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Search Results for: La Sonora Ponceña

Betty Zapata ¨The Lady of Salsa¨

Latin America / Venezuela / Caracas

In Venezuela, Caracas, the neighborhood is a way of life with its own identity. The neighborhoods of the entire National Territory, its inhabitants, become outstanding characters. Such is the case of Betty Zapata who was born in the emblematic La Pastora Parish located in the Capital (Caracas). There he spends his childhood in a neighborhood of colonial and historical houses of Venezuela.

Betty Zapata ¨The Lady of Salsa¨
Betty Zapata ¨The Lady of Salsa¨

There are many memories of that legendary Zone, they are inevitably built by those associated with survival, preparation, development, work, love, struggle and family formation, its magic and what marked it for life… . “Music”.

My connection with music is due in part to the fact that I live in a popular area where the music that was heard was Afro-Caribbean (mostly Salsa), the parties or meetings in my house and the neighborhood were always enlivened by that type of music, the most rooted and sticky collectively, originating the most varied dancers.

In the Carnestolendas festivities, improvised platforms (Templetes) were installed to stage the most varied costume and dance contests. Leaving my childhood and beginning my adolescent stage, I participated in dance competitions, obtaining recognition and prizes that were awarded to the young people of my generation.

I attended festive celebrations (dance meetings) with my older sisters at the age of 12, not because I was a dancer, but to not leave me alone, since I was the youngest of 3 sisters, this allowed me to share with people older than me and which I was learning the different dance styles “remembering with great affection the Cayender family, made up of excellent dancers” they are part of my school and love for dance. My cadence, flavor and body movement also allowed me to learn until I had my own dance style.

The music of the moment was the Danzones, Billo’s, Melodicos and in my house my sisters listened in the 70’s to Joe Cuba, Ricardo Rey and Bobby Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, the Latin Dimension prevails, Grupo Mango, Salsa Mayor, La Banda and his Young Sauce. That stuck with me forever and I felt drawn to Salsa.

That gave me the basis to fully incorporate myself into the exciting world of music. In the Barrio salsa is something essential, if you don’t dance it, enjoy it, feel it, you’re nothing.

Attending a meeting, an event, a concert, a presentation, a party or a meeting and there is no salsa, you feel an emptiness since with it we enjoy, we share, we dance and it definitely puts us to enjoy.

Photo - Betty Zapata ¨The Lady of Salsa¨
Photo – Betty Zapata ¨The Lady of Salsa¨

In the course of my 6 decades of existence, I have not ceased to be linked to it in different facets: as an audience, spectator, guest, contestant, jury, organizer, producer and director of events.

Each of these participations has allowed me to stand out, stand out and be a well-known, popular and loved person, a reference in the organization of a good party, night events, presentations of representative groups of the world of Salsa such as:

Ray de La Paz, Herman Olivera, Frankie Vásquez, Bobbie Valentin, Willie Rosario, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Sonora Ponceña, La Selecta, Mulenze, Carlos Cano Estremera, Julio López, Yolandita Rivera, Mambo Legends among others, and for those from the Patio: Bailatino, Rumberos del Callejón , Ensamble La Calle, Albondiga y su Pandilla, Repicao, Tributo, On Fire, La áquina de la Salsa, La Negramenta, Gerardo Rosales, Javier Plaza’s Son Risa Orchestra among others.

This has allowed me to be an obligatory reference when it comes to producing and making an event of great importance and musical quality where the Dancing Public is respected and appreciated, providing them with the comforts to enjoy an excellent show and Latin music is seen as an element of identity that belongs to all of us to live it and feel it.

I am (Betty Zapata) currently planning and developing projects in the short, medium and long term and to give you a heads-up I am giving you the scoop: I am here with my radio program to promote, support, disseminate and promote our exciting and magical world of Caribbean music.

