Search Results for: Johnny Cru

Carlos “Nene” Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies

Carlos Vicente Quintero De Jesús, better known as Nene Quintero, was born on October 21, 1946 in the Caracas neighborhood of Marín (a neighborhood of percussionists par excellence), in San Agustín del Sur.

In a family that has produced several musicians, among them his brothers the former “Madera”, Ricardo and Jesús “Chu” Quintero, who died in the Orinoco tragedy; Rafael who lives in Marseille or his nephews Luisito (the “chamo Candela” of Daiquirí), Robert and Chuíto, who live in New York.

During his adolescence he was in several groups and then he played with Los Dementes, the Venezuelan group Pan suerte de Santana with César Monge (Dimensión Latina) and Alfredo Padilla (La Salsa Mayor), Porfi Jiménez, Frank Quintero and Los Balzehaguaos, Yordano and many others.

Carlos "Nene" Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies — Carlos “Nene” Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies

-What would be the five main moments of his career?

Nené lists them:

1- Having worked with people I went to see at a radio station and then I got to play with them. That was in the 70’s, in a place called Playboy in Altamira, with their bunnies and everything.

I worked with Lewis Vargas and Rafael “Gallo” Velásquez on trumpets; Moscatt was the saxophonist; Willy Pérez, pianist; Jorge Romero, bassist of Aldemaro Romero’s Onda Nueva; and Marcelo Planchart on drums.

2- When I heard on the radio a song I recorded with Los Dementes: “Rómpelo”, which was very popular. I saw myself as a very famous person, I was heard on the radio for the first time.

3- When Eumir Deodato came and proposed me to go with him to the United States.

I was not in conditions to go because I was working very well, I was doing a lot of jingles, I had two children who were starting to study.

I was sacrificing something that was taking shape: my family. I told him I could go, work and come back. The surprise was when a letter arrived for a tour of Mexico and the United States.

Deodato is a very kind person, he gives you freedom to work, we communicated in “Spanglish” and “portuñol” and he loved beer.

4- Seeing Celia Cruz when I was a kid in Marin, going to visit friends like Johnny Perez, from Sonora Caracas, and some time later working with her, even in her last shows, in Montreal.

Celia’s birthday was the same day as mine, and she looked older, but as soon as she started the music and said “sugar!” she was different, she was transformed.

5- Working lately with my nephews Robert and Luisito gave me a lot of emotion: The three of us on the same stage in New York with Celia Cruz.

But there are more experiences. Eros Ramazzotti, for example. “I chose to go to New York and Miami when things got tough here. I worked with Gato Barbieri and with salsa people.

I would go back and forth, two months out and back. I was recording with a saxophonist who worked with Eros and, the following year while I was in Miami he called me for a six-month tour.

I said yes, they called me the following year again and I spent three years with Ramazzotti touring all over Europe, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Central America, Mexico and Miami.

-Any anecdotes with Ramazzotti? –

Once on his birthday he rented a track where they raced cars. We were drinking, driving, talking, talking, listening to music and they brought a cream cake for Eros.

At one point when he was very close to me with the cake in his hand, I put it in his face. It was a mess with everyone throwing things and pieces of cake at each other.

But I got the impression that he was upset and I went over to apologize and explain to him that it was something that could happen on any South American birthday, especially with a cream cake. He told me not to worry, that it was fine.

Other jobs came through Ramazzotti, such as with Jovanotti and Lucio Dalla.

-And how was it with Little Louie Vega, one of the producers and DJs of the moment?

-I met him through Luisito. We have been touring Europe, the United States and Japan for the last three years, and we recorded with Pushim, a Japanese woman, a song that was in the Japanese top ten.

Meanwhile, “Nené’s” routine continues to be more international than ever between the United States, Europe and especially France, where he has been working with a group that bears his name: Nequin Group, with whom he recorded an upcoming album.

“Working abroad is like working here, but in another language”, he reflects on the matter and says that he is preparing a method for percussionists to work with their feet as well as with their hands.

Carlos Nené Quintero con mi Signature congas (Roberto Quintero)

-What has seemed new to you lately in Europe or in these parts?

-Those jazz works in which there is no conventional group with drums or bass, like what I did with Gerry Weil and Pablo Gil at the Corp Group Cultural Center.

