North America

The Cajón throughout history

The main artists who put on a show always get the lead on stage, but nothing much is being said about the instruments accompanying them, which are a fundamental part of music as we know and enjoy it. One of these is the cajón, which has a most interesting and a little bit controversial origin, so there are certain considerations to express this regard.

This is the cajón — This is how the cajón looks today

What is the cajón?

The cajón, also known as the Paruvian cajón or flamenco cajón, is a percussion instrument consisting of a wooden box on which the musician sits and taps with his fingers and palms to produce the desired sounds, whether bass or treble. On certain occasions, it is used as a substitute for the drum kit and has gained popularity in jazz, flamenco, and some Latin genres.

One reason it is so popular is because of its versatility, transportability, and ease to be played, even if the musician does not have much experience. Therefore, many prefer it to the drum kit, which is bigger and more cumbersome in certain cases.

Origins of the cajón

What is known about the origin of the cajón is that by the end of Spanish colonization, African slaves bound for America were not allowed to use their drums because the Catholic Church saw them as sinful and pagan tools. Not to mention that these prisoners also used these drums to communicate with each other, which is why the Spanish nicknamed them “talking drums.”

This led to the aforementioned instruments and several of their musicians being burned. Not to mention that slavers wanted to ban black songs that sent messages about slavery through their melodies.

By the early 1800s, there was absolutely no record that the drum had existed in what we now know as Peru, and any viceregal document mentioning it disappeared. However, there is evidence of the existence of the cajón from 1840, and it is believed that the first to use it were Afro-Peruvians.

fiesta de amancaes with the cajón — Painting by the German Painter Mauricio Rugendas on the occasion of the “Fiesta de Amancaes”

Afro-Peruvians encompass a collection of African ethnic groups who, unable to express themselves through music as they did before, had no choice but to find other instruments with which they could do so. They then saw wooden crates used to transport goods as a way to do percussion and thus continue to practice their sacred rites and play their music.

Initially, the cajones were used to play coastal and traditional dances to central and north Peru, which gradually popularized them. They also began to be used to play the “Fiesta de Amancaes,” which is a Limean festival held during the time of the Viceroyalty. This event usually brought together horse breeders, artisans, and bohemian musicians from the north and center of the country.

The arrival of the cajón in Spain

Many years later, specifically the year 1977, the cajón arrived in Europe. It was Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist Paco de Lucía who discovered the instrument during a tour of Latin America when he attended a reception hosted by the Spanish ambassador at the time. On that occasion, Paco heard Brazilian musician Rubem Dantas play it during a show by singer-songwriter Chabuca Granda, and he instantly realized that those sounds combined very well with flamenco percussion, which was always done with the palms, although it was not as consistent and precise as required. The cajón achieved this without a hitch.

It is for this that Paco decided to take the cajón to his country and only added some inner strings to adapt it and tinge its sounds, thus becoming one of the most important elements of a flamenco show today. Both Paco and Rubem decided to release it at an open-air concert at the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid of the Casa de Campo, and the Peruvian instrument was a resounding success, marking the beginning of its addition to flamenco guitarists’ shows.

At the time, Paco said that this contribution to flamenco culture in his country made him very proud and with good reason, as it was a great revolution that continues to bear fruit.

The cajón today

Today, the flamenco cajón has three screws that allow the musician to adjust the tone and a system of strings that gives the Peruvian version a different resonance and offers a range of many different sounds in which the musician’s body plays a very important role. The Peruvian version remains the most traditional of all because it gets no strings and its sounds are deeper, while the Spanish version incorporates strings or bourdons in order to make more tearing and vibrant sounds.

There are also more modern versions that include the use of drumsticks and pedals to expand their sound range a lot further.

Raúl Eliza: from the army barracks to the stage and recording studios

It is increasingly common to find Puerto Rican artists who have had something to do with the United States Army, and our guest today is yet another example of how the music scene is not entirely separate from the military world. Bandleader and drummer Raúl Eliza has told us his fascinating story, focusing on his most important facets: military and art.

Puerto Rican bandleader and drummer Raúl Eliza playing live at Christmas

Adolescent musical tastes and the beginning of military life

In the 1980s, Raúl was a young resident of the Fairview neighborhood, located between the city of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, who was an obsessive fan of rock music. Of course, that was until he turned 19, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in search of his purpose in life.

According to his own tale, his poor academic performance and lack of interest in other disciplines led him to join the navy, where he would love his profession shortly after. At first, he and a group of friends joined up to opt for a different alternative to the one they had, move forward from the stalemate, and be able to travel the world, but in his case, he ended up in love with this world.

In fact, a short time after entering military service, he was involved in the Gulf War, which consisted of the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and its subsequent liberation by a US military coalition. During those days, Raúl realized that he was into something greater than himself and that the shallowing mindset with which he chose that life could turn into something bigger.

