Search Results for: Cuban music

Cache Live Music puts Miami to dance to traditional Latin music

Roland Cache graced this edition with his presence to tell us about his beginnings, the subsequent creation of his band Cache Live Music, and his current career. The American of Cuban descent honors his roots with the music he and his collaborators play to delight their fans at any event they are hired, indicating the pride he feels in representing his parents’ country and how passionate he is about his craft.

Roland shared many interesting details about his musical life, and we are more than happy to share them with our readers in the following lines.

Roland Cache playing drums live at an event

Roland’s musical beginnings as a teenager

As a child, Roland lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where some high school friends convinced him to play drums with them. Their favorite genre was the rock of the day, which was the 1960s. A few years later, specifically in 1973, another friend took him to a salsa concert at Madison Square Garden, and he liked what he heard so much that he became more involved in Latin music and left American music aside.

Seeing great artists such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and other artists of Puerto Rican descent, he learned to play timbales, tumbadora, and bongos, which allows him to play a combination of conga, timbales, and clave at the same time.

Orchestras prior to Cache Live Music

Before creating his own band, Roland was part of other projects that were training him for what was to come in his career later. One of them was a band from New Jersey, whose members formed La Charanga Casino, which became very popular in that city.

Some time later, Roland could not play for a while, so he has been throwing himself into selling cars and other area businesses. Then, in 1998, he returned to music and created an American band that played rock and jazz with a touch of Latin music.

Roland Cache and the rest of the band — Roland Cache and the rest of Cache Live Music

Creation of Cache Live Music

Eventually, he left the American band and founded a Latin band called Cache Live Music with a group of musicians, some of whom remain alongside Roland to this day. He met most of them through another musician friend who introduced them so he was knowing other artists who joined his project.

Cache Live Music was officially started in 1999, and according to its founder, the hardest thing about keeping a band like this together for so long was the search of opportunities in clubs and other kinds of places. However, Roland says that his experience as a salesman and negotiator has helped him a lot in winning contracts and the best conditions for him and his bandmates.

Current status of Cache Live Music

Today, the core of the band consists are three of its members: the guitarist, the bassist, and Roland, who is a multi-instrumentalist. More recently, Cache included a flutist, a trombonist, and sometimes a singer. This is how, depending on the requirements for a particular event, the group’s leader decides which members and instruments to include for every occasion in order to offer something different.

Cache at an Amazon event — Cache Live Music at an Amazon corporate event

Regarding the repertoire, they only perform covers, but they ensure that each and every song has their personal touch so that they resemble as little as possible to the original versions.

Anyone who wants to hire Cache Live Music can do so through its profile on The Bash by making a deposit and sending a contract to agree on the conditions of the event. However, it is important to note that they are already booked for December and January with corporate parties and weddings, for which we wish them every possible success because they already have the talent.

Former Mayor of Miami Tomas Pedro Regalado and Roland Cache

Charlie Sierra was a prominent Puerto Rican timbalero, recognized for his long musical career and virtuosity on the instrument

Carlos Manuel Sierra Sánchez, better known in the music world as “Charlie Sierra,” was born on October 10, 1956, in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.

Charlie Sierra fue un destacado timbalero puertorriqueño

An excellent percussion musician from Barrio Sabana, Charlie Sierra recorded with important figures in music such as Don Mario Ortiz, Andy Montañez, Raphy Leavitt, Marc Anthony, Oscar D’León, Julito Alvarado, and many others. He even recorded the album Bravo by the Fania All-Stars in 1997.

To the worldwide community of salsa fans (salsómanos), he was a member, along with Chago Martínez, Tito De Gracia, Edgardo Morales, and Edwin Clemente, of the Gran Cumbre de Timbaleros (Great Summit of Timbaleros) that emerged in Puerto Rico’s rumbero (Afro-Cuban rhythm/rumba) scene during the penultimate decade of the 20th Century.

Charlie Sierra fue un destacado timbalero puertorriqueño reconocido por su larga trayectoria musical y su virtuosismo en el instrumento

Among these five virtuosos, the majority of the recording sessions in the Puerto Rican market were divided. The others were, practically, second choices for producers.

This fortunate circumstance allowed him to develop an impressive discography as a session musician, which includes the most stellar names in salsa. Likewise, he traveled across a large part of the globe as a member of the backing bands for many of those stars.

