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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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Argentina and its musical genres of origin and the tropics

Argentine musical genres and development to date with tropical genres

Each country has its essence with respect to what it represents above all in its culture, and in Latin America there is a great variety of musical genres and dances unlike Europe since during the colonization of the new world a mixture occurred not only at the level of races but also of culture, emerging a great variety of musical genres…

In this time we have Argentina, a country full of cultural diversity being the most interesting characteristic of this great South American country. It is a country where music is expressed with great style and elegance, especially at the level of dance, since its presentations are made in various places, including outdoors, especially in Buenos Aires (usually in summer).

Among the musical genres that stand out are:

Argentine Rock: it is the mix of rock and roll, blues, country & western, R&B, doo wop, boogie woogie and swing; It is characterized by having an outstanding and recognized Hispanic lyrics throughout Latin America thanks to the great popularity of the bands and artists that participated and reaped records in album sales and in attendance at recitals in the mid-1950s to date. (sample bands)

Tango: a musical and dance genre very characteristic of the Rio de la Plata region and its area of influence, but mainly of the cities of Buenos Aires (in Argentina) and Montevideo (in Uruguay). Their music and dance is very popular in Argentina and this expressive dance has strong European influences. It is danced as a couple where the dancers merge in a romantic embrace, showing their sensuality, passion and feeling in each step taken, leading it to become one of the most famous dances and musical genres in the world.

Cumbia: despite the fact that this rhythm from the Caribbean countries, particularly Colombia, has spread in several Latin American countries including that country, the cumbia and the different variants are part of the music called “tropical”, and in Argentina Cumbia Villera is a subgenre born in popular areas, born approximately in 1997. It emerged from the fusion with local rhythms such as chamamé and tango, due to its instrumental endowment; Another particular characteristic of Argentine cumbia is the inclusion of flamenco within its musicalization.

In Argentine there are folk rhythms:

Zamba: its name derives from the daughters of black slaves and aborigines, who were sought to seduce through dance, this genre is located in the central part of the country and is generally associated with the Argentine Pampas. It is danced in pairs where the man surrounds the woman’s shoulders with a handkerchief with the intention of seduction.

Carnavalito: this genre is located in the Andean region, north of Argentina, its music and dance make up a part of the Andean pre-Columbian culture, it has a festive and lively tone.

Chacarera: a dance native to the north-central part of the country, has a marked aboriginal influence where the Quichua language is manifested. With vehement and intense tones, it is used in regional Carnival dances and is danced by stamping and courting figures.

During the 50s in the USA (United States) several musical genres were called “Latin Rhythms” to differentiate them from African-Americans, among which are salsa, merengue, samba, bachata and bolero among the most known. You will say that this has to do with the musical genres mentioned above … because there is a great difference and history since each musical genre or dance has its own rules to perform them either on a musical or dance level, but when a mixture arises. from two or more musical genres, a new one more innovative, fun and with a taste to the population, like what happened with the Latin rhythms in that country.

Photo of some dancers — Tango dancers photos

Salsa is a contagious and fun rhythm most of all for the general population at the time of dancing it, since people enjoy a very lively music where they usually shine with the amount of turns to magically show themselves with their spectators and to achieve this you are born with it or you train with professionals in dance; this generally applies to all Latin and / or tropical rhythms.

It does not matter what genre this popular in each country, the important thing is the dedication, expression and that each person has when producing their musical theme or dance to the public, giving the native his personal touch to his music or dance, becoming more unique and not as generic as it is made in other countries.

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Tips for the Latin dances “Salsa”, “Bachata”, “Merengue” and “Lambada”

To be able to socialize and have fun, many people learn different activities that can attract others either in their daily routine or during a rest time they have; among those activities is music and dance, where the person can interact with their neighbor and / or partner (a) either by practicing it or simply talking about the subject.

Dancing is simply the act of performing a dance, where a person uses his or her body to perform movements to the beat or to the rhythm of a music or melody, in order to express a message, by tradition or with the aim of entertaining oneself; of course, in order to practice it, body communication is very important because the couple or group needs to know certain signals that indicate the “when” or “how”, in order to perform the steps and as a result the success of this performance will test the quality, maturity and growth of the dancers; and to perfect the technique the best thing they could do is to look for an academy where they can orient them and thus achieve their equilibrium either as a couple or as an individual.

