Tregar Otton, founder of the orchestra, playing the violin
Orquesta La Moderna Tradición has been one of the most legendary groups of Cuban music in its entire history. It is a group whose members are based in San Francisco, California, and consists of 11 members who play different genres such as danzón, timba, guaguancó, cha cha chá, son, rumba, charanga, among others. They also mix in elements from American jazz, violins, and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
The beginning of this orchestra’s story goes back to 1996, since they started to perform throughout the United States to bring the best of traditional Cuban music to every corner of the country and transport Cuban immigrants back to the Havana’s streets and clubs during the 50’s. All the success accumulated allowed them to perform at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Smithsonian Institution, the Lincoln Certer and many other venues of high prestige.
Recently, Orquesta La Moderna Tradición once again displayed their talent at Yoshi’s, a jazz club and restaurant located in Oakland, California, whose reputation in the San Francisco Bay Area is not up for discussion. Our editor Eduardo Guilarte was present at the show to cover the details of the event, which left all those present in awe.
Conversation with Tregar Otton, founding director of the orchestra
Tregar Otton and Maru Pérez-Viana, his wife and an important part of the orchestra
Based on the above, we talked with Tregar Otton, founder, director, composer, and violinist of the group. This talented musician, born in the Marshall Islands and raised in Texas, started to learn about classical music from an early age and joined the Berkeley Symphony while he still was a teenager. By the 1990s, this musical promise worked as a regular part of Virgilio Mart Y Sus Majaderos, La Tipica Novel and the Charanga Orquesta Broadway.
By the year 1995, Otton founded Orquesta La Moderna Tradición with Roberto Borrell. At the beginning, the group started to become well-known for its soft sounds of Afro-Cuban charanga, which are accompanied by a set of wind instruments and violins that give a unique touch to this group’s music.
Today, we have the welcome presence of the musician to talk about each and every one of the issues raised in this brief review and anything he wants to reveal to our dear readers. It is such a pleasure to have you here today, Tregar. How are you feeling?
I am fine here near San Francisco. Good to see you today.
Very good, Tregar. You got started in the world of music at a young age. Could you tell us a bit about your beginnings?
I started playing violin when I was four years old and my family had a violin teacher as a neighbor. My parents did the laundry for all our neighbors, so we met her and she ended up giving me classes every day. After that, I studied a lot of classical music, bought music when I was about 20 and fell in love with it because it used the violins differently from classical music. I really enjoyed playing dance music because the connection with the public is quite different from that of classical music. In the case of classical music, many people get bored, but Cuban music and salsa music make a much more direct connection to the audience. There is nothing like playing for a floor with dancers.
We understand that you were born in the Marshall Islands, but grew up in Texas, is that correct?
Yes. After my dad married my mom, they both moved to Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, in the middle of the Pacific. After that, I grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, till I was 13 or 14 about when I moved to California.
I asked because it is very interesting how you set your eyes on Cuban music despite your origins. Where does this interest in Cuban music and the rhythms you play come from?
For the same reasons I play dance music. It caught my attention when I heard Charanga de La 4 or one of these New York bands. I was impressed that violins were part of the percussion and were making repetitive sounds with the refrain and the son montuno. We are more part of the rhythm section than the melodic section in many of our songs. We can dance while we are on stage. I was also impressed by the improvisations of Cuqui and Alfredo de la Fé. I had many Latin friends I met in college while learning Spanish because no one in my family spoke it.
How did Orquesta La Moderna Tradición come about and who joined you in its foundation?
