Latin America
Colombia’s legendary Grupo Niche and its founder Jairo Varela
Grupo Niche was founded in 1979 in Bogotá, Colombia, by Jairo Varela, born on December 9, 1949 in Quibdó, Chocó, and Alexis Lozano, who played trombone and was an arranger, later leaving Grupo Niche to form Orquesta Guayacán de Colombia.
That same year, the group released its first album under the Daro label, entitled Al Pasito, with Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano as directors, Nicolás Cristancho “Macabí” on piano, Francisco García on bass, Luis Pacheco on congas and singers Jorge Bazán, Saulo Sánchez and Héctor Viveros.
Two years later, Niche’s second production, Querer es poder, was released. The song “Buenaventura y Caney”, included in the album, became the first composition of the group to become a hit in Colombia, said Jairo Varela.
In 1983 After a tour of the United States in which they performed before several colonies of Colombians and a short stay in Buenaventura, the group decided to settle in Cali in 1983.
In 1984 and after releasing the albums Prepárate (1982) and ¡Directo desde Nueva York! (1983), Jairo Varela composed and produced the song “Cali Pachanguero”, which brought the group to national and international stardom.
The song, included in the 1984 album No hay quinto malo, was chosen as the official song of the Cali Fair.
After the success of No hay quinto malo, the group began to tour constantly throughout Colombia and other Latin American countries, becoming the most important orchestra in Colombia.
The album Triunfo, Niche’s sixth discographic production, was released in
1985 The song “Ana Milé”, sung by Jairo Varela, became a radio hit. A year later the group incorporated the renowned Puerto Rican singer Tito Gómez, who had previously worked with La Sonora Ponceña and Ray Barretto, the godfather of Latin jazz.
The inclusion of Gómez further boosted the group’s career throughout Latin America. That same year the album Me huele a matrimonio was released, with Gómez and Varela sharing the lead vocal duties.
Later, another Puerto Rican joined the group, pianist Israel Tanenbaum, who would eventually leave the group to join a parallel group to Niche, Orquesta Guayacán.
Taking advantage of the group’s growing popularity, in 1987 an album of new versions of songs previously released by the group entitled Historia Musical was released.
That year, the director Jairo Varela fired a group of musicians due to their claims for high fees.
Varela hired some new musicians and recorded the album Tapando el hueco, a production that became an instant hit especially for the songs “Nuestro sueño” and “Cómo podré Disimular”.
After the release of the album, Grupo Niche became a sensation in Latin America, especially in countries such as Venezuela and Peru.
In 1989, the group gave a concert at the Campo de Marte in Lima, where it attracted more than one million people, a record number in that country.
To thank the Peruvian people for their incredible welcome, the band released the album Me sabe a Perú that same year. 1989 also saw the release of the album Sutil y contundente, a production that revalidated the group’s good form, especially with songs such as “Mi hijo y yo” and “Miserable”.
In 1990, after the departure of singer Tito Gómez, the group released the album Cielo de tambores, Grupo Niche’s most successful production to date. The same year of its release, Cielo de tambores ranked third on Billboard magazine’s tropical music chart in the United States.
The album’s success was based on the quality of compositions such as “Busca por dentro”, “Sin sentimiento”, “Debiera olvidarla” and “Cali ají” and the massive popularity of the song “Una aventura”. Charlie Cardona and Javier Vásquez provided the vocals for the album.
From that moment on, the group enjoyed international popularity, touring constantly in countries such as the United States, Peru, Mexico and Colombia, as well as making some presentations in Europe.
In 1992 the group released another successful album entitled Llegando al 100% with Charlie Cardona as lead vocalist. The songs “Hagamos lo que diga el corazón” and “No tuve a quién decirle amor” stand out from this production.
After the release of two compilation albums, the group released Etnia, an album recognized especially for the compositions “La Canoa ranchá” and “La magia de tus besos”. The vocalists on this production were Willy García, Álvaro Granobles and Javier Vásquez.
Jairo Varela was captured and imprisoned in 1995 after returning from a tour of the United States.
