Armando Peraza: Difference between revisions

Armando Peraza (born in May 30, 1924 in Havana, Cuba) stands shoulder to shoulder with Chano Pozo, Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente as a pioneer of the Afro Cuban art form, but through his long associations with jazz pianist George Shearing, vibraphonist Cal Tjader and guitarist Carlos Santana, he was the most internationally visible of all Latin percussionists from the 1950s through to the 1990s. Although primarily known as a bongocero and conguero, Peraza is also an innovative and accomplished dancer and composer.

Significantly, and uniquely amongst the great Cuban percussionists, Peraza has for many years been an important socio-political figure, a symbol of Afro-Cuban achievement through his virtuoso musicianship and his refusal to be defeated by racism. His work with Shearing, Tjader and Santana brought him international fame.

Born in Lawton Batista, Havana, Cuba in 1924, he was orphaned by age 7 but made a living selling vegetables and gaining a reputation as a sportsman, being proficient at baseball and boxing. At one time he was a boxing coach. A natural musician, a chance encounter at a baseball game led to his first professional gig with famous local bandleader Alberto Ruiz. He then made his reputation as drummer and dancer playing with the cream of Havana’s small bands or “conjuntos”, the most famous being Ruiz’s Conjunto Kubavana.

He left Cuba for Mexico in 1948 to tend to his sick friend, conga drummer Mongo Santamaria. They subsequently arrived in New York City in 1949, where after sitting in with Machito's big band, was personally requested by the great Charlie Parker to participate on a record date with Parker, Buddy Rich and many others. He also recorded with Slim Gaillard in New York in November 1949, a session that produced an exemplary virtuoso performance from Peraza on "Bongo City". He toured the entire U.S. with Slim Gaillard's band and ended up in San Francisco, where Gaillard owned the famous San Francisco nightclub named Bop City. After a period in Mexico, where he recorded with Perez Prado and also recorded many soundtracks for the Mexican movie industry, he returned to the US and settled in San Francico, a city of such charm and beauty, that he still lives there to this day. While located on the West Coast, he worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Gaillard, toured extensively with Charles Mingus and Dexter Gordon and performed up and down California for the Mexican farm workers with Puerto Rican actor and musician Tony Martinez (who played "Pepino" on the TV show "The Real McCoys"). Armando also headed up an Afro-Cuban dance review at the Cable Car Village club in San Francisco, attracting a clientele from Hollywood that included Errol Flynn, Marlon Brando and Rita Hayworth.

In 1954, while performing in San Francisco with Dave Brubeck, Armando met Cal Tjader, who was Brubeck's drummer at the time. Legendary Jazz writerLeonard Feather recommended Armando to Fantasy Records, along with Tjader to record an Afro-Cuban album, which was titled "Ritmo Caliente" and was groundbreaking in it's use of Afro-Cuban rhythms with a Jazz sensibility and was followed up in 1957 with "Mas Ritmos Caliente". During this period, Armando was introduced to British pianist George Shearing by bassist Al McKibbon. Armando joined Shearing's band for the next 12 years and was a collaboration that found Peraza at the forefront of a new wave of popularity for Afro-Cuban music. Shearing’s music is now regarded as “light” in jazz terms, but the rhythms and harmonic structures Peraza introduced to the pianist’s music were unerringly authentic. It was during his time with Shearing that Peraza emerged as a composer, writing and recording twenty-one songs for Shearing, such as; "Mambo in Chimes”, “Mambo In Miami”,"Ritmo Africano", "Armando's Hideaway", "This is Africa", "Estampa Cubana" and many others. These recordings were at the heart of the "mambo craze", which was sweeping the US and the world and Peraza became highly visible, which was a major achievement for an Afro-Cuban at that time.

Peraza’s extraordinary technique and expressive power as a hand drummer became a feature of Shearing’s performances. He toured the entire world with Shearing but it was in America where he experienced persistent and institutionalized racism. For instance, in Miami during dates with Shearing and Peggy Lee in 1959, Peraza and the other Black members of the band were not allowed to stay at the same hotel as the White musicians. Shearing and Lee resolved the situation by threatening to pull out of the performance unless Peraza and the others were “allowed” to stay at their hotel. Touring the South was particularly dangerous at that time, where lynching of Black men was a common occurance. Shearing was one of the first Jazz groups to be comprised of both White and Black musicians, which was groundbreaking in it's own right.

