Artists

Metamorphosis: from music to photojournalism, a reinvention without limits

In the salsa scene, we are privileged to have the presence and companionship of Felix “Guayciba” Ayala.Guayciba is one of the greatest photojournalists Puerto Rico has ever produced.

He has moved from the musical notes that embrace our ears to now capturing visuals that awaken our five senses of unrepeatable moments.

I appreciate and share first hand the reference of how this idea begins, how the seed of wanting to be a photojournalist is planted, after having directed the Guayciba Group for 12 years.

“In the mid-’80s, a group of friends and I got together. We started playing and put together a Christmas repertoire. People liked it, and they told me, ‘Hey Felix, you should form a group, you sound great.'”

Encouraged by the public’s reception, they set about the task of banding together and formalizing a repertoire of Christmas music, which they later expanded to include popular music. In 1987, the group did not yet have a name, but the musicians were already rehearsing and playing in a bar in Santa Rosa (Bayamón, Puerto Rico).

In 1988 they started calling themselves Murciélago Sound Machine and got their first professional contract, for which they charged $200.00. During one of the rehearsals, Felix’s neighbor, who owned a movie and video rental store, offered to give him the name of his store: Guayciba; which he had already registered with the State Department.

The rest is history.

Felix liked the name, even though he still didn’t know what it meant. Guay-ciba means to take care of the stone. It turns out that our Taino Indians communicated by carving messages on stones, which we now know as petroglyphs.

This form of communication of our Indians, the Tainos, was engraved on the stones that are part of our heritage.

Since 1989, Guayciba claims to have lost his last name – Ayala – to replace it with the name he is known by in the media, Guayciba.

On the salsa stage we have the privilege of having the presence of Felix "Guayciba" — On the salsa stage we have the privilege of having the presence of Felix “Guayciba”

This was the name of the musical group of which Félix Guayciba was the director, composer and singer. As the main member and founder, he took on the task with commitment and in 1989 they released their first record production, entitled Nuestra música primero en LP, because CDs were not yet widespread in the market.

Felix remembers that the first singer of Grupo Guayciba was Gisela Ortiz. Some time later, Gisela got thyroid cancer and when she lost her voice, she had to be replaced by Aidita Encarnación.

Guayciba recalls that Aidita made her debut with the group during the “Coffee Festival” in Maricao and remained with the group until it disbanded in 2000.

In 1991 they produced Echemos pa’lante, which opened the door to radio stations on the island. In 1992 they produced Por ti doblaré rodillas, and in 1993 they released what Felix considers their masterpiece under the title Borinquen, nido de amores.

Félix affirms that this production became the classic album that consolidated them in Salsoul, Z-93 and Estereotempo. Later they released La revolución apoya lo nuestro. In 1999 they released their last album, Contra viento y marea.

In this last Guayciba production, Maestro Luis ‘Perico’ Ortiz made two arrangements: “Déjame Soñar” by Perín Vázquez, which Tito Puente had already recorded on the 100th album, backing the voice of Tony Vega (Antonio Vega Ayala), the cousin of Félix Guayciba Ayala. The six albums of the Grupo Guayciba were recorded in the studio of Maestro Pedro Rivera Toledo, and in Contra viento y marea Maestro Rivera Toledo recorded the saxophone.

In his last album, the song “Por nada la cambiaré” was composed by Guayciba and dedicated to his homeland, Puerto Rico.

They never recorded Christmas music because their mission was to defend our music, the seis, the bomba, the plena and the guaracha, among other indigenous rhythms. The time came for the group to disband, but as Guayciba affirms: “We left a legacy for the musical history of our nation (…) Guayciba was, is and will be one of the best musical groups in the history of typical Puerto Rican music. I have retired, but at least we have left a legacy for history, we have left a mark”.

With the arrival of the new millennium, Guayciba’s musical stage ended to give way to the visual arts, making it clear that he had not retired from the humanistic arts, but had reinvented himself and now stood out in the visual arts.

The images captured by Guayciba’s photographic lens are full of life and movement. The viewer sees as if the artist, athlete or object in the photo comes to life.

Guayciba reflects while explaining how the image speaks or remains silent, depending on the adjustment made, the movement given, the position and the light.

He hastens to clarify: “I have used my musical career to distinguish myself in photography. I photograph artists the way I want them to photograph me.

I try to make the image I take of an artist or a show speak. In photojournalism, the photo has to speak.”

