A few years ago I had the opportunity and privlidge to meet Rafael Cortijo's only son and daughter: Rafael Cortijo Jr. better known by the name his dad gave him, "Timbe'" and his daughter Zoyla Cortijo. Timbe's former girlfriend several years ago came across this website and sent me an email about her boyfriend and that he was interested in meeting me since I had a website that had some info on his Dad. Come to find out, he was just 30 min away from me. I gave him directions to my house and within a week he showed up. It was a nice experience to have met the son of one of my icons. Timbe and his sister Zoyla used to stay in Elyria\Lorain, Ohio but now Zoyla moved with her boyfriend to Florida and Timbe is currently residing in Columbus, Ohio. I also had the priviledge of meeting Rafael Cortijo's brother: "Tio Gilberto" Cortijo as Timbe would always call him. Unfortunately he passed away sometime ago in 2003 around the same time Tite Curet Alonso died. I went over to Timbe's house to see if he had heard about the passing of Tite whom loved Timbe very much. Timbe was shocked to find out about Tite and didn't know about this since the only person who really kept in touch with him from P.R. was Tio Gilberto whom had also passed away within that week. Much love and respect goes out to the Cortijo family and the family of Tite Curet Alonso.
Born in Santurce's Parada 21, Puerto Rico, d. 1983, New York, USA. Bandleader, percussionist, (timbales, conga, bongo, maracas and other percussion), composer Cortijo is a significant figure in the history of Latin music. In the 50s, with his Combo, he pioneered a modernized brass and saxophone-led danceband form of the Puerto Rican music and dance idioms, bomba and plena. Cortijo began his professional career with Frank Madera's band. He toured abroad for the first time with the band of singer Daniel Santos and worked on the radio programs of singer, composer, percussionist, actress Myrta Silva (d. 1988) and Cuban vocalist Miguelito Valdes. Valdes recommended to Cortijo that he form his own band. In the mid-50s he recorded his first number 'El Bombon de Elena' on the Seeco label with singer Ismael Rivera, then vocalist with Orquesta Panamericana. The original recording of this tune and other hits were included on Invites You To Dance/Los Invita A Bailar, featuring Rivera and Colombian vocalist, Nelson Pinedo, who has also worked with Sonora Matancera, Tito Rodriguez and Tommy Olivencia. El Alma De Un Pueblo contained recordings of Cortijo And His Combo's appearances on the popular midday Puerto Rican television programme, Show Del Mediodia. He switched to the Gema label and released a series of albums, including Danger, on which Afro Cuban Rolando La Serie shared lead vocals with Rivera. These albums have been re-issued on the Rumba Records label. Bueno, Y Que...? included the 1960 New York chart-topper 'Tuntuneco'. In 1962, after Rivera was imprisoned for a drug offence, members of his combo, led by pianist Rafael Ithier, split to become El Gran Combo.A period of more than four years elapsed before Cortijo And His Combo reunited on disc with Ismael to provide accompaniment for his Bienvenido!/Welcome! (1966), with arrangements by Tito Puente, and again in 1967 on Con Todos Los Hierros (Everything But The Kitchen Sink!) Rivera formed his own band called Cachimbos. Rafael organized a new group called Cortijo y su Bonche and debuted with them on Sorongo, which included his step daughter, Fe Cortijo, amongst the four vocalists. Fe continued to work with Rafael up to his last album. Cortijo y su Bonche's second album, Ahi" Na Ma!/Put It There!, featured Azuquita, Camilo on lead vocals. Cortijo collaborated with Puerto Rican percussionist/bandleader Kako to give some of his earlier hit plenas and bombas a voices and rhythm section workout on Ritmos Y Cantos Callejeros, with lead vocalist Chivirico Davila. He co-produced his 1974 Cortijo Con Las 7 Potencias with the great Puerto Rican composer Catalino "Tite" Curet Alonso, who penned four tracks. The vocalists included Junior Cordova, who went on to sing with Bobby Rodriguez's band La Compania. Cortijo And His Time Machine/y su Maquina del Tiempo (1974), described as one of the most avant garde salsa albums, amalgamated Puerto Rican, Cuban and jazz ingredients and added the Brazilian cuica friction drum. Unfortunately, the album was a commercial flop. In August 1974, the original members of Cortijo's combo, including Rivera, Ithier, saxophonist Eddie Perez, conga player Martin Quinones, trumpeter Kito Velez and bongo player Roena, Roberto, reunited to make Juntos Otra Vez (reissued in 1982 as Ismael Rivera Sonero No.1 ). Fe sang lead vocals on Rafael's releases between 1975 and 1980. Charlie Palmieri produced Caballo De Hierro and Rivera's son, Ismaelo, whose voice resembles his father's, shared lead with Fe on Cortijo's last album, El Sueno Del Maestro (1980), produced by protest singer/composer Frank Ferrer on his Tierrazo Records label.
