Francisco Hernández Mora, better known as Pancho Quinto, was born on April 23, 1933. He was a Cuban rumba percussionist, teacher and founder of Yoruba Andabo.
Active for more than fifty years in a network of percussionists in Havana who have maintained and developed Cuba’s important African heritage, Pancho Quinto began his career playing in traditional religious ceremonies, gaining the rank of omo ana or master drummer. During the 1950s he was a constant presence in neighborhood carnival groups and rumbas, and played on the classic Sonora Matancera song Nuevo Ritmo Omelenco which featured a young Celia Cruz.
Despite excelling as a percussionist, this was not a career option in pre-revolutionary Cuba and so Pancho worked on Havana’s docks. Pancho learned and assimilated many different drumming styles from the docks, where in-between unloading ships, the workers practiced a variety of African cultural and religious traditions. He fused these into his interpretation of rumba, a complex Cuban music and dance, which developed from the synthesis of various African and Spanish styles.
The basic tracks of his 2003 CD Rumba Sin Fronteras were achieved in a one-day session during Pancho Quinto?s historic 1998 US tour. He was inspired by the booming percussive sounds he heard bouncing from car trunks in San Francisco’s Latin barrio, the Mission district. With Pancho, singers L?zaro Rizo and Guillermo ?El Negro? Triana were eager to stretch the boundaries of rumba vocals, incorporating new harmonic ideas and phrasing into traditional songs. For that recording, Pancho bought plywood to build a bass caj?n, a massive box that he sat on and played with his hands and sticks. He performed with a set of bat? drums behind him, a small caj?n between his legs, two conga drums on the side, and a variety of bells, sticks and a tambourine at his feet. This unique percussion set produced a diverse array of sounds that Pancho divides between high and low frequencies.
Pancho Quinto died on February 11, 2005.
Discography
El callejón de los rumberos, with Yoruba Andabo (EGREM, 1993)
Spirits of Havana, with Jane Bunnett (Messidor, 1993)
En el solar la cueva del humo (Round World, 1998)
Chamalongo, with Jane Bunnett (Blue Note, 1998)
Ritmo & Soul, with Jane Bunnett (Blue Note, 2000)
Del Alma, with Caravana Cubana (Dreamer, 2002)
Rumba sin fronteras (Riverboat, 2003)
Cuban Odyssey, with Jane Bunnett (Blue Note, 2003)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
