Bassist Ramon Rodriguez and pianist Milton Hamilton were music teachers at The 3rd Street Music School Settlement in Lower Manhattan and founded Yambú in 1972.
Their music, which ranged from salsa to funk to disco, reflected the Nueyorquino melting pot influences of the era.
Yambú’s biggest track, a cover of Bobby Hebb’s jazz standard Sunny, was arranged by Milton, the band’s musical director at the time. The female vocals were provided by Milton’s girlfriend Lesette Wilson and Caty Sevilla.
Sunny became a popular track in the New York clubs at the time thanks to the Record Pool, a non-profit DJ record sharing service that had just been started by David Mancuso.