CongaMania
CongaMania
Q&A: A Conversation with Richie Flores
by
Richie Flores is one of the most respected conga players in the world. His career was established as a premier percussionist while playing with Eddie Palmieri, and other stellar Latin Jazz artists at the age of 17. At 28, he is now a seasoned veteran and one of the most sought out percussionists on the Latin music scene today. I caught up with Richie at his home in New York. He is currently working with Papo Vasquez and Dave Samuels, as well as freelancing. He is also working on some solo projects.
Q: What instruments do you
play?
RF: Conga, timbales, bongo, trap drums, and minor percussion.
Q: What do you prefer, Salsa or Latin Jazz?
RF: I prefer any kind of
music (laughter). Well, both. Any of
those are good for me.
Q: But in Latin Jazz, the musician has more of an opportunity to express himself, no?
RF: Yes, of course. It all depends…
Q: You have incredible speed when you play. Many say you are the fastest conga drummer
in the planet. What is it that you do to gain all that speed?
RF: Well, first you have to practice every day at least 1 to 2 hours. You have to
listen to all types of music. Practice all the drum rudiments and apply them to the conga.
Q: How much do you practice?
RF: I practice an hour a day. Before I practiced a lot more. I physically practice for
an hour a day creating new things mentally.
Q: Do you always warm up?
RF: Yes, with sticks, tone, etc…
Q: How do you take care of your hands?
RF: Well, you have to play carefully. Don’t play excessively hard. If not your
hands are not going to last you. You have to have good balance to help your hands because
if you have multiple gigs and you injure yourself in one gig, you might not be fit for the
next gig. You have to have balance with the sound so that you know when to play hard.
Creams and oils are always good for the hands.
Q: Is it good to have calluses?
RF: Well, it is common to have calluses. But if you have good balance to create the
tone, you will get fewer calluses in your hands.
Q: Both Changuito and Giovanni say it is good to urinate on your hands to prevent
calluses. Is that so?
RF: Ah, that (laughs), never worked for me. I tried it when I was a little boy. My
father was the first to show me that. Sometimes I would urinate when my hands hurt. But
they would still continue to hurt.
Q: At what age did you turn professional?
RF: I started playing professionally when I was 8 years old.
Q: With who where you playing professionally?
RF: I was performing with El Gran Combo, Nene Gigito, Tony Rivencia, and Batacumbele. A
lot of these were gigs that I appeared in as an invited guest. But from the age of 8 I was
playing with these Puerto Rican artists.
Q: How old were you when you met Giovanni Hidalgo?
RF: I met Giovanni when I was 8 years old. He is several years older than I am. He was
already playing professionally. He was playing with
Q: Have you recorded with Giovanni?
RF: The first recording we did together was with Zaperoko. I played conga, and Giovanni
played bongo. Then we did a recording together with Kip Hanrahan. Otherwise we have not
done much together. I was playing as an invited guest when he was in Batacumbele. And we
both played in the TropiJazz concert in 1996.
Q: Both of you grew up together?
RF: Pretty much. When I came to New York, Giovanni was living in Boston. Now he is
living in Orlando so we don’t see each other as much.
Q: When did you start playing with Eddie Palmieri?
RF: I started playing with Eddie when I was 17 years old. I also played with Charlie
Palmieri when I was 12 in a place called Meson Puerto Rico. That’s where Eddie
discovered me. The first big concert I did with Eddie, was Latin Pianos in New York. Then
I started playing permanently when Giovanni left the group.
Q: When did you stop playing with him?
RF: In 1996. I then started playing with David Sanchez. When I was playing with Eddie I
was still free-lancing and playing with a lot of different people. I played with Freddie
Rohart, Roberto Roena, Zaperoko, Cano Estremera, the Fania All Stars, Luis
"Perico" Ortiz, and many other groups. I then moved to New York at the age of
17.
Q: There are a lot of conga drummers that have made instructional videos. You make an
appearance in the Jerry Gonzalez video. Have you thought of coming out with a video
project of your own?
RF: Yes. That is on the way. It’s in the works. There are a lot of people that
have offered me that opportunity. It’s coming soon.
Q: There are a lot of conga players that are bandleaders such as Giovanni Hidalgo, Ray
Barretto, Poncho Sanchez, and Francisco Aguabella. Do you have any plans for your own
ensemble?
RF: Sure! I have done
various things. First, I have plans with the company that wants to sign me. I have
composed plenty of compositions for my group. We have played all over New York. But
recordings are on the way with either Blue Note or Polygram records. There are different
offers. I will choose a company that can back me up good.
Q: What is the name of your
Ensemble?