Guayciba made the decision to move from music to photojournalism as a result of a deep depression that he faced and fought with professional help. Once the decision was made, he began training at the University of Puerto Rico.

He never forgot what one of the specialists who was part of the medical team that helped him recover told him: “I have faith in you. If you are going to be a photojournalist, I want you to be the best photojournalist”.

Felix attended classes every Wednesday for three hours. He remembers his first photographic experiments. One that comes to mind is Ricardo Arjona, who performed for an entire season at the Centro de Bellas Artes. Felix would leave his weekly class to go to the CBA, where he would stay until late.

The next day he would go to a megastore to develop the photos from the night before and bring them to the professor to evaluate the shots. The professor would give him advice on what to do to improve the photos he had in hand.

Another moment he remembers with emotion was in 2002, when Fania played a concert at the Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamón.

Guayciba already had a digital camera, and during that concert, he says he used 25 rolls of film with 36 exposures each.

He says this was his first international assignment. The first time he photographed an international artist was when he was still a photography student, practicing with Ricardo Arjona in the Fine Arts Department.

As a result of that coverage, he got in touch with the Guatemalan artist, who was thrilled with the photos Felix took, saying at the time that they were the best photos he had ever taken, adding that the Puerto Rican had captured his best side.

Felix has continued to evolve and has had the opportunity to cover concerts by Elton John, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, among others. He says: “The only thing I don’t do is pornography, weddings or quinceañeras”. His specialty is artistic shows and sporting events.

Guayciba is the longest serving photographer to cover the Coliseo de Puerto Rico since its inauguration in 2004, when Sonora Ponceña, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz and Roberto Roena’s Apollo Sound performed in that memorable concert produced by Pepe Dueño.

One of the highlights of his career was a trip to Cuba in 2009, where Guayciba was the official photographer for the Puerto Rican delegation that went to the Cuba Disco Festival, which was dedicated to Puerto Rico in that edition.

He has taken more than 24,000 pictures of Cuba. The most memorable experience of his trips to Cuba was visiting the resting place of Che Guevara.

He continues to learn from all the images he has taken and published. “At one point, during the performance of the 2013 musical Pedro Navaja, the Caballero de la Salsa, Gilberto Santa Rosa told me, “You have to let yourself be criticized and you have to accept criticism as long as it is constructive criticism.”

Felix added and still maintains: “It depends on who is criticizing you, because there are people who criticize you just to make fun of you; yes, you know, out of envy”. In fact, Felix understood that he had the best photos of Gilberto.

When he went to see him to show him, Santa Rosa told him: “They’re good, but these photos where I’m alone don’t say anything because it could be at the Fine Arts Center or it could be in some theater. This concert is symphonic, where is the symphony orchestra?” Santa Rosa was right. “From that ear flattery I learned that you have to take the picture of the artist and the complements like stage, orchestra, etc.. It’s like writing a story. You have to include the day, the historical setting, the characters, and make sure that the viewer can get a picture of what happened there in the moment. It’s more of a frozen in time effect.

Guayciba considers Conrado Pastrano her teacher and mentor. She expresses gratitude for all that she has learned in photography and acknowledges that there is still more to learn.

Conrado is an exceptional colleague who takes the time to explain ways to correct unwanted effects in images. Guayciba has developed her own unique style by studying the works of other colleagues and drawing inspiration from each of the photojournalists whom she admires.

Guayciba is highly regarded as one of the top photojournalists in Puerto Rico, although he is humble and has never claimed the title for himself. He recognizes that there are others who may be more talented than him. His motto is: “I may not be the best, but I am proficient in my craft and the photos I take convey a narrative.”

When he is at the ball park, he adeptly adjusts his lighting, shutter speed, and lens to capture the intricate details on a ball despite its velocity exceeding 100 miles per hour. When artists perform on stage, Guayciba faces the task of restoring their natural appearance despite the color filters and stage lighting often making them look unnatural or cartoonish. Overcoming these challenges and bringing the images to life, imbues these artists with renewed enthusiasm for their craft, a pursuit they have devoted over two decades to.

At 68 years of age, he prays daily for longevity. He abstains from drugs and alcohol, including wine, champagne, and cider. His sole indulgence is tobacco and photography.

To view Félix Guayciba’s artistic works and keep in touch with this vital advocate of Puerto Rican culture, please visit the publication at www.guayciba.com. To email him, please use [email protected], or follow his IG account at https://www.instagram.com/guay54/.

To reach him by phone, please dial 787-637-8617. He is always available and eager to assist with his usual helpful demeanor.

