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Founder of Yambu Productions and host of ”Alma Del Barrio” Guido Herrera-Yance

Singers, dancers, musicians and artists in general are usually the first thing the public sees during any type of event, but very little is spoken about the companies, producers and promoters that are in charge of managing all the logistics behind these shows, so we wanted to talk to Guido Herrera-Yence, founder of Yambu Productions, which is an important music production company based in Los Angeles, so he could tell us a little about all these subjects.

Guido working at KXLU 88.9 FM — ”Alma Del Barrio” host Guido Herrera-Yance working at KXLU 88.9 FM

How Guido Herrera-Yance started in the world of music as a radio host

Many years before Guido even thought about the idea of forming a company, he began to establish himself as a radio host on the popular public radio station KXLU 88.9 FM, specifically on the show ”Alma Del Barrio”, which is about to turn 51 years on the air in October. In Guido’s case, he has been hosting the show for more than 30 years, bringing the best Latin music and artistic news to all his listeners.

The also producer confesses that he did not really like locution and that he was simply in the right place at the right time, resulting in the career he has built in this type of media. What it does say is that he was a frequent listener of several radio shows and a voracious music collector, which led him to meet certain personalities who saw potential in him to belong to ”Alma Del Barrio”. When a show was opened, he was the leading candidate for the job and accepted immediately.

Guido did not have any kind of experience in radio, but his employers trained him and taught him everything he needed to know to carry out his tasks properly. 30 years later, Guido is still one of the main hosts of the show and a reference in terms of Latin music radio.

From radio to event production

In 1995, one year after having joined ”Alma Del Barrio”, a friend told him that Chucho Valdés was going to the United States after many years and proposed him to make a show together with the artist as the main attraction. When Guido accepted, they began to look for artists to accompany the Cuban that night and some of them were Alex Acuña, Justo Almario, Luis Conte, among others.

The results were so good that Guido was left with the desire to keep experimenting with this field of the industry, so he continued to produce events of all kinds on a small and large scale since that year.

As the years went on, he realized that he would need a bigger and more elaborate structure if he wanted to continue to work on this, so the idea of founding a music production company began to take shape in his mind.

Guido and Chucho Valdés — Guido Herrera-Yance next to Cuban bandleader and pianist Chucho Valdés

How Guido created Yambu Productions

On the creation of Yambu Productions, something that Guido highlighted is that, in the United States, ”everything must be done very formally”. In light of the obligation to declare the income from his musical activities, Guido saw the need to create a company that would facilitate the procedures related to taxes and issues of this sort in order to cover his back.

Regarding the name ”yambu”, the businessman was inspired by a song by the Cuban popular music singer Carlos Embale, who was one of his favorite artists, so he wanted to honor him in that way. Taking this detail into account, it is not surprising that Cuban music and its exponents play a fundamental role in the events and groups that Yambu Productions seeks to promote, but it is not limited to nationalities or genres.

The company has set up events for Los Papines, El Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba, Chucho Valdés, Los Van Van, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Tito Nieves, José Alberto ”El Canario” and the list goes on. Guido is very proud that Yambu Productions was the one that produced the only concert given by Los Van Van Van and El Gran Combo in the United States, which was in the year 2029. He says he is a fan of both groups, so this was a dream come true for him.

Upcoming Yambu Productions Events

This year, Yambu Productions was about to hold the Cuban American Music Festival on 2 June this year, but it has been suspended due to multiple factors, but the main one is that Guido feels that many things have changed in the entertainment industry after the pandemic such as demographics and the public tastes. This has caused the producer to rethink many things, as he is not quite clear what will be the path to follow by the company, so he prefers to wait.

In addition to the above, Guido is focused on his own restaurant that opened just six months ago and needs to dedicate all his time and effort to this new project, so it is very possible that the previously festival will be back better than ever for the year 2025, when he will be clearer about what he wants to do with this event.