Meet the venezuelan Oeste 11 orchestra

Latin America /  Venezuela / Caracas
Members of the Oeste 11 Orchestra
Members of the Oeste 11 Orchestra

Did you know that tropical music arises from the region surrounding the Caribbean Sea and the Antillean region of the American continent, where there is a mixture of rhythms from the African continent, fused with folklore and rhythms from the different American countries?

In this edition we can say that many music and dance lovers tend to choose Salsa and/or Tropical music, since they are musical genres that people enjoy as a couple or in a group, whether at an event, party or festival. giving it essence, life and sharing among all the members, for this reason there are many singers and members of orchestras that specialize in these genres, today we have as a special guest the Oeste 11 Orchestra from Caracas, Venezuela.

Oeste 11 Orchestra
Oeste 11 Orchestra

It was made up of young musicians belonging to the Venezuelan Orchestral Movement, among them the Venezuelan percussionist Alejandro Alfonzo who baptized it in 2007 with the name “Oeste 11” for all the musical experiences they shared since childhood, because most of their members were formed together in said parish.

It is currently made up of 13 musicians, who specialize in the musical genre “Salsa”, giving life to 2 discographies, the first entitled “AL NATURAL” that came out in 2015, consists of 8 unreleased songs and a cover. “With his songs I lie, Al natural, I forgot about you, Forget you, Medicine, You made fun of me, I have decided to forget you, My sweet friend and Dancing”

Oeste 11 Orchestra Photo
Oeste 11 Orchestra Photo
Oeste 11 Orchestra Photo
Oeste 11 Orchestra Photo

And for this month of May their second discography “Amor y gusto” will be available, which will be composed of 11 unreleased songs, and to give a preview of the new album they already presented us this March 31 their first single (theme), titled “ I want you to feel Mine”, which is accompanied by a music video that you can enjoy on her YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpleKvxCg9Y.

And over the years they had the opportunity to share on stage with several well-known artists and/or groups, such as the Latin Dimension, Rafael el Pollo Brito, Proyecto A, Los Satélites, Magia Caribeña, Grupo Mango, and other national artists. of different musical genres.

Photo of the Oeste 11 Orchestra
Photo of the Oeste 11 Orchestra

Among their achievements, they mention that in the National Festival of Salsa Orchestras Dile no a la Payola de PDVSA la Estancia were the winners in 2014, they were also selected to honor the Sonora Ponceña for her 60 years of artistic career and were in the Festival Sounds Caracas.

If you want to listen to their discographies “Al Natural” and “I want you to feel mine”, they are available worldwide on the platforms Amazon, Itunes, Spotify, Tidal, Google Music, among others.

For more information:

  • E-mail: [email protected]
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oeste11/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/oeste11?lang=es
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oeste11/?hl=es-la
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR-wi3ybnoTbLH9C3-8keMA
  • Phones: +584242251360 / +584265161630 del manager Alejandro Alfonzo
Oeste 11
Oeste 11

Mulatu Astatke, the first African to earn a PhD from Berklee College of Music

Mulatu Astatke (or Astatqé) (Jimma, Ethiopia, December 19, 1943) is an Ethiopian musician, composer and arranger. He is considered the father of Ethio-Jazz.

His musical training took place at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, where he studied clarinet, piano and harmony, New York and Boston, where he was the first African student and also the first African to earn a PhD from Berklee College of Music; there he was trained in vibraphone and percussion.

Mulatu Astatke, the first African to earn a PhD from Berklee College of Music
Mulatu Astatke, the first African to earn a PhD from Berklee College of Music

Later he combined the influence of jazz and Latin music with traditional Ethiopian music.

My desire to start making Ethio-jazz began in London while I was studying there in the 1950s; then I knew I wanted to be different with my music. I looked for musicians from different African backgrounds and saw that they were successful and promoted the culture of their country.

However, there was very little from East Africa and Ethiopia, so I decided at that point that I would create something unique based on the rich heritage of our music and show how much we have contributed to the world of music in general.

That journey began to take shape at Berklee College in Bastan. I was the first African musician to study there and that period was very important for me.

