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José Madera Niño “Salsa became part of my growth”.

Latinoamerica / Venezuela / Caraca

The also visual artist has the technology to complete his project in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Venezuelan José Madera Niño & 3er.Mundo Orchestra launched its new song “Me gusta, pero…” in the voice of guest singer Memo Arroyave, accompanied by a video clip showing the other facet of Madera Niño: painting. This single is the fifth one to be included in his second album Matices.

The musician, composer, and orchestra leader said: “This song of my own was already in post-production when the pandemic was announced. It would not have been possible to complete this project from our homes without technology, the dedication and commitment of Irving Manuel and Jorge Estevez to mixing and mastering, the working hours of Alfredo Montilla for the editing of the video between Venezuela and Colombia“.

José “Flaco” Bermúdez was at the forefront of the musical direction and arrangements. Yomar Méndez “Caballo” (timbal), Arnaldo Guacarán “Patatín” (bongó and bell), Wilman Sánchez Jr. (trumpets), Hugo Olivero (saxophone), José Antonio Padilla (trombone), David González (bass) and Irving Manuel (piano); Rodrigo Mendoza and Eloy Ríos on backing vocals, with José Madera Niño (congas and minor percussion) as executive producer.

Matices combines the voice color diversity of each of the guest soloists thus far such as Pedrito Flores, Irving Manuel, and Charlie Guzman. This salsa album will be composed of ten pieces and shall have the participation of several performers: “We want to present the world with good music, food for the soul and for the spirit in this difficult time we are living“.

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La orquesta venezolana José Madera Niño & 3er.Mundo lanzó su nueva canción "Me gusta, pero..." — José Madera Niño “Salsa became part of my growth”.

It should be emphad that José Madera Niño is extremely multifaceted because in addition to be a visual artist as a profession, he is also a musician by conviction: “I have been drawing as far back as I can remember. When I was 14, I entered the School of Plastic Arts Cristóbal Rojas. I alternated my artistic activities with my high school studies and weekends were for the music”.

From there, he became a self-taught percussionist from a very young age thanks to the salsa boom in Venezuela in the mid-70s. This synergy between his two passions led him to form his orchestra: José Madera Niño & 3er Mundo, which flirts with Latin Jazz.

It seeks to extrapolate his plastic compositions to music and then create true works of art for the demanding music lover’s ear and the elegant dancer at the same time.

His first recording De amor, desamor y rumba took four years to come to light, due to the pauses imposed by self-management: “It is not easy to make an album without sound financial support. This first album is a sort of day-in and day-out chronicle of any ordinary individual. Inspired by all the music I listened to in my teens in simple and clear language”.

"It's not easy to make a record without a solid financial backing. This first album is a kind of chronicle of the everyday life of any ordinary person. Inspired by all the music I listened to in my adolescence, with a simple and diaphanous language". — The Venezuelan orchestra José Madera Niño ; 3er.Mundo

Journalist María Fernanda León recently interviewed him about his second CD Matices, consisting of ten musical tracks. He has released four of them on digital platforms from last year to 2020.

-Why the name 3er Mundo?

-The name thing was an irreverent way of saying that in spite of our disadvantages, we are capable of great things from passion, talent, and study. We are much more than a qualification.

-Why salsa and not another genre?

-I listen to all kinds of music. In fact, when deciding to live from it, we get to handle different genres and I enjoy that, but I have a special taste for salsa because it became part of my growth. It was always present in the atmosphere while I was playing in the street in my neighborhood, in high school, and on the bus when I was going to art school.

– Most of the songs are written in your handwriting, what inspires you?

-I was always interested in writing, I had a lot of unfinished ideas. When I began pre-production I dusted off all that material and turned it into songs.

-Why Matices?

– This production is a kind of canvas; music is the pigment, the stuff. The musicians and singers are their nuances. I think it is a different production from the first one, but the same essence.

-You changed your concept of an album with only one performer. Now you invited several of them…

-For me, it was very important to build a sonority for the public to recognize us when listening to one of our songs. Gustavo Gerardo was for a long time the voice that identified us, but it is not easy to hold someone if you cannot guarantee economic stability. Besides, he was already planning to start a career as a soloist, which by the way is already beginning to bear its first fruits at an international level.

