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“David Lucca and his Salsa Classics”

He was born on September 16, 1957 to Puerto Rican parents in New York City.

At the age of 13 he moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico where he graduated from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). He began his musical career at the age of 18.

He leads the “Panchanga Band” at the Miami Marlins Baseball Park and is widely known for his orchestra “David Lucca & Los Clásicos de la Salsa”.

The famed percussionist is followed by thousands of people in South Florida.

With an extensive and successful musical career, percussionist David Lucca has accompanied the greats of salsa for 45 years and finally founded his own orchestra “David Lucca & Los Clásicos de la Salsa”, which since 2013 has been recognized as one of the most followed in South Florida, United States.

This excellent Puerto Rican musician, after touring the world and being part of various orchestras, making recordings, and many activities of his art, decided to settle in Miami to retire, considering that his goals were already fulfilled, but his musical essence did not leave him, perhaps motivated by his Puerto Rican origin. As a good lover of salsa, he returned to his adventures with his orchestra “David Lucca & Los Clásicos de la Salsa”, which has stood out as one of the best in South Florida.

Lucca has more than 45 years in music. Throughout his career, he has accompanied many artists such as:

Andy Montañez, Ismael Miranda, Ray de la Paz, Michael Stuart, El Cano Estremera, Luisito Carrion, Moncho Rivera, Tommy Olivencia Jr, Hector Tricoche, Frankie Negron, Tito Allen, Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Rivera Jr, Elvis Crespo, Victor Manuel and Many more.

David Lucca Achievements: During the 80’s he traveled the world with artists such as Ray Barreto, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, El Budda All Star, El Flamingo All Star, among others.

David Lucca Productions: for 2010 I did the production “David’s Dream” which is a production of 10 songs and a mix of Salsa and Latin Jazz. For 2020 I just came out with the production “Ponle Corazón” which has 10 original songs. It is composed of Salsa, Son Montuno, Bolero, Plena.

He is currently the director of the Bomba and Plena group “PLENA ES”. He has also worked around the world doing Folkloric rhythms.

Right now I am one of the most requested Bands in South Florida under the name of David Lucca y Los Clásicos.

My new single “PONLE” video was considered as Short Video of the Year by Latin Grammy’s but was not nominated. The same with my production of David’s Dream was also considered by the Latin Grammy’s but was not nominated.

Lucca also mentioned that in 2020, he came out with a production called “Ponle Corazón”. We really put heart into this. The production is all original, but if you look at the arrangements, if you listen to the music, it has the feeling of the seventies, the little flavor for the dancer. We put heart into it to always please the dancer. This production is being heard all over the world, sales are going very well and I am very happy.

God willing, next year we will start with another production”, he said after pointing out that those interested in buying the album can find it on Spotify, Itunes, Amazon, among other platforms, as well as in the Casa Latina and Casa del Barrio stores in New York.

Those interested in acquiring the album of master percussionist David Lucca can contact him through his Facebook page “David Lucca & Los Clásicos de la Salsa“, or by sending an email to [email protected].

Source: https://latinopinionbaltimore.com/maestro-david-lucca/

Article of Interest: Alexandra Albán Manitas de Piedra baptized by Bobby Cruz

By: Diana Marie International Salsa Magazine Miami Correspondent

 

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Bobby Valentin The mind of a master

Roberto Valentin “Bobby Valentin” was one of the main collaborators and arrangers of the Fania All-Stars in the 1970s, over which time he also recorded numerous solo albums. Born in 1941 in the locality of Orocovis, Puerto Rico, he began playing guitar as a child and won a contest with a band that he conducted himself at the age of 11.

He began his trumpet studies at the age of 15 shortly before he moved with his family to New York, where he continued his studies under the direction of Carmina Caruso. In 1958 he started his professional career with the Joe Quijano’s Orchestra.

Valentin spent the next several years working as a trumpeter, guitarist, bassist and arranger for artists such as Willie Rosario, Charlie Palmieri, Ray Barreto, Tito Rodríguez and Willie Bobo, until the year 1965, when he debuted with an orchestra to his name by releasing two albums, one of them was under Johnny Pacheco‘s Fania label.

Bobby Valentin, the King of the Bass

During the following years, Valentin continued to release albums to his name under the Pacheco’s label, but he also began recording and making arrangements for the label’s band, the legendary Fania All Stars, which had the presence of important figures as Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Eddie Palmieri, Papo Lucca, Mongo Santamaría, among many others.

In 1975, he began recording for his own label, but his work with the Fania All Stars goes on until the day. Since then, the musician continues to perform with his orchestra for the most important salsa and jazz festivals from all over the world, while at the beginning of the decade Valentin contributed arrangements for some Pacheco‘s songs, it was only natural that he released his albums under his new label.

And while Bobby Valentin moved with his orchestra to Puerto Rico in 1968, he continued to travel often to New York to record for Fania, in addition to working and arranging songs for the label’s band, the Fania All-Stars to which he helped define the sound through his bass, on classic albums of the 1970s like the Tribute to Tito Rodriguez or the live album at Yankee Stadium.

In 1978 he began recording for his own label, Bronco Records, through which he recorded “La boda de ella“, a song that became one of the most important of his career.In addition to continuing to release albums for his own label, the latter of which saw the light in 2016 under the name “Mi Ritmo es bueno” and Mind Of A Master in 2018.

The pop classic The Twist composed by Hank Ballard and popularized by Chubby Checker in 1960, now sounds in salsa clave in a new version created by musician, arranger and composer Bobby Valentin y su Orquesta.