I learned the technical aspects of many different musical forms and my teachers gave me the confidence to move in my own direction, teaching me that it was okay to be different in my music and try something completely new.

Mulatu Astatke.
Mulatu Astatke.

Ethiopian cultural music is based on four modes  tezeta, bati, anchihoy and Ambassel  and within my music, I knew that those modes could not be played.

They had to remain at the center of my music or the whole character of the sound would change and become distorted. I began to add beautiful colors with chords, voicings, bass lines and rhythm sections, writing progressions that fit together well. It’s very difficult to write 12-note music around the Ethiopian modes without destroying them.

In the mid-’60s I returned to Addis, but I kept going back and forth to the United States.

At that time, no one was fusing Ethiopian music with jazz.

In my country there was the First National Theater Orchestra, and both the police and the army had their own orchestras.

There were also bands like the Echoes and the Ras Band.

Musicians at that time based their melodies strictly on the four Ethiopian modes, using techniques like the “canon,” with melodic lines echoing each other.

With Ethiopian jazz, I consciously wanted to expand and explore the modes in different ways.

Mulatu Astatke (or Astatqé) (Jimma, Ethiopia, December 19, 1943) is an Ethiopian musician, composer and arranger. He is considered the father of Ethio-Jazz.
Mulatu Astatke (or Astatqé) (Jimma, Ethiopia, December 19, 1943) is an Ethiopian musician, composer and arranger. He is considered the father of Ethio-Jazz.

I formed a group called The Ethiopian Quintet in New York, made up of a mix of Ethiopian, Latino, and African-American musicians (there weren’t many Ethiopian musicians in the United States at that time).

The band included trumpeter and pianist Rudy Houston, who later played with Yambu, and Felix Torres, who played with Sonora Ponceña.

I have always felt a deep connection between Latin and African music; I traveled to Cuba to find out where the first American landed, I heard their musicians play and dance and although they sang in Spanish, the tempo, rhythm and feeling were very similar to aspects of African music.

So, with the Ethiopian Quintet, I wanted to show the African contribution to Latin music and it was my first opportunity to experiment and start developing my vision of Ethio-Jazz with this band.

With the American and Puerto Rican musicians in the group we created a different atmosphere and arrangements.

It was a great opportunity for me and they loved what I was writing and the direction I was trying to take.

We did quite a few concerts, some Spanish weddings, events upstate New York and in Manhattan.

We played at the Village Gate with Dave Pike, a great friend of mine at the time, one of the world’s greatest vibraphone players. He played a lot with Herbie Mann and I remember sitting in to watch one of his recording sessions.

I saw a lot of other great musicians in concert, from Coltrane to Bud Powell and Bill Evans. On the New York live circuit I met a producer called Gil Snapper.

His musical training was at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London,
His musical training was at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London,

Gil was a very nice and interesting guy and worked with musicians of many different styles.

He picked up on my music very quickly; we got on well and he invited me to record with The Ethiopian Quintet, so our first albums with him were ‘Afro Latin Soul’ Volumes 1 and 2, both recorded during 1966.

On the first volume, I performed an adaptation of an old Ethiopian warrior song, ‘I Faram Gami I Faram’.

I would have liked to have an Ethiopian singer for the song, but it was sung in Latin and the lyrics were translated to the singer so he could sing it in Spanish.

Nevertheless, it turned out to be a nice combination. The album included other compositions that were important steps for me: ‘Mascaram Setaba’ (Summer is Coming), ‘Shagu’ and ‘Almaz’. On the second volume, Rudy Houston suggested a piece of music that we called ‘The Panther’, in reference to the animal, but also in recognition of the Black Panthers, who were very active in the civil rights struggle in the United States at that time.

On this album, one of my favorites is my composition ‘Girl From Addis Ababa’, which worked very well as a fusion of Ethiopian modes and R&R rhythms, an indicator of the more refined Ethiopian jazz sound of my later album for Worthy, ‘Mulatu Of Ethiopia’ (1972). It also included my new arrangement of the 1950s tune ‘Lover’s Mambo’.

