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News

Some things to never say on the dance floor

North America / USA /  New York

Most of us don’t do much talking while we dance, we only enjoy it! But, social dancing does require at least some verbal communication. Below, I give you some things that you never must say and avoid to do to your dance partners.

1- Photo of Dancers
1- Photo of Dancers

“This is how you do…”

Except for very limited circumstances (at least that your partner want it), stopping a dance to explain a concept to your partner is inappropriate. Even if you are a teacher who knows what you’re saying is true, it’s still almost always inappropriate. Avoid floor teaching wherever possible, please.

“Oh baby… you’re so sexy in my arms”

Between close friends you can do it as a joke only. Even then, it’s borderline and usually earns him a glare. There may be an exception to the creepiness if it’s someone you are intimate with. But, even then, the middle of a dance is generally not the time or place for verbal sexual overtures. If your partner isn’t feeling the love, it’s a sure way to create the most awkward dance experience ever.

“It’s OK. I got you.”

This one specifically applies to when someone is trying to make their partner do something they’re uncomfortable with. For example, head movements, dips, drops, or lifts. If you have to say “It’s OK. I got you,” it means either your partner doesn’t feel like you’ve got them, or that they don’t want to do the thing. So, don’t do that thing.

“Come on, get closer.”

If a partner doesn’t want to get close, you don’t make them get close. That´s all! If you really can’t stand dancing a bit further apart, the solution is simple: don’t dance with them again. But, your happy place should not be at the expense of your partner’s comfort.

2- Photo of Dancers
2- Photo of Dancers

“Why won’t you dance with me?”

If someone rejects you for a dance, please don’t ask why. Potential partners are allowed to reject a dance, and it makes things more awkward if they’re forced to give a reason. Or, it may result in them giving you a ‘pity dance’ because they feel guilty. Sometimes people legitimately don’t really have a reason other than “I’m tired,” “I’m not feeling the song,” etc. So, trying to mine for ‘extra data’ on why they’re not dancing with you is futile.

“Sorry for the bad dance.”

This one is usually born out of insecurity. If you’ve actually hurt someone or made a big mistake, apologize and move on. For example, crashing into another couple, twisting, grabbing, or other in-dance mistakes can reasonably be accompanied by a “sorry”. But, ending the dance with “sorry” undermines the experience you’ve had with the other person. Compliments are generally nicer to receive than apologies.

“You’re so much better than me.”

This is similar to the “I’m sorry” at an end of the dance. Definitively, you must avoid say that, please. If you’re dancing with someone, it really doesn’t matter who the stronger dancer is. It’s a shared experience for both of you. But, if you compare yourself to your partner, it can create a sense of awkwardness. Instead, try a full compliment. Maybe say “I’ve been looking forward to dancing with you” or “I really admire your dancing”.

3- Photo of Dancers
3- Photo of Dancers

If you’re worried about your own dancing, you can also say things like “I’m a beginner,” “I’m injured,” or “I’m really rusty” to take the pressure off without putting your partner in an awkward position. These are few things you must have in consideration to get a good connection with your partner on the dance floor and sure you will look as a perfect social dancer!

Lawyer in the USA talk about Visas and entering the country

Interview: Bill Martinez and Eduardo Guilarte

 

The term “vet”  was originally used in horse-racing, referring to the requirement that a horse be checked for health and soundness by a veterinarian before being allowed to race. Thus, it has taken the general meaning “to check”. It is a figurative contraction of “veterinarian,” which originated in the mid-17th century.

The colloquial abbreviation dates to the 1860s; the verb form of the word, meaning “to treat an animal,” came a few decades later—according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest known usage is 1891—and was applied primarily in a horse-racing context (“He vetted the stallion before the race,” “You should vet that horse before he races,” etc.). By the early 1900s, “vet” had begun to be used as a synonym for “evaluate,” especially when searching for flaws.

“Vetting” in reference to immigration in the United States of America involves investigations by the State Department’s security units, which include various branches of security. This process is used to assess individuals applying for visas or those who already have visas or residency status. The purpose of vetting is to ensure that individuals entering or remaining in the country are not a security risk and that they maintain their lawful status.