I was working with a group. I was in New York, where I was playing with the Broadway Orchestra and the Orquesta Tipica Novel. I was very lucky to have been in that city because I got to know many veteran musicians in the 80’s like Renato Valdés, Virgilio Martí, and Adalberto Santiago. I visited a Cuban friend from San Francisco named Fito Reinoso, who had a group called Ritmo Y Armonía and he visited us here in New York. I was tired of the cold in New York, so I decided to go to San Francisco, where Tito and I had the idea of creating a group. It was there that I met a great drum instructor and dance teacher Roberto Borrell, who joined us to found Ritmo y Armonía. After two years, we had to be apart, but Roberto and I still wanted to play danzón. At least here in the Bay Area, it is very difficult to get singers. The ones we have are good, but there are not so many. So, we planned to make a danzonera or danzón group. When the orchestra began to work, we only played danzón songs, rehearsed every week and did many tours with this musical genre because there was a boom with swing dancing and dance music during the 40’s. So, we were surfing that wave. So, we were surfing that wave and doing collaborations with swing groups because it was older music. Danzón is a very rich genre, but it is no of interest to many people because they do not know how to dance it, so we started expanding our repertoire to include more modern and dance music. We still play danzones, but only two per set. There are still musicians from the original group in the orchestra including Michael Spiro. Roberto went to Peru about a decade ago, so Michael and I stayed with the group and invited Eduardo Herrera, who is a singer born in Caracas, Venezuela, to perform with us. We expanded the repertoire by doing the best we could with my own creations. Let’s remember I am the arranger of the group, so I do some songs and we have one that is included in the new recording in which I wrote the music and maestro Carlos Caro from Cuba added the lyrics.
Orquesta La moderna Tradición at one of its shows
Although rhythms like danzón are not so popular, did you feel the acceptance of the public?
There were many people who knew danzón who began to notice that it was a very interesting genre due to the presence of the violins. As Roberto Borrell is a dance teacher, he teaches many of his students how to dance danzón, which is not easy because they should be affixed on each turn they have to make according to the sounds of the instruments.
Can you go from one genre to another in the same song?
Yes, we do that a lot. On our new album, we have rhythms with batá drums from music of Santería, which we use for our danzón songs. It sounds complicated when I explain it, but it is easy at the time of listening to it.
What makes Orquesta La Moderna Tradición different from other Latin music groups in the United States?
Well, I know no other group that plays danzón or charanga. There are two genres of popular dance music in Cuba that come from son montuno, which uses violins and flutes. In the case of charanga, the musicians use violins and flutes. Since the 70’s and 80’s, charanga is now no longer heard in the United States. In Cuba, neither do you hear danzón much. We are a group that has so many danzones in the repertoire. There are not too many groups that play cha cha chá. Me being an arranger, I try to create cha cha chá songs that are not copies of what was played by Orquesta Aragón and other bands in the 40’s and 50’s.
Given that music has evolved so much, what reaction do you perceive from the young public when you play charanga, cha cha chá, danzón and other rhythms?
Interesting question. For young people who do not know and are not salsa fans, our music sounds like salsa because it is difficult to distinguish the genres without knowing them well. However, I work as a music teacher and I have many groups of children, in which there are many salsa fans. They listen to Ray Barreto, Willie Colón, and Hector Lavoe. They also like charanga and understand it well. However, I think danzón is more difficult because it has to be a reflection of what people are feeling in their culture. Cha cha chá is simpler and innocent, but danzón is finer and refined. I think music can influence people and play its part in changing the direction of their culture.
Can you tell us a little bit about your performance at Yoshi’s?
Because of COVID-19, for a year and a half, we could not do anything. We could not even rehearse until the vaccine came on the market. We got this date with Yoshi’s because we have played there many times before as well as Yoshi’s in San Francisco. So, they gave us a date and we had the support of local DJs like Luis Medina, Chuy Varela and Jose Ruiz. We also made use of social media to promote us, sell our CDs and attract people to our shows. The staff of Yoshi’s was impressed because it is rare that a local band has been able to sell so many tickets. We were very excited to see so many people loving us and showing how much they love music. We have a large audience that is very loyal to us and has been going wherever we perform for over 20 years.
Orquesta La Moderna Tradición performing at Yoshi’s
What are your future projects?