The musician was accused of front man and illicit enrichment for allegedly receiving payments from the account of a sister of drug trafficker Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, corresponding to the presentations of Grupo Niche at the Caseta Carnaval del Norte, an event where artists such as Sergio Vargas and Oscar D’León el sonero del mundo also performed.
His experience in jail was reflected in the lyrics of several songs on the next Niche album. 1997’s A prueba de fuego became another commercially successful production for the group.
The song “Eres”, sung by Willy García, achieved strong radio airplay and its video clip was equally popular.
A year later the album Señales de humo was released, which could not match the success of the previous production.
The group closed the 1990s with the release of the album A golpe de folklore, an album in which the group returned to its musical roots, exploring the folklore of the Pacific coast and emphasizing the “salsa brava dura”.
In 2001, Jairo Varela decided to move Grupo Niche’s headquarters to Miami in order to better focus on the group’s international touring demands.
That year the group published Propuesta, an album that was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the “Best Salsa Album” category, along with productions by prominent artists such as Isaac Delgado, Oscar D’León, Tito Puente, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Tito Rojas, great salsa artists.
In 2005 the group performs for the first time in Japan. That same year the album Alive was released.
In 2007 Varela suffers a heart attack that forces him to quit smoking. Two years later he released a new album entitled Robando sueños, promoted by the single “Un día después” with Elvis Magno on lead vocals. Jairo Varela stated that it was the best song he had ever written in his life.
The death of Jairo Varela.
On August 8, 2012 Jairo Varela suffered another heart attack in his apartment in southern Cali, dying at the age of 62, while he was writing a novel titled “Luces negras”, a story based on the Colombian Pacific that he was unable to finish.
After his death, a large number of songs were recorded on demos and written down on sheets of paper.
Some of these compositions were recorded and included in the posthumous 2013 album Tocando el cielo con las manos.
Yanila Varela, Jairo’s daughter, succeeded him as the group’s director.
At the end of 2014, the group shared the stage with the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In August 2015 José Aguirre took over the musical direction of Grupo Niche replacing Richie Valdés. That same year the idea of releasing an album with songs composed by Varela that failed to become hits arose.
The idea was finally embodied in a new record production released on October 2, 2015 titled 35 Aniversario, promoted with the single “Niche como yo”, a song composed by Jairo Varela in 1978.
The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album, a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Salsa Album and a Lo Nuestro Award nomination for Album of the Year in the Tropical category.
New stage 2020
Grupo Niche is currently formed by singers Alex Torres, Luis Araque and Alejandro Iñigo, percussionists Juanito Murillo, Fabio Celorio and Diego Camacho, pianist Víctor González, bassist Sergio Munera and musicians Edgardo Manuel, Edward Montoya, Carlos Zapata, Oswaldo Salazar and Paul Gordillo on wind instruments, under the direction of José Aguirre. At the end of the year, Grupo Niche won a Latin Grammy award for the best salsa album of 2020 with “40” and in March 2021 they will win the Anglo Grammy.
Carlos “Nene” Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies
Carlos Vicente Quintero De Jesús, better known as Nene Quintero, was born on October 21, 1946 in the Caracas neighborhood of Marín (a neighborhood of percussionists par excellence), in San Agustín del Sur.
In a family that has produced several musicians, among them his brothers the former “Madera”, Ricardo and Jesús “Chu” Quintero, who died in the Orinoco tragedy; Rafael who lives in Marseille or his nephews Luisito (the “chamo Candela” of Daiquirí), Robert and Chuíto, who live in New York.
During his adolescence he was in several groups and then he played with Los Dementes, the Venezuelan group Pan suerte de Santana with César Monge (Dimensión Latina) and Alfredo Padilla (La Salsa Mayor), Porfi Jiménez, Frank Quintero and Los Balzehaguaos, Yordano and many others.
-What would be the five main moments of his career?
Nené lists them:
1- Having worked with people I went to see at a radio station and then I got to play with them. That was in the 70’s, in a place called Playboy in Altamira, with their bunnies and everything.
