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With a full tank, Transition by Tito Rodriguez, Jr.

Bella Martinez, International Salsa Magazine by the hand of www.SalsaGoogle.com presents and highly recommends this formidable and exquisite production of Tito Rodriguez Jr. The firstborn of the unforgettable Pablo “Tito” Rodriguez.

Long live music!  Repeat after me: “Long live the musicians so they can keep making it”.  And I add: “Long live SALSA”.

As soon as I got my hands on it I listened to it, many times.  Not that I needed an explanation, but I could not stop listening to it and go off to take care of my duties.

So much so that I had to send the radio station of the Puerto Rican salsa singer on vacation for a few days until I finished writing the note that had chosen to write itself.  The CD cover – showing the photo of Tito Rodriguez, Jr. settled on my desk for several weeks as if it belonged to the surface in front of which I sit every day.  Until one fine day I said to myself: Today I hope to be able to understand the instrumental pairing of everything that happens in this piece.

Here I go…

In the first cut (Bailando con la más fea) there were several bars after the first minute, that transported me to my days of partying in New York during the bravo launch of that orchestra that I haven’t heard for a long time.

Of course, while that orchestra sounded bigger than it was, this one I’m examining today – Tito Rodriguez, Jr.’s – sounds bigger than it is and on steroids; among other reasons because the baritone enhances the personality of this serious sounding arrangement, albeit hand in hand with a jocular lyric.

During the second theme (El vive bien) we experience a very Cuban theme of those that sandungueando the waists of those who follow the leather beats to’ fuete.

Shortly before entering the third minute, the interplay of saxophones and twists in which the baritone and bongo play suggest to me that this song shares the flavorfulness of the pregón that says “Salsa ahí na’ma’ como me gusta a mí…” from one of the tracks on Gilberto Santa Rosa’s production Colegas (2020).  In fact, Gilberto collaborates in this production, specifically in the song Volver.

In the third cut (Ándate nena), the trumpet solo stands out within an arrangement for large orchestra and allows the performance to be sprinkled with conga, marking the nostalgia of the memory of those geniuses that the traditional big bands left us as a legacy.  The saxophones sound like those of the Palladium orchestras.

The 4th track (Volver) is an arrangement where the influence of Bobby Valentín’s inventions is evident.  The track starts like the romantic arrangements of the 1990’s, although with a heavy and dominant piano, prior to the alto saxophone playing that opens the way for the rest of the saxophones in perfect synchrony with the conga, timbal and bongo.  This cut features Gilberto Santa Rosa, although the song didn’t need Santa Rosa to shine.

Tito Rodriguez, Jr. gave way to the most prolific salsa singer in commercial salsa to perform a song that was already the polished diamond of this collection.

I found it to be a classic big band arrangement with an avant-garde touch where the saxophones give way to a touch of a musical arrangement that wants to be a sonorous orchestra.  However, the perfection of the thing doesn’t let the sonorous touch tuck in the modern big band concept.  Well, I understand myself.  “Afinca y echa pa’ lante…” said Santa Rosa.

In the fifth track (Con el tanque lleno) the orchestra starts off powerful in sound and playfulness.  The song is about a “convertible, colorado y con el tanque lleno”.  The pregón reads: “Soy soltero y con el tranque lleno” (I’m single and with a full tank).  I don’t think you will be surprised when I confess that this is my favorite song in this collection.  The lyrics are funny, but the arrangement is a smashing one.

The conga’s correspondence with the melodic trombone solo by Alex Zapata’s blows sets the stage for a masterful closing by the saxophone ensemble under the leadership of Ismael Vergara’s baritone.

The sixth track (No vale la pena) is evidence of the chameleonic capacity of Sammy Gonzalez, Jr.’s voice, which can be used to proclaim, to sound, to become the most romantic rogativo in the middle of a heavy song, all within a romantic lyric full of feeling.  Well, rarely does a man play the “victim” of a sentimental breakup.

This is one of those few times, a situation that makes the pregones both jocular and nostalgic at the same time.  The contradiction of suffering and laughing is also visited at the end of the mambo, which makes the theme one of general interest in addition to the musical interest it awakens.

