Los Primos

During the 1980s, there were a couple of cousins that were accomplished percussionists who were making their way around the salsa scene back then. I recall hearing about, and then meeting the first one, an extremely talented bongo player who everyone referred to as “Chocolate.” What impressed me most about “Chocolate” was his professionalism and versatility in all Latin percussion instruments. He was a perfectionist who influenced everyone he played with. His real name was Miguel “Chocolate” Cruz. He was a real showman who eventually moved on to Puerto Rico to pursue his musical endeavors while dedicating his life to his faith. He was one of the early salsa pioneers in Chicago. Also during that time, I had the pleasure of meeting a very talented conga player named, Jose “Negrito” Perez. “Negrito,” as everyone called him, was an outstanding conga player who had a very solid tone. Yes, I said tone. You see, many conga players today have a slapping sound or a “thud” when they play, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is a rare few though who actually emit a tone when they play. It comes out as a note instead of a “thud.” Anyway, “Negrito” was one of the few in Chicago who did this. I later found out that “Negrito” and “Chocolate” were cousins. I remember that “Negrito” was often called on to play shows and to accompany visiting artists who appeared in Chicago. As it turned out, Jose “Negrito” Perez had a brother, another outstanding percussionist named, “Herbie.” “Herbie,” whose name I believe was Heriberto Perez, was another outstanding Latin percussionist. As was the case with “Chocolate” and “Negrito,” “Herbie” also had a hell of a swing and was the steady hand of many salsa groups in Chicago. All three of these guys had a style next to none and had a big influence in molding the Latin percussion sound in Chicago during that time.

Recently, I was at the Chicago Salsa Congress checking out the headline act from Puerto Rico, “Sammy Garcia y El Sabor de Puerto Rico,” when someone mentioned to me that Sammy Garcia, the leader and conga player of the band, is also a cousin to Jose “Negrito” Perez and Herbie Perez. Wow! I was shocked. What a small world. This family is loaded with talent if this is true. They must have music in their veins. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could tell us what Miguel “Chocolate” Cruz, Jose “Negrito” Perez and “Herbie” Perez are doing today. I always had good memories of these guys and hope their careers flourished.