July

Adrián Joel Rodríguez Rivera is a musician with extensive experience as a Bassist

Adrián Joel Rodríguez Rivera (a.k.a. “AJ”) had his first experiences with the electric bass at 14 years old.

He began formal studies at the Antonio S. Paoli Specialized Music School in Caguas, Puerto Rico, that culminated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music in Jazz & Afrocaribbean Music Execution with a major in Electric Bass from The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.

Throughout his career, he has played and recorded with musical groups in diverse music genres, e.g. reggae, rock, jazz, urban and tropical music.

He’s had the pleasure of collaborating with artists like Calma Carmona, Yaire, Auudi, Brytiago, Raquel Sofía, Jean Carlos Canela, Galé, among others.

Adrián Joel Rodríguez Rivera (alias “AJ”) gained his first experiences with the electric bass at the age of 14

Presently works from Puerto Rico and has performed in the United States, Colombia, and Ecuador.

The History of the Electric Bass

The history of the electric bass is intrinsically linked to the need for a more practical and amplified alternative to the bulky double bass, especially as musical bands grew larger and louder.

The Early Steps and Paul Tutmarc (1930s)

Although there were some earlier experiments, the first functional electric bass is considered to have been developed by Paul Tutmarc in the 1930s. In 1936, his company, Audiovox, launched the Model 736 Bass Fiddle.

This instrument featured a guitar-like design, with a solid body, frets, and an electromagnetic pickup, making it easier to transport and play compared to the double bass. However, Tutmarc’s invention was not a great commercial success at the time.

Leo Fender’s Revolution (1950s)

It wasn’t until the early 1950s that the electric bass truly took off, thanks to Leo Fender. Seeking to solve the problems of size, volume, and tuning of the double bass, Fender applied his expertise in electric guitar manufacturing to create an innovative instrument.

In 1951, Fender launched the Precision Bass, the first mass-produced and commercially successful electric bass. Its design was robust, with a solid body and frets (hence the name “Precision,” for the tuning accuracy the frets offered). This bass quickly became a standard, used in a wide variety of musical genres, from soul and R&B to rock.

Later, in 1960, Fender introduced the Jazz Bass, which offered a slimmer neck and two pickups (one near the bridge and one near the neck), providing greater tonal versatility and a sound that many jazz musicians found closer to the acoustic double bass.

Expansion and Evolution (1960s Onward)

Throughout the 1960s, other brands like Gibson, Höfner, and Rickenbacker also began manufacturing their own electric bass models, flooding the market with new options. The popularity of the electric bass grew exponentially, solidifying its place as a fundamental element in modern music.

The 1970s saw further experimentation. Preamplifiers began to be integrated into instruments to expand the tonal range, and multi-string basses emerged. In 1974, bassist Anthony Jackson and luthier Carl Thompson collaborated to create the first six-string bass, with the goal of expanding the instrument’s sonic range.

From the 1980s onward, innovation continued. 5 and 6-string basses became popular, as did active circuits and “boutique” basses from specialized luthiers. Designers like Ned Steinberger introduced headless basses and experimented with materials like carbon fiber. Influential musicians like Jaco Pastorius brought the fretless bass to the forefront, and techniques like “slap” and “double thumb” were developed and popularized.

Today, the electric bass continues to evolve, with a vast range of designs, configurations, and sounds, adapting to the needs of the most diverse musical genres and the creativity of bassists worldwide.

He began formal studies at the Antonio S. Paoli Free Specialized School of Music in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Also Read: Charlie Haden was an extraordinary double bassist and composer who was a key figure in the history of modern jazz

Efrain ‘’Junito’’ Davila, Victor Manuelle and Ricardo Arjona’s producer in International Salsa Magazine

Efrain ”Junito” Davila is one of those faces behind the scenes that makes many things the public enjoys possible, which has led him to work with big names in the industry who respect his work and know that having him on their teams is a guarantee of success and quality. The arranger, music producer, composer, orchestrator and pianist has honoured us by talking a little about his life and career, something he himself admits that he does not do very often, so we thank him for his trust in International Salsa Magazine to tell his story.

