Daniel Ponce

{{About|the jazz percussionist|the television reporter and ''a capella'' singer|Dan Ponce}}

'''Daniel Ponce''' (July 21, 1953<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=1977}}</ref> – March 14, 2013)<ref name="Rate"/> was a Cuban-American jazz percussionist.

He was born in Havana, Cuba,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> and Ponce played locally in Havana from age 11,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> and played percussion in a group called Watusi. He was exiled from Cuba in 1980 and fled to New York City.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> The Gonzalez brothers heard him play in Central Park, and brought him on October 27, 1981 to Soundscape, 500 West 52nd Street, for their Latin Music Tuesdays. It was there that he met Paquito D'Rivera,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> another eminent Cuban musician who had come to the US via Spain, when he defected from Cuba. Soon after he was working there with D'Rivera, Jose Fajardo, Andy Gonzalez, Jerry Gonzalez, and Eddie Palmieri.<ref>Russ Girsberger, "Daniel Ponce". ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.</ref> In 1982, he played three batá drums as a session musician for the Herbie Hancock song "Rockit".<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Producer Bill Laswell said "Ponce essentially was a musician/priest, and all the rhythms he would play on those batá drums were associated with a Yoruba deity. It was basically Santeria."<ref name=Fernando2015>{{cite web |last1=Fernando |first1=S. H. Jr. |title=How Herbie Hancock Crafted a Hip-Hop Classic |url=https://medium.com/cuepoint/rockit-revisited-how-herbie-hancock-crafted-a-hip-hop-classic-12cd19406ca5|website=Medium.com |access-date=January 7, 2019 |date=April 20, 2015}}</ref>

Although "Rockit" was a major hit for Hancock, it did not impact on Ponce's career. Verna Gillis, the director of Soundscape and the first person in the US to become involved with directing his career, produced his first few albums. These included ''New York Now'' (1982) and ''Arawe'' in 1983. Gillis also produced Ponce's collaboration with Celia Cruz, which rehearsed at Soundscape and performed at SOB's. He also did work as a session musician for Laurie Anderson, Mick Jagger, and Yoko Ono.

He married Maritza Rueda and they had a son Daniel Ponce, Jr.

He died on March 14, 2013, in Miami, Florida, from a heart attack.<ref name="Rate">{{Cite web|url=https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/daniel_ponce|title=Daniel Ponce discography - RYM/Sonemic|website=Rateyourmusic.com|access-date=4 October 2021}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponce, Daniel}} Category:1953 births Category:2013 deaths Category:Cuban jazz percussionists Category:Cuban jazz drummers Category:American jazz drummers Category:American jazz percussionists Category:Cuban emigrants to the United States Category:American male drummers