So, the then-soldier dedicated himself to doing his work as good as possible, bringing with it rewards like the opportunity to go to college, become an officer, receive medals, and much more.

Introduction to salsa

After three or four months of enlisting, he started to feel a wave of nostalgia for his country. He wanted to see his family and missed the music and food of his homeland. Then his sister sent him a package with two cassettes, one by Frankie Ruiz and the other by Eddie Santiago, which he says changed his life completely. He used to listen to them on old-fashioned players with headsets while cleaning the boat or doing the rest of his other assigned tasks.

Raúl Eliza in his uniform — Raúl Eliza in his service dress uniform

Subsequently, his brothers sent him cassettes by La Fania, Alex D’ Castro, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Cano Estremera, and many others. This made him reconnect with his roots and realize that he wanted a career in music at some point, which he would end up doing years later.

Raúl’s role as the United States representative for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

As the end of his military career approached, Raúl was designated as the United States representative for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (military wing of NATO) during President Donald Trump’s first term.

This was a tough stage of his service, as the president had a lot of run-ins with other member countries due to the excessive economic and armament burden borne solely by the United States. For this reason, every time he made some sort of announcement about that, Raúl received thousand calls from representatives of other countries asking him for explanations. He had his own office and received orders directly from the Pentagon.

Thanks to his position, he had a lot of freedom, so he always played salsa music in the background, and when his officers got into his office, they laughed and danced along with the tunes Raúl was listening to at that moment. Everyone knew that when he was in charge, there was always salsa music playing in the room.

Raúl in front of a tank — Raúl Eliza in front of an army tank while on duty

The beginning of his musical career

Finally in 2018, Raúl retired from military service, but already in 2017, he was making arrangements to devote himself to music once his duty with the army had been fulfilled. Specifically, he was in talks with Puerto Rican artists who were sending him samples and demos based on original songs that he had previously sent them. He was also writing his own lyrics and taking bass lessons to get ready for the future.

Once in Puerto Rico in 2018, he released his first single with his orchestra Conciencia Clásica, which is so named because his music was intended to raise awareness to his fans on social issues such as war, the injury suffered by the civilian population during periods of armed conflict, post-traumatic stress in soldiers, and racism, to name a few.

Artists he has collaborated with

Throughout his short career, Raúl has been blessed to count on the support and collaboration of music greats like Andy Montañez, Willito Otero, Jerry Medina, Carlos Esteban Fonseca, Medina Carrión, among others. While it is true that they all had much to contribute to the Puerto Rican artist at the level of knowledge, Montañez wrote him a song he dedicated to his Dominican wife called “Quisquellana,” which he is enormously thankful for.

He also has songs with Choco Orta and those already mentioned above. Raúl came into contact with these figures thanks to his music producer Manolo Navarro, who was the guy who introduced them to the project and managed to get them to collaborate.

Conciencia Clásica's third album — Cover of Conciencia Clásica’s third album ”Conciencia Clásica 3”

La Nota Band showcases the best of Venezuelan talent

We are proud to introduce the talented Venezuelans Rebeca Rodríguez and Armando Montiel, who are members of the group La Nota Band, which we will talk about in the following lines.

After thanking us and clarifying that they are both partners and share the direction of the band, they proceeded to tell us a bit about their origins, professions, band, and current careers.

Rebeca and Armando in 2018 — Rebeca Rodriguez and Armando Montiel at the Latin Grammys 2018

Rebeca and Armando’s beginnings in music

Armando began his story by telling us that, in his case, he has always loved music and enjoyed listening to it live. In his native city of Maracaibo, there were many street concerts featuring national and international artists, which sparked his interest in joining his school’s marching band between the third and fourth grade. This, in turn, led him to participate in some intercollegiate gaita festivals, which are very popular in many cities of the South American country.

This love for music took shape when the young man moved to Caracas and began his percussion lessons to finally have more formal training in this art. However, his parents made him promise to study a “real” career and then do whatever he wished for. He did so and studied civil engineering at Nueva Esparta University, but he has never practiced it, as music has always been his profession.

Rebeca also loved music, and from an early age, was always reciting poems, learning songs, and singing them at full blast. Then, as she grew up, she slowly built her career and made decisions based on that goal. Just as Armando, she participated in her school’s gaita festivals and took singing and dancing lessons, which led her to join bands in Caracas and become a backup singer for great artists.

Like Armando, she also studied a university degree, but in her case it was social communication at Andrés Bello Catholic University. She does not practice it either, although she does use her knowledge in favor of her artistic career.