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Alfredo De La Fe, is responsible for transforming the violin for Latin Music

Latin America/ Colombia/ Cali

Alfredo de la Fe is a Cuban-American violinist based in New York, who also lives in Colombia.

He is responsible for transforming the violin into a sound much more suitable for Salsa and Latin music, as well as having manufactured and patented his own violin. De la Fe began studying the violin at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana in 1962.

Two years later, he receives a scholarship to enter the Warsaw Conservatory, in Poland.

In 1965, he soloed compositions by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

A scholarship at Juilliard opened new doors for him. De la Fe began his professional career, at the age of twelve, when he switched from classical music to Salsa, and accepted an invitation to join charanga legend José Fajardo’s Orchestra.

In 1972, he joined the Eddie Palmieri orchestra. He was a member of the group for a very short period, temporarily moving to San Francisco, where he met Santana. Returning to New York, De la Fe joined Típica ’73 in 1977. Two years later, he released his debut solo album, Alfredo.

In 1980, De la Fe signed with the Fania All-Stars, and produced thirty-two albums for Fania Records. His second solo album, Charanga ’80, was released in the same year.

In 1981, De la Fe became musical director of Tito Puente’s Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble.

The following year, he confirmed his solo career, signing with Taboga, for whom he recorded the album Triunfo. He settled in Colombia in 1983, and signed with Philips; As a result of this, he released three albums: Made in Colombia, Dancing in the Tropics and Alfredo de la Fe Vallenato, at the end of the 80s.

In 1989, De la Fe signed with Discos Fuentes. Although he was one of the members of the Fania All-Stars for 1995, De la Fe continued his solo career.

He signed with Sony Music in 1997. Two years later, he toured with his own orchestra, appearing at festivals in Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Turkey, and Belgium, and reuniting with Eddie Palmieri and his orchestra for a European tour.

In 2002, after several years in Europe, Alfredo moved back to New York and visited the US with his New York band, led by pianist Israel Tanenbaum.

Other musicians including bassist Máximo Rodríguez, percussionists Tony Escapa and Johnny Pequeño Rivero, and autistic Andrea Brachfeld.

Discography Solo albums

1979 : “Alfredo”
1980 : “Alfredo de la Fe y la charanga 1980”
1981 : “Para África con amor”
1982 : “Triunfo”
1984 : “Made in Colombia”
1985 : “Alfredo de la Fe Vallenato”
1990 : “Salsa”
1990 : “Los violines de Alfredo de la Fe”
1992: “Los violines de Alfredo de la Fe vol. 2: Sentir de Cuba”.
1993 : “Con toda la salsa Alfredo de la Fe”
1995 : “La salsa de los dioses”
2000 : “Latitudes”
2006 : “Alfredo de la Fe y Fruko (La Llave de Oro)”

Alfredo De La Fe - Photo — Alfredo De La Fe – Photo

Session Artist and Collaborations:

- 1973 : “The Sun de música latina” por Eddie Palmieri & Amigos Con Lalo Rodríguez
- 1976 : “De ti depende” por Héctor Lavoe
- 1977 : “Selecciones clásicas” por José Fajardo
- 1977 : “El Baquine de Angelitos Negros” por Willie Colón
- 1978 : “Comedia” por Héctor Lavoe
- 1979 : “Típica 73 en Cuba – Intercambio cultural” por Típica 73

1979 : ” Necesito tú” por Sylvester
1980 : “Charangueando con la Típica 73” por Típica 73
1980 : “Señor Charanga” por José Fajardo
1982 : “Encima Broadway” por Tito Puento
1997 : “Bravo” por Fania Todo-Estrellas
2001 : “Diferente” por José Alberto (El Canario)

Mario Bauza

North America / United States / New York

Mario Bauza, Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz in New York, Clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter and arranger

Mario Bauzá (Havana, April 28, 1911 – Manhattan, July 11, 1993) was a Cuban saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, arranger and composer.

Known above all for having been the musical director of the Machito orchestra (of whom he was also a brother-in-law), he was a pioneer of what is now known as Afro-Cuban jazz.

Mario Bauza The Legendary Mambo King — Mario Bauza Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz in New York

Bauzá played the clarinet in the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra. However, after traveling to New York in 1927 with the Antonio María Romeu orchestra, he was so impressed by the Big Bands of Paul Whiteman, Fletcher Henderson and Tommy Dorsey, and by the Harlem music revues, that in 1930 he decided to emigrate definitively to USA.

