyroican musician and entertainer, is being honored in a brand new animated Google Doodle.

The animated doodle highlighting Puente’s musical profession, illustrated by New York-based Puerto Rican artist Carlos Aponte, might be seen on the principle web page of the search engine all through Tuesday (Oct. 11). The doodle coincides with U.S. Hispanic Heritage Month and likewise comes on the one-year anniversary of the revealing of the Tito Puente Monument in New York Metropolis’s East Harlem.

Puente was a percussionist, composer, songwriter, recording artist and bandleader whose profession spanned 5 many years. Puente has been referred to as “El Rey de los Timbales” and “The King of Latin music,” having recorded some 118 albums and being credited on dozens extra — greater than some other timbales bandleader so far.

“Tito was a part of my musical expertise rising up in Puerto Rico,” Aponte mentioned in a Q&A launched by Google. “My aunt launched me to Tito Puente by way of La Lupe, a well-known singer in Puerto Rico and New York. Tito was like a Svengali for skills like Celia Cruz. He was a family title. So Tito was a part of my Puerto Rican soundtrack.”

Puente was born on April 20, 1923, in New York Metropolis’s Spanish Harlem and died June 1, 2000. He was surrounded by Puerto Rican, Cuban and large band music rising up, and displayed vital musical expertise from an early age. He began his profession as a drummer in his early teenagers and located his huge break taking part in for Federico Pagani’s Completely happy Boys and Machito’s Orchestra. He served within the Navy throughout World Warfare II, taking part in alto saxophone because the ship’s bandleader — together with greater than 10 different devices. He continued his research at New York Metropolis’s Juilliard College of Music after the warfare.

He began his personal band, the Tito Puente Orchestra, in 1948 and rapidly earned a popularity for his performances that inspired audiences to get on the dance ground. His parade of hits started with “Ran Kan Kan,” Puente’s first skilled monitor recording, which serves because the soundtrack of the Google Doodle.

Past the mambo motion, Puente experimented throughout different genres of Latin music such because the Boogaloo, Pachanga and finally Salsa. He was thought-about a musical pioneer for his creativity and experimentation, and is extensively credited for popularizing Latin music within the U.S.

In 1969, he was awarded the important thing to New York Metropolis and and the Harlem road the place he grew up — E. a hundred and tenth Avenue — was renamed Tito Puente Manner. Puente additionally was deeply devoted to creating alternatives for the Latin group. In 1979, he launched a scholarship fund that supported promising younger Latin percussionists for greater than 20 years.

In saying the Google Doodle, the corporate gave particular because of Tito Puente’s son, Tito Puente Jr., for his collaboration on the undertaking.

You can even watch the 65-second animated doodle on YouTube: