Latin Music

Zach Phillips brings us the latest news on The NAMM Show

After several attempts, we finally had the honor of speaking with NAMM’s Director of Member Services, Zach Phillips, who made room in his schedule to chat about all the work he and his team have been doing for NAMM, the educational part of the organization, and their annual event, The NAMM Show.

Zach Phillips from NAMM — NAMM’s Director of Member Services, Zach Phillips posing for the camera

Zach’s Experience as a musician

Before Zach shared everything related to NAMM, we wanted to learn a bit about his previous career as a musician. He made it very clear that he was a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer. Even though he now devotes most of his time to NAMM, he keeps writing songs, recording music, and releasing albums.

With regard to his favorite genres, he loves hip-hop, but the types of music he usually plays are Americana and folk rock—which, in his own words, are not quite as interesting or complex as salsa.

He was also part of a band called Zach and The Walkins, but the music he releases today is under his own name and distributed on Spotify and other streaming services.

The Origins of The NAMM Show and Its Mission

On the subject of NAMM, Zach began by explaining that NAMM is a non-profit organization at the service of the music, the sound, and the entertainment industry. Its primary mission has been to strengthen the industry and promote music-making since its founding in 1901, meaning that it has celebrated its 125 years of having been created.

Zach playing the guitar at the NAMM Show — Zach Phillips singing and playing the guitar during The NAMM Show

The organization was created by a group of piano retailers, and its first trade show took place in 1909. While the founders are no longer living, they left a legacy that is still carried on the shoulders of those who are taking the project forward today.

The association provides many services for its members, the largest being The NAMM Show. The 2026 edition had an attendance of more than 60,000 people, more than 1,600 exhibitors and nearly 5,500 brands. In essence, NAMM remains an association passionate about music and the strengthening of the industry, something Zach does not see much to change.

One of the key things The NAMM Show continues to promote is the opportunity to network and stimulate innovation in the industry. It is a platform to offer new products and help brands expand their market presence. It also features a very important educational component containing around 250 sessions and panels covering ideas, strategies, and practices aimed at improving attendees’ performance.

Why Zach Decided to join NAMM

The reason why Zach decided to join NAMM was the mission it offered. Strengthening the industry and promoting music are two vital causes for the artist, who joined NAMM in 2012. Before that, Zach worked as a trade journal editor, which led him to connect with NAMM to lead professional development and educational programs. Since then, his role has evolved. Today, he oversees member programs that include networking, music industry history, and career management within the industry, among other areas.

The association provides education 365 days per year. One such tool is NAMM U Online, where those interested can access classes and articles on how to get better and better in the business. Similarly, it has sessions focused on teaching everything about music store inventory and using social media to promote the music business and brand marketing.

Another program is TEC TRACKS, where students can learn everything they need to know about mixing and audio engineering directly from prominent producers and artists who share their expertise.

The NAMM Show

The 2027 NAMM Show will take place in four months, specifically, from January 26 to 30 next year. For this upcoming edition, Zach and the rest of the NAMM team have begun to meet into at the organization’s offices a month ago, but the funny thing is that they are already working on the 2028 edition 16 months in advance.

In other words, they are not only preparing for the upcoming show throughout the previous year, but they are also working on the next two trade shows simultaneously. On this subject, Zach stated the following:

“The planning process includes everything from engaging the brands to make the most of, of the show platform, to, you know, building out the education program by, by finding the most talented speakers and thought leaders, and also planning hundreds of events at the NAMM Show. It’s, it’s, it’s… It is more than a year-round effort. it’s a tremendous feat that we do. NAMM staff’s only about 45 people, but we’re working on this year-round because it’s a big event.”

Zach also told us that, from 2027, the Bass Magazine Awards will move to The NAMM Show and be hosted in the Convention Center Arena. NAMM is also collaborating with a group called Backline Talk, which will present its own awards at the show as well.