However the dance is not something monotonous, it has different musical genres and on this occasion we will talk about La Salsa, La Bachata, El Merengue and a little known but at the same time very interesting rhythm called Lambada.

The tenses in these 4 musical genres are different, for example:

The Lambada is a dance that comes from Brazil although you still have doubts about its exact origin. Another influence of its development came from Caribbean music adding metal drums, electric guitars making this a unique musical experience. It has a degree of popularity in Europe because it is exotic and uncommon due to certain characteristics la Lambada that there are traces of flamenco and other ancient Spanish dances. The Lambada uses a three (3) beats, where the first 2 are fast and the third (3rd) is slow, with simple steps dancing either in the same place or on the side, showing momentum and interest where the dancer is looser, flexible and docile, whereas the woman is full bodily movement and should be guided by her partner, as if the woman were clay in the hands of the potter.

La Salsa is an Afro-Caribbean rhythm and dance fused with jazz and other styles. Its birth has been much debated, but it is known that it comes from a fusion carried out by the inhabitants of the Caribbean when they listened to European music and then mixed it with their drums, it is a rhythm with flavor, joy and the force of life, a very common characteristic when it comes to party, which one can associate through the salsa songs. The Salsa handles a four (4) beat beat beat, either side to side or back and forth, it can also be crossed (as if you draw a “V” with the 2 and 3 in the middle) and the turns in both dancers can be from simple to complex as you progress level in (a dance academy), citing the textual words of Glenis is a rhythm where the woman It’s man-guided, so if you want to blame her for a misstep, you know who to blame.

Salsa Pose — Photo of a couple dancing Salsa

The Merengue is a dance from the Dominican Republic, becoming a Caribbean and Latin rhythm, it is one of the easiest rhythms to learn to dance even without experience, since it is not as fast or strict as the “Salsa” is, its movement can be back and forth, or side to side, always adding very noticeable hip movement with the rest of the body although not as exaggerated as bachata or kizomba; giving it a touch of flavor and flavor. It is required to do this a close dance with your partner that when salsa is danced, facilitating the fluency of the couple at the time of moving and so be more synchronized, of course it is that not all the time is like this, the trick is the synchronization of the couple’s steps; usually it resembles the turns of the salsa with the merengue.

Meringue Competition — Photo of dancers dancing Merengue

There are many types of dances in each country and in its academies and-or dance venues, which have their own rules, tips, names and steps to follow, what matters is that you achieve the ultimate goal which is to “dance” by holding classes regularly, following the advice of your teachers, practicing your technique outside your classes, dedicating time to improve your dance skills specific, improve your postures, exercise without abusing it getting your rest time and above all observe outstanding dancers of different styles, this way you will be able to achieve your goals without staying on the path of learning.

Andrew Mark Mclaughlin is an author, composer, writer and professor of language

Andrew Mark Mclaughlin is a Canadian-born author, composer, writer, professor of language, and lover of Latin culture and music of Canadian origin. Born in Oshawa, Ontario in 1977, he reveals a special sensitivity from an early age.

He developed his teenage life between studies, sports and his first approach to music where he participated in a rock band called Trailerpark Cinderellas.

Being a teenager and on a vacation visit to the Dominican Republic in the bateyes to the rhythm of the cane cutting, he discovers the magic and rhythm of Latin music that will become one of his two great passions, the other, the spirit of public service accompanied by his delivery as a teacher.

First, he continued his studies at the University of Toronto, then at the University of Salamanca, Spain. And finally, at the Faculty of Education at York University.

In 2001, he started working as a professor of literature and language in Pickering, Ontario. That same year, he started composing and singing.

In 2006, with that permanent concern that characterizes him, he and Carmen Muñoz Franco founded Learning for Hope (Aprendiendo por la Esperanza), which is a non-profit organization, with the sole intention of working with educational communities in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco, Peru. The project operates to the present day.