However, he said he does not want to be away from live music, to which he attaches a great deal of importance in his work, so with the support of one of the most important jazz clubs in California, Catalina Jazz Club, he rolled up his sleeves and organized the Salsa Meets Jazz Concert Series for 26 April this year (at the time of publishing this article, the concert must have taken place). In this way, Guido wants to recreate that golden era of Latin jazz and salsa in New York, but in his own way.

The Salsa Meets Jazz Concert Series is expected to pay tribute to a different artist who has contributed to these genres each edition and this year it was the torn for Tito Puente. In addition, Catalina Jazz Club proposed Guido to hold events of this type several times a year, so tribute concerts to Ray Barreto and Andy Gonzalez are also scheduled before 2024 is up. He maintained a close friendship with both musicians, especially with Gonzalez.

Guido and Alfredo de La Fe — Cuban violinist Alfredo de La Fé next to Guido Harrera-Yance in front of Sabor! Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken, a venue in which Alfredo would perform some hours later

How are the logistics behind a Yambu Productions event?

When Guido plans to hold an event, the first thing he should do is to find a venue that complies with the requirements for the type of show he plans, analyze the costs involved, find the best talent for the show, hire sound engineers, recruit the people who will be in charge of the logistics part, among other things. It is an arduous work of at least six months before the event takes place.

An example of the above is the Cuban American Music Festival, which has always been held in May, so he should start organizing and planning for it since November or December of the previous year. This in order to have every detail ready on the day of the festival and to avoid any unforeseen problems that could put those involved down.

On this subject, Guido said he feels lucky to be able to have so many friends in the world of music, to stay on ”Alma Del Barrio” for so many years and to know people like Nelson González, Johnny ”Dandy” Rodríguez, Genaro Rivera and many others who are always ready to come to Yambu Productions events without even asking about payment, since they know that Guido and his company are very responsible about these issues.

How talent is selected for events

”Everything falls on me. I believe that I have the capacity, knowledge and experience to know what the public wants. It is for the very reason that we will not be making the Cuban American Music Festival this year, since the pandemic changed everything in the industry and I have to accept that what sold yesterday is not the same as what sells today” said Guido when asked how he chooses the talent he wants for his shows. He also added that ”I’m still debating with myself on which way to go with the company after quarantine”.

What Guido will never do is let go of live music because, in his words, ”it feeds his spirit”. As long as he is dedicated to music production and Yambu Productions is still operating, live events will always have a highly important place in the activities carried out by the company.

Guido and Poncho Sánchez — Guido Herrera-Yance next to conguero, Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer Poncho Sánchez

Cajiao, says he always had a taste for good music: the tangos and ballads of the 50s and 60s

Danilo Cajiao was born on February 9, 1969 in Cali Colombia son of Marina Munevar and Antonio Cajiao family with three siblings Walter, Patricia and Raul.

From my father I inherited the musical taste for Afro Antillean rhythms, we listened at home to the Sonora Matancera, Benny More, Arsenio, Daniel Santos and many more.

There was always a taste for good music: the tangos and ballads of the 50s and 60s.

When I was a student I participated in several music festivals at school and I was part of several dance and Andean music groups.

I always liked salsa and my favorite artist of the genre will always be Angel Canales.

After the appearance of the program “YO ME LLAMO” in Colombia I was motivated to start the process to achieve the perfect imitation of Angel Canales.

I began my presentations in small salsa bars with a dance floor and I did about 4 songs of Diferente, as I went along the character was being perfected and the public and the owners of the bars were asking for something more.

I then created “the Orchestra SON DE LA 8″ in 2013 with the purpose of making the accompaniment and mount all the music of the different Angel Canales.

The market was opening and the support of the salseros was very large, We have had much acceptance in the salsero environment in Colombia.

Participating in major events locally, nationally and internationally:

Leyendas Vivas De la Salsa in Medellin Colombia,

Salsa al Parque Cali, Salsa al Parque Bogotá, Homenaje a la Salsa, Tributo a los salseros and Noche Blanca.

I have alternated and shared stages with several national and international artists and orchestras.