Eduardo Guilarte

Okay, so I’m talking with immigration attorney Bill Martinez about the current immigration situation here in the United States and the impact that the executive order is having. Bill, tell us what’s going on?

Bill Martinez

Well, since the elections, there’s been a chilling effect on the artists, presenters, promoters, everyone involved in bringing international artists over to the United States, particularly from certain country-designated countries. The executive order that Trump announced divided countries into different categories: red, yellow, and green. If you’re coming from a “red” country like Cuba or Venezuela, the vetting process is tougher.

The vetting process, which involves investigations by the State Department’s security units (which are multi, the various “ramas,” various branches of security), can delay the processing of visas for a long, long time, in some cases years. I had somebody vetted for a couple of years; he was always supposed to be here for two months. This was just last year. A famous Cuban artist was going to be honored as the best of his instrument, just to get an award.

Eduardo Guilarte

Who was that?

Bill Martinez

I can’t tell you. I don’t want to…I feel like I can’t give you that information. But it was someone very well known. Okay, and he ended up missing that opportunity. We’re going to try to bring him in again, but for right now, it’s very unsure and uncertain whether an artist will get a Visa or not.

It’s not just Cubans, but it’s across the board. The process under the executive order continues throughout, even if you have residency, even if you seem to have a Visa and you’re okay. At any point, if there’s some red flag of uncertainty, you are subject to having a Visa revoked and being returned to your home country, or in the majority of the cases for Cubans, you suffer really long delays for administrative processing, which means security clearances.

We just lost out on getting 15 young artists from the jazz school “Diana,” who were going to be in Berkeley on April 10th (or I think it was October). They were invited to go to Berkeley for about 10 days, and their visas were denied under the executive order because they come from a country whose ideology is contrary to the United States.

These are kids, and they’ve been practicing since July to come and do this wonderful exchange with their colleagues at Berkeley High School. The Berkeley High School people, the kids and supporters, were really excited for this to happen, and there was sadness for them after they got interviewed in December. They were told, “Why are you getting the administration involved? We need to vet, we need to investigate more and more.”

Finally, about three weeks ago, we found out, “Well, we made a decision because they come from a country whose etiology is going for the United States.” These are young kids, and their hearts were broken equally.

The Berkeley students wanted to reciprocate; Berkeley students to go to Cuba every year for the past eight years. They wanted to reciprocate, but they couldn’t. Similarly, a project we had with a famous Broadway producer…

Our licensed activity was essentially to send (this happened) the day after we got the denials of these kids, three days (or two days) later, I could not get visas for two of the three original members of the Buena Vista Social Club and Ibrahim Ferrer Jr., the son of Ibrahim Ferrer from the original Buena Vista Social Club. I could not get their visas to attend.

Did one of these Social Club members play on Broadway? We were only asking for one day, so the 30 kids from “Diana,” that’s nice, and the Broadway play…

Eduardo Guilarte

So, let me ask you about artists like Isaac Delgado. What’s his status right now?

Bill Martinez

I’m not sure because I know he does a yearly tour over here, I believe, and I could be wrong, but he now has dual citizenship. I’m not talking about citizenship and people who have become residents or permanent residents with permanent residence. The vetting process isn’t just to get the visa originally; it continues throughout. I mean, it is subject to review at all times. It’s an exhaustive review of the entire vetting process, and that continues even if you have residency. So, they will continue to investigate to assure that you maintain your lawful status, even when you think everything is okay.

Eduardo Guilarte

So, let me ask you this question: Let’s say that I am a permanent resident, and have been here for 20 years. Are you saying that if I am against Trump, they could potentially cancel my residency?

Bill Martinez

You can see what happened to the medical doctor, at Rutgers University. She’s a Lebanese doctor who went home to visit her family for a couple of weeks, and they wouldn’t let her back in. She had an H-1B visa. (referring to MD Rasha Alawieh, which while some initial reports mentioned Rutgers, also affiliated with Brown Medicine and had a clinical appointment at Brown University).

There was a…I forget which country this gentleman was from; I think he was a journalist, and he tweeted something against Donald Trump, and he had residency and was not allowed back yet. So, it’s a risky proposition to leave the country, even if it’s lawful and everything’s cool. You think it’s not a time to be taking risks.

Eduardo Guilarte

Thank you, Bill.

Bill Martinez

It’s a dark place right now.Bill Martinez 2025

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

We felt an unforgivable duty to publish this interview with Eddie Montalvo “Iron Hands,” as it is Swing Latino update on the biography of a musician who is more than just a friend, a godfather; he’s family, the kind that gives you friendship, that fills you with conflicting feelings and leads you to relive wonderful and unforgettable moments.

Giogerling Mendez y Eddie Montalvo
Giogerling Mendez y Eddie Montalvo

He is a living legend of our Afro-Caribbean music.

We hadn’t seen each other for many years, so I wanted to share the time with him before he left Venezuela (he was playing on Saturday, so we met on Friday and shared some time with longtime friends starting at noon), before the show. The next day he would say goodbye to Venezuelan soil. This interview will be published in two installments, and here is the first one.

– How long has it been since Eddie Montalvo last came to Venezuela?

– Let me put it this way. The last time I came to Venezuela was with Rubén Blades and Son del Solar. I’ll call it Seis, because Son was with another keyboardist, Arturo Ortiz, Robby Ameen on drums, and two trombones, Reinaldo (Jorge) and Jimmy Bosch. That was the last time, many years ago.

I’ve always loved Venezuela, it’s the honest truth. I’m in love with Venezuela, no matter what happens. I’m always grateful for it. I’ve always had many friends here.

The School of the Street

– What was your first experience in music? Why conga?

– Well, when I was very young, my parents and I would go every weekend to a party at an aunt’s house. At that time, my goddaughter, I’m not going to lie to you. The gentlemen were always well-dressed, with ties, the ladies with their eyebrows done, their hair combed, a real formality despite their humility.

Everyone was dancing at that party, and Eddie Montalvo was banging on the tables until he could say no more. That’s how they got me two metal cookie tins, and it became my first instrument.

When I was five, I asked my parents if it was possible for Santa Claus to bring me a bongo. My parents were poor, and yet, on December 25th, a bongo appeared under the Christmas tree.

A bongo that didn’t have a key, a bongo that you had to put a fire under to get the sound out.

At ten, without lying to you, I asked them if it was possible for them to buy me a conga, and my parents bought me a conga that cost 50 US dollars.

As I grew older, I started crossing the street where there was always a party of rumba players. I went down with the conga, and they asked me, “Do you know how to play?” And I said, “No,” then they said, “Well, if you don’t know how to play, you can’t sit here with us and rumba.”

I went home frustrated with the conga line because they wouldn’t let me sit in and play at the party.

Héctor «Bucky» Andrade
Héctor «Bucky» Andrade

It just so happened that there was a conga player who played with Héctor Lavoe, with Willie Colón, on an album called The Hustler.

His name was Héctor Andrade and he had a nickname: Bucky. He saw me every day when I came down with the conga line, and it seems he felt sorry for me and said, “Come here.” I said, “Are you talking to me?” He said, “Yes, yourself, come here!” Bucky said, “I see you here every day, and I feel sorry for you because I know you love the conga line, because you spend hours sitting on the bench watching us; I’m going to teach you the first tumbao like it’s played in rumba, street rumba.”

Because remember, my first music school was the street. My parents didn’t have the money. After Bucky taught me, he said, “Go home and practice.

When you think you’re ready, come, but I warn you, there will be about five rumberos playing the quinto. If you get tired, you’ll never play here again.”

I went to my room and practiced. When I felt God tell me to come down, that you’re ready, I went down.

Bucky looked at me and said, “How are you feeling?” And I sat down to play the tumba’o. About seven or eight rumberos played by, and I was still playing the tumba’o, tired, but I couldn’t stop playing, and that was my first experience. I learned a lot by watching the rumberos on the street. That way, I prepared myself and was able to sit with all of them, play the first part, play the second part, play the third part, and then quintate. That way, I played the grade they wanted and went down every day to sit with them.

Formal Studies

As I grew older, in my last year of school, I saw they had a Latin orchestra at a music school, but honestly, all they played was a Latin segment, but it was all American music.

The teacher was Italian. I knocked on the door of that school, and the teacher in charge looked at me and said, “Can I help you?” And I said, “I’m here because I’d like to know if it’s possible for you to let me play conga here with the Latin group.” He said, “Oh, no, no, no, look, son, I have tons of conga players here. Everyone comes here because they want to play conga. Excuse me, come see me next year.” And so I wasted all that time frustrated because I wanted to play.

Time came and school started in September. I tried again, and the teacher refused again. So I said, “No, no, no, no, wait, you promised me I could play conga here.” And seeing my insistence, the teacher asked me, “Do you really play conga?” “I think so.” Then he said, “Bring me a conga that’s in that room. I want it to play me a merengue, a cha-cha-cha, and a mambo.” I played it for him, and he said, “Wow, you have good hands, you’re starting with the Latin orchestra here,” and that’s how I graduated from hig  h school at 17.

From School to Work

At that time, I went to work at the stock exchange in New York, and I didn’t like it, so I left. One day, I went into a New York club, and Joey Pastrana’s orchestra was playing.

It just so happened that someone said to Joey Pastrana, “Look, you see that skinny kid over there on the corner, that kid plays conga,” and he said to the kid, “Tell him to come over here.”

The kid came up to me and said, “Look, Joey wants you to go over there on stage.” I replied, “I don’t know Joey. And you’re telling me Joey wants me to go over there when I don’t even know him?” “Well, look, go, he’s calling you.”

Joe Psatrana
Joe Psatrana

I went over there, and he said, “Look, and Joey said, “Do you want to play a number with me?” And I said, “I don’t know who told you I play conga. I don’t play conga.” And he answers, “But the kids here are saying you play conga.”

And because of his insistence, I played a number. When I played the number, he said, “Do you want to play here? Because my brother, Willie Pastrana, is leaving the group.”

And when I came to see you, at 17, I was playing with Joey Pastrana. So, from then on, I went with Tony Pabón in the protest. I was with Ernie Agosto and La Conspiración, with Adalberto Santiago, Los Kimbos, even with La Diferente for a little while, just for a while; with the great Héctor Lavoe, with Pacheco, with Pete el Conde, very quickly. Then with the Estrellas Fania, and those from Puerto Rico.

– You replaced Ray Barreto in Fania, hence the nickname Manos de Hierro? Tell us a little about your experience with Fania.

– Oh, because I always had heavy hands when I played. And they called me that name: Ray Barretto, “Hard Hands,” and I, “Iron Hands.” They were the musicians, and your dad (Ángel Méndez) gave me that nickname. I’ll never forget this. I forgot to mention someone, Willie Colón, who I also played with and recorded the album “Siembra.”

Ray Barretto’s Replacement

I can’t explain how I was able to make my career in music, because, blissfully, I was in the audience at Madison Square Garden watching Fania, and I never in my life thought I’d play with the Fania Stars!

Regarding the question about whether I reviewed Barretto: before joining the Fania stars, there was Johnny Rodriguez, El Dandy.

He left, and I joined. So when I saw Barreto wanting to return, I said these words to Ray Barreto: “With all due respect to you, because you’re an icon I’ve always respected, this chair, I was just warming it up, this chair is yours.” And he said to me in English: “Eddie, we’re going to split the show. You play half the show, and I’ll play half.” And I said to him, “Ray, this seat is yours. I respect it,” and he said, “No, half and half.”

Ray Barretto
Ray Barretto

We always had a tremendous relationship. I remember when my father passed away, and Ray came and stayed with me at the funeral home for two hours. I’ll never forget it.

And I’m telling you from the bottom of my heart, one of the things I hold dear is that when Ray got sick, honestly, I wanted to go see him, and they always told me, Eddie, you can’t go because they have him in intensive care and they won’t let you in.

I was always calling mutual friends who knew if he was coming out of intensive care or not. They would tell me, “Eddie, no, hey man, don’t come because you’ll waste your time.” That’s how I couldn’t see him in his final days. It was only when he passed away that I went to the funeral home.

The same thing with your father, you know, your father for me is the friendship, and I’m not saying this because you’re interviewing me, but the relationship, the respect I have for your father, and you know, I thank your father because he was the one who made us, and I say this, of course, God made us, and with all due respect, but when it comes to the entertainment side of things, your father was the magazine that everyone bought.

When I started out in 1977, coming to Venezuela, I met your father, Ángel Méndez, Swing Latino, with Fernando, the photographer, and the truth is that the friendship was never lost.

Eddie Montalvo y Ángel Méndez
Eddie Montalvo y Ángel Méndez

We’ll be releasing the second part of this interview soon.

Pónle Saborrrr!

By:

cafeatlantico

Swing Latino

Giogerling Mendez

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Also Read: The legacy of Leopoldo Pineda, the ambassador of the trombone in La Maquinaria Fania All Stars

Oscar Dudamel continues to achieve dreams and presents “La Rumba Me Llama”

Legendary Venezuelan trombonist Oscar Dudamel expands his musical vision with a new single that fuses the essence of classic salsa with his unmistakable style, which is why he does not hesitate to express “La Rumba Me Llama”.

This song is part of his upcoming album “Sueño Alcanzado”, a production that will be released on May 30 and represents the culmination of years of musical research, fusing the classic salsa sound with jazz influences and the romantic tradition of boleros.

El legendario trombonista venezolano Oscar Dudamel
El legendario trombonista venezolano Oscar Dudamel

In “La Rumba Me Llama”, Dudamel brings his trombone to the forefront of a vibrant composition that captures the essence of the rumba as an inescapable call. With a musical structure that evokes the great salsa orchestras and an impeccable instrumentation.

The piece stands out for its meticulous arrangements, powerful brass and an irresistible cadence, faithful to the spirit with which Dudamel has approached his music. The track is an invitation to the dance floor and a testament to the rhythmic power that has defined his career.

The album Sueño Alcanzado not only takes its name from a personal concept of triumph, but also from one of his most significant pieces.

The title track was born in an intimate creative encounter in Caracas, Venezuela, with Maestro Alberto Crespo, composer Eliel Rivero and Solange Ramírez, mother of his son Gustavo Dudamel.

Oscar y Gustavo Dudamel
Oscar y Gustavo Dudamel

Dedicated to her son and with her special participation on violin, this piece encapsulates the spirit of a project that transcends the musical to become a testimony of life.

More than a nostalgic production, “Sueño Alcanzado”, of which the song “La Rumba Me Llama” is part, is the reflection of an evolution. The music that accompanied him since his childhood now takes a new form under his direction, in a creative process that has brought together talented musicians with whom he shares the same vision.

His orchestra, based in Madrid, has become the vehicle to continue taking his proposal to international stages, demonstrating that salsa is still alive in every note and every drum beat.

“La Rumba Me Llama” is now available on all digital platforms and is just a preview of ‘Sueño Alcanzado’, Oscar Dudamel’s new album, consolidating his legacy with authenticity and mastery.

Oscar Dudamel Virtuoso Musician, Trombonist and Orchestra Conductor.

Oscar Dudamel, a Venezuelan trombonist, discovered his passion for salsa as a child when he first heard “La Murga” by Willie Colón. Although his formal musical training began with Maestro Pablo Canela and later continued within El Sistema as a classical musician, that early experience left a profound mark on him, inspiring his dream of playing the trombone and solidifying his love for salsa as his ultimate passion.

Dudamel was born on January 14, 1961, in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. He grew up in a musical family where every gathering was celebrated with music, fostering his passion for the art from a young age. His parents purchased him a trombone, and he began his studies at the Yamaha Music Academy.

Oscar Dudamel sigue alcanzando sueños
Oscar Dudamel sigue alcanzando sueños

At the age of 7, he was enrolled in a music academy under the guidance of Maestro Pablo Canela, a composer and prominent figure in the music of the Lara State region of Venezuela.It was there that he started his training with the Cuatro, the traditional Venezuelan instrument, and the guitar, which became his first instruments.

In addition to his Cuatro training, Dudamel began studying and playing various percussion instruments, further broadening his musical repertoire.

His academic training took place at the Lara State Conservatory in Barquisimeto, and at the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela, also known as El Sistema.

During his teenage years, he became a member of the Youth Orchestra of Lara State (El Sistema Lara) and the Liceo Mario Briceño Iragorry Band, where he had the opportunity to expand his musical knowledge and explore various genres.