Both albums include nice arrangements also by Oscar Garcia, Rudy Houston and Gil Snapper as well.

I feel proud of the recording when I listen to it again. It was an important moment in my career and it was a very interesting and progressive time to be in New York in the mid-60s.

I was there at the same time as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Fela Kuti and, each in their own way, we tried to do our part to put Africa on the map of contemporary jazz.

Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Afro-Latin Soul (1966, R-2018)
Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet – Afro-Latin Soul (1966, R-2018)

Mulatu Astatke, April 2018

Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet – Afro-Latin Soul (1966, R-2018)

Tracks: Afro Latin Soul: 01. I Faram Gami I Faram (Mulatu Astatke)

02. Mascaram Setaba (Mulatu Astatke)

03. Shagu (Mulatu Astatke)

04. One For Buzayhew (Mulatu Astatke) ke)

05. Alone In The Crowd (Gil Snapper)

06. Almaz (Mulatu Astatke)

07. Mulatu’s Hideaway (Mulatu Astatke)

08. Askum (Rudy Houston)

09. A Kiss Before Dawn (Gil Snapper & Weiss)

10. Playboy Cha Cha (Oscar Garcia) Afro Latin Soul Vol. 2:

11. The Panther (Boogaloo) (Rudy Houston)

Konjit (Pretty) (Oscar Garcia)

Soul Power (Rudy Houston)

Lover’s Mambo (Traditional, Arr. Mulatu Astatke)

Love Mood For Two (Rudy Houston)

Jijiger (Rudy Houston)

Girl From Addis Ababa (Mulatu Astatke)

Karayu (Oscar Garcia)

Raina (Rudy Houston)

Musicians:

Mulatu Astatke (Vibraphone, Piano, Drums)

Rudy Houston (Piano, Trumpet)

Robert Cuadrado (Bass)

Felix Torres / John Perez (Congas / Bongos on Vol. 1)

Pete Iglesias (Congas on Vol. 2)

Tony Pearson (Timbales)

Information provided (October 5, 2024)

Also Read: Flora Purim has earned her two Grammy nominations for Best Female Jazz Performance

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery & Johnny Cruz: ¡Que viva la Salsa!

North America / USA / California

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery & Johnny Cruz: ¡Que viva la Salsa!

A private collection that was built over four decades has opened its doors to the public in El Barrio, New York, becoming the only permanent exhibition dedicated to salsa and its heritage

Johnny Cruz Photo
Johnny Cruz Photo

By Carmen Mercedes Aular

With the magic and passion of Johnny Cruz as host, Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery opened its doors to the New York community and the world a year ago, after 5 years of starting as a private gallery for an exclusive audience.

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery
Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery

In this extraordinary place are exhibited 40 years of music, experiences and memories that now everyone can relive and consequently know the history behind each instrument, behind each object that rests in this immaculate space and carefully organized by Cruz. The collection includes instruments, pictures, newspapers, clothing and several gadgets donated by great musicians of Latin music.

Must share the good things

The initiative to bring the VIP experience to more people was conceived by Johnny Cruz to realize the positive impact that the gallery would have on the community of El Barrio and the way in which, through it, he could get more involved with schools from the neighborhood. The goal is to continue teaching children and adults the history of Latin music and show them how music is part of history and culture, and how it’s also part of El Barrio.

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery Photo
Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery Photo

Cruz hopes to tell the story of each element of the gallery to anyone who wants to listen, and continue to increase the collection with donations from the stars of Latin music. Anyone interested in the history of music can learn something new and continue to share this information with other people so that the successes of these artists are never forgotten and kept alive in the collective memory.

 

In the near future, they hope to carry the information from the gallery to schools and universities in New York. In addition, they are working to collect resources to expand the collection and preserve exposure in the best and safest way possible, and become a source of employment for the community.