Our biographical subject was a child when he began, without a teacher, to learn the bongos and drums which he also played on recordings and on stage and the timbales, leading him to be identified as a fundamentally intuitive musician.

At the age of thirteen, he moved with his family to Bayamón, and it was during his time as a student at the Nuestra Señora del Rosario School that he began to show signs of his talent.

At fourteen, he enrolled in the Ernesto Ramos Antonini Free School of Music (Escuela Libre de Música), where he was a disciple of the Argentine master Samuel Lipchik.

During that time, he also advanced his knowledge of the flute, guitar, and piano, instruments he would never cultivate professionally, as percussion was always his great passion.

Papo Lucca, Charlie Sierra y Cheo Feliciano

However, his time at the Free School of Music was relatively brief (1972-1974). He soon began his professional career, gaining his first experiences with the Orquesta Rica and the Orquesta Tabú.

During this period, he received private lessons from the renowned professor Raúl Berríos Sánchez.

Fully immersed in the music scene, his name began to gain relevance in the salsa world following his tenure with the original Orquesta Mulenze, led by bassist Edwin Morales, during the 1976-1978 period.

At that time, this organization focused its work on providing accompaniment to solo singers affiliated with the genre, both national and foreign, who visited the island. He had the opportunity to travel with several of them: Santos Colón, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Chivirico Dávila, Pellín Rodríguez, Yayo El Indio, etc.

From the Orquesta Mulenze, he moved to the lineup of Raphy Leavitt & La Selecta (1978-1979), with whom he had the opportunity to record hits like “La cosquillita,” vocalized by Tony Vega. He later worked with the orchestra led by pianist Tito Valentín, which featured Marvin Santiago as the vocalist.

He then joined trumpeter Mario Ortiz’s orchestra (1982-1984); he collaborated in the founding of the backing bands for the great sonero (Cuban son singer) Carlos «Cano» Estremera (1984) and the equally admired Tony Vega (1988).

In the interim, he worked independently and constantly recorded with other groups and a large number of soloists. He maintained this intense work routine until the present.

In 2009, Charlie Sierra organized his own orchestra, Paso Nivel, with which he recorded the album Ganas de bailar (Paso Nivel, CD-10692).

The album prominently features singer Efraín «Pichi» Gaetán, and included special guests such as Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Andy Montañez, and Gilberto Santa Rosa, as well as Primi Cruz, Darvel García, and Héctor Luis «Pichie» Pérez.

Charlie Sierra was a distinguished Puerto Rican salsa timbalero, recognized for his long musical career and his virtuosity on the instrument.

He passed away on October 23, 2024, at the age of 67. Throughout his career, he collaborated with artists of the stature of Andy Montañez, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, and Bobby Cruz.

Musical Career: He began his career with the Orquesta Mulenze in 1970 and later joined Raphy Leavitt & La Selecta’s band.

Notable Collaborations:

He worked with Andy Montañez for over 25 years, being a key piece in his orchestra. He also collaborated with artists like Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Bobby Cruz (on the hit “Sonido Bestial”), Tito Valentín, among others.

Own Orchestra: In 2009, he founded his own orchestra called Paso Nivel, with which he recorded the album “Ganas de bailar” (Desire to Dance).

Collaborators:

L’Òstia Latin Jazz

Also Read: Orestes Vilato. Cuban multi-percussionist.

Roberto “Bobby” Rodríguez was a master of the Baby Bass and was instrumental in its popularization within Latin music

Roberto “Bobby” Rodríguez “Big Daddy” (1927-2002) was a renowned bassist and a key figure in Latin jazz and salsa. He was known for playing both the upright bass and electric bass.

Roberto Bobby Rodriguez was a master of Baby Bass and played a decisive role in its popularization within Latin music

He worked with legendary artists and bands such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Machito, Tito Puente, and The Alegre All Stars. Born in Tampa, Florida, to Cuban parents, he is often associated with the Baby Bass, a type of electric upright bass.

The Baby Bass is a specific type of electric upright bass developed by the Ampeg company. It has a distinctive sound and is very popular in Latin music, especially salsa.

Many famous bassists in the genre, including Roberto “Bobby” Rodríguez “Big Daddy,” are known for playing this instrument. With its deep, percussive tone, the Baby Bass helped define the sound of salsa music.