In 1959, Peraza joined Mongo Santamaria for the classic 'Mongo' album, one of the most important recordings of Afro-Cuban “folklore” music ever. It included conga drummer Francisco Aguabella, another contemporary and friend of Peraza, and “Afro-Blue," a song that became a jazz standard once John Coltrane had recorded it.

In the early 1960s, Armando joined Cal Tjader's band and was encouraged to perform and record in Southern California by his friend, jazz drummer Shelley Manne. Armando performed throughout the area at such venues as Shelley's Manhole (owned by Shelley Manne) and The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. A highlight was performing with the Stan Kenton band at the opening of the Hollywood Bowl. Through his friendship with Manne, Armando was introduced to the living legend Judy Garland, who immediately signed Armando to play in her orchestra for the "The Judy Garland Show," which was a television event during 1963-1964. In the fall of 1964, he recorded the seminal LP "Soul Sauce" with Tjader. The single "Guachi Guaro" won a Grammy in 1965 and has recently enjoyed renewed popularity in the London Acid Jazz club scene.

Although Armando's never wanted to be a bandleader in his own right, preferring to be a featured performer, he did record one solo album in 1968. His "Wild Thing" LP on the Skye label, which was co-owned by Tjader, Gary McFarland and Gabor Szabo, features performances from pianist Chick Corea and Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe and Latin flautist Johnny Pacheco. He had previously been featured as a solo artist on the 1959 album ‘More Drums On Fire’. His performance on conga and bongos on the piece "Artistry In Rhythm" was widely lauded as a standard-setting masterpiece.

Adaptability and an open mind are the hallmarks of Peraza’s approach, so that when Rock music took hold of the business in the late 60s, Armando was the first Afro-Cuban percussionist to add conga drums to a rock track, notably on Harvey Mandel’s 'Cristo Redentor' album in 1968.

In 1972 Peraza joined the Santana group, which was embarking on its most creative period. Peraza remained with Santana for nearly twenty years and played to millions around the globe, partnering other outstanding percussionists like Chepito Areas and Orestes Vilato. The profile of Afro-Cuban percussion had never been higher. While with the Santana band, Armando wrote and co-authored a total of 16 songs which were recorded by Santana. The best known is probably “Gitano” from the album ‘Amigos’and has Armando singing the lyrics he wrote himself. His jazz-inflected piece “Mandela” was cut on the ‘Freedom’ album. Santana’s recordings featured many outstanding performances from Peraza, notably his conga solos on “Hannibal” (‘Zebop!’), “Bambele” and “Bambara” (both ‘Viva Santana’), and “Mother Africa” (’Welcome’). His bongo performances on “La Fuente Del Ritmo” (‘Caravanserai’), and “Flor De Canela” and “Promise of a Fisherman” (a sequence on ‘Borboletta’) are outstanding. John Santos says that Peraza is “perhaps the greatest bongocero in the history of that instrument.”

Due to health issues, Armando retired from the Santana band in 1990, although he did travel to Santiago de Chile for a major concert with Santana in 1992 in front of a crowd in excess of 100,000. The video 'Viva Santana' includes memorable footage of a Peraza conga improvisation shot in 1985.

Now in semi-retirement and living in San Francisco, Peraza continues to hold workshops and play at jazz festivals around the world. Now in his 80s in 2005 he appeared on a recording by Bay Area musician John Santos. Santos' "20th Anniversary" set included the piece 'El Changüí De Peraza', which highlighted Peraza's superb bongo playing. He returned to his native Cuba in 2002, his first trip to the island in more than 50 years and plans to return as much as possible.