Dudamel entered a new phase of his life when he enrolled at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Music Conservatory to study theory and solfège, continuing his trombone studies under the guidance of his maestro, Óscar Vivenes.

Over the years, he became a member of the Lara Youth Symphony Orchestra of Lara, part of the national network of Venezuela’s El Sistema orchestras, actively participating in classical music.

However, his fascination with the Caribbean rhythms of salsa never disappeared. Thus, he combined his classical training with his passion for salsa, performing with renowned artist and sharing the stage with legends of the genre, such as Héctor Lavoe, Ismael Rivera, Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Justo Betancourt, Marvin Santiago, and other great artists.

In Caracas, Venezuela, he founded his own orchestra, with which he had the opportunity to share the stage with notable figures such as Rubén Blades, Gilbert Santa Rosa, Luis Enrique, Guaco, Oscar D’ León, and many others.

Dudamel’s surname is synonymous with music. He is the father of Gustavo Dudamel, one of the most acclaimed classical music conductors in the world. Gustavo’s well-known fondness for salsa stems from his father, who recently fulfilled his lifelong dream of releasing a solo album titled Sueño Alcanzado, dedicated to his son.

Dudamel currently resides in Madrid, Spain, where he leads his ensemble, Oscar Dudamel y su Orquesta, performing salsa alongside his Venezuelan musician friends and colleagues at Café Berlín Madrid.

Oscar Dudamel y Dj, Augusto Felibertt
Oscar Dudamel y Dj, Augusto Felibertt

‍Research Sources:

Contact: Katie Baloian of Radio Notas (Compartiendo Ideas)

Alberto Crespo (Pianist and Arranger)

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Café Berlin in Madrid

Also Read: Mariana “The Sonera of Venezuela and for the world”

From Cuba El Septeto Son de Nipe come Abriendo Caminos (Opening Paths)

Son de Nipe. A musical septet born in the municipality of Antilla, it burst into the cultural world with an album of the In Situ label of the Colibri Record Production Company.

Antilla is the smallest municipality of the province of Holguin in Cuba and one of the smallest of Cuba, it was founded on January 21, 1925, it is famous from distant times for its beauty, legends and original aspect.

De Cuba El Septeto Son de Nipe vienen Abriendo Caminos
De Cuba El Septeto Son de Nipe vienen Abriendo Caminos

The group is formed by former musicians of the orchestra Brisas de Nipe of this municipality.

This project was born from the hands of Porfirio Núñez Cruz (Firo) who as Art Instructor at the Casa de Cultura Adelaida del Mármol of Antilla had experimented with other amateur groups, but not with the same results, because the members did not have the necessary musical training.

The album Abriendo Caminos includes 14 songs, 10 of which belong to Antillean authors.

“The value of Abriendo Caminos also lies in the fact that it helps Antillean composers and arrangers to open up to the recognition of their work and ways of doing things”.

From the singer and percussionist of the septet Son de Nipe, Alejandro Arencibia appears the guaracha Esa muchacha quiere bailar and the son, Honor al Guayabero; from Edalio Espinosa Alayo (Pupi), former member of the Brisas de Nipe orchestra, the son, Es caliente como el sol (It’s hot like the sun).

The songs A mi Antilla (bolero-son) and, Y no me niegues el beso (son) by José James Pinder, singer of the septet. By Oscar Fernández, former singer of the Brisas de Nipe Orchestra, the disc offers the themes Rebozo de amor (guaracha) and the son Que lástima.

Septeto Son de Nipe
Septeto Son de Nipe

From the director of the septet Son de Nipe Porfirio Núñez Cruz, Mi son tradicional.

And the guaracha Olvídate de esa nena by the Antillean composer Nemesio Palacio.

The remaining four musical numbers are; De que callada manera by Nicolás Guillén and Pablo Milanes, Culpable by Pepe Delgado, Rabo de nube by Silvio Rodríguez and Una alborada de amor by Ariel Dotres Zaldivar, these songs were arranged by Porfirio Núñez Cruz.

