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Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes “A True Re-invention for Everyone”.

International Salsa Magazine presents Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes “Metido En Su Garaje”.

The Pandemic (Covid-19), without a doubt, was devastating for a large number of people. For others, it was literally taken as a time of reflection, a time to reinvent oneself, a time to start a new era.

That is the case of our friend, and one of the fastest-growing salsa artists in the world, Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes. Aside from continuing to delight us with every song he releases, today, he has one of the most educational salsa programs on the networks and on Digital TV. It is called METIDO EN MI GARAGE and originates from the State of Florida, USA.

The Pandemic (Covid-19) was undoubtedly devastating for a large number of people. For others, it was literally taken as a time of reflection, a time to reinvent oneself, a time to start a new era.
EDWIN “EL CALVITO” REYES
#MetidoEnMiGaraje
“A True Re-invention and For All”.

As a result of the pandemic, “El Calvito” turned his garage into a mini-TV studio, with the goal of helping his colleagues in the media, regardless of the background or trajectory of the guests. Also, radio broadcasters, world-class dancers, DJs, event organizers, and even music management experts are part of the weekly treat that our friend “El Calvito” brings us in his often program. It is virtual, and you can easily watch it from your home. Lots of salsa, and in an educational way.

However, this fruit of re-invention has surprised Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes, because his program, not only transmits in networks, but also in 3 Digital TV channels. Collectively, several thousands of people are integrated every week, thanks to the collaboration of these networks, such as TROPICAL MOON TV (Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic), DreamForceBTL TV (Colombia), and LA PODEROSA 360 TV (Puerto Rico).

Esto Es Salsa Nueva EDWIN "EL CALVITO" REYES
Esto Es Salsa Nueva EDWIN “EL CALVITO” REYES

Due to the great reception in Puerto Rico through LA PODEROSA 360 TV, the International Network UNIVISION and its TELEISLA Channel in Puerto Rico (National TV), gave our friend the opportunity to be a fundamental part of the Saturday program, called “Cuchito’s 360 Late Night Show”, bringing the current videos of salsa worldwide, to the national screen of Puerto Rico. His section is called “Esto Es Salsa Nueva” (This is New Salsa), as one of the songs of  “El Calvito” Reyes is called.

Just over 150 people within the 55 episodes of the program have been part of it. Each one with a different and motivating story. There is no room for “bickering”, because it is very familiar, and the goal is always to bring a positive, constructive message. “We go with no time limit, and always full of pure positive energy,” says “El Calvito”.

Still, in the midst of his successful push with the track ESTO ES SALSA NUEVA which has surpassed 100,000 plays on Spotify, and with his new LIVE Production, titled,
“Here we have a Salsero de Hoy, dedicated with his heart, for the good of the salsa genre, in the whole world.

 

The musical world has a great all in Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes.

EDWIN “EL CALVITO” REYES #MetidoEnMiGaraje “Una Verdadera Re-invencion y Para Todos”
EDWIN “EL CALVITO” REYES
#MetidoEnMiGaraje

 

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Antonio “Tony” Succar, percussionist, composer, arranger, band leader and music producer

The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson

Antonio “Tony” Succar (Lima, May 18, 1986) is a Peruvian-American percussionist, composer, arranger, band leader and producer.

Succar was born in Lima, Peru. When he was two years old, his family emigrated to the United States and settled in Miami, Florida.

Among his relatives were several musicians who encouraged Succar to develop his own musical interests. The family’s musical tradition began with his paternal great-grandparents, Mexican composer Lauro D. Uranga and Spanish flamenco dancer Adelina Esteve Gregory.

The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson Antonio “Tony” Succar
Antonio “Tony” Succar (Lima, May 18, 1986)

Succar’s father, Antonio F. Succar, is a pianist and his mother Mimy Succar Tayrako Sakaguchi is a singer. Since he was 3 years old Tony started playing in The Peruvian Cajon, when Succar was 13, he started playing drums with his parents’ band when they played at weddings and other private and corporate functions, mainly in Miami, Florida, USA.

Succar attended Miami Sunset Senior High School in Miami-Dade County. At the time his ambition was to be a professional soccer player, and he played on several teams, including his high school team when it won the 2004 state championship. He later tried to earn a soccer scholarship to Florida International University. Unable to get a scholarship, he asked his father for study advice.

The advice he received was to apply to FIU’s School of Music.

