Brigitte Bardot, Patato and the Mambo: The Soundtrack for Sensuality

Percussionist Carlos 'Patato' Valdes (far right) with Brigitte Bardot
in the iconic mambo scene in 'And God Created Woman.' (1956)

Performing a torrid, barefoot mambo atop a cafe table, Brigitte Bardot, who turns 80 today, became an international cinema icon in that unforgettable scene from her breakthrough 1956 film 'And God Created Woman.' Every bit as much as Bardot pushed the boundaries of sexuality in late-1950's/early-1960's films, most cinema buffs are un-aware that another performer in said scene changed how the world experiences rhythm: Carlos "Patato" Valdes (video below)!

Brigitte Bardot and Kim Novak at Cannes Film Fest, 1956

Ava Gardner, Kim Novak, Grace Kelly... After decades under the strict Production Codes which constrained American filmmakers, the typical 'love goddess' of 1950's U.S. cinema had become just that: an 'untouchable' figure of unattainable loveliness. Mind you, I'm great fans of each of the above actresses, but their 1950's films barely hinted at any actual display of true human sexuality, to say nothing of anything remotely carnal in nature. Only in a 1950's American film could the leading lady awaken from the 'implied' night of passion with narry a smudge to her maquillage and her coiffure 'salon-perfect.' But leave it to the French...! Along came Bardot and the Mambo, and the game began to change dramatically over the next decade (for better or worse, depending on your outlook). And as discussed previously in various 'Mambo-phoniC' blog posts, Mambo was virtually 'the soundtrack for sensuality' in films of the 1950's and 1960's.

So it isn't a huge surprise that the provocative rhythms to which Bardot was dancing were provided by none other than the legendary percussionist Carlos 'Patato' Valdes (Nov. 4, 1926 - Dec. 4, 2007). Having left Cuba in the early 1950's after establishing himself as a star with bands such as Conjunto Casino and Sonora Matancera, 'Patato' was quickly in-demand due to his innate musicality and sense of tone - performing and recording regularly with both Latin and jazz legends such as Machito, Billy Taylor, Perez Prado, Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente.

But as sterling as was his performing pedigree, it is perhaps his role as an inventor that has had the most sweeping impact. 'Patato' invented (and patented) the tuneable conga drum. Traditional nail-head conga drums used nails to secure the skin to the wooden drum, which could be 'tuned' somewhat by using a candle or sterno under the head of the drum. The visionary conguero had long been experimenting with securing the skin to the drum-head with a metal ring which could be adjusted with a square box wrench, allowing a conga player to tune his instrument as would a violinist or pianist. Perfected with mechanical engineer Martin Cohen (whom he'd met in the late-1950's while performing at Birdland with Herbie Mann), the 'Patato' model conga was introduced commercially in 1978 and remains a 'signature' conga for Cohen's highly-respected LP (Latin Percussion) brand of instruments.

Carlos 'Patato' Valdes was so much more than a great percussionist, opening up infinite harmonic possibilities for the instrument, which in addition to Latin-jazz and salsa, is now utilized in every genre from punk rock to Country music. Likewise, Brigitte Bardot was of course much more than pouting lips and wriggling hips, as evidenced by her decades of dedication to animal rights. We salute this pioneering actress on her 80th birthday! How she'll top the party with 'Patato' captured on-film in 1956 I can't imagine!