Carlos "Patato" Valdes

Conga player of Cuban origin (born November 4, 1926, Havana, Cuba - died December 5, 2007, New York City), son of tresero and composer [a8580771].

Considered by some to be the greatest ever Cuban conga player, Patato played with [a=Dizzy Gillespie], [a=Art Blakey], [a=Tito Puente], [a=Machito], [a=Mario Bauzá], [a=Quincy Jones] and many other salsa and jazz stars.

The first conguero to tune his congas to a song's dominant chord, Patato's influence was felt on the jazz and Latin music scenes and also in the world of film, where he gave Brigitte Bardot a mambo lesson in And God Created Woman.