In July 2006, Peraza, at 82 years of age, made a rare appearance with Santana at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. This was the first of a number of summer live appearances. Later, in August 2006, Peraza appeared at the San José jazz festival in California, sitting in with the Julius Melendez Latin Jazz Ensemble, as well as giving a drum clinics throughout California with Raul Rekow and Karl Perazzo, both currently with Santana. Also in 2006, Armando recorded with Bay Area pianist Rebeca Mauleon's album "Descarga en California" (Universal/Pimienta). He also co-wrote a tune on the album titled "Cepeda Forever", honoring his longtime friend and baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda.

On January 11, 2007, Armando received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Voices of Latin Rock. The fabulous tribute show was held at the historic Bimbo's nightclub in San Francisco, CA and was attended by Armando's dear friend Carlos Santana, who presented Armando with a beautiful award. Also attending and performing were members of the group MALO and a reunion of the original Santana Band, with Chepito Areas, Gregg Rolie and Michael Shrieve. This tribute was organized by Dr. Bernie Gonzalez.

On September 1, 2007 it was proclaimed the official "Armando Peraza Day" in San Francisco, CA. Armando was presented with:

1) A "Certificate of Recognition" from the California State Assembly, which reads: "IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR ACHEIVEMENTS, WE COMMEND YOU FOR YOUR TIRELESS DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT AS AN INSPIRATIONAL PERCUSSION MASTER. YOUR COUNTLESS ASSOCIATIONS AND RECORDING SESSIONS WITH MUSICAL ICONS THROUHOUT THE SPECTRUM HAVE INFLUENCED AND PIONEERED NEW AND EXCITING HEIGHTS TO WHICH MANY CONTINUE TO ENJOY. CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!" Signed, Mark Leno, Assemblyman, 13th District, State of California;

2) A "Certificate of Honor" from the City and County of San Francisco, CA., which reads: "WHEREAS, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, I AM PLEASED TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR ARMANDO PERAZA AS A DISTINGUISHED AND RENOWNED PERCUSSIONIST AND PERFORMER. I APPRECIATE YOUR MANY YEARS OF CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CULTURAL ENHANCEMENT OF THIS CITY. BEST WISHES AND GOOD LUCK IN ALL YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS! Signed, Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco. THEREFORE, I HAVE HEREUNTO SET MY HAND AND CAUSED THE SEAL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO TO BE AFFIXED;"

3) A "Proclamation" from the City and County of San Francisco, CA., which reads: "WHEREAS, THE PEOPLE OF SAN FRANCISCO ARE PROUD TO HONOR THE GREAT LIVING LEGEND PERCUSSION VIRTUOSO, ARMANDO PERAZA, HIGHLY REVERED AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S FOREMOST LATIN PERCUSSIONISTS AND INNOVATORS IN AFRO-CUBAN MUSIC AND WHEREAS, ARMANDO PERAZA, BORN IN CUBA 1924 AND FOR FIVE DECADES, RECEIVED ACCLAIM RECORDING WITH BUDDY RICH, CHARLIE PARKER, DIZZY GILLESPIE, MONGO SANTAMARIA, JUDY GARLAND, CAL TJADER, GEORGE SHEARING, CARLOS SANTANA, HERBIE HANCOCK AND MANY OTHERS AND WHEREAS, ARMANDO PERAZA IS AN IMPORTANT SOCIO-POLITICAL FIGURE, A SYMBOL OF AFRO-CUBAN ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH HIS VIRTUOSO MUSICIANSHIP AND HIS REFUSAL TO BE DEFEATED BY RACISM IN THE FACE OF PERSISTANT DISCRIMINATION AS HE TOURED THE U.S. IN THE 1950'S, AND WHEREAS, ARMANDO PERAZA IS A PROLIFIC COMPOSER AND PERFORMER, APPEARING ON OVER 100 ALBUMS AND IN COUNTLESS LIVE PERFORMANCES, CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LATIN JAZZ SCENE INTERNATIONALLY AS WELL AS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO/BAY AREA; AND WHEREAS, ARMANDO PERAZA, A MASTER ON BOTH CONGAS AND BONGO, WHOSE UNORTHODOX STYLE AND RICH HISTORY CONTINUE TO INSPIRE COUNTLESS YOUNG MUSICIANS WHO CITE ARMANDO AS ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST INFLUENCES; AND WHEREAS, IN JANUARY 2003, THE LEGENDARY DRUM MANUFACTURER, LATIN PERCUSSION, CREATED THE ARMANDO PERAZA SIGNATURE SERIES CONGAS AND BONGO AS A TRIBUTE TO THIS PERCUSSION ICON; AND WHEREAS, ARMANDO PERAZA IS RECOGNIZED FOR HIS PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF LATIN JAZZ AND AFRO-CUBAN MUSIC BY THE YERBA BUENA GARDENS FESTIVAL ON SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2007 AT "A TRIBUTE TO ARMANDO PERAZA", SPONSORED BY LATIN PERCUSSION AND FEATURING INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL PERCUSSIONISTS; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COMMENDS ARMANDO PERAZA, A LIVING LEGEND, FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ARTS AND CULTURE OF SAN FRANCISCO AND BEYOND; AND, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEREBY DECLARES SEPTEMBER 1, 2007 "ARMANDO PERAZA DAY" IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO." Signed, Aaron Peskin, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. August 10, 2007 (and signed by all members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors). The occasion was celebrated with a free concert in San Francisco at the beautiful outdoor Yerba Buena Gardens and was titled "A Tribute to Armando Peraza". Some of the participants were: Giovanni Hidalgo, John Santos, Karl Perazzo, Michael Spiro, Carole Steele, Fito Reinoso, Jose Luis Gomez, Yaya Maldonado, Edgardo Cambon, Javier Navarette, Chepito Areas, Mickey Hart and Zakir Hussain.

