Agua Fria, Café Negrito, Y mi Tabaco..Así es que empiezo mi día…

There are very few of us, whom really know how to greet a new day, always caught up in the rush to get from here to there just in time, but at eight thirty on a Sunday morning, while deep in research for upcoming interviews, (yeah I know, day of rest, right) my phone rings, and much to my surprise, it was Chocolate Armenteros on the line.   Ever cheerful, within a matter of seconds he had me laughing out loud as he shared with me that he was celebrating his Birthday and continued on to say that he celebrates it for an entire month, and then after the month is over, starts to celebrate in preparation for the next one.

In recounting the source of his joviality, he went on to say that his students had presented him with a trumpet, but just not any trumpet, it was his old trumpet and reconditioned, of course he had to try it out and together with the big band they went on a musical journey, back to a time when he played with Arsenio Rodriguez, sweet. 

Chocolate Armenteros, The trumpeter, director, composer, arranger and producer’s accomplishments need not be further documented in this article.  As I discovered during my research, there are over thirty pages of data (all regurgitations) currently available on the internet and the rest is history. Artists whom he has appeared with lists like a who’s who in the Latin Jazz world, beginning with Arsenio Rodriguez, Cesar Fajardo, Machito, Mongo Santamaria, Johnny Pacheco, Tico All Stars, Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Palmieri, Papaito, Eddie Zervigon, Patato Valdez, Alfredo Valdez, Orlando Marin, Justo Betancourt, Jimmy Bosch and the list just goes on and on..

Still making music, sharing his skills with up and coming artists, and living his art.  In the heat of laughter I think I heard him say … The only thing I long for now is a self playing trumpet… 

From all of us at Jazz Enbreve, we wish our friend Chocolate a very happy birthday and may you have many more.

And if you call Chocolate the message says, “Cantádmelo, que así me gusta” or leave it in a song, that is how I like it.!

 Jon Irizarry/Jazz Enbreve

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