Obviously live music could not miss. The Bands At NAMM program gives groups and singers the opportunity to submit their applications to the association to be selected to perform during the event. The lineup for next year’s show has not been announced yet, so we will be waiting for those names.

The NAM Show at the Convertion Center — The NAMM Show will be held at The Anaheim Convention Center in 2027

Charlie Palmieri The Giant of the Blancas y las Negras

Immortal Legacy of the Pioneer Who Transformed the Piano, Pachanga, and Latin Jazz.

On September 12, 1988, Carlos Manuel Palmieri Maldonado known to the artistic world as “Charlie Palmieri” and affectionately nicknamed “The Giant of the Keys” passed away in New York.

A virtuoso pianist, arranger, composer, producer, and bandleader, Palmieri established himself over more than six decades as one of the most influential figures in the evolution of Latin music.

Born in Manhattan to Puerto Rican parents a father from Florentino and a mother from Ponce Charlie was the pioneer of the Palmieri dynasty in tropical music. He paved the way for his younger brother, Eddie Palmieri, to achieve his own triumphs years later and become another colossal legend of Latin music history.

Un 12 de septiembre de 1988 falleció en Nueva York Carlos Manuel Palmieri Maldonado

From a very young age, he displayed exceptional brilliance. His career spanned from rumba, guaracha, and mambo to cha-cha-chá, pachanga, and Latin jazz.

Throughout his life, he brought extraordinary talent to traditional folk rhythms and the rise of the descarga jam sessions, demonstrating a technical mastery that ranked him among the greatest rhythmic pianists of the genre.

In 1943, during World War II, he joined Pupi Campo’s orchestra and briefly served as the musical director for the band on the famous Jack Paar Show.

Over the course of his career, he recorded more than 50 full-length LP albums and collaborated with icons of the genre such as Tito Puente, Noro Morales, Xavier Cugat, Rafael Muñoz, and Moncho Usera.

El Legado inmortal del pionero que transformó el piano, la pachanga y el jazz latino

One of his greatest contributions came on New Year’s Day in 1959, when he debuted Charanga Duboney, a Cuban-style lineup featuring flute and violins. Joined by the outstanding Dominican flutist Johnny Pacheco, Duboney revitalized the traditional sound of groups like Orquesta Aragón and sparked a massive musical craze in New York during the early 1960s, performing up to four times a night.

In addition, it reintroduced key figures such as José Fajardo, Pupi Legarreta, Belisario López, and Alberto Socarrás to the New York scene.

In 1961, he took over as musical director of the Alegre All-Stars, a collective of Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Nuyorican musicians who blended mambo with extended jazz solos.

In his acclaimed book The Latin Tinge, music historian John Storm Roberts described those recording sessions as “an almost perfect balance between jazz and Latin elements,” noting that they spawned countless imitations and established Palmieri as an undisputed leader of the movement.

Virtuoso pianista, arreglista, compositor, productor y director musical, Palmieri

Beyond his work as a performer, Charlie Palmieri was a devoted champion of education and folklore. He firmly argued that every musician must understand their country’s roots in order to modernize them with fresh perspectives.

During his teaching years in Brooklyn, he required his students to rigorously study danzas, baquiné, plena, and other Caribbean rhythms as the essential foundation for their artistic growth.

After suffering a heart attack, he lived in Puerto Rico for a time before ultimately returning to New York, where he settled in the Bronx and formed El Combo Gigante alongside vocalist Jimmy Sabater.

Although doctors warned him that he would never regain full use of his hands, his perseverance brought him back to the stage and the studio to record his acclaimed album A Giant Step.

Maestro Palmieri passed away at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx at the age of 60, just before embarking on an international tour of Great Britain and Japan alongside the famous Cuban conguero Ramón “Mongo” Santamaría.

Charlie Palmieri El Gigante de las Blancas y las Negras

His immense musical legacy and exceptional character endure as an indelible benchmark in the history of Latin music.