THE BATICONGA AND THE “MCGIVER SET”.

The baticonga is a hybrid: drums with conga. I use bass drum, hi-hat, cimbals, toms, snare and cymbals of various thicknesses.

It has a special redoblante with a rim that does not protrude from the leather so that it does not bother when hitting it like a tumbadora.

It is an idea that I have been maturing. It was born because of Yordano’s album that made him famous, Manantial de corazón, there I recorded all the percussion and when it was time to play it live we needed a drummer and two percussionists. We got the drummer, but things were missing and I started to add electronic pedals, electronic drums, octapads and to use feet and hands.

Then we did an unplugged set and it had to be acoustic with congas, bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, cymbals.

The McGiver set is a djembe with brushes, cymbals with rivets, a conga that is just like a lid, like a tambourine, and I mount it on top of a snare drum stand and a cowbell. A set that does it all.

SIX INFLUENTIAL PERCUSSIONISTS

Alejandro Blanco Uribe and Airto Moreira: “I saw a lot of Gerry Weil with La Banda Municipal in the 70s and Alejandro as a multi-percussionist with effects and accessories.

That led me to look at Airto’s proposal and to fall in love with percussion at a time when I was playing guitar”.

Trilok Gurtu: “For his fusion of oriental music with rock and jazz. I’ve been hearing him since Oregon, and when I heard him with John McLaughlin on the live album in London my jaw dropped.”

Jack DeJohnette: “As a drummer he has a very floaty groove, he can do with the beats what he wants and the rhythm is always there.”

Tony Williams: “Another drummer. I saw a video that aroused my interest because his technique is like the one I use with the baticonga”.

Giovanni “Mañenguito” Hidalgo: “Since he came out the thing changed, he gave another level to the congas or tumbadoras, with him there has been a ‘before and after'”. – with Roberto Quintero and Luisito Quintero.

Also read: Argenis Carruyo is known in the music scene as “El Volcán de América” (The Volcano of America) due to the power of his voice

North America – October 2023

CANADA DIRECTORY OF NIGHTCLUBS
2075 Winston Park Dr Oakville, ON, Canada L6H 6P5	430 College St Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1T3	1585 Dundas West Toronto, ON, Canada M6K1T9
155 York Blvd Richmond Hill, ON, Canada L4B 3B4	1855 Dundas St E, Mississauga ON L4X 1M1	744 Mt Pleasant Rd Toronto, ON, Canada M4S 2N6
744 Mt Pleasant Rd Toronto, ON, Canada M4S 2N6	919 Granville street Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1L3
OCTOBER 2023 FESTIVALS
	Oct 05 / 09 2023 Canada Fairmont Royal York Hotel100 Front St. W., Toronto, ON, Canada, M5J 1E3

UNITED STATES DIRECTORY OF NIGHTCLUBS
CALIFORNIA	FLORIDA	ILLINOIS
MICHIGAN	NEW JERSEY	NEW YORK
OHIO	PENNSYLVANIA	TEXAS
VIRGINIA	WASHINGTON
OCTOBER 2023 FESTIVALS
October 05 / 09, 2023 CoCo Key Water Resort at The Hotel ML915 NJ-73, Mount Laurel, NJ, United States, 08054	October 12 / 15, 2023 Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center17620 International Blvd, Seattle, WA, United States, 98188	October 19 / 23, 2023 Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott 8440 Freeport Parkway, Irving, TX, United States, 75063
October 20 / 22, 2023 Holiday Inn St. Louis – Downtown Conv Ctr 811 North Ninth St, St Louis, MO, United States, 63101	Oct 20 / 23 2023 Holiday Inn St. Louis – Downtown Conv Ctr Address: 811 North Ninth St, St Louis, MO, United States, 63101	October 26 / 30, 2023 Sheraton Minneapolis West Hotel12201 Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55305

Eddie Ortiz & Son Caribe here in ISM

Eddie and his story

Latin talent has expanded all over the world to the point that there is a significant presence of these groups in Hawaii. Today we have talked to Eddie Ortiz, one of its leaders, who tells us his interesting story.

Eddie Ortiz, a New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, began his journey through music when still a child, which led him to become the musical director of one of the main Latin orchestras in Honolulu.

The following are the most salient aspects of his life and musical career.

