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TATA: The King of Cuban Percussion
By: Prensa Latina | Photos: Rolando Pujol
Writing an article on Federico Arístides Soto Alejo, aka Tata Güines, may be quite a challenge for anyone trying to summarize a rich life stretching over 77 years.
Tata, a Cuban percussionist, double bassist, and composer was born on June 18, 1930 in Güines, Cuba. As a young kid he was influenced by his father, who played the tres which is a traditional Cuban guitar with three pairs of strings.
At that early age he started making makeshift percussion instruments and played with the Rumberos of the neighborhood. With that experience he moved on to the double bass and bongo drums and played with the Ases del Ritmo and Sexteto Partagás, one of the best bands of the time, learning the basics of Cuban music.
Around 1950, Tata moves to Havana and after some odd jobs he is hired by the Fajardo y sus Estrellas band
Writing an article on Federico Arístides Soto Alejo, aka Tata Güines, may be quite a challenge for anyone trying to summarize a rich life stretching over 77 years. 
At that early age he started making makeshift percussion instruments and played with the Rumberos of the neighborhood. With that experience he moved on to the double bass and bongo drums and played with the Ases del Ritmo and Sexteto Partagás, one of the best bands of the time, learning the basics of Cuban music. 