Efrain Junito Davila working — Producer, arranger, and pianist Efrain ”Junito” Davila doing his work. Photo by Gisselle

Efrain’s interest in music from an early age

Efrain begins his story by telling us that his house always had tropical music, in fact, his father Efrain Davila was a musician and his mother was a singer, so they took their young son to their respective orchestras’ rehearsals and constantly exposed him to everything about music. However, he did not show much interest in music until he was about 11 or 11 years old, when he started playing with a little piano he had at home. He found the instrument fascinating and very easy to understand, to the point that his father noticed how easy it was for him to play and bought him a bigger piano, music books and several cassettes so that he could learn about that whole world.

It can be said that at the age of 12, Efrain was already a musician and played in the same orchestra as his father, but it was the following year, at the age of 13, that he made his first tour to Panama, which was the first country he visited for work.

An interesting fact we want to mention about the group in which his father was trombonist, Orquesta Xariz, is that it was one of the first Christian salsa orchestras of the time, because back then, this genre was still seen as something mundane and ordinary, something similar to what we see with urban music today. Therefore, it was not easy for people to identify Christianity with salsa, but Orquesta Xariz did it and Efrain learned a lot from it.

Professional start in music

Although Efrain made his first tour at the age of 12, for him the beginning of his career as such was at the age of 15, age in which he was no longer playing with his father, but with other artists in nightclubs. Although he was still a minor, the fact that he was tall and had a little beard helped him to be allowed to perform in those places. By that time, the artist was already being paid for his work and was performing much more often.

Victor, Efrain, and Jerry — Victor Manuelle, Efrain ”Junito” Davila, and Jerry Rivera

Around the same time, he began to make musical arrangements, first for the Orquesta Xariz and then later for other independent artists in New York City. Efrain himself got involved in this area in a completely self-taught way, since he did not want to be dedicated solely to play piano for the rest of his life, but sought to explore what other areas music could offer him.

Already at 20 or 21 years old, he also became interested in music production, to which he has devoted himself ever since.

Efrain as a producer, arranger and orchestrator

Efrain comments that he began to be recognised for his work for the first time thanks to the group DLG (Dark Latin Groove), which was looking for young musicians to join their ranks at that time. It was then that he met Sergio George, the owner of the group, who was the first to offer him his first major opportunity to arrange music for artists signed to great labels such as Sony. It could be said that this was the moment the young man knew he wanted to remain dedicated to this field and, over the years, he grabbed much more experience to the point of dealing with multinationals and artists of great name.

Grammy and Premios Lo Nuestro nominations

Throughout his career, Efrain has been nominated for a Grammy, a Latin Grammy, and a Premios Lo Nuestro award once in every case, he was nominated due to a work made for Prince Royce because he was doing much bachata at the time and, on another occasion, it was together with his friend and partner Guianko Gomez. In that same year, a couple of projects with the Venezuelan group Guaco were also nominated, indicating that the musical elite had him on its radar and acknowledged his efforts over time.

Victor, Efrain, and Tito — Victor Manuelle, Efrain ”Junito” Davila, and Tito Nieves

Although the artist greatly appreciated that his work is taken into account in this way, he is very clear that obtaining prizes should not be his main goal, so he has to keep working hard and not settle for what he has achieved so far. He comes down to “you must not only look into the past, but also into the future”.

Collaborations with great artists

In the case of Maluma, Efrain clarifies that he did not work directly with him, but covered some of his best-known songs in salsa. However, there have been other great artists whom he does know directly, such as Ricardo Arjona, who coincidentally called him on the day of our conversation to discuss some pending issues.