Seeking an interview with the school’s drum instructor, he ended up auditioning for the Latin jazz ensemble and was quickly accepted. Succar earned a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Performance in 2008 and went on to study for a master’s degree, which he earned in 2010.

Succar already had an active musical career while still an undergraduate student. As a junior in college he took over as musical director of the family band, which he renamed Mixtura.

On September 21, 2010, Succar released an album recorded at his graduation recital, a live concert with Mixtura at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center in Miami. This CD/DVD contains a mix of Latin-influenced arrangements of classic jazz numbers and original material. It received numerous positive reviews including from Audiophile Audition5 and JazzChicago.

After graduating from FIU, Succar became artist-in-residence in 2012, and continued to work with the school’s music students on a number of projects. He is the youngest artist to ever hold this appointment at FIU.

Succar has worked with several prominent artists in Latin music genres. These include Tito Nieves, La India, Kevin Ceballo, Michael Stuart, Jon Secada, Jennifer Peña, Jean Rodriguez and Obie Bermudez, who collaborated with him on Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson.

Unity features over 100 musicians, Latin superstars such as Tito Nieves, Jon Secada, La India, Obie Bermudez, Jennifer Pena, Michael Stuward, Angel Lopez, Sheila E., Judith Hill, Jean Rodriguez, Fernando Vargas, Maribel Diaz, Kevin Ceballo, hosted on PBS TV by Gloria Estefan, and the magic of Jackson's legendary engineer Bruce Swedien.
Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson is a collaborative project to produce a musical tribute to Michael Jackson.

The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson

Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson is a collaborative project to produce a musical tribute to Michael Jackson. In addition to live performances, the project plans to release an album consisting of 14 Jackson songs rewritten to include Latin influences, primarily salsa and Latin American rhythms, Succar, who was a long-term fan of Jackson’s work, is the founder and producer of the project. Unity launched in 2015 with a concert at Miami’s Olympia Theater sponsored and broadcast on PBS TV, 360 stations, primetime, Friday night at 9:00 p. m., and also sponsored by Universal Music Classic.

Unity features over 100 musicians, Latin superstars such as Tito Nieves, Jon Secada, La India, Obie Bermudez, Jennifer Pena, Michael Stuward, Angel Lopez, Sheila E., Judith Hill, Jean Rodriguez, Fernando Vargas, Maribel Diaz, Kevin Ceballo, hosted on PBS TV by Gloria Estefan, and the magic of Jackson’s legendary engineer, Bruce Swedien.

Succar’s sound is refined and distinctive. His up-tempo songs have an unmatched explosive energy, while his slower arrangements are soulful and captivate the listener with the intricate nuances that are signatures of his sound.

Tony is currently working on his next album and touring the world with his band.

He has performed at the Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival (Aruba), the Ravinia Festival (Chicago), Auditorio Telmex (Mexico), Vivo Beach (Puerto Rico), Tempo Latino (France) and the 2019 Latin Grammy Awards (MGM Grand Las Vegas ), among others.

Contacts:

Youtube: tonysuccarofficial

www.tonysuccar.com

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BACHATA COMPETITION IN A KAYAK?

The Festival Dance Club 2021 vol. 10 – Wedding Lux Edition with ten years of tradition in Poland returns to its roots with a dance competition inside a kayak the last weekend of August

Couple dancing in two kayaks
Bachata Kayak Competition on the Wierzyca River (Pomerania – Poland)

This distinctive modality together with the animation of dance with oars characterizes the Festival Dance Club 2021 vol. 10 – Wedding Lux Edition. This event with tradition will have two days of rafting along the picturesque Wierzyca River surrounded by beautiful nature, great nights with barbecue, 2 dance parties with the best Latin DJs, and hours of bachata workshops with the most trained dance instructors.

At this festival, you will combine nature with the hot atmosphere of Latin parties. You can dance by the fire, in the meadow, on the bridges, in the streets, and of course during the instruction of the Dominican rhythm of the moment, La Bachata, at the Dworek Tucholski resort.

Two of the instructors for this edition will be the couple made up of Maciek Duda and Adriana Drozdowicz. The first is a certified Dominican bachata dancer, musician, and instructor. He started and developed his skills in dance from a very young age in Spain. Maciek has created choreographies for the dance program “Taniec Życia” broadcast by TVN in 2018. He also has led classes at major festivals in Poland and abroad such as Bachata King Festival (Greece), Estonia Bachata Festival, Bachata Stars Festival Budapest, El Sol Warsaw Festival, and many others.