Armando playing live — Venezuelan percussionist Armando Montiel playing live

Groups prior to La Nota Band

Armando said with a laugh that he could not mention all the bands and artists he has worked with because there are too many, but the most important ones were Ricardo Montaner, Chino y Nacho, Víctor Muñoz, Elvis Crespo, Guaco, Treo, Mermelada Bunch, and a few others.

Meanwhile, Rebeca pointed out that they met playing for Son Bubalú in Caracas and continued to share experiences in a certain way. While Armando was Chino y Nacho’s percussionist, Rebeca was hired as their backup singer, so they continued to live together and grow as artists in the same environments.

Their professional relationship developed at such a level that they ended up moving to the United States together in 2014 to take advantage of some work opportunities that arose. Among the artists they were able to play with in the United States are Gloria Estefan, Wisin y Yandel, Daddy Yankee, Luis Enrique, José Alberto “El Canario,” and many more.

Already in the year 2016, both realized that they loved collaborating with music greats, but also wanted to start their own business so they would not have to rely on what others wanted for them. That is when La Nota Band was born, with support from family and friends who were willing to help them on this new path.

Rebeca and Yandel — Puerto Rican singer Yandel and Rebeca Rodriguez at the Premios Lo Nuestro gala

The beginning of La Nota Band

In addition to being on their own, another thing Rebeca and Armando wanted to do was to offer employment to other musicians who were in the same situation as them years ago. This was the case of Armando’s twin brother, who was about to go to the United States and also devoted himself to music on percussion. Then, he bought a drum set so he could become the band’s drummer and his brother could take his place as a percussionist.

From the beginning, they have always focused on pleasing both Anglo-Saxon and Latin audiences, so they have been working to fill their repertoire with songs in both English and Spanish in order to enliven events where the two cultures come together.

What they have learned from the artists they have worked with

Of all the great artists Rebeca and Armando have been fortunate enough to work with, there are a number of things they have learned and applied to their own careers. One of these was the use of playback, as it is an extremely common and necessary resource in modern music. There are also other elements used to increase the sound quality of their performances.

Similarly, the discipline, professionalism, and perseverance necessary to manage this business are things they have seen in other artists and that have helped them get the place they want in the industry, which they also expect to achieve.

The Venezuelan musicians always keep their eyes and ears open to capture what can work for them and apply it to their own project.

La Nota Band and Chino y Nacho — Part of La Nota Band with Chino y Nacho at the Premios Lo Nuestro gala 2016

Dreams fulfilled

Among the many dreams come true thanks to music, Rebeca and Armando appreciate being able to travel regularly to many countries, even if their professional activities prevent them from sightseeing as they would like. This is something they would not have accomplished with other kinds of work, which they are enormously grateful for.

In addition to that, they are pleased to have been able to perform on big and famous stages such as Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as Staples Center, and Madison Square Garden in New York, something they never would have thought possible in their early years in Venezuela.

And last but not least, their talent and hard work have also led them to perform in important award ceremonies such as the Latin Grammys, Premios Juventud, and Premios Lo Nuestro.

Cache Live Music puts Miami to dance to traditional Latin music

Roland Cache graced this edition with his presence to tell us about his beginnings, the subsequent creation of his band Cache Live Music, and his current career. The American of Cuban descent honors his roots with the music he and his collaborators play to delight their fans at any event they are hired, indicating the pride he feels in representing his parents’ country and how passionate he is about his craft.

Roland shared many interesting details about his musical life, and we are more than happy to share them with our readers in the following lines.

Roland Cache playing drums live at an event

Roland’s musical beginnings as a teenager

As a child, Roland lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where some high school friends convinced him to play drums with them. Their favorite genre was the rock of the day, which was the 1960s. A few years later, specifically in 1973, another friend took him to a salsa concert at Madison Square Garden, and he liked what he heard so much that he became more involved in Latin music and left American music aside.

Seeing great artists such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and other artists of Puerto Rican descent, he learned to play timbales, tumbadora, and bongos, which allows him to play a combination of conga, timbales, and clave at the same time.

Orchestras prior to Cache Live Music

Before creating his own band, Roland was part of other projects that were training him for what was to come in his career later. One of them was a band from New Jersey, whose members formed La Charanga Casino, which became very popular in that city.

Some time later, Roland could not play for a while, so he has been throwing himself into selling cars and other area businesses. Then, in 1998, he returned to music and created an American band that played rock and jazz with a touch of Latin music.

Roland Cache and the rest of the band — Roland Cache and the rest of Cache Live Music

Creation of Cache Live Music

Eventually, he left the American band and founded a Latin band called Cache Live Music with a group of musicians, some of whom remain alongside Roland to this day. He met most of them through another musician friend who introduced them so he was knowing other artists who joined his project.

Cache Live Music was officially started in 1999, and according to its founder, the hardest thing about keeping a band like this together for so long was the search of opportunities in clubs and other kinds of places. However, Roland says that his experience as a salesman and negotiator has helped him a lot in winning contracts and the best conditions for him and his bandmates.

