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Tribute to Alberto Naranjo and his musicians
Latin America / Venezuela / Caracas
40 years of El Trabuco Venezolano A Deserved Tribute to Alberto Naranjo and his musicians
Teresa Carreno Theater. Caracas, Venezuela August 21 to 25, 2017
Collaboration and Photographs by Lysbeth Weffe
From August 21 to 25, at the Teresa Carreño Theater (TTC), in Caracas, the Tribute to maestro Alberto Naranjo was held for his 57 years of artistic life, and to the group of his creation El Trabuco Venezolano for its 40 years of founding . With a long time of preparation and a lot of love involved, as it said in the hand program and was perceived in the environment, the event had the general production of Franklin Rojas, the Grupo Madera Foundation and the Teresa Carreño Theater Foundation.
More than an orchestra, El Trabuco Venezolano has been an authentic Venezuelan salsa movement born from the initiative of Alberto Naranjo, a veteran drummer and arranger who has walked the trade through the most diverse tendencies and schools of popular music in the Caribbean, always counting with the direct support of the musical producer, Orlando Montiel(I).
It was at a recital conference given by César Miguel Rondón and Domingo “El Flaco” Álvarez at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas, in August 1977, that El TrabucoVenezolano(2) made its public debut.It immediately became the most finished and interesting musical project known to the city of Caracas up to that time. Alberto Naranjo organized it under the concept of a big band with the idea of developing a particular proposal that would differ from its similar ones in the rest of the Caribbean, with a sound that bridges salsa, jazz, funk and Venezuelan.
With seven albums released, two of them live with the group Irakere from Cuba, and having passed more than a hundred performers through its ranks, El Trabuco, more than a group in conventional terms, has been a download and meeting space for local musicians, as well as the best of schools for many of them.
He also counts among his achievements, having motivated the Caracas salsa environment of the moment, imposing a high standard that influenced the formation of the best salsa orchestras, apart from creating, in short, his own Caracas sound brand(3).
The activities of this large tribute began on Monday 21 with the talks in the Protocol Plate of the TTC: “History in Venezuelan salsa” with Franklin Rojas and “Hera & Pablo, the Venezuelan salsa dance”; on Tuesday 22, Cheo Guevara’s discussion on “Alberto Naranjo, and his historical mark” and the forum “The production of salsa content in alternative radio” moderated by Zulay Millán. They continued like this throughout the week.
Several workshops were held, among them, “Percussion Tuning” dictated by Nicolás Monterola and “Latin Percussion” by Professor Frank Márquez. Also in the lobby on the ground floor of the TTC, the following concerts were presented: Caracas Legends Ensemble, with its tribute to Eddie Palmieri, the Salsarría Orchestra, Grupo Madera, Mundito and his Orchestra La Celestial, The Big Band of San Agustín and the Orquesta Carlin.
The highlight of this week of well-deserved recognition was the Trabuco Venezolano concerts at the Ríos Reyna venue on August 24 and 25, presented by Zulay Millán and José Gregorio Acero.
Although with a room not completely full and recalling other times of splendor of a TTC that received the stars of the show from all over the world, we enjoyed two nights of memorable, tasty, lively and educational concerts, with a stage full of great musicians. and a full Alberto Naranjo, going through it and playing around more than directing the members of the big band. With the best of the best-known musicians and singers of Venezuela in the genre, with some of the original members of this group and new talents, we were able to delight ourselves in an exquisite waste of salsa, jazz and funk, lasting three hours each day.
“The teacher was narrating the stories of the different themes that they interpreted…”
The member musicians of El Trabuco Venezolano 2017, present at the concerts on August 24 and 25, were: Alberto Lazo (piano), José “Mortadelo” Soto (bass), William Vásquez (three), William Mora (tumbadoras), Frank Márquez (timbale), Franklin Rojas (bongo), Hugo Olivero (sax), Eduardo “Mondy” Dávila (sax), Manuel Barrios (sax), Irvin Blanco (sax), Edwin Ruiz (sax), Adrián Suárez (trombone), Eliel Rivero (trombone), Pedro Carrero (trombone), Franklin Moreno (trombone), Oscar Mendoza (trombone), Vicente Freijeiro (trumpet), Rafael Rey (trumpet), Gustavo Aranguren (trumpet), José “Cheo” Rodríguez (trumpet) , Noel Mijares (trumpet), Edgar “Dolor” Quijada (voice), Troy Purroy (voice), José Luis Peña (voice), Yeci Ramos (voice), Arturo Guaramato (voice).