I worked with Lewis Vargas and Rafael “Gallo” Velásquez on trumpets; Moscatt was the saxophonist; Willy Pérez, pianist; Jorge Romero, bassist of Aldemaro Romero’s Onda Nueva; and Marcelo Planchart on drums.
2- When I heard on the radio a song I recorded with Los Dementes: “Rómpelo”, which was very popular. I saw myself as a very famous person, I was heard on the radio for the first time.
3- When Eumir Deodato came and proposed me to go with him to the United States.
I was not in conditions to go because I was working very well, I was doing a lot of jingles, I had two children who were starting to study.
I was sacrificing something that was taking shape: my family. I told him I could go, work and come back. The surprise was when a letter arrived for a tour of Mexico and the United States.
Deodato is a very kind person, he gives you freedom to work, we communicated in “Spanglish” and “portuñol” and he loved beer.
4- Seeing Celia Cruz when I was a kid in Marin, going to visit friends like Johnny Perez, from Sonora Caracas, and some time later working with her, even in her last shows, in Montreal.
Celia’s birthday was the same day as mine, and she looked older, but as soon as she started the music and said “sugar!” she was different, she was transformed.
5- Working lately with my nephews Robert and Luisito gave me a lot of emotion: The three of us on the same stage in New York with Celia Cruz.
But there are more experiences. Eros Ramazzotti, for example. “I chose to go to New York and Miami when things got tough here. I worked with Gato Barbieri and with salsa people.
I would go back and forth, two months out and back. I was recording with a saxophonist who worked with Eros and, the following year while I was in Miami he called me for a six-month tour.
I said yes, they called me the following year again and I spent three years with Ramazzotti touring all over Europe, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Central America, Mexico and Miami.
-Any anecdotes with Ramazzotti? –
Once on his birthday he rented a track where they raced cars. We were drinking, driving, talking, talking, listening to music and they brought a cream cake for Eros.
At one point when he was very close to me with the cake in his hand, I put it in his face. It was a mess with everyone throwing things and pieces of cake at each other.
But I got the impression that he was upset and I went over to apologize and explain to him that it was something that could happen on any South American birthday, especially with a cream cake. He told me not to worry, that it was fine.
Other jobs came through Ramazzotti, such as with Jovanotti and Lucio Dalla.
-And how was it with Little Louie Vega, one of the producers and DJs of the moment?
-I met him through Luisito. We have been touring Europe, the United States and Japan for the last three years, and we recorded with Pushim, a Japanese woman, a song that was in the Japanese top ten.
Meanwhile, “Nené’s” routine continues to be more international than ever between the United States, Europe and especially France, where he has been working with a group that bears his name: Nequin Group, with whom he recorded an upcoming album.
“Working abroad is like working here, but in another language”, he reflects on the matter and says that he is preparing a method for percussionists to work with their feet as well as with their hands.
-What has seemed new to you lately in Europe or in these parts?
-Those jazz works in which there is no conventional group with drums or bass, like what I did with Gerry Weil and Pablo Gil at the Corp Group Cultural Center.
THE BATICONGA AND THE “MCGIVER SET”.
The baticonga is a hybrid: drums with conga. I use bass drum, hi-hat, cimbals, toms, snare and cymbals of various thicknesses.
It has a special redoblante with a rim that does not protrude from the leather so that it does not bother when hitting it like a tumbadora.
It is an idea that I have been maturing. It was born because of Yordano’s album that made him famous, Manantial de corazón, there I recorded all the percussion and when it was time to play it live we needed a drummer and two percussionists. We got the drummer, but things were missing and I started to add electronic pedals, electronic drums, octapads and to use feet and hands.
Then we did an unplugged set and it had to be acoustic with congas, bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, cymbals.
The McGiver set is a djembe with brushes, cymbals with rivets, a conga that is just like a lid, like a tambourine, and I mount it on top of a snare drum stand and a cowbell. A set that does it all.
SIX INFLUENTIAL PERCUSSIONISTS
Alejandro Blanco Uribe and Airto Moreira: “I saw a lot of Gerry Weil with La Banda Municipal in the 70s and Alejandro as a multi-percussionist with effects and accessories.