On September 28, 2007, Armando was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for "Most influential Bay Area Latino" and the first ever in the catagory of Arts and Entertainment by the San Francisco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. This ceremony was held at the "Latino Business Leadership Award" gala at the Hyatt Regency-Embarcadero in San Francisco, CA. Armando was presented with :

1) A "Certificate of Recognition" from the California State Senate, which reads: "THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE HONORS AND RECOGNIZES ARMANDO PERAZA ON THE OCCASION OF THE LATINO BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARDS GALA. WE COMMEND YOU FOR RECEIVING THE ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT AWARD AND APPLAUD YOU FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. WE FURTHER WISH YOU CONTINUED SUCCESS IN ALL YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS." Signed, Leland Y. Yee Ph.D Assistant President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate;

2) A "Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition" from the United States Congress, which reads: "PRESENTED TO ARMANDO PERAZA LATINO BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARD HONOREE, IN RECOGNITION OF OUTSTANDING AND INVALUABLE SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY." SEPTEMBER 28, 2007. Signed, Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the United States House of Representatives;

3) A "Certificate of Honor" from the City and County of San Francisco, which read: "WHEREAS, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, I JOIN THE SAN FRANCISCO HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN COMMENDING ARMANDO PERAZA FOR RECEIVING THE LATIN BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARD. YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION HAVE PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN YOUR ACHIEVEMENT AND SERVES AS AN INSPIRATION FOR MANY CALIFORNIANS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR CONTINUED LEADERSHIP AND FUTURE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY. CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS!" Signed, Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco;

4) A "Certificate of Recognition" from the California State Assembly, which reads: " IN HONOR OF ARMANDO PERAZA BEING AWARDED A LATINO BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARD IN THE CATAGORY OF ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT. IT IS THROUGH THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LEADERS SUCH AS YOU THAT COUNTLESS LIVES ARE CHANGED AND FUTURES MADE BRIGHTER. CONGRATULATIONS!" Signed, Mark Leno Member of the California State Assembly, 13th Assembly District, California State Legislature.

5) A Statue from the San Francisco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which reads: "ARMANDO PERAZA, 2007 MOST INFLUENTIAL BAY AREA LATINO AND THE FIRST EVER IN THE CATAGORY OF ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT".

REFLECTIONS ON ARMANDO PERAZA:

Candido Camero: “Many times after a gig I would see Armando hanging out at clubs like Cabaret Carioca... and he would be doing some of the most incredible steps I’d ever seen. He would incorporate steps from Afro-Cuban folklore. He would combine these steps with his own inventive moves. People talk about break dancing and think it is so hip. Armando was doing it forty years ago and better.”

