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On June 9, 1934, in Guanabacoa, Cuba, Luis “Tata” Guerra was born. Excellent Percussion Master with a Guinness World Record for having accompanied more orchestras live and in recordings.

A virtuoso musician, Luis Tata Guerra, member of a humble and hard-working family, is the last of 4 brothers, born of a musical tradition, his father played guitar, and his older brother Emerio Guerra is a guitarist in Havana.

He studied music and saxophone at the Salesian School of Guanabacoa. He learned to play the tumbadora, and the rhythms of Rumba and Guaguancó in his neighborhood in the 50s.

He joined the Almendra Orchestra in 1954, performing in the best nightclubs of the island. He rehearsed with Conjunto Casino and Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez.

In 1956 he arrived in Colombia with the Cuban Swing Orchestra, he stayed for 4 years working with the groups Sonera del Caribe and the Pepe Reyes Orchestra (Cuban singer). From there he went to Venezuela where he has lived since 1960.

Maestro Guerra has an extensive career as a musician for his activity in different groups such as: Los Melódicos, Víctor Piñero y sus Casiques, Aldemaro Romero, Chucho Sanoja, El Pavo Frank, and accompanying on percussion in Caracas Tito Rodríguez, Miguelito Valdez, Rolando Laserie, Daniel Santos, Olga Guillot, Rubén Blades, Paco de Lucia, including the Timbal King Tito Puente and many Others.

His compositions have been played in the media in Santo Domingo, Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela.

The composition “Son Matamoros” dedicated to this famous Cuban trio, was included in the movie “Salsa” with the participation of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Grupo Niche and other values. He was a member of the VTV Orchestra (channel 8) for 23 years (1965-1991).

Member and Director of the trio Hermanos Rodriguez, in 1994 they traveled to the Canary Islands invited by President Hermoso, and are well known there for the hit “Son Canario” (composition by Guerra himself).

Again in 1999, they returned to the Canary Islands for more than 2 months, in addition to performing at the fabulous The Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

He presented his program “RAICES CARIBEÑAS” on ANTV.

His fondness for acetate collection was recognized throughout Venezuela. A work with his conjunto became very popular and the voice of “Kiko” Mendive reminded us of the grilles and discómanos of Cali in the 80’s. “Barara Bururu”.

We also remember the time he shared with his compatriot Rafael “Felo” Bacallao Hernandez, who had retired from the Aragon orchestra.

With great regret we recorded on February 24, 2015, the unfortunate news of the death of Tata Guerra, four months shy of his 81st birthday, he had been suffering from an accelerated affection in his respiratory system, remaining hospitalized at the Florida Clinic in the city of Caracas, where in the early morning of that day he left us.

“When I listen to reggetón/ my heart stops/ because my thing is rumba and son”.

Maria Luisa Guerra

Read Also:  Stelio Bosch Cabrujas a remarkable musician, but completely forgotten by the new generations

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Por: Carlos Molano Gómez

Bogotá – Colombia
Derechos Reservados de Autor -primera publicación – 2016
Actualizado 2021.

 

Antonio Cartagena is one of our best bastions who was born artistically in 1990 from a humble family with Afro-Peruvian roots.

Born in the Constitutional province of Callao (Bellavista) and having studied higher education in the National Police of Peru and half of career in the course of Psychology at the University San Martin.

Being able more the art is consecrated presenting his first success “Sin Ti” belonging in that instant to the Orchestra Peru Salsa All Star at the same time is invited to record songs like Niña and Tengo Todo Execto a Ti by the Orchestra of the Prestigious Oscar “Pitín” Sanchez La Sensual 990 achieving a greater acceptance the demands of work.

They were not made to wait in all the Peruvian literal for such reason is that Antonio Cartagena is traced important goals as the conquest of other countries reason others so that in 1991 produces his first album as a soloist with 10 songs where they highlighted songs like; Sedúceme and Necesito un Amor.

Becoming known in countries such as Colombia, Venezuela and part of the United States.

In 1992 he launches to the market a fresh and romantic Salsa where he highlights songs like Y que Tiene el and M Dueña; from there he reaffirms the internationalization being hired for a tour in the United States with all his group visiting places like New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Virginia, Dallas, Texas, San Diego, among others.

Then in 1993 he is hired by the prestigious international record company RMM of Mr. Ralph Mercado, one of the biggest salsa producers in the world; recording his first international album entitled Dime Que Si, where the most outstanding songs are Apaga La Luz and Perdone Querida.

To perform in dream stages such as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Miami Arenas, alternating with many stars such as Oscar Leon, Van Lester, India, Marc Anthony, Tito Puente, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Domingo Quiñonez, Ray de la Paz, Tony Vega, Ray Sepulveda, Johnny Rivera, Tito Nieves, Jose Alberto el Canario, Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Giovanni Hidalgo, and an innumerable list of the greats of the firmament of the salsa market. The tour continued to include Canada, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico and Argentina.

These were events that marked a milestone in the vertiginous career of the artist; who arrives in his country after three years of coming and going; with a production titled Punto de Vista (1996), where he consecrates himself with the songs Si Tu No Estas and Pídele Perdón, successfully placing himself at the threshold of his career in his own country.

Already in 1997 he wants to impose the criollismo converting famous and traditional waltzes of our country in salsa; Disc that made him known all over the world even in Europe, presenting himself in stages of Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Spain among others.

In the year 2000 and without stopping touring nationally and internationally, Antonio Cartagena produced a new album which highlights the theme Nadie Quien te Quiera como Yo.

Then in 2001 he travels to New York to produce an album titled Volveré, with songs such as Ni Siquiera, giving much to talk about in that country and in Latin America, visiting countries such as the United States, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, etc.

In 2005 he presents a renewed and updated product imposing themes such as Salsa Regaee, titled No Me Digas Que No, placing himself in the first places of our musical environment.

Antonio Cartagena, is one of our best internationally recognized bastions, who is going through his best moment, considered in salsa as the best exponent of music in his genre and winner for this year of a number of awards such as: Nominated for Best Interpreter of the year in the salsa music genre.

Cartagena is an acclaimed artist, leaving the name of Peru on high all over the world.

Antonio Cartagena

Read Also: Fanny Almenara better known in the salsa environment as “La Sonera del Callao”