During the trip, he became friends with Antonio Machín. Mario Bauzá would return on the same boat in which Don Aspiazu’s orchestra was travelling, who immediately began the arrangements to record El manisero.

Upon arriving in New York, Bauzá went to live in Harlem with his cousin, the trumpeter René Endreira. Bauzá began playing the saxophone at house parties with pianist Lucky Roberts and began to absorb African-American culture.

Mario Bauza — Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz in New York

Between 1930 and 1931, he was a trumpeter in the Antonio Machín quartet and made important recordings with this group in New York City. Anecdotally, it is said that he had learned to play the trumpet in just two weeks.

His first jobs were with the orchestras of Cass Carr, Noble Sissle and Sam Wooding.

In 1933 he entered Chick Webb’s orchestra as first trumpet, where he ended up as music director. He then worked with Don Redman and Fletcher Henderson, eventually landing Cab Calloway.

Being in that band, Mario brought the young trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie to the orchestra.

Bauzá married Estela Gutiérrez, sister of Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, known as Machito.

On December 3, 1940, he debuted with Machito at the Park Plaza, a dance hall, with the Afro-Cubans, later working for almost four years at the La Conga club.

Bauzá works for Machito as artistic director, taking care of the arrangements and hiring the musicians.

The style of the Afro-Cubans mixes the son montuno of Cuba with features of swing bands.

Mario Bauzá Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz in New York

Thanks to this, musicians like Dizzy Gillespie or James Moody introduced Afro-Cuban rhythms into jazz, starting in 1947.

He became interested in jazz when he heard Frankie Trumbauer play the saxophone performing Rhapsody in blue with the Paul Whiteman orchestra.

In the forties, Mario will develop the sound of Afro-Cuban jazz. His work as a clarinetist, trumpeter, saxophonist and arranger in the Machito orchestra constitutes one of the main pillars in the emergence and development of that Cuban genre.

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero

North America / United States / New Jersey

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero hails from Caracas, Venezuela.

Where his father, a respected percussionist in his own right, tutored and encouraged his son to become one of music’s best percussionists.

Luisito comes from a long line of outstanding musicians including his uncle, Carlos Nene Quintero and cousin Robert Quintero.

He studied at the respected Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela (The Symphonic Orchestra of Venezuela) and his percussion technique soon garnered attention from his colleagues.

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero – Photo

Luisito joined the popular music ensembles Grupo Guaco and Oscar D’Leon, where he enjoyed worldwide acclaim.

Luisito Quintero has worked and recorded with many of music’s legends including The Rolling Stones, Vanessa Williams, Paul Simon, Santana, Jack De Johnette, David Sanborn, George Benson, Joe Sample, Bill Cosby, the late Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, Cachao, Eddie Palmieri, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Richard Bona, Ravi Coltrane, Nathalie Cole, Diana Krall, Giovanni Hidalgo, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Spanish Harlem, Willie Colon and countless others. One of his recent projects finds him as musical director for Louie Vega and the Elements of Life Band, as well as extensive work with Jack DeJohnette’s Latin Project. He has also had the privilege to tour and record with the Tony & Grammy award winning Jazz artist, Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Quintero himself has earned more than thirteen Grammy certificate awards for his participation in numerous recordings.

Luisito Quintero has two solo projects under Vega Records/BBE, entitled “Percussion Maddness” and “Percussion Maddness Revisited”.

Timbalero - Luisito Quintero — Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero – Photo

Scheduled for release in the spring of 2013, his upcoming production entitled “3rd Element”, features guest artists Gato Barbieri, Oscar Hernandez, Doug Beavers, Richie Flores, Steve Khan, Reynaldo Jorge and his cousin Roberto Quintero. Currently, Luisito is the touring & recording percussionist for the legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea and for Spanish Harlem.

Nicky Marrero is an innovator, timbalero and bongo player, living legend of our Afro-Latin and Caribbean music.

Nicolás Marrero Jr. “Nicky Marrero” was born in the Bronx, New York, on June 17, 1950, to a Puerto Rican father and mother (born in San Germán and Corozal, respectively).

He had formal studies in drums during his adolescence, but more could the sounds of Tito Puente and Willie Bobo, his major influences.

Nicky Marrero is an innovator, timbalero and bongo player, living legend of our Afro-Latin and Caribbean music.

He debuted in music with a high school ensemble called Orquesta Caribe.

