North America

Conguero Eladio Perez was born on May 5, 1946, in Cataño Puerto Rico

He alternated at the side of renowned orchestras and stellar figures of Salsa. He was a great percussionist with a career that includes collaborations with Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, Tommy Olivencia, Justo Betancourt, and Puerto Rico All-Star, one of the main ones is the one he did with Eddie Palmieri, with whom he recorded nine albums, four of which won Grammy awards.

Eladio gained fame as a member of the Orquesta del Maestro Eddie Palmieri, appearing in the band for the first time in the album Superimposition.

His first recording was with La Orquesta del Maestro Eddie Palmieri in 1970.

“A real scorcher from Eddie Palmieri as much a transition as Superimposition and the kind of record that would have a huge impact on Latin jazz in the 70s! Eddie’s got one foot in the small group styles of his 60s work, but he’s also reaching forward in a mode that’s rootsy and modern at the same time a back-to-basics approach that’s tremendously focused on the rhythm, and which mostly uses heavy percussion and piano to layout the grooves then tops them off with some jazzier riffing on brassy horns.”

Eddie’s piano is sublime throughout — crackling with life and energy that barely made it onto record before, and hitting notes that are modern, yet which sit comfortably next to the earthier grooves of the rest of the band. Ismael Quintana’s on lead vocals.”

He was a member of that “Ecuación Palmeriana” of the song 17.1 (download included in that LP) together with Chucky López and Nicky Marrero (it was said that 17.1 was the average age of the three young percussionists).

Eladio Pérez participated in the recordings of Vámonos Pa’l Monte, Harlem River Drive, the live LP at the University of Puerto Rico, and the two Salsa Grammy winners (Sun of Latin Music and Unfinished Masterpiece).

In the anthological song “Un Día Bonito” there are two congueros: Tommy López Sr. is the soloist in the opening rumba guaguancó and Eladio descarga in the solo accompanied by the entire band.

Around the same time he formed the Orquesta La Única with Julio Castro, Carlos Santos and Junior Córdova.

Years later, in 1976, Pérez was recruited by Frank Gregory to be part of the Puerto Rico All-Stars.

Charlie Palmieri and Roberto Roena also enlisted the services of the percussionist. When Eddie Palmieri returned to Puerto Rico and formed his new orchestra, he again called upon the conguero from Cataño, who shared credits with Giovanni Hidalgo (bongo) and Charlie Cotto (timbales).

1973, unloading of timbales in Panama with the man from Toa Baja Héctor Endel Dueño Rivera and the orchestra of maestro Tommy Olivencia in the song Cuero Na’ Ma where Eladio Pérez on congas, Papy Fuentes on bongos, with the intermission between each unloading of Reynaldo Jorge, Victor Candelario on trombones, the voice of Sammy González with the chorus of Paquito Guzmán and Papy Fuentes.

This song comes from Tommy Olivencia’s album “Cueros…Salsa y Sentimiento” from 1971 for the Inca Records label, but it was originally composed by Tito Puente in 1949 when he had Vicentico Valdés on vocals and Manny Oquendo on bongos.

In 1973 the Orquesta LA UNICA and Friends with the song PA’ LA RUMBA that comes on the album of the same name, composed and sung by Junior Córdova, with the direction and bongos of Julio Castro, the congas of Eladio Pérez, the timbales of Pedro Roque, Angel Rivera on piano, the trumpets of Joe Cepeda, Roberto Ramírez and Norberto Torres among others.

One of the last times we saw his name in recording credits was on Justo Betancourt’s Mató album.

On July 30, 2018, he dies while hospitalized at the Puerto Rico Veterans hospital.

El Conguero Eladio Perèz…Caballero

Facebook: Eladio Pérez 

Article of Interest:  Bella Martínez presenta “Las memorias de Jimmie Morales: un conguero para la historia”

 

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International Salsa Magazine and its Miami Correspondent Diana Marie present Richard Román one of the most recognized and respected announcers of Salsa Dura on On-Line Radio in Miami.

His name is Ricardo Román Zapata; he has 40 years as a show promoter, 26 years as producer and host of his Superior Salsa Program in Miami.

As a promoter began in a series of events in Ventanilla Beach in 1981, his activities were known in Lima and Callao, so much so that Dr. Luis Delgado Aparicio came to my place in Ventanilla and made a program of Maestra Vida in which he gave me a plaque with the logo of Channel 9 Television and the name of Dr. Delgado Aparicio. Delgado Aparicio in 1984, in the years 1986 and 1988 I organized the First and Second Festival of Salsa Playa de Ventanilla where Orchestras of Lia and Callao participated with unpublished songs in lyrics and music.

