Jack Costanzo, widely known as “Mr. Bongo,” was an American percussionist celebrated for bringing Afro-Cuban rhythms into mainstream jazz and popular music. Rising to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s, he worked with legends such as Stan Kenton, Nat King Cole, and Peggy Lee. Renowned for his fiery energy and technical precision on the bongos, Costanzo played a key role in popularizing Latin percussion in Hollywood and on the global stage, leaving an enduring legacy as a pioneering force in Latin jazz.