The heart of the project is an educational center for boys and girls in orphanages, including victims of human trafficking.

In 2010, as an enlargement of the project, he arrived in El Salvador to work with the Agape Foundation, which does charity work throughout the country.

Thanks to this work, he met Rubén Flamenco, the director of Salsalvador Allstars, which is the most important salsa band in the country.

In honor of Geovanny Torres, a common friend who was suffering from a sad disease, Andrew composed his first song in Spanish, “Cúrame con Salsa”, a song that continues to be played on the radio stations of the country.

Due to the success of this song, the opportunity arises to play the song Terremoto with Giro Lopez, celebrated Puerto Rican salsa singer. Since then, with that energy, creativity and strength that characterize him, he has created more than a thousand songs ranging from salsa to cumbia including bachata and romantic ballad.

His mind and adventurous spirit have taken him out to many places where he has had the opportunity to meet many musicians, who are ambassadors of his creativity today, including Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, El Salvador, Chile and Colombia.

By: Diana Marie Miami Correspondent for International Salsa Magazine

SOME OF HIS SONGS

FRANKY SWING & DAVID CUEVAS: MI MEJOR MEDICINA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xGt8FxwpUM

YANI BORRELL: TE DEDICO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbczlNplncw

IZIS LA ENFERMERA DE LA SALSA: CORRE CONMIGO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLV7pXVx_Zw

FRANKY SWING: TE AMO LOCAMENTE (MEXICO AND VENEZUELA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RIcgOgXDdg

LUIGGY LAMBIS: MI GRAN AMOR (COLOMBIA AND CHILE)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kpQCxZ71EY

LUIGGY LAMBIS: CHICA SALSERA (COLOMBIA AND CHILE)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86VwbAW4F9Q

NKLABE & SALZON: MANOS DE AMOR (PUERTO RICO & EL SALVADOR)

*NOMINATED FOR TROPICAL SONG OF THE YEAR

*Produced by: Diego Gale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80jMABYs2Zc

GIRO LOPEZ: TERREMOTO (PUERTO RICO)

*It reached No. 1 on the SALSOUL RADIO charts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkMG7JRq71g

GIRO LOPEZ: AQUÍ ESTARE (PUERTO RICO)

*It reached No. 4 on the Miami DJ pool chart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty-IjNUt5Tg

EMI SANTIAGO: ESCLAVO DE AMOR (COLOMBIA)

*It reached No. 1 on the LA TROJA RADIO charts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqMd_wJBTEA

SALSALVADOR ALLSTARS: CURAME CON SALSA (EL SALVADOR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH_isr8oJvU

It reached third place in the World Salsa Championship 2020

SALSALVADOR ALLSTARS: SONRISONA (EL SALVADOR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLoA_OKTH5M

SALZON: SALSA SECRETA (EL SALVADOR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO2GgpGWxAQ

SALZON: AMOR ILOGICO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o5VywA3Cco

CODIGO FHER: ESA SONRISA (BOLIVIA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aki-nX84lvI

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DIEGO “EL CIGALA”

The “Cantaor” Of The XXI Century

Flamenco has been his principal victory. Tango his maximum exploration. Salsa his greatest ambition, and Bolero his deepest romanticism. The world has witnessed his talent, Diego Ramón Jiménez Salazar or better known as Diego “El Cigala” has immersed us in these torrential musical genres with his masterful voice for 24 years. Each album shows us intoxicating rhythms that introduce you to joy on many occasions, and many others evoke stories of deep melancholy in their unequivocal lyrics.

Diego, a good, upright, and friendly man has lived very hard moments like the loss of the two most important women in his life. Her wife, Amparo Fernandez, a victim of cancer that took her life in 2015 in her home (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic), and a year after lost her mother, Aurora Salazar Motos.

Diego "El Cigala" with his Wife Amparo — Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) “… It is a place where you can live, not just work. There is more space for life. “Amparo Fernandez

For 26 years, Amparo was his manager, friend, confidant, wife, and mother of his two oldest children (Diego and Rafael). She was always his stick of support even during the worst stage of his career.