Also Read: Eddie Palmieri brought salsa for the first time and live from Sing Sing Penitentiary in New York

By: DJ Augusto Felibertt

Ray Barretto: The Unshakable Beat of Latin Jazz and Salsa

Conguero, orchestra director, composer, arranger and producer. These are some of the roles Ray Barretto has played in his more than 35-year musical career.

Ray Barretto El latido inquebrantable del jazz latino y la salsa

The journey of the virtuoso conguero who transformed Caribbean percussion, enshrined the Fania sound, and shattered the boundaries of Afro-American rhythm.

Few musicians have left as profound and instantly recognizable a mark on Latin music as Ray Barretto. Known universally as “Hard Hands” (“Manos Duras”), Barretto was not merely a master of the drumhead; he was a visionary who understood percussion as the backbone of a sonic revolution.

Barreto Conguero, director de orquesta, compositor, arreglista y productor

Across a prolific career spanning over four decades, this legendary New York-born musician of Puerto Rican descent elevated the status of the conga on the international stage, building unbreakable bridges between American jazz and the rhythmic richness of Afro-Cuban music.

Caribbean Roots and the Bebop Revelation

Born in Brooklyn in 1929 and raised in Spanish Harlem, Barretto grew up immersed in two parallel musical universes. While at home his mother’s voice kept their Puerto Rican heritage alive, the radio broadcasted the rise of bebop from musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. It was precisely during his military service in post-war Germany that he heard “Manteca,” Gillespie’s track recorded alongside the legendary conguero Chano Pozo.

That revelation defined his life’s purpose: to prove that congas were not a mere folkloric ornament, but a rhythmic and harmonic instrument capable of engaging in complex dialogues with jazz.

From Boogaloo to Salsa Stardom

Upon returning to New York in the late 1950s, Barretto replaced Mongo Santamaría in Tito Puente’s orchestra, quickly cementing his reputation as an impetuous, precise, and tireless percussionist.

La trayectoria del virtuoso conguero que transformó la percusión caribeña, consagró el sonido de Fania All Stars

By 1962, he recorded the monumental hit “El Watusi.” This track not only became the first pachanga and charanga record to break into the Top 20 on the U.S. pop charts, but it also fueled the boogaloo era a catchy fusion of rhythm and blues, soul, and Latin rhythms that captivated the urban youth of the era.

However, Barretto’s genius refused to be pigeonholed by passing trends. In the 1970s, as a bandleader and star figure for the iconic label Fania Records, he played a pivotal role in the birth of salsa.

Barretto was the rhythmic engine and on-stage musical director for the landmark Fania All Stars. His presence in historical concerts from the Cheetah Lounge to Yankee Stadium brought a technical rigor and an overwhelming power that catapulted salsa into a global phenomenon.

Essential albums like Indestructible (1973) not only demonstrated his resilience after several band members departed, but they also became definitive anthems of Caribbean pride and perseverance.

Pocos músicos han dejado una huella tan profunda y reconocible en la música latina como Ray Barretto

Return to Jazz and an Everlasting Legacy

Despite his massive success in salsa, Ray Barretto never forgot his first love. In the final chapter of his life, he formed the group New World Spirit, a project through which he explored modern Latin jazz in a sophisticated manner, mentoring young talent and showing that Afro-Cuban percussion could harmoniously coexist with the most abstract improvisation.

The legacy of “Hard Hands” extends far beyond the physical strength his nickname suggested.

His true power lay in his musical intellect, his ear for the perfect arrangement, and his steadfast belief that music is a universal language transcending genres and identities.

Ray Barretto passed away in 2006, but the echo of his drums continues to reverberate as an indestructible force in the history of global music.

By: Dj, Augusto Felibertt

Also Read: Eddie Montalvo Iron Hands: “I’m in love with Venezuela”

The Art of Listening: A Beginner’s Guide for the Conscious Music Lover

How to Go Beyond the Surface and Discover the True Depth of Music.