The teacher was narrating the stories of the different songs they performed, referring to the fact that his musicians were chosen by meritocracy, sharing with the audience and ordering someone to shut up on more than one occasion, in a humorous tone, yes. He reminded us that they are not only dedicated to salsa and in some pieces where they did not sing, he emphasized that they were instrumental and that they could help us soar our imagination and dream.
The great experience of this meeting of musicians that has been El Trabuco Venezolano was reflected in a repertoire of 13 songs, including originals, emblematic and premieres, which they gave us.
They began with the songs “Yo Soy La Rumba” (Marcelino Guerra) with the solo voice of Troy Purroy and a timpani solo by Frank Márquez, “Bravo Rumbero” (José “Cheo” Navarro) sung by Edgar “Dolor” Quijada, “ La Negra Tomasa” (Guillermo Rodríguez Fiffe) in the voice of Arturo Guaramato, “Tres Días”, an original theme by Chucho Valdés and ceded to El Trabuco, sung by José Luís Peña, with the participation of the dancers Hera and Pablo. At this point, the entire audience had warmed up, and there was even a couple from the public who danced in the hall from the beginning of the concert until the end, both days.
The night continued with the emblematic “Almendra” (Alberto Barroso). This theme arranged by Naranjo for Arturo Sandoval 46 years ago, featured the masterful participation of Noel Mijares -Venezuela Big Band Jazz, Desorden Público- on trumpet, interacting with great complicity with the maestro. It followed with a premiere, “Alna’s Mambo” an instrumental composition, subliminal as Naranjo described it.
The concert continued with “Gongo Blues” (Eduardo Cabrera), a theme in which the extraordinary solos of Eliel Rivero on the trombone, Gustavo Aranguren on the trumpet, Manuel Barrios on the saxophone and Alberto Naranjo pleased us playing the kettledrum. . He followed up with the instrumental “El Ojo del Huracán,” a Latin jazz combo, which was written in the early ’70s and still sounds weird, Maestro Naranjo said.
Then with the song “Oye como va” (Tito Puente) the rumba was lit up, the lights in the room were turned on and hardly anyone could keep up without stopping and dancing. In the song “El Hijo del Sonero” (Ricardo Quintero) Yeci Ramos sang, in “El Cumaco de San Juan” (Francisco Delfin Pacheco), Arturo Guaramato and in “Compañeros” (Ricardo Quintero), Juan José Conde, these three songs they were accompanied by the drums of Grupo Madera.
“Imágenes Latinas” (Bernardo Palombo – Andy González), was the theme chosen as the finale, a piece that has become a cult object among music lovers, the salsa audience and lovers of Latin jazz, according to the words of connoisseur José Orellán .
It featured the extraordinary participation of Adrián Suárez in the trombone and bodyguard solo, and the interpretation of the son player Edgar “Dolor” Quijada.
At the concert on Friday 25, El Trabuco Venezolano and its creator were declared CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE NATION by the Institute of Cultural Heritage (IPC) and the Ministry of People’s Power of Culture of Venezuela.
With the hope that this experience can be repeated in other theaters in the country and the world, we congratulate the organizers, Alberto Naranjo and the musicians of El Trabuco Venezolano for having received such well-deserved recognition as Cultural Heritage of the Nation.
Notes: (1) and (2) The salsa book. Chronicle of urban Caribbean music. Cesar Miguel Rondon. Ediciones B Venezuela SA., 2007. (3) Taken from the Caracas Exhibition. Ciudad del Son, montage and texts by Alejandro Calzadilla, at the La Estancia Cultural Center, belonging to the company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA La Estancia), September 2017.