That led me to look at Airto’s proposal and to fall in love with percussion at a time when I was playing guitar”.
Trilok Gurtu: “For his fusion of oriental music with rock and jazz. I’ve been hearing him since Oregon, and when I heard him with John McLaughlin on the live album in London my jaw dropped.”
Jack DeJohnette: “As a drummer he has a very floaty groove, he can do with the beats what he wants and the rhythm is always there.”
Tony Williams: “Another drummer. I saw a video that aroused my interest because his technique is like the one I use with the baticonga”.
Giovanni “Mañenguito” Hidalgo: “Since he came out the thing changed, he gave another level to the congas or tumbadoras, with him there has been a ‘before and after'”. – with Roberto Quintero and Luisito Quintero.
Arabella la Sonera Mayor de Colombia in her Callejón on a Sunday in Barrio with Chico Matanza
Born on June 5th, Arabella, “La Sonera Mayor”, is from Bogota, Colombia.
Arabella With her first name “María Margarita Pinillos”, she is an excellent Salsa singer and composer who shined in the 70’s and 80’s with her record productions, whose consecration and fame, however, was not in her native country but in Venezuela.
His Caribbean music song that made him famous was “Callejón” and he stayed in Venezuela for a while.
In 1972 he settled in Venezuela, it was in this country where he managed to strengthen his career and achieve the great success he had, he recorded several albums in the company of great artists of the time. In 78 and 79 he formed a group called “Los Maraqueros”, with which he could freely make the music he really wanted to make, Cuban music of Trio Matamoros and Puerto Rico.
She felt great interest in music from a very early age, however she did not contemplate from that time to make professional music, it was until she was 13 years old that a friend enrolled her without prior consultation in a radio contest of the time called “Orquídea de Plata Phillips”.
But because she was not prepared she was disqualified, however as a result she was recommended to participate in the television contest “Michel Talento” the first contest for amateurs of Colombian television. From that contest she went on to be hired at the Tequendama Hotel, the most important hotel of the time, as the first woman to sing vallenatos at the Salón Monserrate with the company of accordionist Ángel Martínez.
Arabella’s name was born from the fact that they used to tell her that she resembled a model that visited Colombia who unfortunately committed suicide, her pianist suggested her to adopt that name as her artistic name and she accepted.
Considered for many years as the natural successor of Celia Cruz, and Celia said that Arabella was her successor due to her extraordinary vocal quality.
She settled in Caracas-Venezuela since 1982, obtaining success in Salsa thanks to the advice of the great announcer Phidias Danilo Escalona.
In her beginnings she formed her own group called “Los Maraqueros”, she also recorded with Pacho Galán and with “Los Hijos del Rey” of the Dominican Wilfrido Vargas in which she recorded 4 merengues in a trip she made to the Dominican Republic, Wilfrido himself located her to record with him and they were hits the theme Corazón, Corazón de Julio Iglesia.
Los Armónicos de Manolo Monterrey, Chucho Sanoja y su orquesta, Willy Pérez and with the Megatones de Lucho.
With the groups that accompanied him as a salsa soloist.
It is worth mentioning that the song “Mi Vida es Cantar” immortalized by Ursula Hilaria de la Caridad Cruz, “La Guarachera del Mundo”, the queen of salsa, was composed by Arabella, who gave it to the eternal Cuban and salsa luminary.
For a while she lived in Puerto Rico where she decided to become a musical show businesswoman, with this company she traveled to several Latin American countries with first class singers: Marvin Santiago, Oscar de Leon, Ismael Miranda, among others.
She finally announced her retirement from music after recording “La Musiquita” and “Yo te Vi”. After her retirement she moved to Miami, United States with her daughter, Margarita decided to dedicate herself to take care of her beloved daughter, her home and two cats and two dogs that are her favorites.