The seventh track (Pa ti morena) is a very brave Cuban son.  I don’t know if this son is played in that unlikely combination of the style of Tito Puente, Machito and Tito Rodriguez knowingly or if it was pure chance.  I felt like I was reaching for heaven while listening to Sammy Gonzalez, Jr.’s vocal performance when the alto saxophone solo brought me back to reality.

The beginning of cut #8 (Para los bailadores) marks the change of tempo to an aggressive one where the bongo is the one telling where the baritone is going. When the vocalist suggests to Tito Rodriguez, Jr. to enter the mambo with an anticipatory “y nos fuimos”, no one doubts the greatness of the orchestra’s sound.

The timbal solo by Tito Rodríguez, Jr. declines when the performer requests “mambo otra vez”.  It is in this track that the distinctive sound of this orchestra is most noticeable, one inspired by the traditional big bands, although influenced by the advanced currents.  In short, this is real salsa and it is salsa to enjoy.  As promised in the lyrics, this song brings to the arena a very cool rhythm that is not to be confused with charanga.

After I finished writing this note, having already listened to the complete production, I was tempted to ask Tito for an audience and ask him “a couple of questions” according to me.  That brief call went on and on and I asked him everything I could, taking advantage of the nobility of the timbalero heir to the musicality and name of one of our greatest musical glories….

During the “cañona” that I wanted to call an organic interview, Tito confirmed that Transición is his fourth album and the first to be titled in Spanish.  Let’s go well, Tito.

This album was preceded by Curious? (1978), which featured José Alberto “El Canario” and Rubén Blades; Eclipse (1995) and The Big Three Palladium Orchestra live at the Blue Note (2004).

Why the title Transición?  I’ll tell you about it next time.  Obviously, Tito deserves another chapter in my salsa journey.  Talk to you soon and I’ll tell you about his 2009 adventure when he was in Puerto Rico fulfilling one of his musical dreams.

Tito Rodríguez, Jr. Transición

By: Bella Martinez “La Escritora Irreverente de La Salsa”

Puerto Rico

WebSite: Bella Martinez

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A production that placed “Yambeque” on its first song

Enrique Arsenio Lucca Quiñones (Ponce, Puerto Rico, April 10, 1946), known as Papo Lucca, is a pianist and multi-instrumentalist of salsa and Latin jazz.

An arranger and virtuoso of his instrument, he was co-founder with his father, Enrique “Quique” Lucca Caraballo, of La Sonora Ponceña. He has also performed and recorded with the Fania All-Stars, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, Bobby Valentin, Ismael Quintana, Gloria Estefan, Adalberto Santiago, Andy Montañez, Pablo Milanés and Rubén Blades.

La Sonora Ponceña is a Puerto Rican orchestra of Afro-Caribbean music founded by “Quique” Lucca in 1954.

Directed by the son of “Quique”, Papo Lucca, it is one of the most important groups of the musical genre

This time we highlight the album “Determination” from 1982, a production that placed “Yambeque” on its first song

A melody from Regla de Ocha to the orishas that brings a rumba within its particular style of salsa and excelling in a solo he “little” Johnny Rivero and the interpretation “Toñito” Ledee.

On the song “Soledad,” it was Yolanda Rivera‘s turn, along with Miguelito Ortiz and Toñito Ledee, where they sing about loneliness and its peculiarities and dangers.

In “Creo en ti,” the arrangement of the ninths and suspended chords on the trumpet harmonies stood out, very well complemented by Yolanda Rivera’s interpretation of this bolero.

The song “Herida cerrada en falso”, lyrics and interpretation provided by Toñito Ledee, where we enjoy the vocal style of this great singer.

The melody that followed on this album was “Date cuenta“: a call to young people who go around playing with hearts.

In “Si la ven”, where the piano solo turned the main line of the melody into a Classical Music Minuet and where we enjoyed the harmonies that were used in the trumpets and flute horn by Juancito Torres.

In “Joldo” Maestro Papo Lucca makes Jazz taking this melody to a more accentuated Latin plane.

In “Aunque te quiero” Songo with Salsa was employed for a sense of harmony and dance-driving, where this melody reflects the heart of the true and full romantic lover, who regrets the love that does not return to him.

In this production we have wanted specially to detail that we counted on Enrique Quique Lucca like Musical Director; to Enrique Papo Lucca like Producer, Arranger, choir and piano; vocalists to Yolanda Rivera, Miguelito Ortiz and Toñito Ledee; in the choir to Edwin Rosas and like guest also in choirs Mr. Adalberto Santiago.

