On October 2, 1974, Jesús Rafael Torres Caldea, nicknamed “El Cangri de la Salsa” and also known as “El Caramelo de la Salsa”, was born in the populous parish of El Cementerio, son of Candelario Torres, the popular “Robinson” and Doña María de Jesús Caldea, In addition to his biological parents, life also gave him two foster parents who gave him all the love, affection and values, they were Emilio Torres, younger brother of the percussionist musician and Orchestra Director Lisandro Torres, and his wife Alicia Castillo.
Since his childhood he felt great interest in Salsa music and with the help of his childhood friend Oscar Madrid Colina “NENE” they began to buy his first vinyl records without realizing that from that moment on he would begin his career as a collector, musicalizer and producer of events, being today recognized as one of the best music lovers in Caracas and Venezuela.
Although he was raised in the parish of El Cementerio, part of his youth was spent in the Marín neighborhood of San Agustín in the home of the Pino and Palacios families, where he was influenced even more by this tasty musical genre.
He rubbed shoulders with other excellent musicians such as Augusto Felibertt, Alfredo Lozada from whom he learned many things and also with Ivan Piñero, Jonathan Castillo and Ivan Walcott among others.
He ventured as a producer of events with Alejandro Tovar and Betty Zapata, whom he baptized as “The True Lady of Salsa” nothing more and nothing less than with the presentation of Ray De La Paz at the Lido Center in Caracas.
Among the places where he had the opportunity to provide the best of the artillery of his musical collection for music lovers and dancers we can name the Gran Salón Cedro Líbano (La Mezquita), JABEGUERO, La Pachanga among others, reaching his musicality to events where prominent artists such as Herman Olivera, Tito Allen, BAILATINO have participated and also had the honor of being the official musicalizer in the debut of the great Venezuelan orchestra Rumberos del Callejón.
Caramelo was one of the founders of the Online Program via Facebook “Bloque de Salseros de la Mata” which is transmitted every Sunday by the hand of the Master of Masters Mr. Ali Delgado with Junior Villasmil and Alfredo Lozada.
Among his favorite artists and orchestras we can mention the Great Carlos “Cano” Estremera, the Bobby Valentin Orchestra, the Willie Rosario Orchestra and the Yambó Orchestra among others; He is currently living in Lima, Peru but has plans to return to Venezuela very soon, to return to the arena of musicalization and production of events again and already has an excellent proposal to participate as a musicalizer in an event where an international artist will participate later this year, from Salseros de la Mata we wish our pana Caramelo a happy birthday and the greatest of success and happy return to his homeland Venezuela.
You can read: The owner of the Soneo’s solo career Cano Estremera
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