Tata Güines (born Federico Aristides Soto y Alejoà June 30, 1930, died February 4, 2008) was a Cuban percussionist on the tumbadora, or conga drum, as well as a composer. He was important in the first generation of Afro-Cuban jazz.[1] Güines was born in Güines, a poor town east of LA HAVANA in HAVANA province of Cuba. He made his first drums out of milk cartons and sausages. He became famous for playing the conga, a tall, narrow drum of Congolese brought to Cuba by African slaves from the Congo.