We were fortunate and honored to have lyrics by Adalberto Alvarez, Jose A. Mendez, Toñito Ledee, Francisco Alvarado, Roberto Anglero, Joseito Gonzalez and one with DRA.

This album continued to mark the musical line that we brought and continued to have the privilege of the favor and acceptance of each of our fans, who to this day continue to fully enjoy each of the melodies present in this production.

We say goodbye to you and thank you for your attention, and we will return soon with another release for all of you.

Facebook: Sonora Ponceña

Yambeque

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What the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery is

 

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 what 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.

Link to its official website spahasalsagallery.com.

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

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It remains one of the oldest and most respected Latin instrument makers in the world.

 

The legend of Gon Bops began in 1954 in California when Mexican-American Mariano Bobadilla (born in Guadalajara), who would become one of the most respected conga makers in the percussion industry, began designing and building conga and bongo drums.

Bobadilla, a band instrument repairman and professional trumpet player, launched Gon Bops in his father’s old wooden garage in a downtown Los Angeles neighborhood.

He chose the name Gon Bops because “Gon” was one of the colloquial expressions of the time, like “everything goes, man,” and “Bops” because his friends nicknamed him Bob, which sounded like “Bop” in the Latin dialect.

Although Bobadilla’s drums remained true to the classic Cuban form, he was a true innovator in the development of drum hardware. He designed the first teardrop-shaped crown with rounded rims, developed to protect the hands of the musicians, a concept that is now universally accepted.

He also gave birth to the first tunable hardware for congas and bongos in the United States. After seeing how Cuban congueros heated the drums in their kitchens before performing, Bobadilla decided there had to be a simpler and more reliable method for tuning these instruments.

Other innovations of the young company included taroles (wooden timbales), the first pre-assembled replacement heads for congas, chromatic tuned cowbells, and numerous stands, adapters and other accessories.

Gon Bops was very successful in its early days. The instruments were in great demand by the top musicians of the time – giants such as Alex Acuña, Mongo Santamaría, Francisco Aguabella, Armando Peraza, Poncho Sánchez, José Hernández and Rich Barrientos, all of whom contributed invaluable R&D input. Gon Bops quickly became the undisputed leader in Latin percussion instruments and remained so throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Mariano remained deeply committed to a hands-on role in production and retained complete control of the design and manufacture of all his products. As a result, Gon Bops instruments were mainstays on the world’s biggest stages, including the massive Woodstock festival in 1969.

However, the winds of change swept through the American percussion industry. By the time the 1980s arrived, all the major U.S. percussion manufacturers had moved overseas to manufacture their instruments. Cheap Asian labor costs meant higher profits.

But as manufacturing costs declined, so did quality, and for that reason Bobadilla refused to move its production out of the United States. As a result, Gon Bops began to struggle financially. Unable to compete with its larger competitors, Bobadilla had no choice but to close the doors of his beloved company.

Fortunately, that was not to be the end of the Gon Bops brand. In 2001, Don Lombardi of U.S. drum manufacturer DW bought the company along with all its patents and trademarks.

Lombardi had met Bobadilla in 1978, when he used Gon Bops’ Timbale shells to build DW’s brass snares, and had subsequently continued to seek Bobadilla’s R&D advice. It was a great fit, and it was no coincidence that the quality of DW’s drums and hardware continued to grow after the Gon Bops acquisition.

To manage his newly acquired Gon Bops brand, Lombardi hired the best drum craftsmen in the United States. He even purchased San Francisco-based Sol Percussion to recruit its founder, drum builder Akbar Moghaddam, to the Gon Bops cause.

Moghaddam brought with him fellow drummer Octavio Ruiz, and Lombardi teamed them up with Alejandro Perez, a drum builder who had worked with Mariano Bobadilla at the original Gon Bops factory.

In 2010, cymbal manufacturer SABIAN Inc. announced that it had purchased the inventory, intellectual property, patents and manufacturing equipment of Gon Bops from DW.