However, his first recording session was at the age of 15 with the original band of another teenager born in 1950: Willie Colón.

Curiously, at the time of these sessions, three pillars of the Alegre All-Stars, Charlie Palmieri, Louie Ramirez and Kako, were present in the studio, and young Nicky was invited to participate as a timbalero.

In 1968 he was recruited by Eddie Palmieri, who by then, as a consequence of internal problems, gradually disbanded his original orchestra: La Perfecta.

Nicky Marrero joins the orchestra shortly after recording the album “Champagne,” the album “Justicia” (1969), where, still under the powerful voice of Ismael Quintana, Nicky begins to explore his own sound (listen to his solo in the song “My Spiritual Indian”),

The decade of the 70’s opens for him with three important events: the classic album “Vámonos Pa’l Monte”, his participation with Patato in the album “Portrait Of Jennie” by Dizzy Gillespie and the beginning of his career as a percussion teacher, as a member of the faculty of the East Harlem Music School, the school of Johnny Colón, legendary pianist and one-time pioneer of boogaloo.

At this institution Nicky gives his first lessons to a 13 year old boy named Jimmy Delgado.

In 1972 Nicky is invited to participate in the Afro-American Music Festival. 1975 he joins the troupe of the Wonderful Jew, Larry Harlow, then he is part of the Revelation Orchestra, two years with the Novel Orchestra.

In fact, thanks to his internship with Harlow’s band, Nicky was already part of Fania Records’ staff of musicians, recording as timbalero, bongos player and even drummer (and one of his first assignments for that label as a studio musician was the album “Pa’ Bravo Yo” by Justo Betancourt, produced by Harlow himself in 1972).

In 1973 he was included in the Fania All-Stars, replacing Orestes Vilató.

Marrero received an invitation from Pacheco to make his debut with them at Yankee Stadium in August of that year. Ironically, despite the events that separated Vilató from the stellar orchestra, he remained part of Fania’s studio staff. In fact, Vilató and Marrero crossed paths on countless sessions for various artists on the label between 1973 and 1980, in most cases with Marrero on timbales and Vilató serving as bongos player.

His multiple sessions for Fania (Ismael Miranda, Ismael Quintana, Héctor Lavoe’s first solo album (“La Voz”), Justo Betancourt and others), he also participates in “Sun Of Latin Music,” Eddie Palmieri’s classic par excellence and the first album to win a Grammy in the then debut category of “Best Latin Album.”

He is also invited to participate in the first of several rock sessions, this one specifically as an all-around percussionist for the group Electric Flag: “The Band Kept Playing”.

He travels with Fania to the African continent, later Jerry Masucci gets a potentially lucrative contract for the Fania All-Stars with Columbia Records, for recording purposes the orchestra is reduced to a sextet: Pacheco, Barretto, Nicky, Roberto Roena, Bobby Valentin and debuting with the orchestra, Papo Lucca.

This is how Nicky, without being a band leader, not only became a star member of the Fania All-Stars, but also an “exclusive artist” of the Fania label. And as such, he appears on several albums that are not necessarily Latin and travels with Fania to Europe (the first of several subsequent visits) and Japan. Together with Harlow, Vilató on bongo, Eddie “Guagua” Rivera on bass, Frankie Rodríguez on congas, Harry Viggiano on guitar and Pablito Rosario on percussion, he recorded an album of downloads for the Japanese market under the curious group name of Belmonte (“Olé”). [This album is very difficult to obtain.

1977 he joins Tipica’73, an orchestra which he joins shortly after the release of the previous album: “Rumba Caliente,” ironically replacing Vilató once again. The album in question, for which Nicky alternated between his timbales set and the drums proper, is “The Two Sides Of Tipica’73,” the band’s most progressive album.

Nicky introduces drum toms to his rhythm kit (the only drum component Nicky overlooks in his regular timpani set is the hi-hats).

Nicky even recorded his first drum solo on the song “Yo Bailo De Todo” on that album. By this time, production at the Fania label and its subsidiaries was exhausting and the salsa boom in New York was in full swing.

Exhausting tours with the Fania All-Stars, he travels with Tipica’73 to Havana, Cuba, the first time in 20 years of economic blockade and open political friction that a New York Latin orchestra performs in the home of son, Nicky’s visit with La Tipica and Orestes Vilató’s own visit the following year, replacing him with the Fania All-Stars, helped to restore the timbal and bongo to the importance they should never have lost in Cuba.

To this day, Nicky remains healthy and active in music.

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