Orquesta Brodway, Orquesta Colon, Nelson y sus Estrellas, Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Henry Fiol, Adalberto Santiago, Luisito Carrión, Papo Cocote, Cano Estremera, Moncho Santana, Orquesta Zodiac, Luigui Texidor, Frankie Vásquez, Tony Molina, Orlando Marín, Orquesta la Inmensidad and Orquesta la 33.

Danilo Cajiao, says there has always been a taste for good music, the tangos and ballads of the 50s and 60s.

International presentations:

Guayaquil Ecuador and Caracas Venezuela.

Endorsed and supported by the family of ANGEL CANALES and by him I have taken my tribute to the most recognized places and salsa clubs in Colombia.

Apart from accompanying the Diferente Angel Canales with the orchestra Son de la 8 we have made our own music always keeping the line of heavy salsa and with good taste.

Angel Luis Canales “El Diferente”.

There were nine record productions by Angel Canales between 1975 and 1987, twelve productive years.

By 1970 Angel Luis Canales had put his voice on an album by African-American pianist Mark Dimond, and five years later Dimond’s orchestra was renamed “Angel Canales y Sabor”.

The immense musical freedom of Ángel Luis Canales Canales has much to do with the determining influence exerted on him by Rafael Cortijo, Ismael Rivera and the irreverence of the Combo de Cortijo as a whole.

The difference was that those two masons did not have enough money to support their ideas economically (discographically speaking) while Canales had enough because of the money he earned from his profession as a jeweler and diamond cutter.

That’s why he didn’t lower his head to anyone, that’s why he didn’t give in to any advantageous record contracts and made his own record label, that’s why he never paid or bribed radio producers, and he dressed the way he wanted.

That’s why the conservative salseros kept a CIA-like eye on him. And Canales revolutionized everything in his path: from his clothing to his vocal and orchestral arrangements, his presentations and his choice of repertoire.

By 1970 Angel Luis Canales had put his voice on a record by the Afro-American pianist Mark Dimond, and five years later Dimond’s orchestra was renamed “Angel Canales y Sabor”, and with it he would make a mark like few others in the world of salsa, from his total independence, to the freedom for the musicians, his revolutionary shaved head, and a wardrobe that had nothing to do with the salseros, in addition to his voice, repertoire and arrangements. Ángel Canales recorded in 1979 the album “El sentimiento del latino en Nueva York”, and an exquisite version of “Dos Gardenias”, by Cuban composer Isolina Carrillo.

“El sentimiento del latino en Nueva York” was a clarinada similar to “Imágenes Latinas”, the song by Argentine Bernardo Palombo presented a year earlier by Conjunto Libre, in terms of its contents of denunciation and clamor for justice. “Es el sonido que el americano oye/ y no entiende” (It’s the sound that the American hears/ and doesn’t understand).

Musical childhood

Ángel Luis Canales was born on June 29, 1950 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, son of Ángel Luis Canales and Ana Ilda Canales.

At the age of 8 he was already in New York with his parents, who liked to listen to romantic music and also to Cortijo y su Combo.

The Puerto Rican country song was also among his favorites; it was the jíbara song of his people. In time Canales would indicate that Cortijo and Ismael were determining influences in his musical and social journey.

Much has been said that his current retirement is due to Parkinson’s disease, but Ángel Luis Canales is there, he attends private invitations of his friends and remains in the battle line of salsa and life. He is currently 73 years old.

In those years and in school he was more inclined to practical workshops than books and that is why he went to work, recommended by one of his teachers in a jewelry store where from being a messenger he would learn all the secrets of the art of cutting, polishing and mounting diamonds. He became a professional, solvent, and with an extraordinary clinical eye that would serve him a lot later.

Vista larga, his new friends did not speak Spanish, his native language, but fortunately Angel Luis had peers of his generation, and Latinos like the Lebron brothers and Willie Colon himself.

He also took a long view of his internship in the U.S. Army and later assimilated the new trends that emerged in the music being made in New York.

He started out firmly, as we have already mentioned, with pianist Mark Dimond (Markolino), who had been linked to Willie Colón. With Mark he added his voice to some of the songs on the album “Brujería” and later, with the departure of the pianist, the orchestra was renamed “Ángel Canales y Sabor”.