Diego El Cigala has always been very familiar, sentimental, and a believer in God. “… My children make me and they will always keep me going, music heals me from the inside, and God accompanies me making everything possible”, explains the nationalized Dominican artist.

A year and a half after these fateful circumstances, the XXI century cantaor resurfaces and rebuilds his life with his current couple Dolores “Quina” and his third son Manuel, who was the product of this relationship.

Quina loves me, I love her, and she understands me like nobody. I have grief and joy every day of my life. I see my children, my wife, my granddaughters and shot forward.”

The Meeting

At the beginning of 2000, there was a meeting. Diego “El Cigala” and Bebo Valdés got together for the first time, and very much in the style of a bridal link, Diego and Bebo created a strong bond of friendship, mutual respect, and professional admiration.

Diego "El Cigala" with Bebo Valdés — His popularity arrived with Bebo Valdes and his album Lágrimas Negras

It was an afternoon at the house of musical director Fernando Trueba where they met and did not stop exchanging opinions about flamenco and Cuban music. From there their first collaboration together, three songs from the CD “Corren tiempos de alegría” released in 2001.

Bebo ever transmitted serenity and tranquility to Diego, which allowed them to record two years later Lágrimas Negras, an album with which they won a Latin Grammy Award for Traditional Tropical Album in 2004.

Both artists lived moments of unique and spiritual teachings. Each day Diego regrets Bebo’s physical departure and misses him so much that every day he looks up and sees Bebo saying to him: What’s wrong?

Bebo helped him get to know the Caribbean where he ended up living, helped him transcend flamenco, and learn about other genres. For that, the only way to pay tribute to him was with the sixth track belonging to the Indestructible record production, Fiesta para Bebo, with the special guest, Los Muñequitos de Matanza.

Since Lágrimas Negras, the cantaor of the XXI century has been able to venture into new genres and collaborations, such as the material Cigala & Tango (2010), Indestructible (2016), and his most recent record production “Cigala canta a México” presented in 2020.

El Cigala Indestructible

Since 2016 Indestructible presented the greatest musical fusion of the American and European continent. It was a Salsa and flamenco production that brought together the founders of the Fania All-Stars after 25 years and recalled emblematic songs such as El ratón, Periódico de ayer, Moreno soy, and Juanito alimaña popularized by Willie Colón and Hector Lavoe, among many others.

Diego "El Cigala" cantando — Indestructible released in 2016 is the tenth studio album of Diego “El Cigala”

Diego El Cigala from the gypsy ethnic group grew up in love with this Latin music since his childhood thanks to his father and the great stars of hard Salsa such as Héctor Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, La Fania All-Stars, and El Gran Combo.

Diego "El Cigala" black and white — Diego “El Cigala” has always been very familiar, sentimental, and a believer in God

This tenth studio album in tribute to his wife Amparo Fernandez, and his great teacher and friend, Bebo Valdés, was recorded in different territories of the American continent, bringing the color and sound of Salsa from each area to this CD. The cities that he visited and captured part of the recording were: Cali (Colombia), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Havana (Cuba), Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), New York (United States), Miami (United States), and Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) where the production ended with the addition of guitar, choirs, cajón, and flamenco clapping.

As part of this fusion of genres, El Cigala had the opportunity to count on the talent of Oscar D’Leon, Bobby Valentin, Larry Harlow, Roberto Roena, Eddie Montalvo, Nicky Marrero, Jorge Santana, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Luis Perico Ortiz, Horacio el Negro, José Aguirre, Diego del Morao, and the percussion group Los Muñequitos de Matanza with whom he created a very special connection because they have a lot of similarity with the culture of his gypsy people, “I love them, no I’ve seen better people with so much heart “, that’s how El Cigala described them.

Indestructible, nominated for the Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Album in 2018, represents the immortality of Salsa, the essence of the Afro-Caribbean rhythm that endures in the Latin roots of the new generations although it no longer has the same boom that is enjoyed between the period from 1970 to 2000.

Salsa was in the 70s a way to confront racism and xenophobia that Latin Americans were experiencing in the United States. That unites Salsa with gypsy music and the gypsy people, who have also experienced these prejudices”. Diego “El Cigala”