Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría (April 7, 1922 in Havana, Cuba – February 1, 2003) was an Afro-Cuban percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue", as performed by John Coltrane among others. His 1963 hit rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All Stars, etc.
These are photos from concerts where Mongo Santamaria played, so they may be of other bands that played the concert as well.
The Fifth Dimension / Nina Simone / Mongo Santamaria / Herbie Mann / Miles Davis Aug 15, 1969 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Uploaded by Zimtrim
