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Search Results for: Cuban music
Grupo Batachá, Houston’s Premier Latin band
Latin talent has been spreading across the United States over the years and every day more salsa bands and orchestras are becoming better known in states where we never would have imagined before. Such is the case of Grupo Batachá, known as ”Houston’s Premier Latin Band”, which is established in the state of Texas and whose director, Oscar Larrañaga, was kind enough to give us some minutes of his time to answer some questions regarding his career and the group lead by him.
Oscar’s beginnings in the music world
Oscar has told us that as a child he always knew he was meant to devote himself to music. Even since he was in preschool, he showed signs of how would be his future in music by showing interest in certain instruments and styles.
The musical figure who has inspired him most in his family was his great-grandfather, who was part of a philharmonic. Oscar heard many stories about the musician, the way he played and how good he was at what he did, which led his great-grandson to want to be like him someday.
It should be noted that, at all stages of his formation, he never obtained any academic training related to music. Everything he knows about the job he has learned on his own through constant practice and attention to everything he wanted to emulate.
However, it was in 1990 that his career officially began many years later in the United States. It was there when he finally decided to create a project with a few musicians he began to perform at Latino family events such as weddings, quinceañeras, birthdays, among other events. This gave him the necessary experience to know how an orchestra works on stage and, of course, fitted for what was to come next in his career.
How Grupo Batachá began
Oscar revealed to us that Grupo Batachá was founded in 1997 in Houston, Texas, and made up of the artist and four other members who joined him at that time. They all decided together that Oscar was the best choice to lead the band and chose him as their director, a position he still holds today. Many members have come and gone, but he has always managed to ”keep the ship afloat” at all times despite the changes.
He explained to us that the name ”batachá” is a term that comes from Cuba and its literal meaning is ”fun times”. In addition, when he was in his early twenties, Oscar met the members of a group with the same name in Guatemala and liked it very much from the first time he heard it. For him, ”batachà” is synonymous with fun and having a good time, things he sees represented in his work with the band. That is why his album is called ”Batachando” and would be something like ”disfrutando” in Spanish.
Languages played by Grupo Batachá
While it is true that Grupo Batachá makes music in several languages such as Spanish, English and Portuguese, Oscar wanted to make it very clear that everything he and his bandmates do is aimed at salsa influenced by the typical Cuban flavor that comes from drums and Yoruba culture, elements that are primarily handled in Spanish. This is why the main language of the group is and will continue to be Spanish.
In terms of clave, it is much easier for the group to get into the correct rhythm in Spanish for what we have explained above. For the same reason, English, Portuguese and any other language are not a priority for Batachá at this time.
How Grupo Batachá manages its performances
During the band’s 15-year trajectory, Grupo Batachá has performed at more than a hundred weddings, quinceañeras, birthday parties, anniversaries, corporate events, among others. In each and every one of these performances, Oscar and his bandmates have always stood out for their professionalism and great musical quality, so they have no problem to obtain contracts and clients of this kind very often.
As for the method the band uses to select their clients, there is not much to explain. Oscar simply gives priority to the client who agrees on a date first and then tries to reach an agreement with the one who makes his request later, although he emphasized that this does not happen very often.
About this, he said he feels very lucky to bring joy to different types of public with what he likes more than anything in the world, which is music. It makes him really happy to be able to live from what he loves and, by extension, to transmit that same happiness to those who have the opportunity to attend one of his shows.
Read also: Don Perignon and La Puertorriqueña are prides of Puerto Rico
The Soul of Latin American culture – Salsa, Merengue y Lambada
Latin American / Venezuela / Caracas
Did you know that Salsa, Merengue and Lambada are rhythms that have been enjoyed in the last decade? Well, this link that unites them is the energy and passion for life, expressing itself in music, showing itself in the romance of couples dancing in harmony and with dance it unites them even more in a sentimental way as in fellowship.