With this band he would record “Sabor” in 1975 and other albums until “El Sentimiento del latino en Nueva York” in 1979.

Two years before the recording of this album, in 1977 Angel Canales made his first visit to a Latin American country, Panama, and the reception he received was such that he would later write a song dedicated to that country.

The same happened during his visit to Venezuela on November 13 and 14, 1981, which became a musical commotion of great proportions at the Poliedro de Caracas.

Likewise in Colombia and Peru he felt the devotion of the public of those nations. Perhaps he did not know the scope of his work and the projection he already had.

Angel Canales "El Diferente" receiving Danilo Cajiao's production "Mi Perdicion" year 2020. — Angel Canales “El Diferente” receiving Danilo Cajiao’s production “Mi Perdicion” year 2020.

Much has been said that his current retirement is due to Parkinson’s disease, but Angel Luis Canales is there, he attends private invitations of his friends and remains in the battle line of salsa and life. He is currently 73 years old.

Source: TeleSurTv

Also Read: Orquesta la Identidad is one of the most nationally and internationally recognized groups in the salsa genre

The Lehman Center Performing Arts Series Presents Andy Montañez’s 55TH Anniversary

North America / USA / New York

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts Presents Andy Montañez:

Enjoy this Puerto Rican star recognized as one of the best and most influential singer in Latin America in a Special Show with special guests: Victoria Sanabria, El Trio Ideal and Johnny Olivo & Herencia de Plena

Date: Saturday, May 11^th

Show: 8:00PM

Cost: $65 – $100

Venue: 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West Bronx, New York 10468

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is proud to present the Latin GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Andy Montañez as he celebrates his 55^th Anniversary with special guest: Victoria Sanabria on Saturday, May 11^th. In addition to this, enjoy EL TRIO IDEAL and the exciting dance rhythms of JOHNNY OLIVO Jr. & HERENCIA DE PLENA’s performance of their afro-rich folkloric musical traditions of Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena in a Salsero Show never before seen in New York City.

BIO: The Andy Montañez ’s beginnings go back to 1962 with the orchestra: El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. It was 15 years of success. El Niño de Trastalleres recorded 37 LP’S with this great Latin orchestra. There he created and sealed the luggage that would accompany him always: “El Barbero Loco”, “Julia”, “Guaguanco del Gran Combo”, Un Verano en Nueva York”, “Vagabundo”, “Milonga Sentimental”, “Las Hojas Blancas”, “La Soledad” and the now classic “A mí manera”, a song that he recorded with Paquito Guzmán and with Pellín Rodríguez originally.

In 1977, Andy Montañez decided accepts the irresistible offer made by the popular Venezuelan orchestra “La Dimensión Latina” to replace Oscar D’ León. With this important orchestra, Andy Montañez recorded eight LPs that placed the Venezuelan band at the popularity top and sales. The first album with Dimension Latina marked big hits, such as: “El Eco Del Tambor”, “Mujer Impura”, “Ritmos Cubanos”. Then, the triumphs continued with the themes: “Las Perlas de tu Boca”, “Como Canto Yo “, “Nuestra Tierra”, “Vuelve”, “Rumberos de Ayer”, “Son del Bohío”, “Ave María Lola”, “Mi Son Oriental”, “Cantante Errante”, and others.

For 1980, Andy Montañez recorded with the group “Puerto Rico All Stars” three LPs that were the prelude to his return to Puerto Rico. “Reunión en la Cima”, “Isla Bonita”, “Homenaje al Mesías” dedicated to Eddie Palmieri, outlined the growth process in which the Salsero still remains.

Returning Puerto Rico, Andy Montañez forms his own orchestra. By 1981, he recorded his first solo LP titled “Salsa con Caché” with record label LAD (TH Rodven’s subsidiary). His third LP “Simplemente Andy Montañez” rang with the hits: “Dulce Veneno” and “Payaso”. This album stayed 30 weeks in the magazine, Bilboard, inside its pages Tropical Music with five themes.