RF: I have not come out with a final name. I can assure you its going to be Richie
Flores and whatever I come up with. I will figure it out when we come out.
Q: Whom have you been playing with recently?
RF: DLG, Servando y Florentino, Frankie Negron, I do pretty much a lot of the Salsa
recordings here in New York with these artists. Right now I am free-lancing. I am
currently playing with Dave Samuels, also I do all the gigs here in New York with Eddie
Palmieri, and David Sanchez as well. I am getting ready to go to Europe in December with
Dave Samuels. We just finished recording an album. I don’t know when it is coming
out, but I guarantee you it is hot! I teamed up with Robert Vilera, the timbalero from
Venezuela. We did some incredible things on that album.
Q: Who is your favorite conguero?
RF: That is tough, it has to be Giovanni Hidalgo. He is the most complete player.
Q: Do you teach and do clinics?
RF: Yes, I do. I give private lessons and clinics when I have time.
Q: What kind of congas do you use?
RF: Right now LP. But I just signed with Pearl 2 days ago.
Q: You mean Afro Percussion?
RF: Yes, but they have started a new division. They are going to be called Pearl
congas. They have signed Archie Pena, other percussionists, and myself. They are coming
out soon. They are building the product right now. They are going to come out with my own
signature series congas.
Q: Are they going to be wood or fiberglass?
RF: Wood.
Q: What kind of skins do you prefer, leather or plastic?
RF: Leather. All leather. Buffalo, goat is also good. Sometimes plastic works because
it does not kill you as much as leather. Sometimes they work well in recordings. It
depends on how they mix it. Leather is definitely my preference.
Q: How many congas do you play with?
RF: Varies, 3-4-5. In big concerts I use 5. I used 5 in the live concert CD The Sir
George Collection.
Q: You have played with so many Artists. Who have you enjoyed playing with the most?
RF: With Eddie Palmieri. He was the one I enjoyed playing with the most. He gave me the
opportunity to open up with the conga. He is the most physically challenging person to
play for. Even though presently I have been playing also with Richard Bora. He is an
African/French Bass player. He gives me the opportunity to play a lot of African rhythms.
That is what I have wanted to do the most for a long time.
Q: Thank you Richie for this opportunity.
RF: My pleasure. Tell all
the people in the Bay area that I said hello.
Here are some of the
CD’s you can find Richie playing on:
Eddie Palmieri LLEGO LA
INDIA VIA EDDIE PALMIERI / 1993 / SoHo Records
Eddie Palmieri PALMAS / 1994 / Elektra
Eddie Palmieri ARETE / 1995 / TropiJazz
Eddie Palmieri VORTEX / 1996 / TropiJazz
Hilton Ruiz ISLAND EYES / 1997 / RMM
Hilton Ruiz RHYTHM IN THE HOUSE / 1998 / TropiJazz
David Sanchez STREET SCENES / 1996 / Columbia
David Sanchez OBSESSION / 1997 / Columbia
Servando Y Florentino LOS PRIMERA / 1998 / WEA
Servando Y Florentino MUCHACHO SOLITARIO / 1999 / WEA
Papo Vasquez AT THE POINT / 1999 / CuBop
Velas NO STOPPING / 1998 / Sir George
Sir George Collection / 1999 / Sir George / (Live)
Kip Hanrahan A THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT / 1998 / American Clave
Kip Hanrahan TENDERNESS / 1990 / American Clave
Conrad Herwig THE LATIN SIDE OF JOHN COLTRANE / 1996 / Astor Place
Martinez Latin Band FUNKY SALSA / 1994 / Libra
Kathy Kidd KATHY KIDD & CONGO MAMBO / 1993 / Low Rider
Nuyorican Soul NUYORICAN SOUL / Giant Step
Jimmy Bosch SALSA DURA / 1999 / RykoLatino
Israel Cachao Lopez MASTER SESSIONS VOL.1 / 1994 / Crescent Moon/Epic
Israel Cachao Lopez MASTER SESSIONS VOL.2 / 1995 / Crescent Moon/Epic
Segida LOVE IS...SEGIDA / 1974 / Re-Issued 97 / Fania
TropiJazz All-Stars LIVE AT THE MANHATTAN CENTER VOL.1 / 1996 / TropiJazz
TropiJazz All-Stars LIVE AT
THE MANHATTAN CENTER VOL.2 / 1997 / TropiJazz
Videos:
TropiJazz All-Stars LIVE AT THE MANHATTAN CENTER / 1998 / TropiJazz
Jerry Gonzalez CONGA MANIA:
IN THE TRADITION / 1994 / Alchemy Pictures