He has also met and worked directly with Victor Manuelle, with whom he has been friends and worked on his last nine record productions. Efrain says that it is nice working with the Puerto Rican artist because he really knows what he wants. “Many artists today don’t know what they want. They know what they don’t want, but they don’t know what they do want, which makes things a little difficult for me. Artists with long-spanning careers like Victor, Ricardo himself, Servando, and Florentino Primera know exactly what they want, so they are able to tell me what they are looking for in their work,” Efrain said about the topic.

He also mentioned that he usually has trouble with new artists for the same reason, since being inexperienced, he is the one who has to create a sound or wave from where starting. However, he continues to work with them, but he has to use much more creativity in constantly inventing and creating song demos so that they can see what they like.

It should also be mentioned that other important artists he is working with such as La India, Olga Tañón, and Tito Nieves.

Florentino, Efrain, and Servando — Florentino Primera, Efrain ”Junito” Davila, and Servando Primera

Behind-the-scenes work

Owing to the nature of his work, Efrain’s face is not as well known to the public as is the case of the great singers and musicians who work with him. When questioned about this, he says that he has never liked drawing attention and prefers to stay behind the cameras as a producer. He acknowledges that there are colleagues who do like media attention, but this is not his case. In fact, he does not participate much in interviews like this or podcasts. He believes that being very famous brings problems and prefers to live in peace and retain his privacy.

Javi Jiménez from Barrio Manouche talks about his career in Spain and then in San Francisco

Javi Jiménez from Barrio Manouche graces us with his presence in this July 2025 edition after several months of wanting to talk to the artist. After witnessing one of his wonderful shows at Cascal Restaurant, where the group performs regularly, we have checked the high quality of Javi’s work and that of his bandmates, so we could not miss the opportunity to share the most important aspects of his career, both in his native Spain and in San Francisco.

Javi with his guitar — Javi Jiménez with his gypsy jazz guitar

Javi’s beginnings in the musical world

The first contact with music in Javi’s life was made thanks to his parents, and in the neighborhood where he grew up, music was always present. From an early age, he and his brother listened to all kinds of genres at home, which awoke in them an interest in this art form beyond seeing it as simple entertainment. He remembers that since he was six, he saw his uncle playing the guitar until a few years later, when he turned 10, his uncle gave him this instrument so that he could play it himself.

Although his family did not have many musicians, he mentioned a cousin of his who was a bassist and actually wrote him his first chords on a piece of paper so that he could experiment with his new guitar and he did.

First professional experiences

He describes his taste in music after the age of 12 as an “obsession,” and at that time, he was very into rock and punk, nothing to do with what he plays today. He then started hanging out with several schoolmates who shared his hobby of playing music, which ended up giving rise to his first band, Mulatask. Currently, there is nothing about this online, as the internet did not exist at that time, so all evidence that this alternative rock and grunge band ever existed is on CDs and MP3 files that are not public.

In addition to that, the music his parents listened to continued to influence him to some extent. Among their favorite artists were Silvio Rodríguez, Victor Jara, Canción Protesta and Paco Ibañez. These singers impacted him so much that he began to study a little the classics and play them, but rock and electric guitar were still his favorites above all else. In fact, his favorite artists were Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Hendrix, among others.

Javi and his brother — Javi Jiménez and his brother Luis Jiménez sitting to his right

This was the kind of music he played with his friends in the neighborhood and they even gave small recitals in front of audiences of 200-300 people when they were 15 or 16 years old at the time, which made the teenage Javi love to show his art to the world.

Transition to gypsy jazz, modern jazz, and flamenco

Javi’s transition to gypsy jazz (inspiration for the name of his future band), modern jazz, and flamenco began when he moved to Barcelona, where he studied at a jazz and modern music conservatory. There he discovered a lot of genres and styles he had never heard before, one of which was bebop, also known simply as bob, which is a jazz style developed in the United States during the 1940s. At that time, he also discovered Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, among others.

Although Javi did not really identify with that language, he wanted to truly understand music so he could interpret it as best as possible. He did everything he could to understand bebop, but he found it very difficult until he started listening to Belgian gypsy jazz guitarist of Roma descent, Django Reinhardt, who was also a fan of Louis Armstrong. When he listened to Armstrong, he wanted to play the same thing, but with his own Roma touch, so he formed a band with two guitars, a bass, and a violin.