John Erban
Europe/ Suiza / Ginebra
John Erban. The International sensation of the Tango Scene
At International Salsa Magazine, we believe that what makes someone special is their passion and love for what they do and bring to others. This is the case with John Erban, the Venezuelan tango dancer and instructor that we had the pleasure to meet this month.
John Erban is based in Geneva, Switzerland. He is preparing his next European tour in order to give Tango classes, shows, festivals and more. With an interesting beginning, this Venezuelan left an engineering career to follow a passion that was growing inside of him:
Dance. The Colombian influence in his family was very important to him to take that step into dance. His beginning was centered in a more Latin/Caribbean style, starting with salsa and Venezuelan folklore.
After many years of mastering these styles, giving shows and performances, John met the style that changed his life, Tango. Thanks to the Tango Caracas Company, this dancer started a career in the Tango scene and in 2006, after only three months of practicing with his partner in that moment, John went to the worldwide Tango Championship in Argentina and the couple could passed to the semi- final, something remarkable for a Venezuelan contestants couple.
Later, in 2007, they made it to the finals and in 2008 the couple took part again of the contest and won the 3rd place.
After that, many doors opened for John in the Tango scene around the world, making a dance tour in TokyoJapan, and different countries of Asia. This was a learning process for John in so many ways, because he had the opportunity to meet so many different cultures, languages, perspectives and, overall, dances.
He returned to Argentina in 2009, this time with the amazing dancer Clarissa Sanchez as his new dancing partner, but it was just until 2011, the year of victory, where they were tied in the first place with a Colombian couple After this, John’s career just got off the ground, working and dancing a lot in Argentina, having tours in United States and Europe.
Currently, John is working by himself in Switzerland, organizing a big Milonga once a month in Geneva, and being invited to jury, perform, Dj and teach in Festivals and other cultural events around the world. In November begins his next European tour, with confirmed countries as France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and the U.K.
Some of his awards
- Representative of Venezuela in the 8th. World Tango Summit in Bariloche, Argentina 2009.
- Finalist of the 7th World Tango Championship held in Buenos Aires in 2009 in the category of Salon Tango.
- 3rd place of the 1st World Tango Championship held in Medellín, Colombia in 2011 in the Tango Salon category.
- 7th place of the 1st World Tango Championship held in Medellín, Colombia in 2011 in the category of Stage Tango.
- 2nd place of the IX World Tango Championship held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2011 in the Tango Salon category.
- 5th place of the IX World Tango Championship held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2011 in the Stage Tango category.
- BEST FOREIGN COUPLE OF 2011, in the IX World Tango Championship held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2011
But having a lifestyle where you have to travel worldwide makes difficult being near to your family and the ones you love and that is a lesson that John has learned after many years of working hard. “When you travel like this, you have to internalize a state of separation, and it has been very hard for me, but I’m still working on that”.
Nevertheless, John is making all to have his son with him, and being close with his family as much as he can. Future goals for John are continue traveling, working and dancing. He is also working for next year in developing his own clothing line, videoclip production and online tango lessons through his new website.
Travel gives him a great opportunity to learn and see all types of languages and cultures. He also wants to create a dance academy and dance company, in order to make festivals, workshops and more.
John talks about Venezuela, its current situation, Europe, the people he’s helping and more, but the most remarkable and beautiful thing is how passionate he is talking about Tango and dance in general. When you talk with him, the desire of learn to dance starts growing, he’s just inspiring.
When we asked him what is the thing that he loves the most about Tango, he says that is the energy that you want to give and show to others, the energy that you want your partner feel, the sensations, the moves…
He knows that Tango is a very strict style with specific rules and it requires a lot of discipline, but he is innovating the style, giving it his signature and personality, and that is what he wants to develop, a new way of Tango style that could captivate anyone.
Finally he gives us tips for beginners in Tango and in dance in general. “Stay humble, always. Ego is an obstacle that every dancer has to defeat. Also you need to have discipline, learning Tango and every dance is like to learn a new language, you have to practice a lot and put all you effort to achieve your goal”. The best advice from a professional.
