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Ronald Borjas is a Venezuelan singer, musician and composer

Ronald Borjas is currently considered one of the greatest exponents of salsa in Venezuela with an international projection that grows every year.

He is a Venezuelan singer, musician and composer, born in Maracaibo, the capital of the state of Zulia, on November 19, 1981.

Ronald Borjas is a Venezuelan singer, musician and composer
Ronald Borjas is a Venezuelan singer, musician and composer

At the age of 10, his love for the timbal was born, a few years later, at the age of 14, he began singing as a soloist in the Bochinche Orchestra. Throughout his adolescence he stood out as a soloist in bands such as: Caribe, Asterisco, VHG and Bacanos.

He completed higher education at the Cecilio Acosta University (UNICA) where he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Music – Musical Education in 2002. In the same year he went on stage with the Venezuelan Super Band GUACO, where he debuted as a soloist and composer with the song “Te vas” from the album “El Sonido de Venezuela”.

Not only did he develop as a composer, Ronald also plays other percussion instruments such as the bass, the guitar and also the trumpet.

After 11 years as one of the main voices of Guaco, in 2014, Ronald decided to take another path and that is when the great project of his life began, developing his career as a soloist in genres such as Salsa, Bachata and Pop.

Ronald debuted as a soloist with the song “Te Doy Mi Voz” dedicated to his fans, with which he received the nomination for the Latin Grammy for “Best Tropical Song”. That same year, his musical godfather, Salsa legend Oscar D´ León invited him to his show at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he introduced him to thousands of people and baptized him as his “godson”.

That same year, he released “Te Encuentraré” a song that reached #1 on the Venezuelan radio charts Record Report and its video clip, filmed in New York, managed to enter the ranking of the most viewed videos on the HTV channel.

In 2015 he began his musical expansion to other borders, achieving success in countries such as Ecuador and Colombia where his third single titled “Dame Tu Amor” was positioned in the first places of the radio stations as well as in his native Venezuela, while in Peru, it was named the “tropical song of the summer”.

Ronald Borjas is currently considered one of the greatest exponents of salsa in Venezuela with an international projection.
Ronald Borjas is currently considered one of the greatest exponents of salsa in Venezuela with an international projection.

At the end of that year he officially released his first album “Da Capo” with an event that brought together in Caracas, Venezuela a hundred figures of the national show, as well as the press, radio and TV of the country in an unprecedented event. This release in its first weeks, managed to accumulate more than 10,000 digital downloads on his official website www.ronaldborjas.com.

“Da Capo” had valuable collaborations and a first featuring with his godfather Oscar D´León, with whom he recorded “La Quiero Para Mi”. In addition, this album has songs by Amaury Gutierrez, Robert Vilera and his uncle Neguito Borjas, among others.

In 2016 he began releasing his song “Cántalo” which quickly became an anthem of joy and managed to position itself in the first place on Venezuelan radio. That year he won several national awards of great importance such as “Mara de Oro Internacional”, “Cacique De Oro”, Explosión Creativa and Supremacy, all of which recognized him as the “Salsa Singer of the Year”.

That same year he signed a contract with Sony Music as an artist from the Andean Region and embarked on his first international concert tour entitled “Da Capo tour” with which he visited Aruba, Panama and several cities in the United States.

In 2018, he released “Loco por Volverte a Ver” a song he wrote with Nacho Mendoza, Cáceres and Sharo Torres. He also made his second featuring with the “Caballero de la Salsa” Gilberto Santarosa with whom he released “Ellas te van lleva” the first collaboration with an international artist that also managed to position itself as number one on the radio charts.

Ronald Borjas is currently considered one of the greatest exponents of salsa in Venezuela
Ronald Borjas is currently considered one of the greatest exponents of salsa in Venezuela

Shortly after, in 2019, he received a double nomination for “Album of the Year” with the song “Lo que pase aquí” as one of the songs on Tonny Succar’s album titled “Más de Mi” and “Salsa of the Year” with the song “No Queda Nada”. In addition to the collaboration he did with “Quintero´s Salsa Proyect” which was nominated for “Salsa Album of the Year”.