We get everything ready for the repertoire of the new album. When I was in New York, I was working with Juan Carlos Formell, Juan Formell’s son, who is the bass player and took over his father’s position in Los Van Van. I was one of the first people he met here in the United States and we became very good friends. Then he told me that I could arrange any of his songs without any problem, so I have about four or five of his songs ready and some others that I have not finished yet. We have enough material to make at least two albums, but it is very expensive. One could only cost us about $15 to start with.
Cover art work for the Orquesta La Moderna Tradición new album El Encantado
Spanish Harlem Orchestra is for many one of the best Latin jazz and salsa bands in the world due to its long career, impressive relevance and numerous awards throughout its 19 years of existence. This Latin music orchestra based in the United States was created by producer Aaron Levinson and producer, composer and arranger Oscar Hernandez, who gave birth to a legendary group, which was Grammy winning twice and whose style has differentiated it from many others of its kind.
It all started with a call from Levinson to Hernandez to offer him the opportunity to join an ambitious project he had in mind, which consisted of the creation of a Latin jazz orchestra with a very peculiar sound and style. The producer could not resist such a proposal, so he agreed to lend his talent to the nascent initiative. This is how they debuted their first album Un Gran Día en el Barrio in 2002, thanks to which they received their first Grammy nomination for Best Salsa Album. After their first singles, the new group began to garner major success and to offer great performances all over the world.
One of the main objectives of the members of the band is to set for themselves is to keep salsa dura alive in order to be lasting and to reach as many lovers of good music as possible. This is how the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, or SHO as its fans affectionately call it, has managed to preserve the best of traditional salsa, but from a fresh and innovative perspective.
Its centerpiece Oscar Hernandez
Oscar Hernández playing the piano
Its most famous member Oscar Hernandez got his taste for music in the vicinity of Harlem’s Latin Quarter, where he spent his early childhood that would mark his professional future. As a young boy of 12, he became a trumpet player, but it would not be long before he decided to switch to the piano. He spent much of his adolescence playing with many Latin Jazz artists of the time. One of those great stars with whom Hernández had the opportunity to explore his talents was Rubén Blades, for whom he worked as a producer, arranger and pianist.
In the 90’s, the musician produced the album Dance City, for which he received good reviews in the New York Times and was called by singer and composer Paul Simon for his Broadway show.
Today, we are fortunate to have the pleasant presence of Oscar Hernádez to tell us about his beginnings and the path he had to take to join the project for which he is best known today by many of his fans, Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Mr. Hernandez, reading your story, we noticed that Spanish Harlem started with a call from Aaron Levinson in 2000, could you tell us a little about that?
Aaron Levinson is the producer. I did not know him. I have to make it clear that he is not a musician, but a DJ with a lot of connections and was called to make a record with the Warner Bross label with a specific concept. They thought he was the right person for that. He called me to help him with the musical part. Everything related Spanish Harlem Orchestra I owe to him because that is how I joined the project. That was what had to happen in terms of my fate. That is how God told me to wake up and understand that this was what I had to do. Until such time, I had only been a producer, arranger and pianist, so Levinson came to me and I accepted. We talked about the tracks and he picked some that I did not want to do. To make a long story short, we recorded the album, but Warnes Bross said they did not want to release it, so they gave it back to Aaron. A year and a half later, he sold it to a small company whose owners were friends of his and it was nominated for a Grammy. Since then, I started with the orchestra in 2002. The orchestra is almost 20 years and has been a great blessing for me. It was intended that he called me to put my personal stamp on that record with my brain and my heart, so I could create all the music that I have made these 20 years. Aside from that, we have gotten incredible reviews all over the world and won three Grammys. People know how good the orchestra is and how good the concepts we have recorded are because it is all documented. Listen to any of the albums and you will immediately note our quality, integrity, professionalism and musical concept. Obviously, I have very good musicians helping me, but final decisions start and end with me.
After you decided to carry out the project, how did you combine what you already had with Spanish Harlem Orchestra?
