Milton Cardona

Milton Cardona (November 21, 1944 – September 19, 2014) was a percussionist, vocalist, and conga player born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. When he was five years old, his family relocated to the South Bronx in New York City. During his childhood in the Bronx, he studied violin, and as a young man he played bass guitar professionally in New York City before transitioning to percussion. His career was significantly shaped by the influence of Mongo Santamaria. Cardona was also a santero, a priest of Santería.

Over the course of his career, Cardona appeared on more than 1,000 recordings, nine of which received Grammy Awards. His collaborators included 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 of the rock band Cream.

In 1998, Cardona brought his musicianship to the Broadway stage, appearing in The Capeman, a production for which he had also contributed to the cast recording Songs from The Capeman in 1997. His broader discography includes Bembé (1985), Rei Momo (1989), Tenderness (1990), Cambucha (1999), and Beautiful Scars (2007), as well as collaborative recordings with Rabih Abou-Khalil, Billy Bang, and Uri Caine.

Cardona died of heart failure on September 19, 2014.