For 1998, he finally created his first independent production as a Salsero artist. Guided by his feelings, his proven experience and his artistic spontaneity was released the album: “Soy Como Soy”. This production is a tribute to his people to whom Andy Montañez responds with commitment of national pride wherever he goes.

In 2002, this worldwide multifaceted artist sees the support of his people materialized by filling the Centro de Bellas Artes’ Festival Hall for three consecutive days, where he captivated three generations with an unforgettable musical tour in which El Bolero, la Música de Tríos, La Salsa and La Plena harmonized that unparalleled Salsa experience. For more details, please, visit him through http://www.andymontanez.net

BIO: Victoria Sanabria was born on October 6, 1976 in Guayama (Puerto Rico). This woman with a sublime voice who carries in her throat all the essence of singing peasant, is one of the most impressive talents that has given the Trova Jíbara of the island of enchantment.

In 1992, she won the third prize in the category of singing in the competitions “Juventud Vibra”. The following year she won first place in the Troubadour Contest of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, becoming the national troubadour per excellence. Later, Victoria was part of the Choir of the University of Puerto Rico, Ponce Campus.

Continuing her ascending path in the arts, in December (1995) she made her debut in Bellas Artes with the Puerto Rico’s Symphonic Orchestra. That same year this talented artist managed to be crowned as the first female to win the Bacardí Troubadour Contest, proving to be the best improviser of Puerto Rico at the end of the century.

Her first album as a soloist, Cánticos de Serrania, was recorded in 1999, and in the next eight years she released three more in Puerto Rico including 2008’s Celebra Conmigo that featured Andy Montañez and Andrés Jiménez as guest artists. That same year, she joined the world-wide Tribute to Hector Lavoe concert tour.

In December 2009, Sanabria released her international breakthrough album Criollo Con Salsa, in which she had combined Puerto Rican folk music with salsa. The album contained several hits including “10 Dias”, “No Lavo, No Plancho, Ni Cocino”, “Jibara Natural” that featured Luis “Perico” Ortiz, and “No Te Quiero” sung with reggaeton star Ivy Queen. 2011 saw the release of the highly successful album Boleros which established Victoria as a major singer, and a year later she followed up with the release of Boleros II, which is now considered a classic.

The Sanabria’s most recent releases are her live concert album Trayectoria that was recorded in Santurce in 2012, and 2016’s Música Mía. In addition to her own recordings, Victoria has been featured as a guest on works by Domingo Quiñónez, Olga Tañon, Richie Ray, Bobby Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, El Gran Combo, Danny Rivera, Charlie Aponte, and Willie Colon, among others.

Purchase your Tickets NOW at:

https://lehmancenter.org/ANDY-MONTANEZ-VICTORIA-SANABRIA/

Singer and manager of Cambalache Pancho Chavez

Peru continues to give much to talk about with regards to salsa and the guest we have this time is clear proof of that. We are talking about the talented singer and backup singer Francisco ”Pancho” Chávez, who has been kind enough to talk to us to reveal unpublished details of his life and career in his native country and, of course, in the United States.

Pancho, who currently serves as vocalist and manager of the Orchestra Cambalache, has a very long career in the U.S. Latin music scene, to the point that his group has established itself as one of the top salsa bands in the northwestern United States. It is a great honor for us to have an artist of this stature in this January 2024 edition.

Pancho from Cambalache — Francisco ”Pancho” Chavez, manager and lead singer of Cambalache

Pancho’s Musical beginnings

Pancho’s first contact with music happened thanks to his mother’s family, many of whom were musicians. Although the young man never go into business in his country, he was able to see how to handle things thanks to his relatives until moving to the United States in 1997.

One or two years later, someone gave him a double album by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico that, he says, he played a million times because he really liked it. This material was one of his great inspirations to dedicate himself to salsa as a genre and nobody could change his mind.

It was in Seattle that he started making music with college friends when he was already living in the United States, implying that he was not yet formally dedicated to music. In fact, Pancho was studying business at the time and was looking for a small musical group with other young college students he met around 1999.