Likewise, Adriana Drozdowicz has developed a unique and unrepeatable style in Poland that is based on the plasticity and naturalness of movements. Adriana teaches women to express their femininity through dance and what she is most passionate about is improvisation. She has obtained first place and the audience award in the Bachata Social Competition in 2018, in addition to third place in BachataStars Poland (2018).

The reason for the Festival Dance Club 2021 vol. 10 this year will be “The Wedding” so the elegant outfits will be appropriate for the party on Saturday.

This event aimed mainly at the integration of dance lovers guarantees 100% biosafety measures, as well as if the festival cannot be carried out due to coronavirus restrictions, all funds will be returned.

Date: Friday, August 27 – Sunday, August 29

Address: Dworek Tucholski. ul. Leśna 6. 83-210 Zblewo province. Pomeranian. Poland

 

Maybe These Data Also Interests You

White couple dancing
At the festival, you can dance on bridges, in the streets, and by the fire.
  1. Currently doing kayak in a short distance is one of the most popular sports in Poland.
  2. By doing this competition on the Wierzyca river you will be surrounded by beautiful nature. You will breathe fresh air, have the opportunity to relax, and make new connections with friends with the same interests.
  3. These kayak or canoe tours are carried out in a controlled current flow, which is why it is for the whole family.
  4. The outfit should be comfortable and made of quick-drying fabric with rubber-soled shoes, a sweatshirt, and you can even wear a jacket.
  5. Do not forget to pack the sunglasses, sunscreen, and carry your documents with your phone in a waterproof case in the instance an accident occurs they are not damaged by water.

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Meet Liz Castillo in our report for this May 2021 edition

 

In the Caribbean there is a group of islands that attract many tourists all year round for its warm beaches, music, history and / or culture, one of the most visited is the beautiful island of Cuba, where tropical tourism is excellent for tourists. , one of the provinces that stands out for being a land of beautiful landscapes and hospitable people who preserve their traditions is Pinar del Rio which is located in the westernmost part of Cuba, it highlights its extraordinary natural charms such as its caves and Pinar del Rio parks, its beaches are bathed by two waters “the Atlantic and the Caribbean” which you can see with the naked eye when you go there and having this great diversity and beauty, you can explore the seabed as there is great tourism ecological and practicing water sports, it also has green gardens, the mogotes of Viñales and its guano houses where tobacco leaves are dried, there is an impressive Mural of Prehistory, a huge cave painting g burned on the surface of a mogote where its tropical and exuberant colors allow it to be distinguished from afar.

This time we have the Cuban singer Marielys Castillo Prietos also known by the stage name Liz Castillo, who was born in this beautiful city Pinar del Rio, Cuba on September 20, 1985, tells us with affection the place where she was born and is the perfect description that we mentioned at the beginning of this article; currently she lives in Havana to better develop her musical career.

In 2000, he began his musical career where he joined the movement of amateur artists of “Casa de Cultura”, a place that belongs to the network of cultural institutions that make up the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cuba. where there is concerted cultural development between the community and state entities, aimed at the preservation, transmission and promotion of artistic and cultural samples of the community, there were workshops where visual arts, dance, music are taught … was able to present singing songs for both children and adults; which obtained several prizes in the diverse Contests.

During these 5 years he dedicated himself to recording his album called “Cosas Contigo” with full authorship, his songs have a great variety of musical genres such as Bachata, Salsa, Vallenato, among others in order to have a great musical enrichment and in turn achieve a greater reach to your audience.

Cosa Contigo - Liz Prieto
Cover of Marielys Castillo Prietos – Cosa Contigo

In 2004, she graduated from Elementary Level in Singing Specialty, and jointly received Popular Singing classes in Havana with her teacher Robertina Morales Silva, who is someone very important to her since she mentions that she owes her musical career to him. because during his beginnings, he was born with the concern and doubt of being a musician and she was the one who showed him his path and what is correct or not; When he received his classes with her, he discovered and obtained the answers to his concerns in his musical career, even today they keep in contact supporting her.

She begins to work on the composition of the songs of her authorship, where until today she has more than 25 works registered in the National Copyright Center, performed by recognized Orchestras and Soloists and by herself.

The emotion and inspiration to create his songs is “Love”, the most sincere and most sincere feeling there is, it is also inspired by its derivatives such as heartbreak, life and lived experiences; This is one of the ways that you express what you feel, what you like and what you don’t like and what you want to send to your audience.