The deep commitment to innovation that SABIAN applied to its own instruments had inspired founder Robert Zildjian and his son, SABIAN president Andy Zildjian, to seek out like-minded instrument companies available for acquisition. And it just so happened that Lombardi had begun looking for a buyer for Gon Bops.

“We are excited to begin this new chapter in the history of SABIAN and Gon Bops,” Andy Zildjian notes. “Gon Bops instruments are a perfect blend of vintage craftsmanship and innovative thinking. Since its founding in 1954, the company has pioneered several features and enhancements that have forever changed Latin instruments.

We are excited to not only expand distribution, but also to continue to focus on innovative designs that represent clear improvements to meet the needs of musicians.

The pursuit of the best sound is what our craftsmen work for every day. We know that the fit is perfect, above all, because sound matters.”

Today, Gon Bops remains one of the oldest and most respected Latin instrument makers in the world.

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Born and raised in the Bronx, Joe Conzo Jr. develop his passion for photography when he was young while attending the Agnes Russell School on the campus of Columbia University. He continued his formal art education at the School of Visual Arts (New York City).

During his early years, “Joey” witnessed volatile community activism in the South Bronx and the world of Puerto Rican avant-garde arts and music scene in New York. Any day, he could be found nipping at his grandmother’s heels, the late Dr. Evelina Lopez Antonetty (a dynamic leader and passionate activist), who was committed to a defiant act of civil disobedience in favour of the educational rights minorities in the South Bronx.

Other days, he could have been in constant company with his father, Joe Conzo Sr. (confidant and biographer of the late legendary bandleader and musician Tito Puente for a long time), and behind the scenes with the Latin music giants like Machito, Charlie Palmieri, Johnny Pacheco, and Ray Barretto.

These two lived realities will have a profound effect on the way Joey saw his surroundings through the lens of a camera.

Coming of age as a young person and budding photographer in the mid-1970s turned out to be a baptism of fire in an unprecedented chapter of the urban decadence in New York. Joey belonged to a generation that had refused to be erased by corrupt politicians and a derogatory education system. His talent had found its place in collective acts of rebellion that reinvented the same world that had them dead. This socio-cultural movement would end up being recognized in the U.S. history books as Hip Hop.

The art, music, dance and aesthetics of his time resulted in a consciousness that challenged the authority and inspired personal battles with silence and hopelessness. There, at its earliest stage, Joey, aka “Joey Kane,” was passionately embracing his role as official photographer in a drama that was taking place. However, every revolution has its casualties and very few get away with it.

 After a tumultuous period of substance abuse and homelessness, Joe Conzo Jr. wanted a positive change in his life. He started seeking change step by step With his archive of photographic work preserved with love in boxes by his mother and the members of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers group. His personal reinvention led him into the medical professions, where he eventually received the totile of Nurse. Then later, he joined the New York Fire Department as an emergency medical technician. It was his role as an EMT that led him to the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001.

This near-fatal experience of Joe Conzo Jr. during the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil reinforced his decision to keep control of his life. Among his life choices, he resumed his stalling relationship with a camera, and found his passion for life from behind the lens again. A few years later, he met American photographer and videographer Henry Chalfant, who was working on the documentary “From Mambo to Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale”. Chalfant asked Joey for permission to include some of his Cold Crush Brothers images in the film. This collaboration led to a friendship between the two of them that continues today. The documentary received the 2006 ALMA Award in the category of Best Television Documentary.

Source: https://www.amny.com/

 Joe Conzo: ‘Born in the Bronx’.

Without the artists able to participate in traditional exhibitions this year, what does BEYOND THE STREETS provide to the art world?

 With the disappearance of the traditional rule this year, BTS has been able to think outside the “box” and continue to provide a platform for artists like me to continue to promote and share their work with the public. After the hard blow suffered by the artthis year, BTS continues with very few limits to provide a platform for artists to continue being artists and sharing their work with the world.

What is your contribution to the show?

My contribution to the show is the publication of an expanded version of my book “Born In The Bronx” published the first time in 2007. BTS has become possible for the world to have another chance to own this classic book with 1XRUN, Rock The Bells and Boo-Hooray Gallery.

How have New York artists responded to the world this year?

New York artists are reistant and always look for ways to share their art and support each other.

As a photographer, it is about respecting the art form, their elders and supporting the growing generation. BTS has been that and continues to be that platform for artists all over the world.

 

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