In the septet’s album Son de Nipe Abriendo Caminos “the guaracha, the bolero, the bolero-son and the genuine son are retaken with originality and revalued”.

The latter is due to the fact that the musical criteria followed by its director was the respect for traditional music, its deep knowledge, but imbuing it with very contemporary nuances, which results in a seal that distinguishes the septet Son de Nipe.

“We use the son, but more updated because we make innovations, harmonizing it in a more modern way, without losing its roots”.

The selection of the songs that made up the album Abriendo Caminos was in charge of the septet’s management, since the Casa Discográfica Colibrí wanted originality and the authentic exhibition of the work that has been developed with traditional music in the eastern part of the country.

Son Cubano de Nipe en Holguin
Son Cubano de Nipe en Holguin

The graphic image of the disc, worked in sepia and black colors fundamentally manage to set the atmosphere that is offered to us with a vintage flavor and invites us to listen to these 14 songs full of tradition and contemporaneity.

“It will be a delight for the listener and the dancer, the good function of the tres in its solos and “entregas”, the beautiful and ingenious introductions, the exquisite mixture between text and music of the boleros, the harmonic patterns of the soneros that not for conventional reasons give up a significant finish, without neglecting, on occasions, the voices replacing wind instruments”.

The selection of the members was meticulous. Porfirio had in his favor the prestige he possessed and the convening power among his former colleagues of the Orquesta Brisas de Nipe, so much so that in the list of his group he planned to include Reyes Cástulo Urgellés Fáez, better known as Lulú as bassist and José James Pinder (Joseíto) as singer, both retired from the Orquesta Brisas de Nipe and linked to the Casa de Cultura in occasional activities.

The septet still needed to be completed with a key piece, the tres, for which the prestigious Mario Arencibia Rodríguez, one of the best tres players in Antilla, was summoned.

In the Arencibia family, musicians abound, that is why the group was completed with them: Alejandro, singer and Rafael on the tumbadora.

Alejandro and Mario had been part of an amateur group called Renovación Antillana for more than 20 years, which was very famous in its time and where a great number of aficionados were formed.

Alejandro sometimes played the tres in other groups, but in Son de Nipe he remained as a singer, he also had a work relationship that did not allow him to devote himself entirely to music; His nephew, trained at the Casa de Cultura and under the musical influence of the family, had taken over the tumbadoras, so Rafael Arencibia was the youngest of the group, he was barely 25 years old and at this young age he had already played in several amateur groups and got the Brisa de Nipe orchestra out of trouble, due to the unexpected absence of its percussionist.

Rafael Arencibia Rodríguez joined the project with enthusiasm despite the fact that the genre and style of the repertoire were not those used by the amateur groups of his contemporaries.

Iro had obtained the desired musicians, but he still had a big step to climb, his musicians were not professionals, they all had work commitments and he needed to prepare the project for the right day…(ecured).

 

Septeto Son De Nipe – Abriendo Caminos (2006)

Temas:

  1. Esa Muchacha Quiere Bailar (Alejandro Arencibia)
  2. Es Caliente Como El Sol (Edalio Espinosa Adayo)
  3. A Mi Antilla (José James Pinder)
  4. Rebozo De Amor (Oscar Fernández Paz)
  5. De Qué Callada Manera (N. Gillén / Pablo Milanés)
  6. Honor Al Guayabero (Alejandro Arencibia)
  7. Culpable (Pepe Delgado)
  8. Mi Son Tradicional (Porfirio Núñez Cruz)
  9. Y No Me Niegues el Beso (José James Pinder)
  10. Clodomiro (Oscar Fernández Paz)
  11. Rabo De Nube (Silvio Rodríguez)
  12. Qué Lástima (Oscar Fernández Paz)
  13. Una Alborada De Amor (Ariel Dotres Zaldívar)
  14. Olvídate De Esa Nena (Nemecio Palacio)
Septeto Son De Nipe - Abriendo Caminos (2006)
Septeto Son De Nipe – Abriendo Caminos (2006)

 

Research Sources:

L’Òstia Latin Jazz

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Also Read: Virgilio Martí was an excellent rumbero and composer of the classic “Cuba Linda” where he was vocalist and percussionist in Grupo Folklorico Experimental Newyorkino

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