El 4 de noviembre/November 4th

 ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Carlos "Patato" Valdes (1926-2007)!

An important Cuban-American jazz musician known for his talent with the congos, Patato Valdes was born into a family of musicians in Havana, Cuba in 1926 (read more here). Nicknamed "Patato" for his diminutive size, he learned multiple instruments as a child, and in the 40s and 50s in Cuba he played with famous groups such as Sonora Matancera and Conjunto Casino. He appeared often on early Cuban television and was famous for his "Baile del Pingüino" performance (listen here, and see the Sesame Street tribute to the Baile here). In 1954 he left Cuba and came to live in New York City (he defected while his band was on tour here), where he continued his career with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Machito, Kenny Dorham, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Herbie Mann. He appears in the 1956 film And God Created Woman briefly in a scene where he teaches Brigitte Bardot to dance the mambo. His 1968 album Patato and Totico, recorded with childhood friend from Havana Eugenio (Totico) Arango, is said to have had a lasting effect on jazz. And in 2002 he won a Grammy for Best Latin Album for El Arte Del Sabor. Valdes lived in Puerto Rico in his later years along with his wife Julia, with whom he had two daughters, Yvonne and Regla (Wikipedia claims that his son is the Comcast sportscaster Chick Hernández, but I did not see that information in any of his obituaries and could not confirm it elsewhere). A lifelong smoker, he died of emphysema at the age of 81. His manager stated that right before Patato died, he lifted his hands in the air and said, "I'm joining you, Changó [An Afro-Cuban deity of Thunder]." Read the full New York Times obituary here. Check out this awesome birthday tribute (photos from throughout his life set to his music) made in 2010 here.