Walfredo Reyes Snr: "Still one of the greatest ever to come out of Cuba. If you are a percussionist, you should listen to Armando."

George Shearing: “My ears became attuned to authentic Afro-Cuban music thanks to Machito, Al McKibbon, Armando Peraza and Willie Bobo. Armando always had ideas and he would contribute compositions… he sang and drummed every tune we were going to record. For my Latin sessions I depended on Peraza to select the Latin percussion section.”

Carlos Santana: “He has brought to this band a supremely high standard, not only in music, but in all facets of his life. His vitality and strength are qualities I will always treasure.”

Odie Hawkins (in his work “Menfriends”): “I wandered through the crowd, drawn by this small Afro-Cuban brother. I’d never seen anyone that proud…… Sugar Ray Robinson had it, Manolete, Pelé… Bob Marley, Richard Pryor in his salad days, a few others…. Armando Peraza.”

John Santos: "Armando Peraza is much more than a national treasure. He is an international symbol of artistic excellence, humanitarianism, and elegance who has enriched the lives of millions of people."

''''AS LEAD ARTIST:'''' 'More Drums On Fire’ (World Pacific 1959 – 2 tunes on various artists LP),

'The Soul Of Jazz Percussion’ (Warwick 1960 – 3 tunes on various artists LP) - 

also released on CD under the title Donald Byrd & Booker Little ‘The Third World’ (Collectables, 1999),

‘Wild Thing’ (Skye 1968),
 ‘ROAR’ (Tabu 1985),

IN THE 1940's:

Conjunto Kubavana - ‘Rumba En El Patio’ (Tumbao 1994 - re-issue of recordings 1944-1947),

Machito - ‘Cu-Bop City’ (Roost Records 1949)
Slim Gaillard - ‘Laughing In Rhythm’ (Proper 2003 - CD box set reissue).

INTO THE 1950's WITH GEORGE SHEARING:

'An Evening With George Shearing’ (MGM 1955), 'An Evening With George Shearing' (MGM 1955),

‘Shearing In Hi-Fi’ (MGM 1955), 
‘George Shearing Caravan’ (MGM 1955), 
‘The Shearing Spell’ (Capitol 1955), 
‘Velvet Carpet’ (Capitol 1956), 
‘Latin Escapade’ (Capitol 1956), 
‘Black Satin’ (Capitol 1957), 
‘In The Night’ (Capitol 1958 - George Shearing and Dakota Staton), 
‘Burnished Brass’ (Capitol 1958), 
‘Blue Chiffon’ (Capitol 1958), 
‘Latin Lace’ (Capitol 1958), 
‘George Shearing On Stage’ (Capitol 1959), 
‘Latin Affair’ (Capitol 1959), 
‘Beauty And The Beat’ (Capitol 1959 - George Shearing and Peggy Lee), 
‘On The Sunny Side Of The Strip’ (Capitol 1959), 
‘Satin Affair’ (Capitol 1959), 
‘White Satin’ (Capitol 1960), 
‘The Swinging’s Mutual’ (Capitol 1961, George Shearing and Nancy Wilson), 
‘Mood Latino’ (Capitol 1962), 
‘San Francisco Scene’ (Capitol 1962), 
‘Love Walked In’ (Jazzland 1962 - George Shearing and The Montgomery Brothers), 
‘Rare Form’ (Capitol 1965), 
‘Latin Rendezvous’ (Capitol 1965)

THE 1950's AND 1960's WITH CAL TJADER:

‘Vibist’ (Savoy 10’ 1954),

‘Ritmo Caliente’ (Fantasy 1954),
‘Mas Ritmo Caliente’ (Fantasy 1957),
‘In A Latin Bag’ (Verve 1961),
‘Soul Sauce’ (Verve 1964),
‘Soul Bird’ (Verve 1965),
‘El Sonido Neuvo’ (Verve 1966),
‘Along Comes Cal’ (Verve 1967),
‘Cal Tjader Plugs In’, (Skye 1969),
‘Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader (Actual Jazz 1993 - CD reissue),
‘Jazz ‘Round Midnight’ (Verve 1996 - compilation),
‘Talkin Verve: Roots of Acid Jazz’ (Verve 1996 - compilation)

