Edward Cano (June 6, 1927 – January 30, 1988) was an Afro-Cuban jazz and Latin jazz pianist and composer.
Edward "Eddie" Cano was born in Los Angeles, California. His family was musically wealthy, Cano's father, a bassist, his grandfather a member of the Mexico City Symphony. Cano had classical piano lessons from the age of five. He also had training for the bass led by his grandfather and others, as well as trombone lessons in high school where he became interested in jazz.
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He decided to become a professional and began working in local bands during 1943, playing both Latin and American dance music.
He decided to become a professional and began working in local bands during 1943, playing both Latin and American dance music.He joined the US Army in 1945, assigned to various military bands, and completed a course in six months at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music in 1946. He then began his musical career with Miguelito Valdés and his orchestra. He soon connected with Herb Jeffries, a singer whose forte was ballad and with whom Cano would collaborate for the next decade.
Cano led his own bands from 1948, in addition to working with many other notable musicians such as Bobby Ramos, Les Baxter, Jack Costanzo, Buddy Collette, and Tony Martinez. He was also the first president of the Hispanic Musicians Association. Cano was influenced by Noro Morales and
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Erroll Garner. Within a performance, he often changed styles from Latin (with Latin rhythm section) to straight jazz (accompanied by drum kit).
He found an appreciative audience for a series of albums under his own name released in the 1950s and 1960s by labels such as Atco, Reprise and RCA, his followers similar to those of vibraphonist Cal Tjader and conductor Les Baxter. Cano was also inspired by the follies of dance, such as cha cha and Watusi to promote his efforts. Also in 1960, July 23, he also made a recording session as a pianist for
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Peggy Lee at the studios of the record company Capitol Records. In 1962, a bumper year for his musical career, he returned to session with Dean Martin to record the album Cha Cha de Amor also published by Capitol Records. A Taste of Honey was nominated in 1963 for the Grammy Awards in the category Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist or Small Group – Instrumental.
As a composer, Cano invented a great repertoire, including the tasty "Algo Sabroso", the friendly "Cal's Pals", the undulating "Watusi Walk" and the exciting "ecstasy", not to mention "Honey Do", which could be a song by genre response to the popular Carl Perkins song "Honey Do not". While many of his colleagues
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focused on the unrivaled drive of Latin rhythms, Cano barely ignored this component, but he seemed equally bent on emphasizing the kind of complex and provocative melodic structures associated with modern jazz
A prominent exponent of the Afro-Cuban groove, Cano played a lusty and "two-fisted" piano. The vigour of his attack and his colourful chord structures combined to create an irresistible style of his own. When the fury yielded to his sensitive touch with a dance, everything was sweet and light
Hollyvood stars that frequented the place to "dig" the group was endless; Tony Curtis, Jayne Mansfield, Ethel Merman, Stanley Kramer, Eddie Fisher, etc. Ella Fitzgerald was so moved by his sound that she could not resist the temptation to stand up and "swing". Johnny Mathis was another regular. Bobby Darin, Sal Mineo and Jackie Cooper were part of the bands "sitting" drummers. Eddie's music kept the atmosphere alive and bright. Another notable club Eddie palyed at was the Grand Avenue Bar and Grill.
Between 1982 and 1987 Cano became increasingly involved in education. He became regent of the Pan American University of Texas ( University of Texas-Pan American ) where he worked in the History & Traditions section. After undergoing heart surgery he continued playing until just days before his death from a heart attack in his Boyle Heights home, Los Angeles, on January 30, 1988.
(Edited mainly from Wikipedia, All Music & LA Times)