One of this band’s favorite genres is gypsy jazz manouche, which Javi loved and was passionate about since the first time he listened to it, to the point that he would name his future group Barrio Manouche (Gypsy jazz in Spanish).

On the side of flamenco, there were many gypsies and immigrants in his home neighborhood, including the Porrina family, which consisted of world-renowned percussionists such as Ramón Porrina, who has played with Concha Buika and Israel Suarez ‘‘El Piraña’’, a flamenco guitarist who was in Paco de Lucía’s last lineup.

Album release party — ”Despierta” album release party at The New Parish in 2019

Javi tells us this to show that flamenco was very present in the environment he grew up, largely because there were many migrants. In his family’s case, they came from Andalusia and Cordoba.

He continues to insist that he still did not like it very much and his thing was rock. It was in California that he finally had nostalgic about the music of his homeland and wanted to reconnect with his roots in foreign lands.

Moving to California

Javi had never thought about trying his luck in California until he met Adam Rouch, a Californian tattoo artist and musician who became his friend and with whom he toured Europe. In 2009, Adam had to return to his city because his parents were not in good health, and he told his Spanish friend to go with him to see how he liked the place.

Although the artist was not convinced by the idea, he ended up accepting and discovered in San Francisco fun, cultural exchange, diversity, and many things that fascinated him. The best thing was the opportunity for its inhabitants to express themselves through practically any type of art or genre without fear of judgment, which made him decide to definitely stay living and finally become an American citizen.

Javi and Fanny Ara — Javi Jiménez and dancer Fanny Ara at the 62nd Monterrey Jazz Festival

How Barrio Manouche was formed

After he met with many musicians and made many contacts, Javi and his brother Luis, who is also part of the group on cajón and percussion, met Salvadoran percussionist Marcos Odara, French saxophonist Cyril Guiraud, violinist Magali Sanscartier, bassist Chris Bastian, his future replacement Gary Johnson, and guitarist Ross Howe. Finally, they included Colombian bongo player and flutist Iván Rondón, with whom they collaborated until he became a permanent member of the band.

The previous artists make up the instrumental part, but the dancing part includes Fanny Ara and Brazilian dancer Emaye Ama.

Thanks to the huge number of nationalities and cultures present in the group, they have managed to get a unique sound Javi describes as a “bomb” due to the mixture of elements that are so diverse from one another.

He says he feels a deep appreciation and respect for each of them, which makes the unity of the group stronger and more lasting despite the crises and the passage of time.

The best of Cuban music in Tampa with Cuband Son Band

We are very happy to be able to talk with Lizandro Muñoz, Liaudriz Fuentes, and Alfredo Sotolongo, who are part of the Cuban music group Cuban Son Band. We will know a little about each of them and the orchestra as such so that the public can get to know them and identify them.

Although all the musicians are coming from Cuba such as the genres they play, they met in Tampa, Florida, where they currently reside and have developed their respective musical careers.

Lizandro playing — Lizandro Muñoz playing at Water Street Tampa in April

How Lizandro, Liaudriz, and Alfredo became interested in music

Lizandro was the first who talked a little about himself and started by describing how his father played the guitar and began teaching his son to do the same. After attending the pre-university studies and playing guitar along with a group for about four years, he did his military service and moved to Spain to work with a number of groups at many Latin music events, especially Cuban music, which was what he played most.

Itis at this point in the conversation that Liaudriz, the group’s keyboardist, joined the meeting. After saying hello and introducing himself, he began to explain that he started in music at a very young age in Cuba, more specifically on the Isle of Youth or the Isle of Pines, as it was known before. As a child, he already had a lot of affinity for the guitar just like Lizandro, but also for everything related to percussion, which led him to take the respective tests to enter a music school.

That was when he went through the elementary, middle, and part of the upper levels. He did not complete the latter, as he got the opportunity to move to the United States.