In summary, the connection between Roberto “Bobby” Rodríguez and the Baby Bass is that the famous bassist, Roberto “Bobby” Rodríguez “Big Daddy,” was a master of the instrument and was instrumental in its popularization within Latin music.

“Big Daddy’s” Career and Legacy.

The son of Cuban and Puerto Rican parents, Roberto “Bobby” Rodríguez “Big Daddy” was born in Tampa, Florida, on May 2, 1927. His talent left a lasting mark on the performance of both the upright bass and the electric bass.

He began his career in New York at the age of 17 with Machito and His Afro-Cubans, where he replaced Julio Andino. He participated in recordings with Chico O’Farrill, Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, Eddie Palmieri, Willie Bobo, Mongo Santamaría, Joe Cuba, Eric Dolphy, the Alegre All Stars, and Tito Rodríguez. His most important and enduring collaboration, however, was with Tito Puente.

Rodríguez’s involvement with Puente’s band resulted in a catalog of countless tumbao basslines. He occasionally had the opportunity to lead the band with a solo, loaded with highly creative melodic improvisations.

On the 1990 album, Goza mi Timbal, the track “Ode to Cachao” features a large number of Bobby Rodríguez’s solos. In addition to being a tribute to Israel López, this track is a showcase of “Big Daddy’s” immense virtues and is considered one of the most unforgettable solos in Latin jazz. This partnership remained active from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Roberto Bobby Rodriguez Big Daddy was born in Tampa, Florida, on May 2, 1927

The nickname “Dedo Gordo” (Fat Finger) was given to him for his way of playing the electric bass, with a thick sound—something that in American musical circles is called a “groove.” According to experts, his technique was meant to emulate the sound of the Ampeg Baby Bass.

One characteristic he was always recognized for was his unique ability to play the clave rhythm with his foot while performing on the bass. His musical experience always made him seem like a contributor with a jazzy style.

On July 29, 2002, after a life full of resounding successes and an impressive legacy, Bobby Rodríguez passed away in New York.

Ambiguities with the Name Roberto “Bobby” Rodríguez.

The name “Bobby Rodríguez” has been used by several artists within the universe of Caribbean music.

One common source of confusion is the flutist, clarinetist, and saxophonist from Manhattan, Robert “Bobby” Rodríguez, who founded the group “La Compañía.” His date of birth has not been confirmed.

Another point of confusion is the common misconception that “Big Daddy” began his career with the Marcano Quartet. The truth is that the quartet featured Félix Manuel Rodríguez, who, in the early stages of his career at age 17, also went by the name “Bobby Rodríguez.” He would later adopt his famous stage name, Bobby Capó.

A third artistic namesake is Dr. Bobby Rodríguez, a trumpet player born in Los Angeles, California, who is also a teacher and author of the book, ABC’s of Brass Warm-Up. He has been nominated for a Grammy and has received awards as an educator.

Roberto Bobby Rodríguez Big Daddy (1927-2002)

The list of names similar to Roberto “Bobby” Rodríguez becomes much longer if you search for homonyms of his given name. For example, there is Roberto (Reimundo) Rodríguez, a trumpet player from Cienfuegos, Cuba. He co-founded the orchestra Los Jóvenes Estrellas de Cuba and became a member of the Fania All Stars. He also appears in the documentary Nuestra Cosa Latina. In 1982, he founded the group Los Rodríguez with his sons, Roberto Jr. and Willie.

His son, Roberto Rodríguez Jr., is another homonym we encounter in these musical paths.

Continuing with more homonyms, there’s the Cuban trumpet player Roberto Luis Rodríguez, who is the father of the currently famous trumpet player Roberto Juan Rodríguez, also Cuban, but who moved with his Jewish family to Miami at the age of nine. He has played with top artists such as Joe Jackson, Julio Iglesias, and Paul Simon.

By: Diego Aranda (Audiokat)

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Los Mejores Salseros del Mundo

Also Read: Bobby Valentín, the King of the Bass in the Fania All-Stars Machine – The Mind of a Master

Venezuela violinist and former musician in El Sistema Ali Bello has many interesting things to say

Venezuelan musician Alí Bello has become one of the best Latin music violinists in New York, so we could not miss the opportunity to talk to him and learn as much as we could about his fascinating story. The young man has given his best to become a true icon of Latin Jazz in his current city of residence, so do not miss this great conversation.