 

What awaits you at SpaHa Salsa Gallery?

At 1708 Lexington Ave NYC, you can find a wide variety of instruments, costumes, and other items from top artists of Latin music. One of the pieces of more recent data is the costume used by Sophy from Puerto Rico, in the tribute concert to Rafael Hernández at the Center for Fine Arts of Puerto Rico.

Photo by Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery
Photo by Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery

The great Eric Vélez supported the gallery by donating the congas that are in the permanent exhibition. You can also appreciate the tuxedo that Adalberto Santiago used in his 55th anniversary concert and a Bobby Cruz costume. A piece that you definitely have to watch is the colorful and vibrant Celia Cruz’s dress. Mike Rodriguez donated his güiro, maracas and tamboril. Willie Álvarez’s trombone also rests in this exposition.

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery photo 4
Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery photo 4

Tourists and locals can learn about the history of objects belonging to musicians of La Fania All Stars or La Sonora Ponceña, the shoes of Héctor Casanova perched on the congas of Eddie Montalvo and numerous pieces full of anecdotes that will always, very gladly, share their host. The commitment of the gallery, and Johnny Cruz, is reaffirmed every day with donations of great glories that have a single purpose: to keep the music alive.

Eduardo Guilarte and Johnny Cruz
Eduardo Guilarte and Johnny Cruz

Soon, you will have access to the membership of the SpaHa Salsa Gallery, with which you will get information about the events before the general public and discounts in a wide network of restaurants in town, among other benefits, as a way to promote the gallery and obtain funds for its expansion and maintenance.

Within the gallery’s events programming for this month is Pablito Rosario and Cachete Maldonado’s visit, a celebration for Governor Andrew Cuomo for his triumph in the primaries vote in the state of New York, and another for Assemblyman Roberto Rodríguez, who has the support of the Latino community in the area where SpaHa Salsa Gallery lives. Moreover, Nicky Marrero, musician of the Fania All Stars, will donate the timbales he used recently in a tribute to Celia Cruz, so you can meet him in the gallery; on that day, he will be signing the instrument to formally deliver it to the collection.

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery photo 3
Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery photo 3
Drum - Photo
Drum – Photo

The gallery is open to the public from Wednesday to Friday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm at 1708 Lexington Ave. NY 10029 (El Barrio).

You can get more information about events, membership and donations by calling 917-747-8505.

 

About the precursor of the initiative

Johnny Cruz has a history of 40 years in the world of Latin music, during which he has been collecting musical instruments. In the last 5 years he created Spaha Salsa Gallery in El Barrio in New York City and a year ago he shares it with friends, contacts, tourists and the community.

Adalberto Santiago flyer
Adalberto Santiago flyer

He has been a percussionist for the last 40 years and is passionate about music, singing it, producing it, composing it, telling it, living it today and keeping it alive forever. He has worked closely with some of the most outstanding Latin musicians in the business throughout his career and has been honored with a variety of awards over the years.

Photo by Johnny Cruz with more music instruments
Photo by Johnny Cruz with more music instruments

At this time, he produces a public access television program for mnn.org called The Windows of Latin America. The program has been on the air weekly for 20 years, and it is the only TV space in New York where salsa is broadcast.

Jhonny Cruz and Adalberto Santiago
Jhonny Cruz and Adalberto Santiago

In a few days he will be premiering a collaborative production with Adalberto Santiago, with songs that recap his musical career of more than six decades and have the admiration and gratitude of Cruz. Within the framework of this launch, there will be an event in which great Latin music personalities will meet again at the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery to share a fun time with fans and friends.

 

Since the beginning of this trip, his desire has been to create a space for the community. Sharing these artifacts is their way of giving back to a community that they have had the pleasure of being part of for many years, a bit of their culture and their heritage for the world.