Also in 2019 he released his second album entitled “Bailamos Otra Vez” where he recorded songs of his own, as well as those of Servando Primera, Oscarcito and Amaury Gutiérrez. From this album come hits such as “Amor Demente” “Estoy Dispuesto” “Tu y Yo Tenemos” “Te Quiero para Mi” among others.

Shortly after he announced his collaboration with another former Guaco partner, Nelson Arrieta with whom he released the song “Sobran Los Momentos” which also gives name to the tour they would do together where they traveled through countries such as Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Peru, Panama and the United States achieving great acceptance by the public.

He started the year 2020 with several collaborative releases. “Para Ustedes” from the album origenes where he participated as a guest and achieved #1 on the radio in Venezuela, then he released the song “Juegos Eróticos” with Victor Muñoz and promoted it in his country with great acceptance.

The “pandemic” stage begins and confinement did not stop him. In March he releases the version of the song “María Antonia” by the Venezuelan singer Gualberto Ibarreto, in April he releases “Aunque Parezca Extraño” with Manuel Petit who invites him to this collaboration. In May, together with his uncle Neguito Borjas, Jorge Luis Chacín and Nelson Arrieta they join in a project entitled “Los Mágicos”. In June “Ahora Me Llama” comes out, a song he had recorded for Rumberos del Callejón.

As if that were not enough, in July he records an intimate concert where he invites Victor Muñoz, his uncle Neguito Borjas and Nelson Arrieta to release it as a gift to his fans through his YouTube channel.

He closes the last months of 2020 with the song “Mía” written by Ronald and Salvador Solano that became the anthem of the ´Zumba´ reaching several places in the world. After this, he released one of his songs, “Ya Lo Decidí,” with which he again achieved first place on the radio and was accepted by the entire public.

He started 2021 as a special guest at Gilberto Santarosa’s concert at the Filmore Theater in Miami, where they performed the song “Ellas Te Van Llevando” together. Months later, he released the song he recorded as a duet with José Alberto “El Canario” entitled “A Mi Me Gusta” which quickly managed to position itself on the main playlists of digital platforms in the world. He closed that year with the song “Dime Cómo Hago” which he recorded with Nelson Arrieta and Oscarcito, a salsa that took over the public’s taste and today is one of the most chanted in his concerts.

2022 started with another important collaboration with Motiff, a song titled “Me Descontrola” which quickly entered the top spots on radio billboards and digital platform listings, and was also the song chosen by the renowned company Zumba to use as the official song at its world events.

In 2022, he also launched a very ambitious musical project that he carried out with his friends and fellow countrymen Adelmo Gauna and Nando De La Gente called “Los Pikis” with which they released a series of videos where they compiled erotic salsa hits from the 80s and 90s. Such was the success that in just two months they achieved more than a million views on YouTube.

In May 2022, the live concert titled “Sobran Los Momentos” premieres where Nelson Arrieta and Ronald Borjas invite the founder and lead voice of Guaco, Gustavo Aguado, and together perform several of the hits of the Venezuelan super band, such as “Vivo” “Pídeme” “Eres Más” and “Lo Eres Todo”. Oscarcito was also there performing his hit “Si Tu Me Besas” and the one he has with Arrieta and Borjas “Dime Cómo Hago”. All this incredible material can be enjoyed on the official YouTube channel of Ronald Borjas and Nelson Arrieta.

To close the year, he released the song “Se prende el Parampampan” with his musical friend, Acosta, a fun salsa that unites their musical styles, which together with a video recorded in Puerto Rico, managed to enter the public’s taste, turning this song into an anthem for Venezuelan parties. For his part, Ronald Borjas released a solo single titled “Los Vecinos” which is accompanied by a humorous video directed by Alex Galán.

2023 began for Ronald Borjas with his third featuring with an international artist, this time with the Puerto Rican legend, Tito Nieves. A romantic salsa titled “Te Busqué” that was accompanied by a video where the two singers can be seen in a performance and story. The video currently has more than half a million views on Ronald’s official YouTube channel.

Ronald Borjas
Ronald Borjas

Months later, Ronald reunited with his cousin Luis Fernando Borjas and recorded the song “Cuestión de Tiempo”, which was widely accepted by the public, surpassing two and a half million views of the video and positioned itself as one of the most listened to songs by “Lo Borjas” on digital platforms. This name gave rise to a joint tour with which they have traveled to the main cities of Venezuela, achieving sold out in each one of them.

