Cándido Camero – a Cuban drummer widely credited as an originator of Latin jazz – has passed away at the age of 99.
Camero’s grandson, Julian, confirmed that his father passed away peacefully in his home on Saturday morning. No official cause of death has been disclosed to the public at the time of writing.
Remembering Cándido Camero
Cándido Camero’s numerous contributions to music span across genres as well as generations. He moved to New York City from Havana in 1947, and after performing with orchestras he began to incorporate the conga drums of his homeland into his style of jazz. He was also among the first to play multiple conga drums at a time, even tuning them to specific notes to form melodies.
As noted by 5 Magazine, Camero also brought a sound ahead of its time to disco. Several songs on his 1979 album Dancin’ & Prancin’ sound eerily similar to the style of electronic music that would later be described as house, inviting remixes by the likes of Todd Terry, David Rodriguez Jr. and Dimitri from Paris.
No memorial details for Cándido Camero have been shared with the public at the time of writing.