-Who is participating?

-In this second production I have Pedrito Flores, who is an excellent singer and inherited this responsibility of being at the forefront of the band in live performances. Besides, I am privileged to have several guest vocalists such as Rodrigo Mendoza, Irving Manuel, Charlie Guzmán, and Memo Arroyave, among others that I will soon announce. All this with the intention of reaching a wider audience. I think such alliances are beneficial for the genre.

-When will all the songs come out of the oven?

-I have been presenting the songs as singles. Every month or every 45 days I make a release until completing the ten songs. Later last year, I have been released four songs. However, the pandemic that affects the entire world delays the production a little bit further, but we continue to work.

– You are an artist. How do you shuttle between your two passions?

-It’s not easy but I think it would be more difficult not to. I’m not very organized so I live in a constant effort to divide my time. I have participated in more than sixty group exhibitions and three solo exhibitions. My work is present in several art galleries and private collections.

-Your son also ventured into salsa last year. What do you think of the support offered to talent today?

-I think the boys are increasingly better prepared to meet the challenges.

The industry has changed and maybe those of us who have years of experience years in the business spend more time assimilating it. Young people know that besides recording on their own, they have to handle the many forms of promotion, know about graphic design, marketing, etc. That is very good because there are no record labels that invest in emerging artists. There are lots of young talent.

-How do you see salsa in Venezuela? Is there sufficient promotion and support?

-There is not sufficient support so I think we cannot wait any longer, we have to conduct ourselves. Work hard toward our dreams, we must learn to use the tools that technology offers us.

-Do you consider your albums a work of art?

– Yes, they consist of the same elements: color, balance, space, and atmospheres.

-What does José Madera Niño want to show every time he is on stage?

-A good show, a well-assembled band, a costume according to the situation, in short, the respect the public deserves.

Editor/ Lic. María Fernanda León

President of San Juan Producciones

Photos/ Courtesy: José Madera Niño

Por Maria Fernanda Leon, ISM Corresponsal – Caracas – Venezuela

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Salsa’s Clubs And Academies Continue Closed In Italy

Corresponsal: Pietro Mingarelli (Italy)

More than a year after the security measures implemented by the national government against the Covid 19 pandemic, the Salsa’s Academies and Clubs in Italy continue closed to help safeguard the health of the population.

Since February 24, 2020, the Salsa Academies, Discotheques, Clubs, and Outdoor Salsa floor have ceased their recreational, fun, and educational activities of this tropical genre in the country for seven months with a reopening of 15 days during October 2020, unfortunately, there was a new wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus that caused the total closure of the establishments once again.

Currently, the country of the Colosseum in Rome began the de-escalation and the nightclubs are expected to reopen their doors to the public this March 2021 respecting the social distancing between clients, the dance academies on June 8 with an operation of small groups of people. While festivals, congresses, and similar events still have no start date for activities.

From SalsaGoogle are optimistic and we hope that the beginning of spring will coincide with the reunion of salseros in this peninsula that has been the venue for more than a decade of the main and most innovative international festivals and world congresses, as well as it has been recognized for his high levels of teaching in Salsa dance academies.

General Hygiene Rules

These are some basic recommendations for the assistants to the Salsa lessons in academies to enjoy the maximum of their dance experience with greater security:

– Wear a mask (Cover mouth) during the entire dance lessons.

– Hand disinfection before, during, and after class.

– Adaptation of small groups of people to the size of the room in the courses.

– Distance between couples.

– Independent entrances and exits to avoid meeting areas.

– Regular ventilation between courses and course units.

– Periodic disinfection of the establishment.

– Cleaning maintenance in sanitary rooms.

Event Postponed

Learn the On2 style during 3 days of workshops with the best teachers and DJs from all over the globe.

13th WORLD SALSA MEETING 2021 has been postponed to next year. This three-day event will take place in an elegant and modern area of the Hotel Da Vinci in Milan. It has a stage for all styles and levels, national and international artists, and a large free parking space.