Embarking on the journey of dedicated music appreciation requires stripping away passive habits and superficial routines. The first step is breaking free from the pattern of the casual listener who consumes music out of habit or social imitation.

Becoming a true music lover demands transforming accidental listening into an act of conscious, critical, and passionate exploration.

DJ Augusto Felibertt: Embarking on a journey into music appreciation requires shedding inertia and superficial habits.

Context and Era: The Historical Framework of the Work

To fully grasp an album or a single track, it is essential to ground yourself in the historical and social environment in which it was conceived.

Always ask yourself: When was this recorded? What political, social, or cultural events shaped it? Which aesthetic movements defined that moment? Music never emerges in a vacuum; it is the living reflection of a specific time and place.

DJ Augusto Felibertt: The first step is to break the pattern of the passive listener who simply consumes out of inertia or imitation.

The Credits: The Architecture Behind the Artist

A common rookie mistake is focusing entirely on the lead vocalist, bandleader, or prominent name on the album cover.

A record production is a collective effort. Take the time to examine the liner notes in detail: identify the session musicians, producers, arrangers, sound engineers, graphic designers, record labels, and countries of release. Learning to read the credits will reveal the invisible network of talent behind that distinct sound.

Language, Jargon, and Cultural Roots

Study the genre-specific jargon and regional idioms of each era. In genres like Caribbean music or jazz, for example, diving into street slang and local vernacular is vital.

Understanding this linguistic landscape allows you to decipher the narrative context, the cultural mindset behind the compositions, and the true impact of the lyrics with greater fidelity.

How to go beyond the surface and discover the true depth of music

The Creative Trinity: Lyrics, Composition, and Arrangement

Look deeper into the intellectual ownership of every piece. Research who wrote the lyrics, who composed the melody, and who crafted the arrangements. A single song can undergo a radical transformation depending on the arranger’s vision or the original composer’s sensibility. Avoid defining a track strictly by its frontperson; explore everything orbiting around it.

Key Tip: Don’t just listen. Research, contextualize, and listen again. True musical appreciation is born within this continuous exercise.

By interconnecting musicians, recordings, eras, record labels, and geographies, you will begin weaving a mental map of complex musical relationships. With practice, you will sharpen your ear and cultivate your own rigorous, passionate aesthetic judgment.

Essential Decalogue for the Initiated Music Lover

Listen before judging: Take the time to process a work fully before forming quick opinions.
Move beyond genre labels: Categories are often commercial tools; genuine creativity knows no boundaries.
Explore the liner notes: Acknowledge the sonic architects working behind the scenes.
Question what you read: Fact-check information and cross-reference official biographies, reviews, and historical accounts.
Appreciate complete albums: Respect the record as the complete, conceptual journey the artist intended.
Trace the roots: Investigate the primary origins and influences that shaped your favorite styles.
Quality over quantity: Amassing thousands of audio files is not the same as cultivating musical culture or critical judgment.
Compare versions: Analyze different interpretations, arrangements, or covers of the same composition.
Expand your timeline: Seamlessly transition between historical recordings and contemporary releases.
Enjoy the journey: Being a music lover is an intimate passion of constant discovery, not a competition.
The tribute that DJ Augusto Felibertt pays to Eddie Palmieri

Also Read: Louie Ramírez: “The Quincy Jones of Salsa” and His Progressive Talent A Hidden Genius of the Fania All Stars

By: Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Buena Vista Social Club The Musical is making it on Broadway

Buena Vista Social Club The Musical is a new Broadway musical entirely inspired by real facts that form part of the history of the iconic musical group Buena Vista Social Club, which took the world by storm in the 1990s.

It was inevitable that the ambition of this important chapter of Latin music would result in a tribute that introduces new generations to what this cultural phenomenon represented to so many around the world at the time. This is how was born the idea to create Buena Vista Social Club The Musical, a show that arrives on the stages to represent the events that led to the creation of one of the most iconic orchestras in Cuba and the rest of the continent.