He closed the year with a great concert “Live in Miami” where he reunited several of his musical colleagues and friends, such as Oscarcito, Victor Muñoz, Motiff, Los Pikis and for the first time since their separation, Toto and Beet from the group Caibo joined together with Ronald, performing the hits “La Despedida” and “La Promesa”. This great reunion of artists can be found on Borjas’ YouTube channel and has also surpassed more than 600,000 views in less than a year.

2024 began with his fourth song in a duet with an international artist, this time with the Nicaraguan, “the prince of salsa” Luis Enrique with whom he recorded “Y Si Mañana”. A great launch was made through the media in Venezuela and it has been a song that quickly became the favorite of the public of both singers and in a few weeks it was positioned in the main salsa lists on Spotify.

After this success, Ronald begins his “Tour LATAM 2024” through Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Panama and Uruguay, countries where he managed to sell out all his performances and reunite with his public after several years. The success of this tour will soon take him to Europe where he will be performing several shows in Spain and other countries that have not yet been announced.

Also Read: Tribute to Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr. His first recording was professionally with Tito Puente in 1964 and was titled “Exciting Rhythm of Tito Puente”

Chick Corea Pianist, composer, arranger, producer, teacher. Acoustic and Electric

Surrounded by music since childhood, Armando Anthony Corea walked a path in which he shone like few others, accompanied by musicians who make up an encyclopedia of jazz.

Pianist, composer, arranger, producer, teacher. Acoustic and electric. Chick Corea was one of the most influential musicians in the vast universe that is jazz and surely one of the most important figures in global music of this time. In addition to being artistically prolific, he was commercially successful. For this reason, it would also be impossible to explain the music of this time without the example of Chick Corea.

Chick Corea Pianist, composer, arranger, producer, teacher. Acoustic and Electric
Chick Corea Pianist, composer, arranger, producer, teacher. Acoustic and Electric

Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1941, to a family of Calabrian origin. At the age of four, he began to play the piano, encouraged by his father, a jazz trumpeter who led a Dixieland band in Boston in the 1930s and 1940s.

Surrounded by music, young Armando was soon introduced to the heroes of bebop. The music of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Horace Silver, and Lester Young would leave a notable mark on his education. At the age of eight, he began studying classical piano with Salvatore Sullo, an Italian-born concert pianist who, in addition to his love of Mozart, opened up the world of composition to him.

Always tied to a confusing timeline, the first released recording of the original configuration of Return to Forever was actually its second session.

An initial ECM studio date made in February 1972 was not released until after the band had changed in 1975.

The Polydor/Verve recording from October 1972 is actually this 1973 release, which features the same band with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Airto Moreira, Joe Farrell, and Flora Purim. There is no need to make distinctions, as both are five-star albums, showcasing many of the keyboardist’s enduring, instantly recognizable and highly melodic compositions.

Farrell’s joyous flute, Purim’s wordless vocals, Airto’s electrifying percussion and Clarke’s deft electric bass lines are wrapped up in a stew of Brazilian samba and Corea’s Fender Rhodes electric piano, and certainly set the tone and the highest bar for the music of the groups that will come after. “Captain Marvel,” the seed of the Farrell- and Purim-less band that expanded into a full concept album with Stan Getz, is here as a vaporous fusion samba with Corea dancing on the keys.

Chick Corea y Gary Borto
Chick Corea y Gary Borto

By now, the beautiful “500 Miles High” has become Purim’s signature song with Neville Potter lyrics and Corea’s stabbing chords, and unfortunately became a hippie anti-drug anthem.

Perhaps Corea’s definitive song of all time, and covered ad infinitum by professional and school bands, “Spain” retains the quirky melody, clapping interlude, up-and-down dynamics, exciting improvisational section and variation in time, tempo and colourations that always spark interest despite a length of close to ten minutes.

“You’re Everything” is a romantic classic that has surely been heard at many a wedding, with another Potter lyric sung to heaven by Purim, while the title track is Purim’s lyrics in a looser musical framework, with Clarke’s graphic merging with Corea and Farrell’s piercing flute work.