SESSIONS WITH MONGO SANTAMARIA:

‘Mongo’ (Fantasy 1959),

‘Mongo’s Way’ (Atlantic 1971),
‘Mongo At Montreux’ (Atlantic 1971),
‘Afro Roots’ (compilation, RCA 1972),
‘Skin On Skin – The Mongo Santamaria Anthology’ (Rhino 1999)

LATIN-JAZZ SESSIONS IN THE LATE 1950's / EARLY 1960's:

'Victor Feldman' - ‘Latinville’ (Cont 1959),

'Freddie Gambrell' - ‘Mikado’ (World Pacific 1959)
'Randy Weston' - ‘Uhuru Africa’ (Roulette 1960) 
'Modesto Duran' – ‘Fabulous Rhythms of Modesto’ (Raynote 19??)
'Hector Rivera' - 'Viva Rivera' (Columbia / Epic 1961)
'Candido Camero' - 'Candido's Comparsa' (ABC - Paramount 1963)
'Buddy Collette & Charles Kynard' - ‘Warm Winds’ (World Pacific 1964)

MOVING TOWARD LATIN-ROCK IN THE LATE 1960's:

'Lalo Schifrin' - ‘Che!’ (Tetragrammaton Records 1968 - Soundtrack)

'Harvey Mandel' - ‘Cristo Redentor’ (Philips 1968)
'George Duke' - ‘Inner Source’ (MPS 1971)
'Doug Clifford' - ‘Doug Clifford’ (Fantasy 1972).  

18 YEARS WITH SANTANA:

'Caravanserai (1972),

‘Welcome’ (1973),
‘Borboletta’ (1974),
‘Lotus’ (1975),
‘Amigos’ (1976),
‘Inner Secrets’ (1978),
‘Marathon’ (1979),
‘Zebop!’ (1981),
‘Shango’ (1982),
‘Beyond Appearances’ (1985),
‘Freedom’ (1987),
‘Viva Santana’ (1988),
‘Spirits Dancing In The Flesh’ (1990),
‘Dance Of The Rainbow Serpent’ (1995)
'Carlos Santana' solo - ‘Love, Devotion, Surrender’ (1973),
‘Illuminations’ (1974),
‘Oneness’ (1979),
‘The Swing Of Delight’ (1980),
‘Havana Moon’ (1983),
‘Blues For Salvador’ (1987)

A WIDE RANGE OF GUEST APPEARANCES FROM THE 1970's TO THE 2000's:

'Brenda Patterson' – ‘Brenda Patterson’ (Playboy 1973)

'Albert Hammond' - 'Albert Hammond' (Mums 1974)
'New Riders Of The Purple Sage' - ‘Brujo’ (Columbia 1975)
'Roy Buchanan' - ‘Rescue Me’ (Polydor 1975)
'Stoneground' - ‘Flat Out’ (Flat Out 1976)
'Sly and The Family Stone' - 'Heard You Missed Me, Well I'm Back' (CBS 1976)
'Alice Coltrane' - ‘Eternity’ (Warner Brothers 1976)
'Gato Barbieri' - ‘Tropico’ (A&M 1978)
'John McLaughlin' - ‘Electric Guitarist’ (Columbia 1978)
'Rick James' - ‘Street Songs’ (Motown 1981)
'Sister Sledge' - ‘All American Girls’ (Cotillion 1981)
'Patti Austin' - ‘Patti Austin’ (Qwest 1984)
'Aretha Franklin' - ‘Who’s Zoomin’ Who’ (Arista 1985)
'Vital Information' – ‘World Beat’ (Columbia 1986)
'Herbie Hancock & Foday Musa Suso' - ‘Jazz Africa’ (Verve 1987)
'John Santos And The Machete Ensemble' - ‘Africa Volume 1’ (Machete Records 1988)
'John Lee Hooker' - ‘The Healer’ (Silvertone 1989)
'Tom Coster' - ‘From Me To You’ (JVC 1990)
 Soundtrack - ‘The Mambo Kings’ (Elektra 1992)
'Linda Ronstadt' - ‘Frenesi’ (Elektra 1992)
'Eric Clapton' - ‘Crossroads II’ (Polydor 1996)
'Merl Saunders' – 'Fiesta Amazonica' (Summertone 1997)
'John Santos And The Machete Ensemble' – '20th Anniversary' (Machete Records 2005),
'Rebeca Mauleon' - 'Descarga en California' (Universal/Pimienta 2006).