Buena Vista Social Club The Musical's performances — One of the Buena Vista Social Club The Musical’s performances

How Buena Vista Social Club The Musical Begins

This whole story began in 1996 with a recording made at EGREM studios in Havana, Cuba. Such material would end up becoming a global hit, which also resulted in an Oscar-nominated documentary and the rebirth of prominent names in Cuban music who, because of the lapse of time, had been forgotten.

Now, decades later, all those memories evoked by Buena Vista Social Club have finally found a way to return to life through the Cuban-American writer and playwright Marco Ramírez, who based his work on a dual-timeline structure that connects youth, adulthood and old age in the characters.

This project is the product of a desire to translate the spirit of the album created in 1997 to New York’s theatrical language. After hard work by the entire team involved, the play had its world premiere at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2023. At the time, the sale of tickets was extremely successful, and specialized critics praised the blend of live music, storytelling, and Afro-Cuban dance.

After having achieved numerous nominations and theater awards, the production started to make its way to Broadway, consolidating itself as one of the most ambitious Latin shows in New York.

Mel Semé as Ibrahim Ferrer and Natalie Venetia Belcon as Omara Portuondo — Mel Semé as Ibrahim Ferrer (adult version) and Natalie Venetia Belcon as Omara Portuondo (Adult version)

Narrative Structure of the Musical

‘‘Buena Vista Social Club The Musical’’ is set in Havana in the 1950s and Havana in 1996. In the 1950s, the Cuban capital was enjoying its golden era of orchestras, nightclubs, and radio stations prior to Castro’s rise to power. In this period of time, the show includes topics such as youth, love, racism, and cabaret music.

1996 comes next with several veteran musicians who gather in a recording studio in Havana. There, the musical explores themes of forgiveness, reunion, nostalgia, redemption, and the immortality of art.

The story is largely based on the experiences of key figures such as Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, and Rubén González. These experiences were deeply tied to the political and cultural in Cuba underwent through the 1990s.

Repertoire Used in the Musical

One of the most important elements of the musical is its exquisite soundtrack, which accompanies the characters’ most significant moments. Among them is “Chan Chan,” performed by Compay Segundo. This son cubano song serves as the common thread for most of the story, evoking both the land and a journey simultaneously.

Ashley De La Rosa as Omara Portuondo (youth version)

In the case of “Dos Gardenias” by Isolina Carrillo, it was originally a song to tenderness and hope inspired by a student of the pianist who gave her two gardenias as a thank you. In the show, it serves as background music to portray the melancholy of Ibrahim Ferrer’s brilliant performance.

“Veinte Años” by Omara Portuondo reflects the sadness of heartbreak, the nostalgia of fading affection, and the non-existent possibility to revive a past that is left behind forever. Lyrics more than fitting to reflect on the elapsed time and missed opportunities.

For those who want to dance and enjoy, songs such as “Candela” and “El Carretero” let the energy, dance, and percussion take the spotlight on stage.

Recent Changes

Last month, it was reported that American actress with Cuban roots Gina Torres will give life to Omara Portuondo from October 13 to November 29, 2026. The character’s original actress and Tony Award winner, Natalie Venetia Belcon, will be absent during this period due to her participation in the revival of ‘‘In The Heights’’.

For The artist, who is also widely known for her roles in Firefly and Suits, this project has a lot of meaning due to her parents’ origin. Torres noted that the character of Omara Portuondo and the repertoire she will perform represent a direct connection to her roots, her childhood, and the conception of home he learned as a girl.

It is important to mention that the actress not only gives a tremendous display of talent in television drama, but also possesses classical vocal training. She graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and made her debut in the early 1990s.

With this incorporation, the team involved in Buena Vista Social Club The Musical aims to bring interpretive strength, elegance, stage presence, and dramatic depth to her role as Omara Portuondo.