When Alfredo, Cuban Son’s violinist, slipped into the conversation, he and the boys joked about whether he remembered how he started in music due to his age. He then relates starting in music at about 10 and is now 66, so much water has flowed under the bridge since then. He studied at the National School of Art up to the fifth level for five years, where he trained as a percussionist, singer, and violinist, but had to withdraw due to family problems. However, his great strength helped him keep the lights on.

By not being enrolled in any institution, he began his training at home. Several members of his family were helping him to continue his dream and one of whom was his uncle, a flutist who played in Los Van Van, who inspired him to follow his path in the world of music. This is how he resumed his academic training and received an A grade in singing and an A grade in violin lessons.

Liaudriz playing — Liaudriz Fuentes playing the keyboard live

He was in the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television Orchestra, better known as ICRT for its acronym in Spanish, and made some recordings with Los Van Van as a violinist. In 1998, he emigrated to Israel, where he worked as a musician for 10 years and even played in an orchestra known as Jerusalem Salsa Band, in which he alternated with several great artists such as Alfredo de La Fe, Buena Vista Social Club, and many others.

After those 10 years, he moved to the United States in search of new opportunities, which led him to make contact with Lizandro and Liaudriz from Cuban Son, which he joined about two years ago.

Alfredo added that one of the things that brought them together was that his now bandmates were following the way of son, the same path as their ancestors, who were soneros. It is in their blood and they had that in common.

How Cuban Son Band got started

Liaudriz again takes the floor and assures that the affinity between them was also due to the need Cubans feel to continue making music from their native land despite the distance and the way many of them come together to do this work. This is something that has mushroomed in Tampa in recent years due to the large number of Cubans who have arrived there.

“Cuban Son Band emerged from our need to share the music of our country not only here in Tampa, but also in other cities in Florida,” said the young keyboardist on this subject.

Lizandro added that several members of the group came from a much larger orchestra, but for economic and practical reasons, they left it and opted for a smaller, more compact format. This also gave them the freedom to make the music they wanted without consulting many people.

Alfredo playing — Alfredo Sotolongo playing the violin during a concert

The biggest challenges Cuban Son faced at first

Regarding the receptivity of the people to Cuban Son Band’s work, Alfredo pointed out that they always try to make their music as traditional as possible so that the audience may know it. What has made things easier for them was his senior audience that misses these genres and enjoys listening to them, even if they are not what is trendy right now. There are many new genres in Cuba, such as reggaeton and cubatón, but the audience between 30 and 40 years old are not fans of that kind of music, but of more traditional genres such as bolero, bachata, changuí, and others.

Lizandro also added that as long as they offer something traditional, original, and authentic, language barriers should not be a problem, even though most of their fans are American. One of the biggest challenges for the group has been communication, precisely because of the language of their lyrics, but that has not prevented them from being listened to and fervently supported.

In addition to that, they rely on covers of well-known English songs to connect even more with their non-Latin listeners, which has made them accept their work even more willingly. Their traditional foundation and open mind to new things have been the key to their progress.

Lizandro, Liaudriz, Alfredo, and Raysel — Trumpet player Raysel Reyes, keyboardist Liaudriz Fuentes, Violinist Alfredo Sotolongo, and guitarist Lizandro Muñoz

Current members of Cuban Son Band

Alfredo pointed out that they always try to be as loyal as possible to their main project, which is Cuban Son Band, but they are also aware that it will not always be possible for them to play only with their main orchestra, as they will have to work on other projects due to their economic situation.

Liaudriz also said that something that benefits them is that Tampa is a city that is growing a lot as for the Latin music scene, resulting in more and more work for them and groups with the same characteristics. This allows them to call each other and help each other without egos or pettiness.

Inspirations for each one

Alfredo was inspired as a singer by artists such as Ibrahim Ferrer, Pacho Alonso, Felix Chappottín, Pedrito Calvo, Oscar D’ León, Gilberto Santa Rosa, among others. in one way or another, all of them have honored Cuban music and that makes them bastions of what Cuban Son wants to achieve.

