Milton Cardona
Milton Cardona (November 21, 1944 – September 19, 2014) was a percussionist, vocalist and conga player from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Cardona made well over 1000 recordings, nine of which won Grammies. His career and was highly influenced by Mongo Santamaria.
Milton Cardona

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- Name
- Milton Cardona
- Born
- 21 November 1944
- Birthplace
- Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
- Died
- 19 September 2014
- Place of death
- Bronx, New York
- Occupation
- Musician, singer
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- jazz fusion
- Education
- James Monroe High School
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1719234 · wikipedia · Milton Cardona
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Biography
Biography
He studied violin during his childhood in The Bronx, New York, and played bass guitar professionally in New York City as a youth before playing percussion. He collaborated with Kip Hanrahan, Spike Lee, Paul Simon, Willie Colón, David Byrne, Cachao, Larry Harlow, Eddie Palmieri, Don Byron, Celia Cruz, Guaco, Hector Lavoe, Ned Rothenberg, Rabih Abou-Khalil and Jack Bruce from the rock band Cream. He died on September 19, 2014, from heart failure.
Documentary record
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek records New York, NY as a place of activity.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Milton Cardona • Landscape — yes • Born — 21 November 1944 • Birthplace — Mayagüez, Puerto Rico • Died — 19 September 2014 • Place of death — Bronx, New York • Genre — Jazz, world, Latin music • Occupation — Musician, singer • Instrument — Percussion • Label — American Clave
Documentary record
Milton Cardona was a “Perkussionist”, musician and bandleader, born on 21 November 1944 in Mayaguëz and died on 19 September 2014. Both events are recorded by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Early life
Early life
His family moved to the South Bronx, from Mayaguez, when he was 5 years old. He was a santero, a priest of Santería.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Mayagüez.
Birth place
New York City.
Death place
Selected discography
• Beautiful Scars (2007) • Bembé (1985) • Cambucha (1999) • Cosa Nuestra (1969) • Rei Momo (1989) • Songs from The Capeman (1997) • Tenderness (1990) With Rabih Abou-Khalil • Blue Camel (Enja, 1992) • The Sultan's Picnic (Enja, 1994) With Billy Bang • Prayer for Peace (Tum, 2010) With Uri Caine • The Goldberg Variations (Winter & Winter, 2000)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Milton Cardona”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1719234: Milton Cardona
General reference · Wikidata
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Milton Cardona, revision 1324173124 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Milton Cardona "El Tamborero Mayor"
- 2.Milton Cardona Q. E. P. D.
- 3.Créditos del álbum 65 Infanteria de Orquesta Narváez en orquestanarvaez.com
- 4.American Clave.
- 5.Milton Cardona, Keeper of New York Salsa’s Beat, Dies at 69.
- 6.Milton Cardona en lpmusica.com
- 7.Milton Cardona retumba con maña el sonido afroantillano.
- 8.Milton Cardona en discogs.com
- 9.Tito Puente / Eddie Palmieri – Masterpiece / Obra Maestra (Ctrl+F: Milton Cardona)
- 10.Miembros de la Orquesta Narváez en el álbum 65 Infateria
- 11.El Heraldo.
- 12.Día triste en la salsa, falleció el conguero Milton Cardona
- 13.Falleció el percusionista Milton Cardona
- 14.Willie Colón: Cosa Nuestra.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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