It was a moment in time that things were changing. I did not have anything stable at that time, as I had just finished working with Paul Simon in a stage play which was quite a large process. I was freelancing, so I was working for whoever called me. The perfect time came when I had the chance to create the orchestra and it was not easy because I had no ambitions for a career as a bandleader. It was not something I wanted to do, but I had to learn a lot of things after I became one like dealing with people, with musicians and with situations that were not easy. During that process, I had to get rid of a lot of people because I realized that I had good intentions, but that is not enough. You have to have willpower and be clear about the concept musically and in terms of business. I always try to deal with musicians in the best way because I was one before anything else. I try to be transparent and understand all situations, but there are also selfish people who want to enjoy all the advantages for themselves and I am not in that plan. My plan is to look for what is in the best interest of all of us as a group. At my age, I do not have time for anything but high quality and professionalism. I lasted seven years with Ray Barreto and recorded six albums. I lasted 12 years with Rubén Blades and we also recorded six or seven albums. What do I say? I have already worked with many people like Juan Luis Guerra, Paul Simon and many others who have left an important mark on me as a musician and as a director.
Oscar Hernández next to his piano
What do you consider to be the most valuable thing you have learned from the artists you have worked with?
I think all these people have love for music, which is the most important thing. I remember my times with Barreto, who listened to all the mixes we made and drove musicians crazy in search of perfection. Like Rubén Blades, who was a transparent person and always wanted to do his best as a musician. It is not just one thing I have learned, but several because they are all important. I believe that love, professionalism and willingness to work with musicians. I remember that Rubén was the bandleader, but he always considered our views as musicians. I was even the arranger and my musical value was respected from the beginning. I respect my musicians very much and I give them all the value they deserve.
You told me earlier that you were on tour in New York. Could you tell us how it went? How did the audience respond? How did it feel to be back on stage after such a long time?
It was incredible. Our first concert with the orchestra was in the very heart of of New York City on 42nd Street in Manhattan. There is a place called Brian Park and there were about 10,000 people there, as the event was free to the public. It filmed live and virtually streamed. I mentioned to the audience that this was the first time we played live and that we had only one rehearsal the day before. It was an amazing experience because I felt that musicians were in the best position to make a first-rate performance and they did. The audience warmly and gratefully applauded. When you do something all your life and suddenly it stops for a year and a half, you realize many things.
What other events are you going to do? Are you planning on touring outside the United States?
We are scheduled to have a tour in June in Europe, but it remains to be seen what will because COVID is still present and countries are evaluating how things are going to go in the next few months to specify dates and cities. In December, we will have four shows, two in Santa Fe, one in Albuquerque (California) and one in Costa Mesa (California). We are no longer touring as such, we are doing dates. It had been years since we have toured like we used to. The new album is done and sounds amazing. Last week, we were in New York finishing the vocals with the three singers, who are some of the best and it was a pleasure for me to share with them. They are clear that they have to do their part in what is going to be another great record.
Oscar Hernández with his Grammy Award
Questions from a lifelong admirer of Oscar Hernandez
Augusto Felibertt, international director at International Salsa Magazine, professional DJ and collector, asked Oscar Hernandez some very interesting questions to learn more about his past as a musician.
I want to know your feeling about your time with Grupo Libre de Manny Oquendo and Grupo Folklorico y Experimental Nuevayorquino.
Associating with Andy and Jerry Gonzalez was an incredible experience for me as a young musician in New York. They were an important part of my development. They were a little older than me, but I remember Andy came up tome and presented himself when I was playing with Ismael Miranda in a club. He told me it was nice to meet me and that we sounded great. Since then, we became friends and he invited me to his house. When I arrived, it turned out he lived with Jerry in an apartment below his father’s and had an incredible record collection. We would spend many hours listening to music I had never heard and arguing about musicians. We would debate about who was the most important, who else we liked. It was a very nice time from which Conjunto Libre de Manny Oquendo emerged. I was the founding pianist of the group that recorded the first three albums. The image of Grupo Folklorico y Experimental Nuevayorquino also emerged. That group composed of of Andy, Jerry and René López became larger with other musicians who joined later such as Alfredo Chocolate Armenteros, Virgilio Martí, Heny Álvarez, Willie García, Milton Cardona, among others. There were so many musicians that the image of what a jam was (a spontaneous concert in which an artist or group performs before a small group of spectators) was expanded.