A year later (2005), he joined the Ebano y Marfil group and the Ireme Group. On this same date the Polyphonic Choir of Pinar del Río was integrated, these were the first groups with which I worked instead of working as a soloist, it was a new world where he does not deny that for those who start in group music and with experience it is scary because they do not know if they will measure up or not (their own insecurities), if your desire to move forward and progress is stronger it will be appeased by gaining experience and more security, as happened to her, who is a person characterized by a person who never backs down and moves on, to catch up and strive to defend himself for which he has fought, since she herself knew what would happen by studying it, thought and assumed in his future, making this a wonderful and great experience.

Live- Liz Castillo
Photo of Marielys Castillo Prietos and her musical group

What better happiness and personal reward than listening to your musical themes on the street and expanding to radio stations and the internet, this is the best happiness that a musician has.

After 4 years he retired from the musical group to go to Havana (2009) to train more as an artist for a year at the Mariana de Gonitch Singing Academy, directed by Maestro Hugo Ósle, a very prestigious teacher from Havana, he is known As the director of the group that bears the name of the famous internationally renowned Russian singer and pedagogue, who preferred to live in Cuba and was in charge of preparing young talents, there Liz Castillo had her lyrical and popular singing classes and above all they took you to to do shows and concerts in all the theaters of Havana either as a soloist or in a group, thus cultivating in his career and to have a more accurate criterion in a few words he was covering a wide repertoire and varied musical genres from Folklor A; upon graduating he continued working and always asking his teacher Robertina Morales Silva for support.

She mentions that during the COVID-19 pandemic, she did not see the bad things but the positive things, it has been for her during that difficult year, very prosperous in her career since she has been able to get 2 singles that were previously in process or paused, 2 salsa songs ʺCanción sin Rostroʺ which is currently coming out these days with its video clip and soon ʺWhere our Love is bornʺ … the pandemic has paralyzed many things but we must take advantage of this time at home and she did it promoting herself and obtaining a greater reach through the internet platform using social networks.

“For live music to be heard by the public, that they like it and identify with it and to achieve at this time is through communications especially the internet and social networks”

“Canción sin Rostro” is a musical theme that aired recently, it tells us that during its creation it was not called that, but “De que vale”, because that change arose, it was a theme related to an unrequited love and at the end of the song was a happier ending instead of the sadness it had at the beginning, it is like for example seeing the dark side of life comes at the end to see the light, the most beautiful part of life.

Liz Castillo - Cosas Contigo
Musical themes by Liz Castillo

To the new talent that is currently emerging, Liz Castillo mentions that currently many people want to be a fast and famous artist, but the truth is… “the person who is going to be an artist is because they have it in their soul, mind and it is written in Life will go on and overcome its obstacles, no matter how difficult … the artist is born with that quality, those who are not will not be able to continue even with all the support in the world “…” the artist’s work is not for himself, but for others, respecting his audience with respect to his lyrics, a clear message without many complicated words ”

If you want to know more about her, listen to her songs or contact her:

Spotify

  • https://open.spotify.com/artist/0FMLrFYvhu14ITV7ecMHpx?si=9_e5Ru99QBqn_kWvZ3U7EA

Pleylist

  • https://open.spotify.com/artist/0FMLrFYvhu14ITV7ecMHpx?si=9uUH-GunTUKJ3R2DvPsibg

 

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NORA SUZUKI

32 Years After Her Debut In Salsa

Nora Suzuki singing
“The difficult thing was to get Latino to believe that Japanese are playing salsa. At first, no one believed me, so I had to sing and dance in front of them”. Nora Suzuki

She broke paradigms in Latin and Asian music in the late ‘80s. She founded the most famous Salsa orchestra in Japan (La Orquesta De La Luz). She paved the way for new generations of artists. She is an institution of Afro-Caribbean music in oriental culture. A leading woman, dreamer, charismatic, and enthusiastic… This is how Nora Suzuki presents her story.

This famous artist originally from Nakano-ku (Tokyo) did not always want to be a singer, at first Nora was inclined towards professional dance taking ballet classes at three years old, however, by then this young singing promise already had an unmatched vocal talent that couldn’t go unnoticed years later.

Her aptitude for the arts comes from her family because her grandfather was a master of drums and singing, her parents, although they are not professionals, continue to be excellent singers, her cousin is a music teacher, her brother is a fan of the English band, The Beatles, and finally, her son León (named so in honor of Venezuelan Salsa singer, Oscar D’ León) loves Japanese popular music right now, nevertheless, Nora hopes that one day he will succeed her as Salsero. As you can see, music runs through the veins of this successful international singer.