This group turned out to be Cambalache, which he founded along with Colombian musician Camilo Suarez. This would be the first and only group to which the Peruvian has belonged, so everything he knows about music and the industry was learned with this same project.

He always stood out for his talent to sing and do vocals, but he also learned to play some instruments such as the congas, timbales, bongos, cowbells, among others. He also learned a bit of sound engineering and can work a little in this area, although he recognizes that he is not yet an expert.

Pancho and Maelo — Puerto Rican salsa singer Maelo Ruiz and Pancho Chavez

Recruiting talent for Cambalache

Pancho says that there were not many Latinos at the university back then, so he and Camilo forged a strong friendship and shared many common interests, especially music.

At the time, both were facing the economic problems typical of a college student and saw music as an opportunity to make a little extra money during their summer vacation. Camilo knew other musicians, so he contacted them and proposed them to join the orchestra they were creating.

Pancho and Camilo had thought of a group of five or six people, but there were so many interested in joining the orchestra that the first rehearsals included about 13 people. In the end, solely for economic reasons, they only accepted nine members, of which only he remains.

All these members, including Camilo himself, ended up working with other artists and groups and obtaining new opportunities in the musical field.

Clasiqueando

Cambalache’s first album was ”Clasiqueando”, which was released almost 20 years ago. Pancho assures that the acceptance to the material was very nice, even though the details are not so refined and worked.

The success they had was a surprise for Pancho and the rest of the group, since the scope they expected was local. “We were surprised that people called us from many countries saying they had heard the album and loved it. There were even companies in countries like Japan and Italy that wanted to buy us songs for distribution” Pancho said on the issue.

It was a great start for everything that came next for the group in the years to come.

Pancho and Porfi — Pancho Chavez and Venezuelan arranger, producer, and musician Porfi Baloa

Why choose Seattle

Pancho and his musicians chose Seattle as their base of operations because he and all the members of Cambalache have lived there for many years. That is exactly the city the Peruvian chose to make his living there and he never left it.

It is also in Seattle where they all have their jobs and occupations outside of music and where they meet to rehearse and deal with all the affairs related to the orchestra.

In the beginning, it was very hard for them because the Latino audience was not very large when they created the project. However, that has been changing, and today, many Latinos live in the city and maintain their Latino customs, including music.

Other tasks besides music

In addition to being the vocalist and manager of the orchestra Cambalache, Pancho is also a business administrator and manages his own event company whose main element is, of course, music. In this company, Pancho and his staff are in charge of hiring artists and bands for private events. Of course, Cambalache is involved in the operation of this project.

The event center managed by the Peruvian singer has a capacity for 500 people and has its own stage. He rents it to hold events there and has all types of clients waiting.

They have hired artists such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Nieves, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Willie González, Conjunto Bahía, Frecuencia Latina, among others.

Musical history of Roosevelt Cordova ”El Presidente de La Salsa”

Just as the case of Cuba and Puerto Rico, Peru has also given birth to many salsa exponents worthy of being highlighted and one of them is the talented Roosevelt Cordova, artistically known as ”El Presidente de La Salsa”.

The sonero has a very interesting career behind him, so we decided to contact him and know a little more about his personal and professional life. Roosevelt responded by thanking us for the opportunity and finally, we were able to agree on a day and time to talk about issues of interest around his figure.

Roosevelt El Presidente de La Salsa — This is Roosevelt Cordova ”El Presidente de La Salsa”

His taste in music since he was a child

As has happened with many other salseros, Roosevelt also fell in love with music when still a child, but without knowing at the time that this is what he would dedicate his life to later.

He always saw his family enjoying music at amateur level, which awakened in him a taste for this branch of art. However, his journey in this world did not begin with salsa, but with Peruvian waltzes and Creole music. It was not until he turned 17 that he became interested in salsa because an uncle of his signed him up for a contest called ”Buscando Un Sonero”, taking third place among 84 participants in total.