These rhythms were born from a very urban environment, where each dancer can freely show their personality in the movement, however, following certain rules that each genre has, where one can follow each step and technique or do it spontaneously. For example:
✓ Never use the same foot twice, it must be alternated (right, left, right…).
✓ Dance with your partner as a mirror, that is, if you go to the right, your partner goes to the left.
✓ Transfer of weight from one foot to another as steps are performed.
Salsa is a rhythm that originates from the synthesis of Cuban son and other Caribbean music genres, with jazz and other American rhythms. One of the main contributors comes from the African rumbas along with the cumbia, the guaguancó, the guajira, the Cuban son, the mambo, the montuno son, the cha cha cha, among others.
It can be said that salsa is one of the most important rhythms in the music industry where it has many characteristics of its contributors, for example, “salsa” is close to “mambo” due to the steps executed in counts of eight, its movements and patterns are unique, however, it is a side-by-side dance with different turns.
The Merengue has its origin in the Dominican Republic and has a huge degree of popularity in the Caribbean area, it is a slow rhythm that increases its speed at the end of the dance, it is similar to the bolero but it is danced more than anything in groups than with a partner.
The secret of the dance is based on the transfer of weight from one foot to another, where each Latin genre has a characteristic that differentiates them, the best example is the similarity that everyone believes that “salsa” has with “merengue”, where Salsa has 4 beats, where the first beat touches the floor lightly with the tip of the foot quickly, which is known as “TAP” and this is repeated in four “4” and eight “8”, instead The merengue does not exist, this “TAP” is only 2 beats, it is a constant rhythm, very simple, whose speed of steps is marked by the musical rhythm.
But both genres have to have in the dance a movement of the hip, shoulders and position of the hands that characterizes them, marking the sensuality of Latin rhythms.
The “Lambada, a Brazilian genre that originated from the small cafes and bars that came from the garrafa dance, is believed to have been the product of rhythms such as the “Carimbo” and the “Merengue” with influences brought from the “Forro” and the “Samba” so it has a lot of Caribbean music influences, but the melody is the combination of Caribbean drums, brass and electric guitars with an added touch of Spanish elements and the flavor of the local indigenous people. It first spread to Bahia, Europe, Japan, the USA and the Middle East. It is currently danced in nightclubs and dance clubs, since its creation its jiv, merengue, rumba, even sevillanas and acrobatic maneuvers have evolved.
It is a 3-beat dance (fast – slow – fast) where the first step is taken with the first beat of the music, the second is the movement of one of the 2 senses and the third is the transfer of the weight back to the center moving the leg more slowly.
This dance is danced with the whole body, women dance pointe, flex the knees and the trunk moves in the opposite direction to the lower part of the body, if the hip rotates in one direction the rib cage rotates in the opposite direction. It can be danced alone or as a couple (they dance very close together giving the impression that it is one person), where the man molds his partner in the dance and the woman can embellish the dance with head movements or a controlled intentional fall producing a wave from the knee to the hips and shoulders.
If you want to know and learn some basic steps of the mentioned rhythms, look for the book in movement Latin Dance Dessi and Orod Ohanian and get passionate with these three “3” hot dances. Or follow us and watch the following videos to learn how to dance merengue, salsa and lambada.
Lenin Francisco Domingo Cerda, better known as Frankie Dante, the “Underground” and “Irreverent” of Salsa in New York in the 60’s and 70’s.
“Cerda If I were president, if I were a president, there would be no armed forces, wars would end, the boys would go home where they belong.”
Lenin Francisco Domingo Cerda, known as Frankie Dante, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on September 15, 1945.
He traveled to New York City in search of the sound of the barrio, influenced by Willie Colón and Eddie Palmieri with his Orquesta La Perfecta.
Frankie Dante, always characterized for being an authentic sonero, who interpreted the stories of the Latin barrio.
In 1968 under the label Cotique he appears in the album “Los Coquetones”, where Ismael Quintana also participated, the great influence in his development as a vocalist, this album is produced by Mr. George Goldner.