For award-winning Puerto Rican composer, arranger, producer and musical director, to remember is to live, as a result of which he presented the song in Spanish and dance in order to interest the new generations.

“When I was based in New York, this was a boom, Chubby Checker recorded it! At that time, what was done in rock & roll and today’s music is called salsa and it was all about dancing. There was the chachachá, the pachanga, the boogaloo… Everything was visual, with dancing! Chubby Checkerwas in all the TV shows… I recorded the song a year and a half ago, but the premiere was pushed back for the pandemic. I figured I could do it in salsa without losing the essence of that time,” he said.

 

The Twist https://youtu.be/zf-SjdhbH9M

Sources

Amarie Magazine

Fania

Edwin Morales, founder, bass player, director of Mulenze.

Orquesta Mulenze was born in 1976 thanks to the motivation of Edwin Mirales who was a young rocker back then and decided to switch his guitar for a bass and to form the YAMBO Orchestra, which served as a companion of artists such as Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda among others arriving to Puerto Rico without an orchestra; then it was later identified and we would know it as Mulenze.

The orchestra was created at a time when salsa was booming and was fortunate to have musicians, composers, and singers of great stature who are currently recognized among which we highlight Cano Estremera (El dueño del soneo) who later joined the Bobby Valentin’s band as a vocalist; In the chorus, singer-songwriter Pedro Arroyo who has contributed several of his compositions to Mulenze; in the piano, we have Andy Guzman and Eric Figueroa, the latter was one of the influencers in the style adopted by the orchestra, practicing a rather sophisticated and little revolutionary rhythm for the public who follows popular music.

Mulenze was one of the first orchestras to use synthesizers in salsa, rhythmically working outside the beat in which the clave pattern is established to give a jazz variation to their music; this innovation that was not widely accepted by the groups established at that time, although this would give respect and an identity of its own to the orchestra with its amazing arrangements.

Edwin Morales known for his first name only in his family circle. But if someone calls himself a salsero, he has to know who Edwin “Mulenze” is.

This bassist of Bayamon, who has performed with the most important exponents of the salsa genre, has written his own page in the history of this musical genre as the founder and director of the Mulenze Orchestra.

“Salsa will not die and I would say that it is in a fulfilling moment. The new orchestras, which are like us when the pillars of salsa were in full swing and we were called the youth orchestra, are carrying out their work very well.

To this is added a group of boys who are taking their dance academies to municipalities and have resurrected the salsa dancer,” said Edwin.

Pedro Brull continues to see him as the official voice of La Mulenze although he left the group in 2005 to start his solo career.

Edwin succeeded in establishing an identity for the orchestra and my singing style flowed really well with his proposal. But after 24 years, I wanted to seize the opportunity to record an album (Pronóstico).

Today I work mostly outside Puerto Rico and have to admit that I am traveling the world thanks to “La Mulenze,” Brull commented.

For the first time in Miami in the framework of his 40th Anniversary this Saturday, September 11, the Orquesta of Eternal Youth “Mulenze” will perform with its original singers Pedro Brull, Kenny Cruz and Rafael “Ito” Andino.

The event will take place in the “Carpa Salsera”, this concert promises to be a huge success because with more than a year and a half without live performances due to the global pandemic caused by the Coronavirus, thanks to the organizers Giovanny Lopera, Lucy Corres, Mauro “El Fantástico”, José “Rumba” and its primary sponsor “El Rancho de Miami”.

 

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A career worthy of admiration 

José Tabares, known as El Caballero del Bajo, is one of those figures that, though not so well known, play a very important role in the performances that have left many generations of lovers of good music breathless. This very talented bass player is not widely recognizable by many people, but without a doubt, his musical career leaves more than one open-mouthed. 

José Tabares was born in Medellín, Colombia, on April 6, 1971, but spent much of his life in the United States, where he arrived while still very young and started taking part in music playing his first guitar, which pointed him in the same direction as his father and brothers, who were also professional musicians. 

At 11, he began standing to take his first steps in the musical world by performing for groups of the time in New Jersey, among which we can mention Los Chéveres de Colombia and Los Apóstoles. He became particularly known for bass, but also showed a great skill to play other instruments such as the bongo, the trombone, and the conga. 

Joined projects and inspirations

One of his great opportunities came when he took the place of one of his brothers on bass in one of the groups with which he collaborated, and it can be said that it was at that moment his professional career with this instrument became more serious. It was from that moment on that many of the greatest luminaries of Latin music began to take him into account for their best shows.   

Celia Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Nieves, Tito Rojas, La India, Ruben Blades are among the artists with which Tabares has worked. Unquestionably, all these collaborations were golden opportunities that the musician never missed and made him one of the best Latin bassists of today. 

When he has been interviewed, the bassist said that he has been influenced by many other great musicians, from whom he has learned what he knows and whom he has observed closely to get the best out of each of them. Such is the case of Bobby Valentín, whose work has been a very important reference point for the career of Tabares and is the one that inspired him to fully enter the world of salsa. 

We can also mention Carlos Roldan, who became an extremely important reference for the artist due to the so clean way in which he plays his instruments. It was thanks to exponents like this that Tabares was trained on stage in such a great way and raising the name of his native Medellin very high. 

All this inspiration and learning have obviously borne fruit, as the artist has been part of many great musical works which have been nominated and winners of the Latin Music Grammy Awards and a variety of acknowledgments to the effort made. Despite not having such a well-known name, he is still a great pride for salsa and Latin music lovers. It is important not to lose sight of this talented Colombian. 

By: Johnny Cruz correspondent of International Salsa Magazine in New York City, New York

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