Carlos Valdes was a Cuban-born American conga player born in La Habana in 1926 who passed in 2007 after a long and successful career as a percussionist. He emigrated to New York City in 1954 where he continued his prolific career as a jazz and Latin musician - occasionally as a bandleader. Carlos Valdes invented and patented the tunable conga drum which revolutionised the use of the instrument in the USA.