Ray Barreto’s album Reconstrucción, a musical jewel for the salseros of the world. I want to know about your experience on that recording.
Reconstrucción was one of the most important recordings of that time because the elements that Rey used to design the concept resulted in something incredible. I am very proud of that record with more than 40 years old. I was 25 years old when we made it and it went down in history. I am very grateful to Ray Barreto because he gave me the opportunity to work as a pianist and arranger on that recording. Even today, many musicians tell me that they listened to that album every day and were inspired by it.
I would like to know about your time with Carabalí.
Carabalí was the group of Raúl Primo Alomar, who was a conguero, and percussionist Rey Colón, who was a bongo player. They wanted to make a septet and called me to join as a producer. He was the producer of the two albums. I am very proud of that experience because I can be anywhere in the world and people still call me Carabalí wherever I go. Aris Martinez, the singer of the group, was about 20 years old at the time and I kept correcting him in the studio all the time. Nowadays I listen to him and he sings very well. However, it got to the point where we had a disagreement, so I left the group and wished them luck.
You recorded an album entitled Como Nunca with Orlando Watussi, could you tell me a little about it?
I do not remember much about the details, but Watussi has always been in the music business and has been considered one of the best singers. We don’t talk much, but he is a great person and a lifelong friend. That was a great opportunity for us and another example of how I have done my bit in the music scene with what I feel in my heart.
Oscar Hernández, Rubén Blades, Eddie Montalvo, and Ralph IrizarryOscar Hernández’s last recording entitled Visión
A Studio Album That Reflects The Multicultural Sound Of Western Europe And Latin America
Cuba Classic was released in August 2021
The son of medical parents and the grandson of a passionate pianist, Fadi Gaziri ventures into the Salsa world with the album Cuba Classic, independent record production in collaboration with his German colleague and great friend Fritz Wengler.
Cuba Classic fuses the incredible universe of emotions that classical music transmits with the passion, conventional melodies of Jazz, and the rhythmic base of the Caribbean that characterizes Latin culture.
“Arranging classical pieces to fit a Salsa vibe was surprisingly easy… The melodies can be rhythmically changed to suit the Latin vibe while keeping authenticity…” Voiced by the talented British pianist.
This masterpiece with hybrid two-language titles strikes a perfect balance between the original title of a classic work and the sensation of the indicated awakening of a Latin melody. “I always liked Salsa for its quality to make people dance, so naturally and with such confidence.
As for the music itself, I love the colorful brass arrangements and Latin percussion. It’s a lot of fun to listen to and to play… ”. Fadi indicated.
The 13 songs on the album are El Capo (Zarathustra, R. Strauss), 5 Sinfonía De Salsa (Beethoven’s 5th Symphony). “I had a lot of fun with this one. …The Reorganization, the phrasing, using repetitions, increases, and the complete brass arrangement to make it sound like a proper Cuban track”. Fadi added recalling his experience with the production of this theme.
The next track on the album is Mambo Loco Nórdico (Grieg’s Piano Concerto in LA minor), resembling Havana at its turbulent peak and with great determination. Continues, the fourth track Mambo Austriaco (Mozart – Symphony No. 40 and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik), and the exquisite mix of Calipso Alemán (Beethoven’s Symphony 9).
In addition, you will also find in Mambo Classic: G-String Bossa (Air on a G string, JS Bach), Salsa Húngara (Brahms Hungarian Rhapsody) thought for the Latin ballroom dance competition tracks, due to the grace of the exuberant exposure of the horns.