Current status of Cache Live Music

Today, the core of the band consists are three of its members: the guitarist, the bassist, and Roland, who is a multi-instrumentalist. More recently, Cache included a flutist, a trombonist, and sometimes a singer. This is how, depending on the requirements for a particular event, the group’s leader decides which members and instruments to include for every occasion in order to offer something different.

Cache at an Amazon event — Cache Live Music at an Amazon corporate event

Regarding the repertoire, they only perform covers, but they ensure that each and every song has their personal touch so that they resemble as little as possible to the original versions.

Anyone who wants to hire Cache Live Music can do so through its profile on The Bash by making a deposit and sending a contract to agree on the conditions of the event. However, it is important to note that they are already booked for December and January with corporate parties and weddings, for which we wish them every possible success because they already have the talent.

Former Mayor of Miami Tomas Pedro Regalado and Roland Cache

Creator of Salsa Vida Takeshi Young graced us with his presence in International Salsa Magazine

In International Salsa Magazine, we have always tried to cover all types of Latin music artists, including producers, arrangers, composers, singers, musicians, dancers, and club owners. However, it is also important to talk to other platforms that promote Latin music as we do, so we contacted the creator of the website Salsa Vida, Takeshi Young, to learn a little more about this online media site and everything it has to offer the public.

Takeshi with a painting — Takeshi Young with a painting of Hector Lavoe

Takeshi’s relationship with Latin music

In view of the trouble digital marketing specialist, dance teacher, and competitor Takeshi Young went to create a site like Salsa Vida, we obviously had to ask what relationship he had with Latin music. He replied that he loves to dance and has been doing so for about 19 years. His attendance at various salsa events led him to create a calendar for the San Francisco Bay Area, where he currently resides.

The acceptance he had led him to include much more content like articles, events, guides, and much more. The main goal was to show salsa lovers all the places they could go to enjoy this genre, but over time, Salsa Vida was turning into a sort of online newspaper that provided information on many other things related to the same topic, especially dance academies. For its operation, it uses tools like WordPress, iTools, and Chat GPT as an information bank to his writings, most of which are of his authorship.

He used the name “Salsa Vida” because of the lifestyle that he associated with salsa, which he considered to be unifying, nourishing, and joyful.

Greatest challenges in creating Salsa Vida

One of the most annoying parts about creating Salsa Vida was the calendar, as Takeshi always had to keep an eye on updates, date changes, and event cancellations. Fortunately, he always received information from many of the organizers, who told him when there were any changes in their schedules.

Takeshi at the San Francisco SBK Congress — Takeshi Young dancing with the San Jose State Salsa Team at the San Francisco SBK Congress

Salsa Vida’s most important goal today

Takeshi pointed out that, at present, Salsa Vida’s most important goal is to teach and promote salsa around the world, which has led him to write all kinds of articles in which he seeks to educate his community on all kinds of topics related to Latin music, such as “what is pachanga” or “what is cha cha chá.” With this, he wants those interested in learning about dancing or knowing more about this rich world to have a starting point from the theoretical part.

In addition to that, the website still maintains the calendar to help salsa lovers find events related to their passion near their homes.

Contacts obtained to date

Takeshi claims to have so many contacts with a lot of bands, especially in the Bay Area, which has helped him keep on growing his website. However, the people he interacts with most in this environment are dancers and instructors who give him a lot of information about their work with their academies and students.

Moreover, his work has also helped him gain invites and press passes to all kinds of events and concerts in both San Francisco and the rest of California, allowing him to cover them and bring the latest updates to his loyal readers.

Takeshi and Alyssa — Takeshi Young and dancer Alyssa Aguilar

Goals with Salsa Vida for the coming months

As for Takeshi and Salsa Vida’s goals for the coming months, the creative young man keeps searching for and publishing events from around the world for his readers to see, as well as highlighting the importance of expanding and publishing even more countries in his calendar so that many more salsa fans from other latitudes can use Salsa Vida to find what they want.

Today, the Salsa Vida calendar has events in about 80 countries, but Takeshi says it is not enough and wants to expand much more to other locations. He also wants to add more languages to make visitors to his page feel more comfortable, and new sections such as “Dancepedia” that would come to be a kind of Wikipedia, but focused on dance.

And if that were not enough, he wants to design an app through which those interested can use the same functions of the site in a much more comfortable and interactive way from any mobile device.

Takeshi’s other occupations

As well as handling Salsa Vida, Takeshi is also a digital marketing specialist and teaches salsa at San Jose State University twice a week.

Importantly, he has a BA in philosophy and a BS in software engineering, both from the aforementioned university. During those years, he was also a member of his class’s salsa and mambo clubs.