John Erban is such and unique person, with so much talent and vibrant personality. To know more about him and his work, check his page https://www.facebook.com/Johnerbantango/ www.johnerbantango.com Instagram y Twitter: @johnerbantango Email: [email protected]
Ignacio Piñero Septeto Nacional has played an important role in Cuba’s music for more than seven decades
Founded by Havana-born bassist and vocalist Ignacio Piñero in 1927, the Septeto Nacional De Ignacio Piñero has played an important role in Cuba’s music for more than seven decades.
Pioneers of son, a rhythmic blend of African and Cuban music that evolved into salsa, mambo and Latin jazz, the group was the first son band to incorporate the trumpet as the main instrument.
Ignacio Piñero’s Septeto Nacional gained worldwide recognition with its performance at the 1928 Universal Exposition in Seville, and was reportedly the first group to mention “Salsa” in a song “Echale Salsita” recorded in 1933. The song composed by Piñero, was adapted by George Gershwin for the opening theme of his “Cuban Overture”.
Since Piñero’s death in 1968, after 41 years at the helm of the band, the Septeto Nacional De Ignacio Piñero has been led by a series of leaders.
Guitarist and composer Rafael Ortiz, who took over after Piñero’s death, bequeathed the position to vocalist Carlos Embale in 1982.
After leaving the group due to illness in 1998 Embale’s leadership was inherited by guitarist Richard Aymee Castro. True to their original musical roots, Ignacio Piñero’s Septeto Nacional continues to offer a danceable blend of montano, merengue, bolero, rumba and cha cha cha. Craig Harris.
Ignacio Piñero was one of the Pioneers of Son Cubano
In 1906 he already knew and had assimilated the different toques of the African cabildos that existed in the neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, which he later incorporated into some of his creations.
He began his artistic career with the group claves and guaguancó El Timbre de Oro, later he directed Los Roncos de Pueblo Nuevo, in which he developed as a decimist and director, at the same time he took his first steps as a composer.
From this stage are: Cuando tú, tu desengaño veas, Dónde estabas anoche, El Edén de Los Roncos, Mañana te espero, niña. Later he joined the group Renacimiento de Pueblo Nuevo.
To the folkloric values that Piñeiro cultivated in these groups, he contributed a wider melodic-harmonic development and a greater depth and poetic flight.
In 1926 he was one of the founders, together with María Teresa Vera, of the Sexteto Occidente, with which he made his first tour to the United States in order to record an album with this group.
In 1927 he founded the Sexteto Nacional, formed by Ignacio Piñeiro, director and double bass; Alberto Villalón, guitar; Francisco González Solares, tres; Abelardo Barroso, lead vocals; Juan de la Cruz, tenor; Bienvenido León, baritone and maracas, and José Manuel Carrera Incharte (El Chino), bongo; that same year trumpeter Lázaro Herrera joined the group. With this septet he traveled to New York, where he recorded his first works.
In 1929 he participated with the Septeto Nacional in the Fair-Exposition of Seville, Spain; in that country they were hired as exclusive artists by the company SEDECA, and toured other cities of that country: Vigo, La Coruña, Santander, Madrid and Valladolid; in addition, they performed in the theaters Torero, Jovellanos, the Cine-Teatro Grado, and the cabaret Maicú, all in Madrid. In 1930 he was one of the founders of the National Association of Cuban Soneros.
They performed at the Sans-Souci cabaret (1930); in 1931 they performed at the Lavín and CMCG radio stations; in 1932, at the Dos Hermanos Hotel, he premiered Buey viejo; that same year the American composer George Gershwin came to Havana, at the CMCJ radio station he listened to Piñeiro’s son Échale salsita, from which he later used the theme played on the trumpet in his Cuban Overture.
In 1933 he performed at the Fair-Exhibition A Century of Progress, held in Chicago, United States.