For his part, Lizandro mentioned Buena Vista Social Club, Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo, Adalberto Álvarez, Chucho Valdez, Juan Formell, Bebo Valdéz, and Benny Moré.

Read also: Tito Planas talked to us about his Orquesta Afinke and its members

Young promise of music Sofia Grace Doellefeld tells us about her dreams

During our long journey in the world of music, we have had the enormous privilege of meeting fascinating people who show us that talent can come in many ways and at many ages. One of these people is Sofia Grace Doellefeld, a 15-year-old drummer with deeply held family and religious values that are not common in someone her age.

The young teenager, whose greatest hero and supporter is her father, aspires to go to college after finishing high school, but hopes to combine her academic activities with music as she has done so far. Here is what friendly and kind Sofia shared with us in pleasant and fluid conversation.

Who is Sofia

Sofia is a girl with many dreams and aspirations who is currently in ninth grade, while taking music lessons and playing in her school’s jazz band. The student of a Protestant Christian family has the support of everyone around her, especially her father, whom she describes as her greatest mentor and inspiration in life.

Despite being the first musician in her family, they have been a tremendous support to Sofia, to the point that they always accompany her to her events and performances so she knows they are there for her. Although they have not talked about a formal career in the entertainment industry, she knows they will support any decision she makes.

For now, she aspires to attend Full Sail University to study sound engineering so she can learn how to get involved in music production and all technical aspects related to her art because she thinks her academic background has prepared her for it.

Sofia wants to study sound engineering at Full Sail University in the future

When did Sofia start playing music?

Sofia’s interest in music began when she was 10 years old with the electric guitar, as she felt it would be interesting to replicate the notes she always heard from her favorite artists. The problem was that she never truly connected with the instrument as much as she tried, so she switched to the drums, which she quickly noticed she enjoyed much more and inspired her to try increasingly complex songs and melodies.

Her greatest source of inspiration on a musical level came from various jazz drummers such as Buddy Rich and Max Roach, but they were not the only ones. In the Latin sphere, the artist also enjoys great singers such as Selena Quintanilla and Juan Luis Guerra, and her favorite Latin genre is Latin rock. In fact, she really likes Santana’s songs and other groups of this kind.

Sofia had many inspirations — Two of the most important inspirations for Sofia were Buddy Rich and Max Roach

The drums as a traditionally male instrument

Considering that the drums were traditionally played by men, it is interesting that a young girl like Sofia chose this instrument to take her first steps into the world of music. When we wanted to know her view on the matter, she confessed that one of her biggest motivations for choosing the drums was precisely the fact that it was seen as a male instrument, as she wanted to break that unspoken rule and prove that a girl could play as well as any male musician.

She really thinks she is doing a great job, is very passionate about what she does with music and hopes to continue improving every day to keep breaking the mold.

Although she is proud of what she does alone, many of her closest friends also play instruments and she would like to form a band with them or other musicians in the future, though she feels it is still too early to even consider that possibility.

And speaking of friends, one of Sofia’s great musical inspirations in the real world is one of her best friends, who plays nine instruments and is excellent at each and every one. This makes her a great motivation for her friend and she always tries to keep pace with her peers when it comes to playing.

Sofia chose the drums precisely because she wants to demonstrate that a girl can play as well as a male musician

Other instruments

Sofia would also like to play several instruments as her friend and one she really likes is the piano, as it is applicable for almost any genre or song, making it very versatile and easy to include.

The pianist should know a lot about music theory, rhythms and many other things that provide a very complete training for any artist, which makes it an ideal choice for anyone wishing to know more about music on a deeper level.

Concluding comments on music and interests in this area

To finish with our talk, we asked Sofia for some final comments regarding music in general and the interests she has with it, to which she states word for word that ”music is a great way to connect with oneself and others. It’s also a great way to discover who you are and who you want to become. It’s a blessing to be able to play music”.