Johnny Cruz
Johnny Cruz

Antonio Laya a traditional artist

Latinoamerica / Mexico / Cancun

Antonio Laya  “He tells us a little about his new single Abre que voy”

Today we are pleased to learn a little about the life of Antonio Jose Laya Gonzalez (Antonio Laya), a Venezuelan who with his voice and his particular way of dancing has managed to climb and carve his way to success, this Taurean with a great career as a singer of good salsa and especially son, he presents us his new single, abre que voy, a success that has gradually positioned itself on the best musical platforms from his current hometown, the beautiful city of Mexico.

Antonio Laya
Antonio Laya

Good afternoon friend Antonio, thank you in advance for the time you give us to learn a little about your life and give our great readers a little about your son, but in letters, we know from your artistic review that you come from a cultural world. the dance? Why the singing?

I come from a family of musicians, teachers and athletes, in 1995/96 I started in the popular culture workshops of the “Fundación Bigott” (cultural house of great social impact in Venezuela) in the Afro-Venezuelan percussion workshops with Professor Jesús Raúl Paiva, where he gave me the opportunity to enter this world of culture…

Years later this would bear fruit, when I joined the Vasallos del Sol group, a representative entity of Venezuelan folklore, on one of their tours in Europe “Germany” to be exact, one of its dancers stayed, leaving an open vacancy, it was then that I received the invitation to audition, at a festival of San Juan of the foundation, where I was able to win a spot. From then on I became a vassal of the sun.

All this experience in the middle of the show made me lean towards dance, where I got to venture as direct from my own dance school destined to spread the Cuban casino. With Vasallos del Sol I had the opportunity to travel the world, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Korea, Japan, the United States,

How many years has it been since the idea of ​​entering the cultural world of your country?

22 years since I formally started at the Bigott Foundation.

How did the idea of ​​giving life to singing come about?

On the tour of the United States, I began to sing with the vassals accompanied by the guitar of Luis Gonzalez, assuring me later that it was there that he heard me and knew that I could sing, quickly and a few months later he called me and invited me to participate in a project that neither It didn’t even have a name, which would quickly begin to take shape and to date is known as the seventh bohemian.

I began to sing very badly, I lost my voice because I didn’t know how to use the phonator, I began to take classes with several teachers, the first of them Ronald Gonzalez, fundamental pillar to start singing, placing and improving my vocal technique, successively Fabby Olano, Gladys Salazar, Maigualida Ocaña, Dayan Montiel, Marcial, Gustavo Gerardo. We recorded 3 albums on national tours, the second of which is entitled “She takes me” a song that I believe made the Seventh Bohemia popular. Singing was not in the plans but it ended up being one of my great passions.

Antonio Laya
Antonio Laya

A song that marks you?

She sings: The earrings that the moon lacks, I have them saved to make you a necklace I found them this morning in the mist when I was walking next to the immense sea. Since I was a child I woke up very early listening to music by La Sonora Matancera, Felipe Pírela, Damiron and Danzón de Acerina, it fascinated me.

Let’s talk about the seventh bohemia. How do you join this septet?

I am a founder, just in the second rehearsal when only Luis Freites, Cesar “Chagu” Bolívar and Luis Gonzalez were there I was summoned along with Krlos Gonzalez to be part of the group, from then on I started singing “Bilongo” to be exact, hahaha I’m so in love with the black tomasa……….., El Jamaiquino, Me que, among others.

What is the greatest thing you have experienced so far with music? -You could perhaps refer to a concert or moment to share with an artist-

I think the greatest thing I have experienced in music is having shared the stage with great figures both Venezuelan and foreign, Francisco Pacheco, Canelita Medina, Trina Medina, among, Jose Alberto “el canario”, Cheo Feliciano, Alexander Abreu and his Habana de First, Manolito Simonet and his Trabuco, Tiburón Morales, El Septeto Santiaguero, among others. On the other hand, being at the 2014 and 2015 Pepsi Music Awards, the biggest thing, achieving 4 nominations for the 2015 Latin Grammys, a great privilege.

What has given you and what has taken away the artistic life you lead?