VIDEO / DVD:

'George Shearing' - 'Jazz on a Summer's Day' Bert Stern - (NYV 16590 1958),

'Judy Garland' - 'The Judy Garland Show' (Geneon (Pioneer)  1999) of NBC TV Show 1963-1964,
'Herbie Hancock & Foday Musa Suso' - ‘Jazz Africa’ (Polygram Music Video 1987),
'Santana' - ‘Viva Santana’ (Columbia 1988),
'Carlos Santana & Wayne Shorter' - 'Live in Montreux'  (VBPR 2005 - film of 1988 concert)
‘Sesion Latina’ (Rhino Home Video 1989),
'Francisco Aguabella' - ‘Sworn To The Drum’ (Flower Films 1995).

SONGS WRITTEN AND CO-AUTHORED BY ARMANDO PERAZA:

'ARMANDO'S HIDEAWAY' 1958,

'ESTAMPA CUBANA'      1958,
'RITMO AFRICANO'      1958,
'RITMO RUMBA'         1958,
MAMBO BALAJU        1958,
(aka; MAMBO BALAHU)
THIS IS AFRICA      1958,
CHE-QUE-RE-QUE-CHE- 1958,
 QUE-RE
MAMBO IN MIAMI      1959,
BARANDANGA          1960,
EL BOTE             1960,
MY NEW MAMBO        1960,
SPRING CHA-CHA-CHA  1960,
TULA HULA           1960,
THE GAME OF LOVE    1961,
(co-writer)
JACKIE'S MAMBO      1961,
MAMBO AT THE        1961,
BLACKHAWK
MAMBO IN CHIMES     1961,
MAMBO SERENADE      1961,
TE ARANGO TU CABEZA 1961,
(aka: I CUT YOUR HAIR
 CHA-CHA)
UNCLE SAMBA         1961,
TIE ME DONKEY       1961,
MARAMOOR MAMBO      1962,
(aka: MARAMOOR AND
 MARAMOR MAMBO)
WAY TO ARIZONA      1962,
UNCLE CALYPSO       1963,
VIVA PERAZA         1968,
RED ONION           1968,
ARMANDO'S BOSSA     1968,
ARMANDO'S GUAJIRA   1968,
(aka: ARMANDO'S
 QUAJIRA)
ST. CROIX           1969,
SAOCO               1969,
HERE AND NOW        1975,
(co-writer)
GITANO              1976,
A-1 FUNK            1976,
(co-writer)
BATUKADA            1976,
(co-writer)
CASTILLOS DE ARENA  1976,
PARTS 1 and 2
(co-writer)
(aka: SAND CASTLES)
AFRO NUE            1978,
(co-writer)
WHAM                1979,

(co-writer)

AMERICAN GYPSY      1981,
(co-writer)
NUEVA YORK          1981,
(co-writer)
TALES OF KILAMENJARO 1981,
(co-writer)
OXUN                1982,
(co-writer)
(aka: OSHUN)
SHANGO              1982,
(co-writer)
OYE MI GENTE        1985,
(co-writer)
MANDELA             1987,
(co-writer)
SPIRIT              1987,
(co-writer)
ANGEL NEGRO         1989,
(co-writer)
BAMBARA             1989,
(co-writer)
PERAZA I/PERAZA II  1989,
(co-writer)
WE DON'T HAVE TO    1992, 
WAIT 
(co-writer)
CEPEDA FOREVER      2006,
(co-writer).

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