Ali playing the violin — Venezuelan musician Ali Bello playing the violin live

Alí’s beginnings in the world of music thanks to El Sistema

From a young age, Alí became interested in music, which led him to join the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela, where he studied classical music as an extracurricular activity. This in order for Alí and his classmates to be busy in any activity until their parents came to pick them up after work.

This was when an orchestra or school of music was formed clase to his father’s work, so Bello was enrolled in these classes from 2 to 5 p.m. after school. So it went for him since he was in kindergarten, and he learned to play the xylophone and the recorder. When the boy was seven years old, the school orchestra located in La Rinconada, Caracas, was officially created, but due to how small Ali was, the only instrument the school could assign him according to his size was the violin, which he keeps playing diligently to this day.

After many years of being part of the National Youth Orchestra, he got ahead with his musical career and decided to go to the United States to continue his university studies and train as a professional musician.

Other instruments besides the violin

In addition to the violin, Alí also plays a lot of percussion, since he considers it very important. He thinks every folk and Latin musician must handle percussion as efficient as possible and each of its rhythms in order to internalize the style they want to play on any instrument.

“Percussion and singing have always fascinated me, so I try to devote myself to both even a little bit, but it is undeniable that the violin has always been my main instrument. I’ve tried to focus all styles and everything I work on towards the violin to turn it into the main element,” the musician added on this subject.

Ali and Gustavo — Ali Bello, his son and maestro Gustavo Dudamel

How the opportunity to study in the United States came about

Initially, Alí was supported by his violin teacher Margaret Pardee, who taught at the Juilliard School and went to Venezuela to give master classes. It was Pardee who encouraged Alí to continue his education in New York, which he finally achieved thanks to the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho scholarship fund and the Simón Bolívar Musical Foundation.

This is how the Venezuelan artist obtained his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and PHD.

At college, he met Johnny Almendra, thanks to whom he discovered genres other than classical music, in which he was not only the performer of melodies but could also create his own music. He then discovered styles of Venezuelan and Latin music that inspired him to explore more varied rhythms different from what he had known before.

He played regularly with Johnny Almendra and his modern charanga group Los Jovenes del Barrio for a time and subsequently played for La Típica Novel and other orchestras. As Alí gained experience in the world of charanga and Latin music in general, he started having opportunities to learn and explore other genres such as Brazilian music, Afro-Cuban music, Latin jazz, and many more.

Collaborations with major artists in the industry

All this hard-won ground gave Alí the opportunity and the honor to collaborate with great artists in the industry such as Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Johnny Pacheco, Rudy Calzado, Pedro Cortés, José Fajardo senior, Pupi Legarreta, and many more. All these figures helped him not only to have a better understanding of the Afro-Cuban style and tradition, but also of the influence of New York on music.

Ali and Pupy — Maestro Pupy Legarreta and Ali Bello

Thanks to this knowledge base, he had the courage to release a record album, La Charanga Syndicate, in which, as the name suggests, he uses charanga and all the influences coming from the musicians he has known and continues to know. For this reason, he feels he now has something to say and bring to the style.

Another important thing for his career was his participation in Jay-Z’s concert to celebrate the anniversary of the release of his first album. The rapper wanted to mark the occasion by playing with a symphony orchestra, so hired many musicians of all kinds to make a great show at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Fortunately for Ali, he was well-known in the music scene at the time, so he was contacted to participate in the event.

In that sense, the violinist is very happy to be in New York, as the world’s greatest artists always take this city into account for their concerts, which gives musicians like him the opportunity to have access to these great figures in the industry.

Ali as an arranger

In addition to being a percussionist and violinist, Ali has also ventured into musical arrangements quite successfully thanks to all the academic training he had received up until then. However, as he became a more experienced professional, he began to notice that his own ideas and thoughts came to life in his work. So, having the theory in his head, he could take those ideas he had had and develop them within the rhythmic and stylistic elements which are willing to use on each occasion.

In addition to that, the artist also works on production and mixing a bit to achieve the necessary sound. He even has his own studio where he plays for his own productions and other artists’ records as a freelancer.

Ali and Juan — Ali Bello and Juan Carlos Formell from Los Van Van in Poland

Los Surik is a musical group formed in Victoria, Las Tunas, in eastern Cuba

Los Surik, a musical group from Las Tunas a province known for orchestras recognized both nationally and internationally has distinguished itself in the Cuban music scene for its excellence.

Los Surik is a group that was created in Victoria Las Tunas, in eastern Cuba.