Thanks to his performance in the contest, he was proposed to join the orchestra Camagüey, but his father refused because of all the excesses that an artist must face and he considered that his minor son was not ready for that. On the contrary, he preferred his son to be interested in other activities such as sports and leave music for later.

In addition to this, the great references in which Roosevelt was inspired to follow his path have been El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Willie Rosario, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Héctor Lavoe, La Fania All Stars, among others.

Roosevelt in Los Angeles

It wasn’t until Roosevelt, at the age of 25, left for the United States that he could pursue his dreams and become the artist he dreamed he would be.

He did not initially plan to devote himself to music, as he simply wanted to progress in life like any other immigrant, but it was not long before he decided to take the bully by the horns and return his great passion. It is then when he recorded an entire Peruvian Creole music album, but soon left this genre to return to recording salsa.

This is how he began to seize every opportunity to participate in salsa orchestras to gain experience little by little.

The first group he belonged to was La Sonora Santiaguera, which he joined in 1998, but from then on, there were many others with which Roosevelt learned much of what he knows today as an artist.

Roosevelt in La Sonora and El Conjunto — Roosevelt Cordova belonged to La Sonora Santiaguera and Johnny Polanco Y Su Conjunto Amistad

One of the most important orchestras he belonged to was Johnny Polanco Y Su Conjunto Amistad. After all the experience gained so far, Roosevelt was encouraged to personally look for Johnny to talk to him at El Floridita, where El Conjunto Amistad performed weekly.

The artist told the leader of the group he was a singer and wanted a chance in his group. After hearing him sing with his musicians that same night, Johnny invited him over to his home to give him a cassette with all the songs he had to learn to work formally with them. Two weeks later, he was already making his debut with Johnny and El Conjunto Amistad. His entry into the group coincided with the farewall of the lead singer, something that was just perfect for Roosevelt.

Other groups

After leaving El Conjunto Amistad, Roosevelt continued his career and joined Ángel Lebrón y Su Sabor Latino, with whom he recorded a full album. Some time later, he joined Guapacha Latin Jazz led by the Venezuelan Gil Tower, with whom the Peruvian has an excellent personal relationship, despite having separated professionally.

In 2011, he became part of Conjunto Oye, which Roosevelt thinks is the best moment of his career because he was able to be himself within the orchestra and express his art with independence, something difficult in his previous groups. It was here that he had the growth he really needed to get ready and to take up greater challenges in the future.

Solo career

The information we found about his solo career revealed that Roosevelt went solo in 2019, but he corrected us by saying that, in reality, his first solo album ‘‘Un Nuevo Cantante” was recorded in 2018, which is when he really decided to open paths on his own.

Although he says he is grateful to all the bands he has played in, he also adds that there comes a point in life where every artist wants to build his own path when he already fulfil the conditions for that. In his case, he already had experience in singing, composing and creating useful contacts, so he gave himself the opportunity to try. The best thing is that his wife supported him at all times and, today, she continues to be his rock in whatever he sets out to do.

He also noted that he dreams of having his own orchestra someday and that it is important to have dreams in order to get where you want to be.

Roosevelt singing — Roosevelt Cordova singing on stage

Roosevelt Cordova ”El Presidente de La Salsa”

When we wanted to know the origin of his artistic name, he laughingly told us that it is all abut his first name. Let us remember that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President of the United States and his last name coincides with the singer’s first name.

When someone approached him to ask for a picture and asked his name, he said he had the same name as former U.S. President Roosevelt. Since this situation constantly repeated, his wife proposed him to use this to create a stage name for himself. That is how ”El Presidente de La Salsa” was born.

Llegó La Navidad

Currently, Roosevelt is currently promoting his new Christmas song ”Llegó La Navidad” of his own authorship. The idea of composing the song came from his wife and daughter, who insisted that it was time for him to release music written by himself.

So, he started the writing with the chorus and, from there, continued with the rest of the song. This is a technique he uses regularly when composing, as he ensures that people always remember the chorus more than the rest of the lyrics, so he always strives to have a catchy chorus that stands out in the public’s mind.