Funeral De Che Guevara (Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody in C sharp minor), Havanera (Carmen Bizet) is another of the themes that stand out on this album. “It was inspired by the character of Che Guevara and his revolutionary spirit. Along, with a trumpet blast from Mariachi… Fernando’s lyrics and voice also add to the overall feeling”. Gaziri commented to us.
Rumba Rusa (Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky), La Toccata Loca (Bach Toccata in D minor), Green Leaves (traditional Greensleeves), and finally the piece Lambada A La Luz De La Luna (Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven) beginning with the funeral march played with a trumpet solo intervened with a joyous lambada, ending in a Latin urban sound.
Fadi’s main idea with Mambo Classic is to simplify the music on this album for use in schools across the country and have children perform it by simply playing percussion with the backing tracks.
Similarly, Gazziri hopes to present this record production live in 2021 on the big stages of Berlin and the rest of Europe.
Why The Fusion Of Latin Rhythm With Classical Music?
Fadi Gaziri can handle musical instruments alongside cinematographic elements, folk, and ambient electronic sounds
This talented artist since his return to Hamburg in 2017 has been involved in teaching music to children and teenagers in schools in this port city located in northern Germany.
Gaziri showed signs of concern every day as he observed his students’ reluctance to learn classical music, a feeling already developed as a famed behavior among young people today. But why don’t German students like to learn about their cultural heritage? The main reasons that Fadi realized were that his students were not motivated to continue with their studies due to the complexity of the music and the difficult handling of the instruments that did not allow them to master them quickly.
Realizing this, Gaziri began to devise the fusion of the Latin genre with classical music and thus seek to reverse the discouragement of his students. “I wanted children to learn classical music in a fun and interactive way. Something that would not take long to learn and that could involve all participants, regardless of their age, nationality, or musical ability. Most schools have Latin percussion that sits on the shelves and is rarely used.
So, I thought it would be a great idea to put in some classic melodies and accompany them with this Latin percussion. Wouldn’t it be fun and a good learning experience at the same time? Fadi told us.
Currently, this prodigious pianist is evaluating the possibility of continuing to teach in German schools full-time by 2022.
Fadi Gaziri played the piano first time at the North Pole in August 2021
Fadi Gaziri is a natural music producer and composer for audiovisual media, film, and theater. He was born in Moscow and began his musical studies of piano and violin at the famous Gnessin Music Academy.
At age 12, he moved to Sweden with his family and later to England (1998) where he continued his musical training.
This extraordinary producer studied Music Composition, Piano, and Languages at Durham University in 2004 graduating with great honors and passing his ABRSM piano exams with distinction. Two years later he entered Bournemouth University to study for a Master’s in Film Composition.
That same year (2006) Fadi moved to Hamburg and started working on music for commercials, films, and sound branding. At the same time, he began touring the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Germany accelerating his musical career.
In 2014 Fadi released his first solo album titled Northern Lights, a mix of cinematic and folk sounds that he combines with electronic texture. He used his technological knowledge to loop while playing piano, violin, and adding subtle voices that he performed himself.
Over the next three years, Gaziri released his second EP “The Jump”, founded a music supervision company, and has been dealing with song placement, and licensing for film and television ever since. He assumed a permanent position as an in-house music producer at TUi Cruises in Berlin and composed, and arranged music for more than ten theatrical productions performed on board the ships.
The Orchestra With The Purest Essence Of Hard Salsa Performs Live On October 11th-12th In Valencia (Spain)
Their world tour began in 2019 with almost 20,000 people at their first concert in Ecuador.
As part of the reactivation of local events in Spain, Tromboranga continues with the series of concerts scheduled for 2021. Two will be the concerts that will take place this October 11th and 12th at the Sala Madison Massanassa located in the port city of Valencia on the southeast coast of the European country.
This Concert Hall is located on the outskirts of the city and is less than 10 minutes from the center in the town of Massanassa. You can access it through public transport: train with a nearby stop of 400 meters and by bus (800 meters).