13th WORLD SALSA MEETING 2022 will bring you the new and best artists from around the world in the styles of Cuban Salsa, On1, On2, and Bachata. All the artists are exceptional teachers, amazing artists, and nice people. The details of the program will be available very soon on its website and Tickets for the theme nights of the event can now be reserved.

2022 WORLD SALSA MEETING presents 3 days of Study and Passion.

Date: Friday, January 21st – Sunday, January 23rd

Venue: Hotel Da Vinci, Via Senigallia 6, Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Price: €5 – €30

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PIETRO MINGARELLI

To The Beat Of The Latin Rhythm

He made Latin music his lifestyle. He fused the art of contemporary dance with the Caribbean rhythm. He made the national and international stages his home and the Salsa artists his true friends. He is a professional dancer, composer, and director of online programs. In each dance, he reflects his style… He is elegant, passionate, classic, and unstoppable. This is how Pietro Mingarelli shows himself.

More than 40 years of experience summarize a series of national and international triumphs. At 5 years old Pietro was already seen as one of the best dancers in Italy. His beginnings were in ballet, Jazz, tap (Tip-Tap), and contemporary dance, achieving third place in his first competition with only 5 years old, among a group of 500 couples with competitors up to 12 years old, which allowed him to stand out from his first presentation.

For the next 10 years, he continued his dance studies and participation in couples’ championships with his sister, partner, and dance partner, Daria Mingarelli, with whom he won 10 national championships.

In the mid-80s, without forgetting the rigor and discipline learned in his dance studies in Europe, he finds himself for the first time on a journey of no return to what would be his true passion, the Salsa. During a trip to Puerto Rico, he was able to establish the click with the Latin culture and one of the main and most representative rhythmic movements of it.

Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pietro Mingarelli, and Daria Mingarelli in the Video’s recording “No Digas Nada y Baila”

Between participation in a lot of festivals including the Bacardi International Dance Festival, which years later its format would become Congress, Pietro had the opportunity to establish professional alliances with the Arthur Murray Dance Center Academy (Puerto Rico) where he began to teach by Mambo. During that time, the Mingarelli brothers attended local patron saint festivals that would introduce them to the Caribbean idiosyncrasy, to the cadence of the salsa rhythm that is not found in the academies, that it is not possible to have it without feeling the music from the heart and connecting the feelings, which has no other name than what we know as the “El Sabor de la Calle”.

By the beginning of the ‘90s, Pietro had a consolidated career on the island of enchantment, dancing together with Daria for different local Salsa orchestras. From 1994 to 1998 the brothers were the official dancers of Gilberto Santa Rosa “El Caballero de la Salsa”, who see them dance and immediately add them to his work team. They were the protagonists of his Video “No digas Nada y Baila”, recorded in Old San Juan on the Calle del Cristo in 1997, and participated in the “Show de las 12” one of the most popular programs in the country in the presentations of the Salsa singer.

Instructor of Instructors

From the age of 15, Pietro born in Alessandria was emerging as the instructor of the instructors of Caribbean dance in Italy. As early as 1995 he was the co-founder of one of the most renowned schools in Turin, Salsa Manía, with franchises in Germany and other European countries.

Since 2000 he has been one of the annual organizers of world championships with live orchestras, such as the Italian Amateur Federcaribe Championship and the World Championship in San Marino.

As a visionary, he created the online program “Dance Revolution” that combines the training technique of a professional dancer with the “Son” (rhythm) of the street. Each class is live and personalized. This course of various levels teaches you the basic characteristics of Puerto Rican Salsa, teaching culture, and the differentiating way from other courses is the use of instruments played live to adapt the assistant’s ear for a safe and perfect entry into the dance.

The “Mingarelli Style” dance school with the slogan “From the Neighborhood to the Academy” took hold of Italy and the teaching system based on the combination of mastery of technique, a rhythmic execution of Puerto Rican Salsa, and an instructional mechanism that isn’t only based on the counter but the rhythmic sound of Salsa, it’s the current teaching method chosen by most of the best teachers from different salsa academies in the country.

For years, Pietro has been doing altruistic work with his sister, collaborating with associations of children with Down syndrome, deaf, dumb, and blind children to give free lessons, achieving an excellent level of performance among children with these special conditions.