DISCOGRAPHY
– Más Allá Del Sabor (1990)
– Mi Son Es Un Misterio (1987)
– Puro Trópico (1987)
– La Musiquita (1987)
– Arabella (1985)
– Sabor Y Raza (1982)
– La Simpatiquisima (1980)
– Encontré Mi Amor (1979)
– Arabella (1978)
– Nelson Martinez y Arabella (1976)
– Nelson Martinez / Arabella Y Su Combo Tropical (1974)
SINGLES & EPs
– I Was Your Hunt (1990)
– Amiga La Vida / Sin Dejarte De Amar (1987)
– Mi Son Es Un Misterio / Mentiras (1986)
– Zape Pa’ Lla / Mentira (1986)
– Mentiras / Panamá (1985)
– Chico Matanza / Nu Sueño Mas (1982)
– Pal Campo/Mucho, Poquito, Nada (1978)
– Hija De Nadie (Flor Del Mal) / Arepas
– Domingo En El Barrio / Chico Matanza
– Mentiras / Espejismo
– Tómame Que Tómame / Con La Vara Que Midas (Take Me That Take Me / With The Rod That Midas)
Source:
William Aramburen Salsa Ephemeris
Also Read: Betsy Colombian Salsa, Bolero and Son Cubano Singer
Mimi Ibarra singer-songwriter from Colombia to the world
Latin America / Colombia / Bogota
Mimi Ibarra Colombian singer-songwriter. Her talent makes Latin American women proud
Elizabeth “Mimi” Ibarra was born in Colombia in the department of Choco. Since she was a child she dreamed of being able to venture into music as a performer, but “Mimi” was far from imagining that she would first become known internationally as a composer.
It all started when “Mimi” Ibarra dedicated herself to writing melodies, she felt happy doing it and as she describes it “it was definitely a gift from God” she kept the songs she wrote. She composed some songs for a record label in her native Colombia.
Her first song as a composer “Amor ingrato” was recorded in Puerto Rico by Milly, Jocelin y los Vecinos for the Musical Productions label.
“Mimi” Ibarra wrote songs that were definitely hits such as: “Señora”, “Nobody’s Toy”, “Déjala”, “Morena Linda”, “Tell him” and “Te Propongo” in the voices of well-known salsa performers like Tito Rojas, La Puerto Rican Power, Tito Gómez, Anthony Cruz, Maelo Ruiz among others.
“Mimi” Ibarra, romantic par excellence… a woman who has the virtue of writing beautiful songs dedicated to love, but who in turn considered that it was time to offer the public songs with romantic lyrics that were also danceable.
After becoming known as a composer “Mimi” Ibarra, she makes her most cherished dream come true… to become a performer. In the first production, the eight songs are of his inspiration, among them “así”, “que tiene ella”, “Para Quererte” and “No puede ser” in duet with Anthony Cruz.
In the second production the themes “hurts” (a duet with Tito Rojas), “I love you like this”, “Private Property” were heard.
These productions have taken her with her music to different places such as Panama, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico; and cities like New York, Houston and Los Angeles, among others.
Now, he presents us with his fourth record production, with a very varied repertoire to satisfy all his followers.
The bachata “because I loved you so much” stands out, a theme that in turn was recorded as a ballad, in addition to “the Tun Tun dance, which is an indigenous rhythm of Colombia.
All songs are authored by Mimi Ibarra, arranged by Rafael “Bodo” Torres, Ramón Sánchez and Julio “Gunda” Merced.
Hit compositions by Mimi Ibarra
- Nobody’s Toy – Puerto Rican Power
- Déjala – Tito Rojas in duet with Tito Gómez
- I propose – Hector Rey
- I need you my love – Maelo Ruiz
- Why do I love you so much – Tito Rojas
- For that woman – Tito Rojas
- Lady – Tito Rojas
- It also hurts us – Tito Rojas
- I will cry – Tito Rojas
- Why do you refuse – Roberto Roena
- Compare me – Roberto Lugo
- If you let me love you – Roberto Lugo
- I couldn’t help it – La Mulenze Orchestra
- Blame Me – Luisito Carrion
- Your way of loving – Pedro Conga
- You are the only one – Nino Segarra
- Win – Tito Gomez
- Never let you down – Anthony Cruz
- Tell Him – Anthony Cruz