Born in Panama City, Velarde moved to San Francisco in 1945, where he discovered Latin jazz and the music of Tito Puente. He was inspired to learn congas and timbales, and was first recruited by Salvadorian pianist Alonso Palio. But it was a long engagement through the 1950s with vibraphonist Cal Tjader that really kick-started Velarde’s career. La Clave was a one-off project that the bandleader made for Verve in 1973, which also featured Lalo Schifrin. Velarde went on to work with many jazz luminaries, including Mongo Santamaria, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson and more. He passed away aged 86.
