Wille Bobo – Bobo! Do That Thing from the Tico 45

After a few days off I’m feeling a little more relaxed. I’ve been sitting on this side for a little bit, and even though I had a Halloween side lined up, I figured since I couldn’t turn up too much about it as of yet, I’d hit you with some Latin Soul. It was only after I posted this that I noticed that Scholar over at Souled On Music had a Willie Bobo side. Go check that out, as well as some really nice treats he’s offering. Scholar knows what’s up in the record game, and always offers up some great sides and guest commentary as well. Speaking of that, DJ Prime has reached out and would like to contribute a little something to FMF in the future, so you may see a post or two by him. I’ve definitely been into the Latin Soul for a while, and when I picked up a copy of the Juicy reissue on CD a while ago on Verve Records, I was always on the hunt for some Willie Bobo. Let’s check out “Bobo! Do That Thing!” on Tico Records.

Born William Correa in Spanish Harlem, this timbale and conga player began his foray in Latin music at age 14. Starting off his music career playing with greats such as Mongo Santamaria, Perez Prado, and then 4 years with Tito Puente, Bobo (earning his nickname from Jazz pianist Mary Lou Henderson) was well on his way at age 19. He went on to part of George Shearing’s band, and later on a member of Cal Tjader’s Modern Mambo Quintet (said to be the best lineup Tjader had in his career). He would reunite once again with Santamaria (a member of MMQ with Tjader) with Sabroso! on the Fantasy label in 1960, and also record the classic Afro Blue. He eventually stepped into the spotlight as a band leader in 1963. He’d enlist class A players such as Joe Farrell and Clark Terry to be on board. Bobo would go on to release Do That Thing/Guajira on Tico, and on Let’s Go Bobo on Roulette. He was an integral part (as was Santomaria) in Tjader’s Jazz classic Soul Sauce on Verve. This would start a relationship with Verve that would last for 7 records. Not only was Bobo known as a bandleader, he was well known as a sideman as well, playing with guys like Herbie Hancock, Herbie Mann, Chico Hamilton, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly, Sonny Stitt , Carlos Santana and others. Willie Bobo would record a much sought after record for Sussex Do What You Want To Do with the Bogents, which contained the single “Broasted or Fried” (never released properly on a 7″). The side has been reissued by Now-Again here. After leaving Los Angeles, he would contribute musically to Bill Cosby’s TV show Cos, and would succumb to cancer in 1983 at age 49. His music does live on. His records have been reissued, and his son Eric Bobo (Cypress Hill) has teamed up with Super Producer Mario Caldato Jr. to release many tracks of his father’s that have not seen the light of day. Stay tuned to Stones Throw for that.

“Bobo! Do That Thing” showcases the many facets of Willie Bobo: as bandleader, singer, and conguera. Mixing his classic Latin Jazz style with some upbeat, Funky Soul, he croons and plays his way through this side. While his conga playing is a bit overshadowed by his yelling and carrying on in the track, this side features a bit of the old shing-a-ling style that for me, really makes it worth it. This side may not be as strong as a “Juicy”, or his take on “Knock on Wood” from the aforementioned Verve release, but it’s a winner in it’s own right. Bobo may have been taken from us too early, but thanks to his son, there is still a lot of Bobo to go around in the years to come. Keep Diggin’!