In 1934 Piñeiro retired from the septet, which from 1935 was directed by trumpeter Lázaro Herrera. In 1954, Piñeiro reappeared as leader of the septet, with which he appeared on the television program Música de Ayer y de Hoy.
As a composer, Ignacio Piñeiro broke, although he took elements from the form of the oriental son, in which its creators used the quatrain and the tenth; an example of this break is his son Buey viejo, from 1932:
Carretero no maltrates a ese pobre buey tan viejo, que ya doblbla la cabeza por el peso de los tarros, y por senda de guijarros va tirando la carreta, y nunca llega a la meta, término de su dolor.
Piñeiro was one of those synthesis cases that managed to capture, develop and express the full richness of the son.
The structural modifications, the cadence, the rhythm and the use of refined melodies and lyrics, achieved by this creator and interpreted by the Septeto Nacional, make it possible to say that the work of this singular artist, although he did not mark the boundaries of son (which corresponded to the Sexteto Habanero), he did turn it into a son that today we can call classic, which became a model for its further development.
When Ignacio Piñeiro founded the Septeto Nacional, his purpose was to be a high exponent of the Cuban son and its various variants, he himself made use of those variants, composing guajira-son, canción-son, afro-son, so he worked with the elements offered by the oriental son, to which he gave a broader treatment, both musically and literary.
According to Miriam Villa: “If we analyze the organization of the literary text, we observe in his work the formal use of metrically heterogeneous links subjected to rhythm, characterized by the presence of accented and unaccented elements within the system of units that are repeated at intervals between them.
Piñeiro must not have been concerned about the meter in the text as a pattern, since through the rhythm of the composition he achieves the contrast relations, making the change of meter express a change in the thematic movement, either from intermittences or accentuations or sometimes both, which give it different semantic nuances and alternations of tensions and distensions.
And elsewhere Villa states: “Another aspect that in relation to the literary text is reflected in Piñeiro’s creative work is that of the thematic contents; these are shown from a diversification with greater scope in relation to his contemporaries.
His work can be divided into multiple themes among which are love, homeland, philosophical reflection, politics, the bucolic, the infantile, expressed in a variety of forms: satirical, apologetic, humorous and with greater depth than in the sonorous production that preceded him and even with which he shared.
With the Septeto Nacional, Piñeiro appears in the musical short El frutero, and in the film Nosotros la música, by director Rogelio París.
Ignacio Piñeiro Septeto Nacional
El Son de Altura (1998)
Tracks:
- Mayeya – No Juegues Con Los Santos (Son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Bardo (Bolero-son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Lejana Campiña (Guajira-son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Canta La Vueltabajera (Guajira-son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Guanajo Relleno (Guaracha-son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Esas No Son Cubanas (Son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Suavecito (Son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Alma Guajira (Guajira-son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Castigador (Son) (I. Piñeiro)
- Échale Salsita (Son-pregón) (I. Piñeiro)
- EI Viandero (Son-pregón) (Ernesto Muñoz)
- Son De La Loma (Son) (Miguel MGllamoros)
- Trompeta Querida (Boleró-son) (Lózoro Herrera)
- La Mujer De Antonio (Son) (Miguel Matamoros)
- La Cachimba De San Juan (Son) (l. Plñeiro)
- EI Alfiler (Son) (l. Plñeiro)
- Noche De Conga (Son) (l. Plñeiro)
- EI Paralitico (Son) (Miguel Matamoros)
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Ismael ‘Pat’ Quintana, born in Ponce Puerto Rico, began his musical career in 1961 alongside Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta
Ismael ‘Pat’ Quintana, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, began his musical career in 1961 alongside Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta
Commemorating one more anniversary of the departure of the Maestro: Ismael Quintana (Ponce, June 3, 1937-Colorado, April 16, 2016) was a Puerto Rican singer and composer of salsa, bolero and other genres of Caribbean music.
He began his musical career in 1961 alongside Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta, and later continued as a solo singer.
In 1970, he signed with Fania Records and joined the Fania All Stars, in addition to recording more solo albums.