This group of fifteen musicians (four of whom are vocalists) was established in Victoria, Las Tunas, in eastern Cuba.

They began their professional careers in 1982, focusing on harmonious arrangements through the use of complex structures, all in service of preserving the authenticity of the genres they perform, such as son, guaracha, merengue, song, and bolero, among others.

Los Surik used to rehearse at the home of José Luis Borrel, across from the old La Gran Señora store (at the intersection of Lucas Ortiz and Julián Santana streets). Later, they moved their instruments to Benny Revuelta’s house, on Gonzalo de Quesada street, at the corner of Lucas Ortiz.

This orchestra has stood out in the world of music in Cuba for its excellence.

Los Surik’s repertoire included, among other pieces, classic Spanish and American pop songs, and instrumentals that Benny would recreate with his saxophone. Pablín (now deceased) was an excellent singer, later a finalist on the TV show Todo el mundo canta. Paco Mesa also shone as a vocalist. Catalá was comfortable on the drums, as was Omarito on the bass. The speakers in the photo were designed by José Luis Borrell, who, in addition to being a musician, was a great electronics enthusiast.

In 1994, the group released an album titled Alma Musical (CD (Magic Music 0003-3)). Some of the songs from this album were number one in Cuba at that time.

Los Surik holds an interesting first in their career: its members ushered in the era of discography in Las Tunas, by recording the first long-play record in the territory in 1985. The album features 12 tracks, most of which were authored by group members, and it was recorded at Siboney studios in Santiago de Cuba. Due to its foundational nature, the album is an invaluable piece for the cultural heritage of Las Tunas.

Group Photo and Member

This photo was taken in the 1980s at the home of actress and promoter Blanquita Becerra (center), during the time when this once very popular and distinguished lady of Cuban lyrical theater resided in Las Tunas.

Among other members of the musical collective pictured are Arturo Gooden, Alberto Bada, Benny Revuelta, Gerardo Leyva, Raúl Cáceres, Héctor Aguilar, and Rafael Diez.

At that time, Los Surik was composed of the following musicians:

Julián Galbán Cruz – Bass
Fernando E. Quintana – Saxophone
Herminio García Rodríguez – Trombone
Gastón H. Allen Binhan – Trumpet
Rolando Portillo Cedeño – Trumpet
Arnaldo García Estrada – Keyboards
Eldo A. González Mantilla – Piano
Pablo S. Machado Palmero – Congas
Edilberto Machado Alba – Timbales
Luis Alfonso Guerra Ramírez – Bongos
José Eugenio Marín Tejeda – Vocals
Virginia Iznaga Cantero – Vocals
José Manuel Arnedo Rodríguez – Vocals
Francisco G. Mesa Marrero – Vocals

Lost Treasures and Alma Musical

Almost all the orchestra members were composers of the songs they performed. Sadly, many of these songs were never recorded on any album, so we cannot enjoy the high quality of the tracks they created. Only a lucky few had the chance to enjoy them live in concerts they gave outside of Cuba.

Los Surik – Alma Musical (1994)

Tracks:

Dame Un Traguito (Son)
Estoy Romántica (Ballad son)
Amor De Película (Son montuno)
El Cantante Enamorado (Son)
Lo Que Cae Es Candela (Son)
A Ese Le Llaman Parejero (Son montuno)
La Fuerza Del Amor (Merengue)
Juanita Morey (Merengue)
La Luna Compartir (Ballad son)
Voz Universal (Son)
La Noche Junto A Ti (Bolero)

Musicians:

Julián Galbán Cruz (Bass)
Fernando E. Quintana (Saxophone)
Herminio García Rodríguez (Trombone)
Gastón H. Allen Binhan (Trumpet)
Rolando Portillo Cedeño (Trumpet)
Arnaldo García Estrada (Keyboards)
Eldo A. González Mantilla (Piano)
Pablo S. Machado Palmero (Congas)
Edilberto Machado Alba (Timbales)
Luis Alfonso Guerra Ramírez (Bongos)
José Eugenio Marín Tejeda (Vocals)
Virginia Iznaga Cantero (Vocals)
José Manuel Arnedo Rodríguez (Vocals)
Francisco G. Mesa Marrero (Vocals)

By:

L’Òstia Latin Jazz

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

EcuRed

Also Read: Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñero has played an important role in Cuban music for over seven decades.