Latin Beat

The Salsa dance professional, Pietro, masters several musical instruments: the Piano, the Conga, and the Percussion, the latter two he learned and mastered during his trips to Puerto Rico.

This knowledge laid the basis for the creation of his orchestra Pietro Mingarelli and his Generation 73 at the end of 2015. The name of the orchestra was given by the year of birth of each member of the orchestra, coinciding in the year 1973. This orchestra varies from 9 to 11 musicians on stage depending on the space. They have performed to 3000 people in discos and dance halls in the cradle of Italy, Turin.

At the same time, Pietro Mingarelli has composed more than 20 songs, including 9 of them in his digital record production ” Hecho en Cuba”, where the Romantic Salsa single “Volveré otra vez” stands out, “Caldero” (more danceable) dedicated to the renowned Cuban Timbalero Juan Carlos Calderin, and “Mi cubana salsera” lyrics inspired by his wife Yusely from Guantánamo – Cuba, among many others.

Currently, “Alma en Pena” is his most recent single released in 2019 that you can enjoy on digital platforms and will be part of the new CD that Pietro will bring us with famous international Salsa artists … Maybe, Gilberto Santa Rosa could be one of his vocalists… We will wait to see what this excellent pioneer of Salsa in Italy brings us very soon.

A Ritmo de Salsa…

A Ritmo de Salsa is his most ambitious program created in 2020. Its original name was “Aventuras en Ritmo de Salsa” and it would be broadcast from a cruise ship for one of the main television stations in Italy. However, it cannot be carried out due to the arrival of the Covid 19 Pandemic.

Pietro has an invaluable historical-musical knowledge that makes him very popular in the Salsa world

However, this program did not remain in the drawer, it was launched online through its platform “Dance Revolution” and its first episode arrived in March 2020, surprising its audience with interviews with friends and great personalities from the Salsa world, among which stand out: Gilberto Santa Rosa, Charlie Aponte, Willie Rosario, and Bobby Valentin.

This successful program is 1 hour long; however, everything can change depending on the interviewee. One of the cases was the interview with César “Pupy” Pedroso (The Van Van´s Pianist, arranger, and composer) that lasted 3 hours, while 1 hour and 30 minutes was the duration of the program of the guest Alfredo de la Fe, Cuban violinist -American, who has shared the stage with Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and other great personalities of the Salsa´s first line.

Each interview is loaded with history, anecdotes, mini-concerts, and learning tips that have helped these famous artists to successfully manage their instruments and their careers.

You can see new episodes of A Ritmo de Salsa on Sundays in premiere at 8:30 PM… And for this month Pietro brings us to the “Sonera del Mundo”, Aymée Nuviola. You don´t miss out on all the fun!

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“Pandemia”, the Johnny Ray song about the pandemic

Pandemic

We all know that 2020 was a tough year for everyone, the reason is quite obvious, the pandemic. Although more than a whole year has passed since the disease began to reach the whole world, the repercussions of covid-19 continue to affect many people today, that is exactly what the new Ray’s song is about, it is called “pandemia” (pandemic) after all.

There are many artists who have taken the unfortunate health situation to create art out of it, in this particular case, a song, after all, inspiration can come from anywhere, something that great artists clearly know, and this is the case of Johnny Ray and this song.

In charge of the direction and the percussion of the song is Johnny Ray himself, while the person in charge of the composition of the song was Johnny Zamot. Sammy González Junior was chosen to sing the song, and after listening to his interpretation, we realize it was a good choice.

The song is relatively short if we compare it with the average genre’s songs, but it is enough to comprehend the message, plus, but with just over two minutes in length, we can enjoy the authenticity of the salsa’s sound at its best.

On the other hand, as everyone could imagine just by reading the song title, the lyrics focus on the changes that have arisen as a result of the crucial pandemic and the desire for it to finally end. If we translate the lyrics, these say “you can no longer hear the drum that makes you so happy, all this ended when the pandemic arrived”, these are the first lyrics we listen to after the song’s introduction. “I would give a to be able to cheer people up, beating my drums, watching people enjoy,” sings Sammy Gonzáles, making the message of the song clear in that phrase.