Eddie and his trumpet — Eddie Ortiz with his trumpet

The Armed Forces and moving to Hawaii

Eddie’s first contact with music was in school, when he began taking trumpet lessons for a few years until he moved with his family to Tampa, Florida, where his life would change radically.

While there, he joined the Navy and served for more than 20 years, time in which the artist took the opportunity to join the Marine band and hone his skills as a musician.

It was in those years he served as a trumpet player and played for several military bands being in the armed forces.

During his military career, he was forced to visit many countries and Hawaii was his last stop. About three years before retiring, he decided to create Eddie Ortiz & Son Caribe, a group he still plays with today.

As for Hawaii, he liked the place, the weather and the people so much that he did not want to return to the United States. That was over 27 years in total. He still thinks it was the best decision he could have made personally and professionally.

Eddie Ortiz & Son Caribe

Something very interesting about Eddie Ortiz & Son Caribe is that they play Latin music, but most of the members are not Latino. The group has people from Japan, China, Portugal and Hawaii. In fact, some of them were with Eddie in the navy and, today, support him in this great project.

A very particular case is that of Cynthia Romero, the band’s vocalist, who was born in Manila, Philippines, and speaks six languages, but Spanish is not one of them. However, she is perfectly capable of singing in that language without any problem, since she practices a lot the songs at the phonic level to avoid mistakes.

Whenever there are original songs, Cynthia usually asks Eddie what a song is about and he explains it to her in detail so she can perform it and live out it properly. She also takes the trouble to translate all the content and learn it to avoid any failure in the studio or on stage.

In the case of the genres, a different level of preparation for each one is always required, so Eddie and Cynthia always rehearse alone at first, while the musicians prepare themselves separately. It is then that they all join together to see how the band sounds as a whole.

Eddie in a studio — Eddie Ortiz playing his trumpet in a studio

Learning from other artists on stage

The members of Eddie Ortiz & Son Caribe have had the opportunity to share the stage with Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Johnny Polanco, Tito Puente Jr, Luisito Rosario, and many more. When asked what he and his musicians have learned from these great artists, Eddie replied that the opportunity to accompany these personalities and open their shows have been a blessing and an immense honor.

”Each one of these artists has a very unique style and, whenever we accompany one of them, there are always new things to learn in order to be able to interpret those styles in the future. All of these things that we see in others are incorporated into our own music as we see fit” said Eddie.

The media’s role in his career

With respect to the media, Eddie Ortiz & Son Caribe has had a presence in various magazines and channels such as Honolulu Magazine, KS TV, 88 Tee, University of Hawaii Sports Television, among others.

Eddie said they did not expect this media exposure, but it has been very well received. They have been asked to make music for one or two radio stations or channels, which has given them the opportunity to demonstrate their talent and be known among a wider audience.

The best thing is that this gave them the opportunity to explore other genres, as the aforementioned media have asked for pop, traditional Hawaiian music and other genres requested at that time.

Original music and covers

Eddie also told us that his band usually performs live on various entertainment places about four times a week, so they should try to have a repertoire as different as possible every night so as not to bore the audience.

Regarding covers, there are always certain songs that people usually ask for, so the band always takes them into account to satisfy those attending.

They also try to make a balance of all the genres they play such as salsa, bachata, merengue, cha cha chá, cumbia, Latin pop and many more.

Eddie and his band — This is Eddie Ortiz & Son Caribe, the whole band

Tours

Although the band’s strength is in Hawaii, their audience is not centred on the island and they have also managed to tour Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and the Philippines. In those places, the reception of the public towards Eddie Ortiz & Son Caribe has been phenomenal because there are many lovers of Latin music and culture in general there.

Because of this, these countries usually have relatively large salsa events and festivals where they always take this band and other groups of this kind into account. Of course, they are also supported by dancers and DJs in order to liven up the atmosphere even more.

Eddie remembers attending an event called ”Isla De Salsa”, which featured El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico, Juan Luis Guerra, Havana De Cuba and many others. This shows how much Latin music is valued in those places and the large number of followers it gathered.

To end the conversation, Eddie pointed out that they have a large audience in Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, so they also have plans and are making the appropriate arrangements to go there soon and meet their fans. They will also perform an anniversary concert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the orchestra and will have Luisito Rosario as a guest.