Cerda records a second production with La Orquesta Flamboyán, entitled: “Different Directions”, following the line implemented by maestro Eddie Palmieri with La Perfecta, where he continues the emphasis on social issues, raised in his first musical work, this time with the production of Ralph Lew.
1970
Launches the album: “Se Viste de Gala”. Resuming his social commitment, he includes the piece “Venceremos”, accompanied by the electric guitar played by Harry Vigianno, who also plays the tres in this production.
In 1972, Frankie Dante is invited by Larry Harlow to produce a new album entitled: “Orquesta Flamboyán Con Larry Harlow”.
Here Frankie achieved hits such as: “La Cuna del Son”, “Yo Te Seguiré”, “Vive La Vida Hoy” and “Presidente Dante”.
The album featured the participation of Larry Harlow on piano and musical production, Ray Romero and Jerry Gonzalez on Congas, Ismael “Pat” Quintana and Milton Cardona on backing vocals.
This album is considered as a recognition of Frankie Dante’s talent when he was asked by the “Wonderful Jew”, Larry Harlow to record together.
Frankie shows all his irreverence by substituting the montuno for a political speech in the manner of a candidate.
As a representative of the Underground current, Dante prefers to perform in a bohemian way in Clubs such as: El Caborrojeño and the Cheetah.
While in these clubs he meets pianist Marcolino Demond and they release the historic album: Beethoven’s V.
One of his best productions was with the extraordinary musician and pianist Markolino Dimond, who had played with Willie Colón, the album was titled: Markolino Dimond Con Frankie Dante Beethoven’s where in addition to his extravagances he imposed a different way of playing.
The album included five compositions by Marcolino Dimond: “Sabrosón”, “Camarones”, “El Quinto De Beethoven”, “Maraquero” and “Ahora Sí”, two songs with reserved author’s rights: “Los Rumberos” and “Yo No Tengo Amigo” and the hit “Porque Adore” by maestro Tite Curet Alonso.
Dante and Marcolino were a duo without precedents, taking into account that both had the stigma of rebelliousness.
The album features Frankie Dante and Chivirico Davila on vocals and Yayo “El Indio”, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez and Ismael “Pat” Quintana on backing vocals.
Other great musicians that participated in the band are Nicky Marrero – Timbales, Bongos; Pablito Rosario – Bongos; Barry Rogers – Trombone; Mike Collazo – Timbales, Eddie “Guagua” Rivera – Bass; Lewis Kahn – Trombone; Reinaldo Jorge – Trombone and Frank Malabé – Congas.
In 1976, again with Marcolino, he released: “Los Salseros de Acero”, in an attempt to reunite the original line-up of Los Flamboyán with Joe “Chickie” Fuentes on trumpet, Ángelo Rodríguez on trombone and Alex Ojeda on timbales, plus the participation of stars of the moment such as: Charlie Palmieri, Tito Puente and Ricardo Marrero, in what was called: Flamboyán All Star Band.
Among the songs on the album were “Ciencia Política” by Frankie Dante and “Chupa El Pirulí” composed by the wonderful Ciego Arsenio Rodríguez.
That year he published his seventh album “The Flamboyán All Star Band Frankie “Be Bop” Dante”, also recorded for Cotique Records, which included songs such as: “El Pipón”, “Son Retozón” and “Mumbo Jumbo”, compositions by Frankie Dante himself and a version of the song “María Cervantes” by the Puerto Rican Noro Morales.
Sonny Bravo, Norberto Cruz and Marty Sheller participated in the arrangements; Charlie Palmieri – Arrangements and Director and Mr. Ralph Lew as Producer.
The album also counted with the participation of other great musicians of the salsa movement such as: Leopoldo Pineda – Trombone, Ray Maldonado – Trumpet, Frankie Malabé – Congas, Orestes Vilató – Timbales, Ronnie Cuber – Sax and Flute, Willie Colón – Chorus and Tito Allen – Chorus.