It has given me the satisfaction of feeling and receiving the applause of an audience, feeling the magic of a stage, dancing on the most important stages of Venezuela and the countries I visit, I don’t know if there is another artist who performed in the same weekend in two different facets and groups in the most important venue in Venezuela

The Teresa Carreño Theater where on Saturday I danced in my last Vasallos de Venezuela concert in the concert “Guiados por la Luz” occasion to baptize the latest production, with guests from the cultural movement and the next day singing with La Séptima Bohemia alternating with Francisco Pacheco, El Septeto Santiaguero, Jose Alberto “El Canario” Canelita Medina and El Tiburón Morales and as special guests all the best dance academies in Caracas.

Antonio Laya
Antonio Laya

Antonio let’s laugh a little. Tell us about the funniest thing that has happened to you at a concert and the most painful.

WUUAOOO, too many, Well, a concert with Los Vasallos where I went out to dance and my pants began to drop, at a concert at the Yerba Buena Garden Festival 2008 in San Francisco we got the foot burn of the century since the stage was al pure sun and linoleum floor and at the baptism of the album “She takes me” in the main hall of the Central University of Venezuela after the great presentation of the renowned Ramón Castro We went on stage and I couldn’t see anything through my glasses hahaha and I I put in the place of my partner Miguel Guanchez colliding spectacularly ahaha to start singing. What a laugh.

We know of the great success that you have had in Venezuela with the successes that you have sung and have marked the public, they have gone from a sound to a necessity for the dancer. What do you consider this great impact?

Definitely because I come from the world of dance, I’m a dancer and a dancer and I understood perfectly that I needed the same audience that the casineros came from, those of us who at some point went to the Goiticoa school or the Monagas house. By the way, as a curious fact, I was the one who organized one of the first casino parties in a place called Beisboland, a party where I dare say it was the second presentation of one of the most important dance groups in the Venezuelan casino Son Rumbero, where they danced “Cuentas Verdes y Amarillas de Adalberto Álvarez.

How has your foray into Latin music in Mexico been?

Since my arrival in Mexico I have participated in several musical projects, Los Panas.com, La Formula Perfecta, Swing Latino to mention a few, it has not been easy since musically Cancun has a particularity and that is that the music that is danced is still that of the 80s when they talk about salsa, of course with its exceptions, but it has cost me to adapt but in the end it is what is consumed here. Here the forte is the hotel industry, so the Latin genres that marked an era are what is worked on, that’s why as a salsero it has been difficult for me to adapt, although I have worked anyway.

Antonio Laya and his Orchestra
Antonio Laya and his Orchestra

The Salsa or the Son? Which one do you lean towards?

Definitely La Salsa, I grew up in the middle of the Salsa de La Sonora Ponceña, Willie Rosario and the great Ray Barretto to name a few. Son also became my passion but I have to be realistic! came into my life thanks to the Seventh.

Open, I’m coming. Tell us a little about this great topic?

When I got on the plane to leave my country, in addition to nostalgia, I only had one thought, to make my album as a soloist first, I knocked on many doors, I looked for a lot of help, until I finally reached what today is called “Abre que I’m going” in that search the day came when I remembered that I had a buddy who was Omo Aña (Drummer) Maurice Melo and that after conversations, long conversations we would take a first step, start aggravating a theme, my first promotional single.

What surprise do we have to see from Antonio Laya during this 2019?

With God’s favor, to continue recording my album, including my first music video, if money allows me, hahaha For this 2019 I’m going to release my second single, it’s called… (Thinks) Not yet, let’s leave it as a surprise , do a launch concert and seek my respective nomination for the 2019 Pepsi Music Awards and the 2019 Latin Grammys.

Antonio Laya February 2019
Antonio Laya February 2019

Where can our followers find you?

My social networks Facebook and Instagram through @ToñitoLaya, on twitter as @Negrolaya and through my YouTube channel, Toñito Laya

 

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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.