By 2012, his health condition prevented him from continuing to perform and he stopped giving concerts.
In April 2016, he died of a heart attack at his residence in Colorado in the United States at 78 years of age and paid the first tributes.
Quintana was the singer who gave the name salsa to Afro-Caribbean music, after having heard it in Venezuela.
Ismael ‘Pat’ Quintana, born in Ponce, a town rich in culture on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, moved to New York when he was very young. It was in the South Bronx that he fell in love with Latin music.
During these early years, he played percussion with a variety of bands throughout New York City.
He persevered and eventually joined Angel Natel’s orchestra as a teenage bongosero.
During one memorable night in 1959, the band was asked to play a particular number for one of the club’s dancers.
Natel’s singer was not familiar with the song, but Ismael was. He stepped up to the microphone, performed the song and in the process electrified the crowd with his talented voice. That night launched a magnificent career, a career that would eventually position Quintana as one of the most prominent vocalists in Latin music.
In 1961, visionary keyboardist Eddie Palmieri decided to leave the sanctuary of Tito Rodriguez’s eminent orchestra to pursue the dream of forming his own band.
Eddie was present when Quintana auditioned for Orlando Marin’s popular orchestra.
The pianist would eventually track him down and offer him the opportunity to become the lead singer of his new orchestra, La Perfecta.
This proved to be a vital move in Eddie’s quest to become one of the top Latin music bandleaders. Their alliance would last 12 years.
Together, Quintana and Palmieri pushed the boundaries of progressive salsa, creating dissonant improvisations that fused the raw tradition of Afro-Caribbean music (exemplified by the singer’s hardcore sonics) with a relentless desire to experiment (illustrated by Palmieri’s choice of electronic keyboards, use of structures borrowed from other musical formats, as well as meandering solos that had their own idiosyncratic logic).
The 1965 album Azúcar Pa’Tí is probably the aesthetic pinnacle of their collaboration. It featured classic salsa anthems such as “Oyelo Que Te Conviene”, included here for your listening pleasure.
Another unforgettable moment was Eddie’s decision to record a double LP set in the Sing Sing penitentiary.
Quintana’s voice sounds appropriately impassioned on that socially significant 1972 concert recording.
By 1973, Quintana had decided to embark on a solo career. He signed a contract with UA Latino Records and recorded two albums of excellent quality.
The second of these two releases gave him the opportunity to sing tangos and ballads, backed by a spectacular orchestra led by South American arrangers Héctor Garrido and Jorge Calandrelli.
Surprisingly, the singer has stated in interviews that he prefers to dance ballads and boleros rather than sing more fast-paced material.
Quintana’s first work for Vaya Records was recorded in 1974, It included the hit “La Blusita Colorá”, which is featured in this collection.
The singer also collaborated with keyboardist and bandleader of La Sonora Ponceña Papo Lucca, as well as Ricardo Marrero.
In 1975, Quintana was invited to join the legendary Fania All-Stars as one of their lead vocalists.
He appeared in the movie Salsa and participated in many of the combo’s historic performances, delivering a blistering version of the self-written “Mi Debilidad” at Yankee Stadium.
When not traveling the world with the All-Stars, Quintana could be found in the recording studio, working on material that appeared on his albums for Vaya Records.
Ismael Quintana’s name appears on many classic albums from the salsa explosion of the 1970s, both as a background singer and as a percussionist.
His phenomenal vocal abilities have obscured the fact that he is one of the most exciting maracas players in the genre.
He is also an innovative composer, having written many of the songs that make up Eddie Palmieri’s seminal albums of that era.
Quintana is also known as one of the nicest guys in the Latin music business.
A true professional who is never late for his concerts and a devoted family man who doesn’t smoke or drink.
Ponce in Puerto Rico has given birth to several legendary Latin singers, from Héctor Lavoé and Cheo Feliciano to Ednita Nazario and Pete ‘El Conde’ Rodríguez. Ismael Quintana is yet another luminary from that region.
This Latin Heritage compilation is a well-deserved tribute to one of salsa’s best. Fania All Stars.
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