One of Cotique’s recordings was entitled “Frankie Dante and his Orquesta Flamboyán Best Foot Forward”, a compilation album with Frankie’s hits such as: “Paz”, “Los Rumberos”, “Presidente Dante”, “Venceremos” and the well known song “Yo Te Seguiré” written by the great Catalino Tite Curet Alonso.
His last recording appearance would happen in 1979 with the release of “Los Rebeldes”, where he decided to name his group: Frankie Dante Y Los Rebeldes.
This album has songs such as: “Los Congresistas” by Frankie Dante, a version of the song “Semilla De Caña Brava” by Cuban Luis Martinez Griñan “Lily” and “Vuelve El Rumbero” by Puerto Rican Johnny Ortiz.
Also participating in the recording were: Sal Cuevas – Bass, Louie Cruz, Marty Sheller, and Louie Ramirez in the Arrangements, Alberta Dering – Artistic Director, Ralph Lew as Producer and Milton Cardona as Musical Director.
Dominican Frankie Dante developed his musical career in New York City, where he died of cancer on March 1, 1993.
Dante, emulating his compatriot Johnny Pacheco, settles in the city of skyscrapers and takes with his “precursor” lyrical talent in terms of social conscience in salsa. With good artistic sense he perceives that the sound of the neighborhood and its hurtful musical style will be the main axis of the new concept that is born in the land of Uncle Sam.
“He recognizes in the almost adolescent Willie Colón a style to follow, he is enormously attracted to that “sour” way of arranging the songs, the maestro Eddie Palmieri and his Orquesta La Perfecta (already in full swing) also influence the young Dante as well as Ismael “Pat” Quintana’s way of interpreting, a style that Frankie incorporates immediately in his first production in 1968 under the Cotique label (Ref. CS-1043) titled Los Coquetones”.
Sources and Bibliography:
Nolita Golding Soulful Latin
Europe / Reino Unido/ Londres
Nolita Golding has a new single & video with the amazing collaboration of Latin Grammy-nominated Tony Succar & LUKAS winner Alex Wilson
With her powerful, compelling voice, to kick off 2019 Nolita Golding launches her new single “There Must Be An Angel” This single release is a step-change up in her career, cementing her reputation as a world class vocalist who can seamlessly weave between Soul and Latin in both English and Spanish.
The 80’s hit “There Must Be An Angel” (penned by Annie Lennox & David A. Stewart) has been deliciously arranged by Alex Wilson into a Soulful Latin version full of Caribbean flavour and laced with Gospel. Driven by Nolita’s power vocals and personality, she sets the scene for a definite hit in 2019! Soulful Latin… the new wave to hit the dance floors!
At present there is a musical trend focussed on the wonderful cultural revolution of the 60s in New York, when Latin America’s sounds were fused with jazz, soul and rock. This gave birth to fresh new styles such as boogaloo, spearheaded by luminaries such as Pete Rodriguez, Ricardo Ray, Joe Bataan and Joe Cuba.
Nolita Golding carries the soul of those pioneers and her unmistakable style proves it. In her constant search for excellence, Nolita completed this new single at Wincraft Music Studios, owned by Steve Winwood. The production was masterminded by award-winning producer Alex Wilson and features special guest and Latin Grammy-nominated Tony Succar on timbales. In addition, Venezuelan percussion master Edwin Sanz and Cuban rock guitar powerhouse, Dany Labana, have added their magic … this band is simply smoking!
The creative process has been a unique and magical experience, resulting in a track fully loaded with rhythm, positive energy, Caribbean flavor and mucho sabor!
As ever, the impressive power of Nolita Golding’s voice combined with her bilingual skills has her in continuing high demand as the session vocalist who consistently delivers the goods!
We invite you to enjoy this new single, which comes out at the beginning of this month…
It was created just for you and we guaranteed you will fall in love with it!
Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Nolita Golding Soulful Latin live concerts during her Europe Tour 2019.