The winner in 1986 was Carlos Orozco y La Fragua with the theme “ESTAS LLORANDO” of the authorship of Carlos Orozco in tribute to Chabuca Granda, in 1988 the winner was El Combo Espectáculo Creación with the song “CONVERSEMOS” by Ricky Tosso, in homage to the problem of the Petisos (street children), in 1995 I started the Salsa Superior Program in Ventanilla Estéreo FM.

In 1997 I moved to Radio Pirata FM del Callao, in 2007 we started transmitting via www. radiosalsasuperior.com to date, in 2015 we started the delivery of plaques of recognition to musicians, composers and personalities of music in Peru, United States, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba, Panama and our motto is “WHERE A MUSICIAN LIVES THERE WILL COME SALSA SUPERIOR”, The particularity of the plates is that in all this our National Flag, highlighting our beloved country and its people.

The District of Ventanilla

It is one of the seven districts that make up the constitutional province of Callao in Peru. It is the largest of them and the second in population.

It has gone through a process of economic, social, cultural, political, and urban changes, mostly unplanned, presenting itself as a district with a mostly poor population, territorially disjointed, disorderly, with worrying levels of environmental pollution and that has grown at rates that have exceeded the capacity of local management.

Chimpùn Callao

Callao is a port city located in the constitutional province of Callao, in central-western Peru and in turn on the central coast of the Peruvian coast and in the central-western part of South America. It has the Pacific Ocean to the west and 15 kilometers to the east the Historic Center of Lima.

Most of its territory extends in a wide bay protected by the islands of San Lorenzo, El Frontón, Cavinzas, and the Redondo islet, south of the mouth of the Rímac River, but also reaches the northernmost part of the bay of Lima.

Both bays are separated by a peninsula known as La Punta. It covers an area of 148.57 km², including 17.63 km² of islands. It is located 5 meters above sea level.

Since colonial times, the port of Callao has been the largest seaport, the most important in Peru, and one of the most important in America.

Today it is the main port of the country and the Jorge Chávez International Airport, making it the main gateway to Peru. These in turn are the ‘natural’ port and airport of the city of Lima.

In terms of population, Callao is the third-largest city in the country, with more than 1 million inhabitants (only behind Lima and Arequipa).

It has a floating population of approximately 500,000 inhabitants who visit daily for family, tourist, educational and business reasons, among others. Callao has always had the privilege of receiving military visitors, especially sailors, merchants, immigrants, tourists, and other types of social currents.

Salsa Superior Radio (Live)

Facebook: Richard Roman

Article of Interest: Ralph Irrizary, a well-known percussionist, is considered one of the most “Swing” timbaleros in the world.

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Spaha Salsa Gallery

Latino culture has found a large number of icons and places that have shown how wonderful it is and how proud we must be of being born in this land full of colors and talent for export. One of those incredible places is the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery, which is a cultural institution in which the inhabitants of East Harlem, New York, have the opportunity to learn all about salsa and its unusual roots. To that end, visitors can enjoy a great deal of material, information, resources, and many learning initiatives that will blow everyone’s mind.

The purpose of this wonderful space is to gather as much knowledge as possible about salsa and all the artists who have been responsible for bringing this musical genre to every corner of the planet. That is why its owners have been in charge of offering the most inclusive and diverse gallery to prove everything Hispanic talent has to offer. The institution provides a wide range of possibilities for those who want to learn more about the most well-known Latin music genre in history, and art is the tool used for this purpose.

What the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery is looking for

One of the major aims of the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery is awakening the interest of the inhabitants of Harlem and the surrounding neighborhoods towards the musical styles that have inspired the five continents to dance. This is how this space became a valuable resource for many other public and private institutions, which have used the museum to foster greater interest in their own activities. This is because many of the tourists visiting New York know that it was in that city in which the biggest salsa movement in history took place, so they are particularly interested in going to places where they can learn about how salsa came about and what its roots are. That is when institutions such as the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery make an appearance and offer to answer any question on the matter.

Johnny Cruz, a noted musician and record producer, has made this place a true sanctuary for Latin music lovers and all that emerges from it. The museum, which was once a hardware store owned by his father, contains some of the most valuable objects in the history of salsa and that have a very special relationship with some of the greatest figures of the genre, such as Héctor Lavoe’s favorite guitar or José Mangual Jr’s bongos. This collection of objects has been made in order to preserve the legacy of the greatest exponents of the salsa genre in New York for people to remember who they were and what they contributed to Latino culture in spite of the years. Something very interesting to relate is that many of these instruments have been donated by artists, family members, or institutions that want the names of their owners to continue to sound as loud as possible.

