José Mangual was born in Puerto Rico on March 18, 1924, and came to New York at the age of 14 (just weeks from the day I was born).

In 1956, I first saw José Mangual play at a Monday night jam session at New York City’s famous jazz club, Birdland. I remember being amazed at how so much music could come out of the small pair of bongos between his legs. I also vividly remember the look of confidence on Mangual’s face as he massaged every bit of music from those drums. It was a look that I later got to know on a first hand basis, when he and I became friends.

My friendship with Mangual was one that was forged by a chance meeting in a Spanish Harlem after-hours club. He set a standard in bongo playing and was considered by many to have the greatest sound on the instrument. He played for years with the Machito Orchestra, a Latin dance band that had the opportunity to performed in jazz settings in the 1940’s and 1950’s with such legends as Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich and Flip Phillips. Through this exposure to broader musical idioms, José Mangual, who was often referred to as Buyú by his close friends, left the Machito band to join Herbie Mann around 1961. He also toured Africa with his favorite rhythm man, Carlos “Patato” Valdez, and went on to accompany Abbie Lane and Nancy Ames.