Chick Corea - John Patitucci - Dave Weckl
Chick Corea – John Patitucci – Dave Weckl

As much as the others have become icons, Farrell’s extraordinary sound on this date should never be trivialised or underestimated.

The final track, “Children’s Song,” was a springboard for several of Corea’s full-length album projects, and is heard here for the first time in trio format with a slow, Christmas motif.

The expanded version of this recording includes many alternate takes of four of these selections, but also includes “Matrix,” which was not on any RTF album, and there are four versions of “What Game Shall We Play Today?”, which was only available on the ECM release.

From a historical perspective, this is the most important work of Corea’s career, very different from his earlier progressive or improvisational efforts, and the pivotal beginning of his career as the most popular contemporary jazz keyboardist in history. Michael G. Nasto.

Chick Corea And Return To Forever – Light As A Feather (1973)

Tracks:

  1. You’re Everything
  2. Light As A Feather
  3. Captain Marvel
  4. 500 Miles High
  5. Children’s Song
  6. Spain

Musicians:

Chick Corea (Fender Rhodes, electric piano)

Stanley Clarke (Double bass)

Joe Farrell (Tenor sax, soprano sax, flute)

Flora Purim (Voice, percussion)

Airto Moreira (Drums)

Chick Corea And Return To Forever - Light As A Feather (1973)
Chick Corea And Return To Forever – Light As A Feather (1973)

Information provided (February 21, 2009)

Sources:

L’Òstia Latin Jazz

Santiago Giordano: He is a musician, teacher and music critic

Also Read: Yilian Cañizares, an excellent Cuban musician, studied in her hometown in the strictest tradition of the Russian school of violin

Raúl Vargas and his flamenco rumba duo Dos Bandoleros

One of the Latin genres that has been gaining more popularity in California, specifically in the Bay Area, is the Spanish flamenco rumba, so it is no coincidence that every day there are more and more exponents of this genre who have achieved a huge level of fame and respect among both their peers and the public.   

One of them is Raul Vargas, who has given us the honor of talking to us about his career and the projects he is currently working on, so we cordially invite you to read in order to learn more about this talented Spanish singer.   

singer Raúl Vargas
This is Spanish percussionist and singer Raúl Vargas

How Raúl got started in music   

Raul remembers being fascinated by music when he was still very young in his hometown, Madrid. At home, they he used to listen to what his parents played on the radio, but he does not remember anyone in his family being a musician or working it, so he was the first one to have a professional interest in this field.   

He also remembers listening to his mother’s cassettes with which he could enjoy all kinds of artists such as Julio Iglesias, Raphael, Camilo Sesto, Pimpinela and many others. However, as Raul grew older, he began to listen to what he liked just like his brother.   

When he was 16, he began to learn on his own to play the guitar using the songs he liked at the time. At age 17 he wrote his first song and, shortly after he went to live in Eklanda, Sweden, where he started writing many more songs and  take music more seriously, but he still did not see it as his profession.   

It is important to note that, while it is true that music was a very important part of Raul’s life, this was not what he did for a living, but cooking. Thanks to his career as a cook, there were many countries and cities that the young man managed to visit, although he was always accompanied by a guitar or drum he played during his free time.   

Raúl playing
Raúl Vargas playing the guitar

Arrival in the United States   

After having visited many places around the world, Raul met a group of Spaniards in Australia, who suggested him to go to a guesthouse for traveling musicians in the Latin Quarter in San Francisco to see what he felt about it. It turned out to be an excellent decision as he met many professional musicians who were able to make a living from their art, which prompted the young cook to do the same and follow the dreams he felt truly passionate about.   

This is how Raul decided that San Francisco should be his final destination, so he decided to remain in that city permanently. From then on, he continued to travel to other places for work and pleasure, but always returned to what he considered his new home.    

Once he settled in the United States, he started playing for several bands and focused all his time and effort on what really filled his soul and spirit: music.   

First groups and bands   

Despite being born in Spain, Raul had never played Spanish music before and preferred rock and pop, but contact with artists from so many countries in San Francisco made him rethink everything he had done so far. Many began asking him why he had never before sung or played flamenco rumba being Spanish, which led him to do more research on the genre from his country and start playing it. 