Undoubtedly, Cruz and his greatest contributors in this noble work have ensured that locals and foreigners see the gallery as a space for recreation and learning in which they can learn about the origins of salsa and go back to the glory days with many of the greatest musicians in history.

The Johnny Cruz Show

In addition to the salsa museum, there is another space where Latin music artists will always feel at home. We are talking about the Johnny Cruz Show, which has a very interesting schedule and shows how wonderful our culture is.

The show is celebrating 25 years on the air and will be co-hosted by animator and show biz reporter Maribel Santos, who will definitely give a very special touch to this great celebration, which makes Johnny too happy. So many years on the air are the reward of the effort made to offer the best salsa content that the public deserves.

This show is one of the best options that salsa lovers have to know everything related to its best exponents and the latest news on these issues. The cool thing about this is there are many platforms through which those interested can enjoy the talent of Johnny Cruz as host and interviewer, so it will not be difficult to find each of the editions of this great program. In addition, all five counties in New York City can watch the show on cable television.

If case of not living in New York, you can tune into the show on its social media tools. For the time being, The Johnny Cruz Show is available on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. It can also be watched on Salsa Gallery Radio live at the Live 365 station and the possibility of putting it onto podcast platforms in the future is under evaluation.

Link to the Spaha Salsa Gallery’s official website: spahasalsagallery.com

 

By: Johnny Cruz correspondent of International Salsa magazine in New York city, New York

 

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Bobby Valentin The mind of a master

Roberto Valentin “Bobby Valentin” was one of the main collaborators and arrangers of the Fania All-Stars in the 1970s, over which time he also recorded numerous solo albums. Born in 1941 in the locality of Orocovis, Puerto Rico, he began playing guitar as a child and won a contest with a band that he conducted himself at the age of 11.

He began his trumpet studies at the age of 15 shortly before he moved with his family to New York, where he continued his studies under the direction of Carmina Caruso. In 1958 he started his professional career with the Joe Quijano’s Orchestra.

Valentin spent the next several years working as a trumpeter, guitarist, bassist and arranger for artists such as Willie Rosario, Charlie Palmieri, Ray Barreto, Tito Rodríguez and Willie Bobo, until the year 1965, when he debuted with an orchestra to his name by releasing two albums, one of them was under Johnny Pacheco‘s Fania label.

Bobby Valentin, the King of the Bass

During the following years, Valentin continued to release albums to his name under the Pacheco’s label, but he also began recording and making arrangements for the label’s band, the legendary Fania All Stars, which had the presence of important figures as Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Eddie Palmieri, Papo Lucca, Mongo Santamaría, among many others.

In 1975, he began recording for his own label, but his work with the Fania All Stars goes on until the day. Since then, the musician continues to perform with his orchestra for the most important salsa and jazz festivals from all over the world, while at the beginning of the decade Valentin contributed arrangements for some Pacheco‘s songs, it was only natural that he released his albums under his new label.

And while Bobby Valentin moved with his orchestra to Puerto Rico in 1968, he continued to travel often to New York to record for Fania, in addition to working and arranging songs for the label’s band, the Fania All-Stars to which he helped define the sound through his bass, on classic albums of the 1970s like the Tribute to Tito Rodriguez or the live album at Yankee Stadium.

In 1978 he began recording for his own label, Bronco Records, through which he recorded “La boda de ella“, a song that became one of the most important of his career.In addition to continuing to release albums for his own label, the latter of which saw the light in 2016 under the name “Mi Ritmo es bueno” and Mind Of A Master in 2018.

The pop classic The Twist composed by Hank Ballard and popularized by Chubby Checker in 1960, now sounds in salsa clave in a new version created by musician, arranger and composer Bobby Valentin y su Orquesta.

For award-winning Puerto Rican composer, arranger, producer and musical director, to remember is to live, as a result of which he presented the song in Spanish and dance in order to interest the new generations.

“When I was based in New York, this was a boom, Chubby Checker recorded it! At that time, what was done in rock & roll and today’s music is called salsa and it was all about dancing. There was the chachachá, the pachanga, the boogaloo… Everything was visual, with dancing! Chubby Checkerwas in all the TV shows… I recorded the song a year and a half ago, but the premiere was pushed back for the pandemic. I figured I could do it in salsa without losing the essence of that time,” he said.

 

The Twist https://youtu.be/zf-SjdhbH9M

Sources

Amarie Magazine

Fania