In the last year of Takashima High School in Tokyo (Japan) Nora’s track record of success began to be carved out. She started in an amateur rock band as the lead vocalist and developed her interest in R&B music. She sang in the ATOM band during her undergraduate career at Nihon University art of college. By then, the band had a percussionist (ex-leader of the Orquesta De La Luz) who loved Salsa and suggested to Suzuki that she study that Latin musical genre.

Nora Suzuki signing autographs
“Gracias Salseros” was released on the music market on August 20, 2019

“When I was 21, I visited New York for sightseeing and watched Oscar D’ Leon’s live at the Salsa Club. I was very impressed at that time and fell in love with Salsa. After that, a Salsa band called Orquesta del Sol was playing live in Tokyo, so I went to see that band. I was impressed that even Japanese people can play Salsa, so I decided to form La Orquesta De La Luz”. Nora explained in detail the idea that came up to create this famous Japanese Salsa Orchestra in 1984 and already graduated from university for that year.

For Suzuki, currently based in Tokyo, the last year (2020) was a year of changes: most of her concerts were postponed or canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but they were still able to perform live, and after the summer, they made several performances in their home city and other adjacent regions.

In the near future, the concert tour of Nora and La Orquesta de la Luz in America and Europe is a fact, as well as the fusion of modern elements such as Reggaeton inside Salsa in their new record productions.

HER PATH THROUGH SPANISH

Nora outdoors
“I have never felt discriminated while touring Latin America. I think it’s great!” Nora

For Nora, not everything was easy when she began her career in Latin music. At first, it was difficult for her to speak Spanish due to the pronunciation of the consonants “R” and “L”. Since there isn’t distinction in the phonetics of both letters in the Japanese language, however, this successful singer never occurred to sing Salsa in another language. “I tried very hard to pronounce it right… Now I have original Salsa song with Japanese lyrics”. The artist commented.

This charismatic singer-songwriter on her path through Spanish first caught the sounds in the katakana alphabet. Then, she studied Spanish grammar in courses broadcast on television and radio.

The lyrics of her songs are composed by her using words she knows, reading dictionaries, and example sentences carefully. Once the lyrics are made, they are reviewed by one of her friends of Latin descent.

 Now I can understand Spanish a lot. If you speak slowly, I can understand the rough meaning”.

NORA SUZUKI & LA ORQUESTA DE LA LUZ

This prestigious artist, who has captivated millions of people with her talent on three continents, was always persevering and disciplined. She formed La Orquesta De La Luz in the early ‘80s and later made a demo for their international performance. Three years later, with her savings, Nora toured three countries on the American continent: Panama, Puerto Rico, and New York.

Panama was the first country that set foot in search of being heard by Latinos. “I was very excited because I was able to appear on the radio and TV show, and the audience was very excited about my singing”. Nora commented.

Then she visited Puerto Rico and New York. Nora adds: “At first, I went to see Ralph Mercado, but unfortunately he didn’t listen to the demo tape. I was very depressed but didn’t want to give up, so I next met Richie Bonilla, and he was able to listen to the tape and could believe my story”.

Orquesta de la Luz in concert
“Some members understand Spanish a little, but most of them don’t speak it”. Nora Suzuki

After overcoming some obstacles, in 1989, they debuted as a world-famous Salsa band with their first concert tour in New York, thanks to the promotion of Bonilla, who currently continues to be her manager and the orchestra.

Eight years of resounding success on three continents and especially in Japan made each member of the band so popular that by 1997 it was impossible to match the schedule of each member, which caused the inevitable and regrettable breakup.

Five years later, specifically on January 16, 2002, Nora organized the World Peace Music Festival benefit concert due to the 911 incident in New York and return for the immense affection and support of Latinos in the United States. This concert was the catalyst for the reunion of La Orquesta de la Luz and by the beginning of 2021, the band has 23 countries already visited.

Recently, this famous star awarded the United Nations Peace Medal in 1993, together with the Orchestra, released the album “Gracias Salseros” in commemoration of their more than 30th anniversary. (This CD can be downloaded and listened to through the different digital platforms).

In the last 10 years, La Orquesta de la Luz has toured Japan twice and has participated in consecutive years in the Billboard Live in Tokyo and Osaka. You can also see them perform at local festivals, children’s schools, and through their official Facebook page with their live-streamed rehearsal videos that have a total of 9 000 000 views.

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