Julio "Julito" Collazo (1925 – March 5, 2004) was a masterpercussionist.
Collazo was born inHavana,Cuba. He began playing the ritual music ofSantería on thebatá drums at the age of fifteen. He moved to United States in the 1950s to join in a world tour with the Afroamerican dancerKatherine Dunham and her Dance Company. Julito Collazo is one of a handful of Cuban percussionists who came to the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. Other notable Cuban percussionists who came to the U.S. during that time includeLuciano "Chano" Pozo,Mongo Santamaría,Armando Peraza,Francisco Aguabella,Candido Camero,Carlos Vidal Bolado andModesto Durán. In the United States Collazo rose to prominence recording and performing withTito Puente,Eddie Palmieri,Mongo Santamaría,Silvestre Méndez,Dizzy Gillespie andMachito, among others. These collaborations were magisterial and provide motivation and feedback for researchers, and assure the relevance of the research to the goal of improving the performance of batá drums. Collazo died in New York City of undisclosed causes at age 78.
WithEddie Palmieri
WithTito Puente
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