Yomo Toro
Yomo Toro | |
---|---|
Bronx, New York | |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | |
Instrument(s) | Cuatro |
Years active | 1951–2012 |
Labels |
Víctor Guillermo "Yomo" Toro (26 July 1933 – 30 June 2012) was a Puerto Rican left-handed guitarist and
Early years
Victor Guillermo Toro was born in
Nicknamed "Yomo" by his father, Toro began to play music at age 6.[3]
At age 15, Toro formed the string trio La Bandita de la Escuela ("The Little School Band").[4] He continued his musical career by performing at events with La Bandita and other trios, all over the island of Puerto Rico, as well as on the radio program La Montaña Canta (The Mountain Sings).[4]
The cuatro
The cuatro is the national instrument of Puerto Rico. Larger than a mandolin, it contains ten strings which generate complex tones and multiple harmonic series.
The Puerto Rican cuatro spans five courses, tuned in fourths from low to high B-e-a-d'-g',54321, with B and E in octaves and A, D and G in unisons.
Yomo Toro and his cuatro music became internationally known, when he performed the opening theme song to the 1971 Woody Allen film Bananas.
In the U.S., Toro's reputation as a cuatro player had already grown steadily throughout the 1950s and 60's. In the 1970s and 80's, his concert tours with the
His
Folkloric style
Yomo Toro preserved the traditional Puerto Rican form known as
For orchestration and song structure, Yomo Toro often used the bomba format. For rhythm and instrumentation, he made heavy use of the traditional Barril de bomba - a Puerto Rican drum with African origins - and Toro improvised spiraling cuatro solos over the bomba rhythms.[5]
Though firmly grounded in Puerto Rican musical tradition, Yomo Toro's style was extremely textured and eclectic. As a
International career
Toro played traditional Puerto Rican and
He was hired to play on a Christmas-themed salsa record by Willie Colón called Asalto Navideño ("Christmas Assault") which included several of Toro's aguinaldos and songs from the Puerto Rican parranda, or caroling, tradition. Asalto Navideño became one of the most successful releases for Fania Records, and its fame solidified the cuatro's role in the salsa scene.[3]
The success of Asalto Navideño led to a sequel in 1973, as well as a third holiday record in 1979 with Hector Lavoe and the singer Daniel Santos. On the covers of those two albums, Yomo Toro is dressed as Santa Claus. Short, round and joyous, Toro was well-suited to the role, and went on to reprise it in many holiday concerts.[3]
Toro toured the world with the
Musical legacy
Yomo Toro's artistry with the cuatro was celebrated throughout the world. He recorded with major artists such as Cuban legend
Toro appeared in over 150 albums and over 20 solo albums on various record labels such as
Toro crossed over to many other genres and recorded songs with
According to
Despite his fame and musical virtuosity, Yomo Toro was a modest and unassuming man. He composed only one song about himself. It appeared on the Fania label as El Lechon de Cachete.[5]
Television career
During the late 60s and early 70s, Toro hosted the "Yomo Toro Show." It aired on
Toro also many bombas and aguinaldos on the children's television show Dora the Explorer.[8]
Later years
Yomo Toro was a member of the Toro (Touro) family of
Yomo Toro was survived by his sisters, Lydia, Iris, Gloria, Mirza and Milagros Toro; his brothers, Juan, Angel and Arcangel Toro; his wife of 31 years Minerva; his daughter Denise, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. The three great-grandchildrens names being Ethan, Brayden and Kassandra Toro.[2]
Recorded works
Yomo Toro performed on hundreds of albums throughout his 60-year career. He also released over 20 solo albums on major record labels including Island Records, Fania Records, and Polygram. The following are some of his better-known recordings.
- Asalto Navideño (Fania, 1972)
- Los Rivereños Cuando Mexico Canta con Yomo Toro y su Conjunto (SEECO - Gold series - SCLP-9255) (SEECO 27.342 | Discophon)
- Funky Jibaro (Island, 1988)
- Gracias (Mango, 1990)
- Las Manos de Oro (Xenophile Records, 1995)
- Celebremos Navidad (Protel, 1996)
- Celebrando Navidad (Ashe Records, 1999)
- Romantico (1999)
- Musica Para El Mundo Entero (Fania Records Barbaro Vinyl Lp 99.598 (1982) Cd Reissued (2000)
- Alma de Ramito (Fania, 2000)
- El Espíritu Jíbaro (The Jibaro Spirit), with Roswell Rudd (Sunnyside Records, 2007)
- 24 Canciones Inolvidables de R. Hernandez (Combo, 2008)
- La Herencia (Fania, 2008)
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Edwin Colón Zayas
- Andrés Jiménez, "el Jíbaro"
- El Cuatro (Spanish Wikipedia)
- Music of Puerto Rico
References
- Allmusic. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Puerto Rican musician Yomo Toro dies | Fox News Latino". Latino.foxnews.com. 26 July 1933. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d Ratliff, Ben (2 July 2012). "Yomo Toro, Latin Music Virtuoso, Dies at 78". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c "Puerto Rican musician Yomo Toro dies | Fox News Latino". Latino.foxnews.com. 26 July 1933. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Palmer, Robert (25 December 1987). "Pop/Jazz; Yomo Toro Blends Latin And Cuban - New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ^ Latin Vinyl Junkie, Reynaldo82 (2 April 2010). "SEECO Discography". K6ffb8uyx. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e on 07/02/2012 (7 February 2002). "Cuatros Legend Yomo Toro dies at 78". Nbclatino.com. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Yomo Toro, King of the Cuatro, Dead at 78. Judy Cantor-Navas. Billboard. 2 July 2012.
- ^ Carmen Graciela Díaz (2 July 2012). "Muere Yomo Toro". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). p. 1. Retrieved 9 October 2013.