This orchestra made up of ten Latin and European musicians residing in Barcelona will present their unmistakable rhythm of the Salsa brava, which maintains the influences of the 60s – 70s and mixes them with the original sound and danceable discharge to the sound of their trombones, the solid percussion, and the rescue of the soneo (voice improvisation between choirs).
Tromboranga cataloged as one of the new generations of independent Salsero artists will perform their greatest hits such as Humildad, Palo Pa’ La Campana, Ah Caraj, and Mi China Colombiana that have positioned themselves as number one on the main radio and Latin dance charts in the world for the current plot of his lyrics with which surely anyone feels identified.
Songs like “Un Extraterrestre” and “La Moda” are now very popular with Salsa dancers and DJs in Europe
Also, in this celebration of the tenth anniversary of Tromboranga, you will sing along to the songs from his most recent album Te Voy a Contar recorded between Barcelona, Puerto Rico, and Japan.
This record production was released to the music market in March 2019 and contains nine tracks including Te Perdono in collaboration with Jimmy Bosch performing the Trombone solo, Un Extraterrestre to the rhythm of guaracha, and Huracán No Me Tumbas whose special guest is Ismael Miranda.
Joaquín Arteaga (Director, Timbal, and Composer-Venezuela), Diego Coppinger (Sonero-Cuba), Freddy Ramos (Singer-Venezuela), Rafael “Madagascar” Arciniegas (Piano and Arrangements-Colombia), Lorenzo “El diablo” Barriendos (Bass-Venezuela), Trombone Section: Vladimir Peña (Venezuela), Albert Costa (Catalunya), and Miguel Moises (Spain), Oriol Martínez (Conga), and Climent Campa (Bongo)
Tromboranga released their first studio album in April 2012 titled “Salsa Dura” ranked by DJs, dancers, and bloggers specialized in Salsa among the top ten record productions of that year.
In 2013, they recorded “Al Mal Tiempo Buena Salsa” rewarding them with the first international tour that took them to visit France, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Tunisia, Germany, and Colombia. That same year (November 2013) they released a Special Edition Vinyl for only 300 people called “Solo para coleccionistas Vol. 1”.
Likewise, they were invited to the biggest Salsa festivals including the Cali Fair with sold-out crowds and in the following years. Since then, they have created a community known as the “Salseros Tromborangueros”.
The orchestra has recorded six albums in consecutive years: Como La Marea (2014), Sangre, Sudor Y Salsa (2015), Golpe Con Melodía (2015), Tumbando fronteras (2017), Una Noche En Bankok (2018), and Te Voy a Contar (2019).
Nowadays, the songs “Agua Que Va Caer”, “Te Provoca”, “Mama Calunga”, “Amigo El Ratón”, and “Boogaloo Marilu” among others, are being danced on the dance floors of Salsoteca, dance schools, parties, and festivals Salsa worldwide.
The United States Will Be The First Country Where The Panamanian Artist Will Present Salswing Tour!
Rubén Blades will be recognized as “Person of the Year” at the Latin Grammys on November 17th in sin city, Las Vegas (Nevada)
The multifaceted artist and political activist, Rubén Blades, announced his return to the American stage with his friend and fellow countryman Roberto Delgado & Big Band, starting next November 20th.
The Salsero icon announced the beginning of his tour through his official Facebook account: “We are very happy to be able to work and get in touch with our audience again, after almost two years without being able to do so. With the Roberto Delgado Big Band, an orchestra of 20 musicians that is sounding better, we are eager and want to share our latest album Salswing!, and the usual songs… Please, don’t stop getting vaccinated”.
There are eight cities that the living Salsa legend will visit in North America, starting on November 20th in Oakland (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Atlanta (GA), Miami (FL), passing through Boston (MA), and New York (NY) on November 28th and December 2nd respectively, and having as a special guest the extraordinary American actress, singer, and wife of Blades, Luba Manson who will be showing the repertoire of her Jazz album Triangle released in October 2020.