No much time would pass before the guitarist created his own flamenco rumba band, which he named ”Mala Maña” and was conceived as a circus theater and music group composed of eight people. It had a duration of three years and all these musicians, long time later, became part of the band Makrú. 

Additionally, he was also part of a duo alongside a guy from Guadalajara, Mexico called ”Fulanos”, which also contributed to the artist’s experience in terms of groups. 

Raúl and Muchacho
Raúl Vargas and guitarist Muchacho Mandanga

Dos Bandoleros 

The duo Dos Bandoleros started about six or seven years ago and its creation is described by Raul as a ”very lucky accident” thanks to which he met who today is his partner in this project. 

It turns out that Raúl and his Makrú bandmates were experimenting with playing in duos and trios to see how things went, which led him and his guitarist to play at a French wine bar on Monday nights. One of these days, they were approached by a young man named Alberto Gutierrez, known artistically as Muchacho Mandanga, who introduced himself and also started playing at the bar along with another Spanish percussionist.  

Weeks passed before both Raul and Muchacho could not take their partners to play due to personal problems, so the venue manager proposed the to join them that day. The chemistry between them was so great that they continued playing together and never apart again.   

At the beginning, they only played flamenco rumba, which was what got closer to each together in the first place. Later on, they started playing cumbia, Latin rock, salsa, Cuban son and many more. 

Read also: Guatemalan group Malacates Trébol Shop enchants with its Latin rock and ska 

ISM / October 2024

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“We are the Latin music world network”

Do you enjoy Latin music? Would you like to get more involved in this genre and share your passion for Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, Merengue and more. Why not joint our Global Team of volunteers as a correspondent?
You can ask for more details with no obligation and we’ll be happy to talk to you about the benefits that come with the role [Read more…] about ISM / October 2024

Australia and New Zealand / October 2024

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OCEANIA

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AUSTRALIA
DIRECTORY OF NIGHTCLUB

Azuquita
Azuquita Entertainment & Productions
Sydney NSW, Australia 2000

Bachata ConeXión
Bachata ConeXión
497-499 Queensberry St
North Melbourne VIC 3051, Carlton, Australia 3053

Uruguayan Club
Club Uruguayo de Sydney
56 – 62 Whithford Rd Hinchinbrook
NSW, Australia 2168

El Giza
El Giza Lounge & Bar
152 Lygon Street
Carlton VIC 3053, Australia

La Bodega
La Bodega
12 Fitzroy street St
Kilda VIC, Australia 3182

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Noun Green Square
355 Botany Road Zetland
NSW, Australia 2017

Pachanga
Pachanga
380 Russell St
Melbourne VIC, Australia 3000

The Collaroy
The Collaroy
1064 Pittwater Road Collaroy Beach
NSW, Australia 2097

The Mustang Pub
The Mustang Bar
46 Lake Street Northbridge
Western Australia, WA, Australia 6003

The Night Cat stage
The Night Cat
137-141 Johnston St, Fitzroy
Melbourne VIC, Australia 3065

Urban Salsa
Urban Salsa
Level 1, Suite 1, 136 Victoria Rd North Parramatta
NSW, Australia 2151

Vodka Temple
Vodka Temple
162 Lygon Street
Carlton VIC, Australia 3053

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NEW ZEALAND
DIRECTORY OF NIGHTCLUB

El Barrio
El Barrio Latino Bar
35 Dixon Street
Wellington, New Zealand
+64 4-333 0261
AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND OCTOBER 2024 FESTIVALS by Karina Bernales

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AUSTRALIA
Melbourne Bachata 2024

Melbourne Bachata Festival

Oct 04 / 06 2024

Transit Dance
64 Dawson St.
Brunswick VIC, Australia 3056

$ 295

Australian Bachata 2024

Australian Bachata Championship

Oct 04 / 07 2024

The Australian Hall
150 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, Australia 2000

Sydney Salsa & Mambo 2024

Sydney Salsa & Mambo

Oct 25 / 27 2024

UNSW Roundhouse
International Rd,
Kensington NSW 2052, Australia

$ 250

Byron Latin 2024

Byron Latin Fiesta

Oct 31 / Nov 03 2024

Byron Community Centre
69 Jonson St.
Byron Bay NSW, Australia 2481

$ 327

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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.