Johnny ray

Johnny Ray is not just another salsa artist, he is a veteran musician with almost forty years of experience, which makes him someone very recognized within the salsa industry. Together with his group called Salsa Con Clase (Class salsa), Ray has participated in countless events of different nature, from schools and universities to different fairs and many private events; Furthermore, they have been indifferent shows in more than a dozen countries, so his international journey has allowed him to gain a lot of experience.

From a very young age, Ray was a talented percussionist, and his interest in music would lead him down the road to success. As he grew and developed himself more as a musician, he would go from playing congas in different places in New York where salsa was constantly present, to sharing the stage with some of the most internationally recognized salsa (and other music genres) artists, such as: Marc Anthony, Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Oscar de León, Tito Nieves, Eddie Palmieri, Jerry Rivera and many more.

Despite such a memorable career, Johnny Ray continues to produce songs to this day, and will surely continue to do so for many years to come, as we see that even the pandemic is far from discouraging him, in fact, does the exact opposite, inspire him.

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The Business Of The Artists

Currently, famous artists have begun to sell their musical legacy to avant-garde companies, obtaining the value for their catalog of songs comparable to a 25-year career in advance and immediate financial security that solves the termination of the singer-songwriter due to the forced stoppage of performances and concerts for a year due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. This New popular Business of the Artists consists of the monetization of iconic songs to private companies with which they reach agreements on the management of each theme for the subsequent increase in long-term income with a reliable projection in sustainable consumption.

Hipgnosis Song Funds Limited, KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts), and Primary Wave are some of these unusual financial companies investing in music that have turned their sights to this sector and are completely changing the way it is managed around the world. Through the individual management of each classic theme, these companies promise to manage the proper use of the license in film, theater, television, commercials, new versions, etc.

There are already two Latin composers within this cartel of successful artists who have ceded their copyright to the company Hipgnosis Song Funds Limited: Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira and American songwriter of Latin American descent, Benny Blanco, this artist is the creator of very popular songs such as: “Señorita” (Shaw Mendes and Camila Cabello), “I can’t get enough” (J. Balvin, Selena Gómez and Tainy), “Good for you” (Selena Gómez) and “Love yourself” (Justin Bieber).

Although the details of these contracts have not been made public, it has been known that Shakira sold 100% of the publishing rights to her 145 songs to Hipgnosis and although all her legacy was delivered, this contract stipulates that the future compositions of the singer-songwriter are not included. Likewise, the new songs of the singer will continue to be managed by Sony / ATV, a record company associated with this Colombian star for more than a decade and with which she will remain for seven more years.

What is Hipgnosis Song Funds Limited?

It is a British investment company offering investors pure exposure to songs and associated musical intellectual property rights. Hipgnosis is listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange (England) under the symbol SONG and has raised more than £ 625 million through its public offering since July 2018 to date.

Ted Cockle, Merck Mercuriadis, and Amy Johnson

The company along with its co-founder and former manager of figures such as Beyoncé, Elton John, Guns N ‘Roses, Iron Maiden among others, Merck Mercuriadisen, has a board of directors composed of Ted Cockle (President) and Amy Thomson (Chief Catalog Officer), which have poured all their knowledge of the modern and direct recording world to the company and have made Hipgnosis have thousands of hits from Latin popular singers such as Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer López, among others.

What’s Behind This New Business?

Millionaire amounts! Nowadays, there is a greater consumer population of Streaming largely because of the Millennials generation, Generation Z, and the current Pandemic. This has made the great hits revalue over the news songs. According to estimates by The Wall Street Journal, a music catalog that could have been bought for £ 41,000 increased in value to around £ 40 million.

This new business has skyrocketed since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 with the increase in digital content that remains stable with a continued projection of secure income on renowned artists who stand the test of time.

Regarding this New Popular Business of the Artists, Hipgnosis Song Funds Limited confirmed in its 2020 report that the investment for the acquisition of the rights to the Music Catalogs is sustainable in the market movement: “People always hear the music” and, thanks to the streaming, “they almost always pay for it.”

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