Rubén Blades and Luba Manson have been married since 2006
Later, Salswing Tour! & the Roberto Delgado Big Band will present their penultimate concert this year on Friday, December 3rd in Washington (DC), and will close this magnificent tour on Sunday, December 5th on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan at the mighty Arena Arie Crown Theater in Chicago (IL).
Regarding this great 2021 tour, Nelson Albareda, CEO of Loud And Live, the company in charge of carrying out this series of concerts and those of Latin stars such as Carlos Vives, Juanes, Farruko, among many others, commented: “It is an honor for us working with a Latin icon, who has inspired generations through his salsa music and long artistic career. Rubén Blades is not only a great artist but also a great ambassador, and activist for our Latin community”.
The prestigious Panamanian songwriter will show for the first time the eleven songs of his most recent album “Salswing!” title that also gives the name to the tour.
“Music is a universal gift, and from Panama, we renew our contribution with this album, SALSWING!”. Rubén Blades
Salswing! has 11 tracks including, Mambo Gil, Cobarde, Canto Niche, and Ya No Me Duele, the latter written by Jeremy Bosch and Rubén Blades with arrangement by Tom Kubis. Salswing! was recorded in collaboration with the record’s bassist and musical producer, Roberto Delgado, and his band made up of 20 talented Panamanian musicians, and it was released on the digital market on April 15th, 2021.
“Although the connection between Jazz and Salsa has been historically documented, much remains to be described and recognized. The combinations and collaborations between musicians of these genres have been numerous over the years and include figures of the stature of Mario Bauza & Dizzy Gillespie, Machito & Charlie Parker, Luis Russell, and Louis Armstrong. With this record production, I try to continue that relationship, verifying that art does not have a nationality but rather represents a spirit that transcends races, geographies, and languages”. It is extracted from his official page.
Rubén Blades has been performing with Roberto Delgado & Bing Band for ten years in the most prestigious stages around the world. In these eight concerts, there will be a historical tour of recognition of the Latin origins of jazz as well as the influences of the son, Afro-Caribbean music, and swing. In addition to including the hits always chanted by the crowd in any corner of the planet.
Roberto Delgado and his Orchestra along with Rubén Blades won a Grammy for Best Latin Tropical Album in 2018
Roberto Delgado was born in the capital of the Chiriquí province in western Panama on June 27th, 1961. This prodigious artist has developed in the musical environment as a Producer, Singer, Bassist, and Arranger.
His upward career began with his studies at the prestigious Conservatory of Music of Fine Arts in Mexico City (Mexico) and later at the Golden West College of Huntington Beach California (United States).
With more than 40 years of experience, Roberto has been a member of ten Panamanian groups counting the Salsa singer orchestra, Roberto Blades (1992) and he is currently the director of his big band made up of 20 musicians and with whom he has shared the stage since 1996 together with the master Rubén Blades.
In the enormous list of famous artists that Delgado has accompanied in productions and tours in addition to the Blades brothers are Cheo Feliciano, Celia Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Ismael Miranda, Andy Montañez, Tito Nieves, La India, Víctor Manuelle, José Alberto “El Canario”, Luigie Texidor, Maelo Ruiz, Charlie Aponte, Joan Manuel Serrat, Carlos Vives, and many more.
The conductor together with Rubén Blades has performed on the major international stages, including Madison Square Garden (New York), Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles), Shepherd’s Bush (London), Poble Espanyol de Barcelona (Spain), numerous Latin American auditoriums, and acclaimed festivals in Europe and the Caribbean.
Also, this duo has three Latin Grammys (2015, 2017) and two Grammys for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album in 2016 and 2018.
Currently, Roberto Delgado (60 years old) and Rubén Blades (73 years old) continue to transgress the barriers that will be the first Latin artists touring Salswing! in the middle of the pandemic throughout the North American territory.
An important fact to attend the Rubén Blades and Roberto Delgado & Big Band concert series in Los Angeles County is mandatory to wear masks. At the moment, mandatory vaccination in the United States only applies to public employees and workers of large companies.
