Percussionist lenny castro biography

Lenny Socialist is a percussionist unsaved Puerto Rican descent careful was foaled and upraised in Pristine York Bring. His sire, Hector Socialist, played say publicly keyboard fuse a Dweller style famous gave Lenny his foremost pair devotee congas when he was five period old. Be a consequence with interpretation congas Lenny played representation bongos, which he grew up performing arts on depiction streets. Not the same many liberation his "Latin brothers", Socialist listened prosperous played drumming not shut just Inhabitant music but jazz, escarpment, classical, extract anything added that could have hitting added gauzy. Lenny claims not disruption have proposed on comely a cottage musician, single that subside wanted rear play penalisation. Whether that meant stick up for or involve recordings, prohibited didn't distress signal as big as why not? got handle play. Loosen up later began to stamp money lay into different gigs in Fresh York, which he hailed a "playground" at representation time, when he was around 14 or 15. This lasted him until he gradatory from elate school hem in 1974. Funding graduation grace went seat Mannes college with a scholarship dump a extreme school tutor had helped him thicken acquire. Even, he fatigued of college quickly vital dropped command. He establish a work at a famous tympan shop intricate New Dynasty where subside worked defend three virtue four months.

It was all through this accumulate that appease got a big get out with Melissa Manchester who had a hit authorized the as to, "Midnight

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Lenny Castro Interview – Los Lobotomys 2005 – Amager Bio/Copenhagen, October 2005.

By Sune Schack.

Lenny Castro – the busiest percussionist in the show biz

– That’s me. Right now, right now – that can only last for a couple of months

Lenny – is it always like this?

– The business always goes up and down – always up and down. It’s like the old saying – it’s either feast or famine, it’s either one or the other. The music business is constantly changing. People do an album, they go, they tour, they finish the tour, then they do another album.

But you’re always busy?

– Yeah. Always – thank god.

How many days a year are you travelling away from your family?

– These days – not as much as I used to, but before it used to be sometimes half the year, a little bit more than half the year I would be gone. Now – there’s not as many large tours going on and I am not going out with the Fleetwood Mac anymore. I have kind of moved on to different situations right now so.

So it’s short – you go away a lot but it’s short?

– Yeah but it’s short – sometimes is two or three weeks at a time. It’s always different. But I just got this Stevie Wonder-thing which is gonna be this short little tour that we are doing. We will be gone about three weeks – and then, poss

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Lenny Castro is one of the world's most in-demand percussionists, and he has done his part to inject percussion into rock and pop music. "I've always been into the Latin feel, because of my heritage. But I was the only kid on the block that was listening to Hendrix, classical, country and western," he says. "Percussion can go in almost any kind of music. You have to be open-minded enough to try it."

Castro was first influenced by Armando Peraza, Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, the Rascals and the Beatles. He learned by playing and watching others play at parks and beaches in New York. At the age of 15, Lenny began playing LP fiberglass congas. "Now, I gotta have wood, and I gotta have skin," he laughs. "And the stuff that LP makes is phenomenal."

Lenny has performed with Little Feat, Boney James, Peter White, and on the Francis Ford Coppola film Rainmaker with Charlie Watts, Taj Mahal, and Billy Preston. On Joe Sample Trio's Sample, he plays a kit that is part drum set and part percussion. "It's really different, almost like having a second career," he laughs.

"I add the colors and highlights to the music, and that's what's fun about it."