Search Results for: Latin genres

Los Surik is a musical group formed in Victoria, Las Tunas, in eastern Cuba

Los Surik, a musical group from Las Tunas a province known for orchestras recognized both nationally and internationally has distinguished itself in the Cuban music scene for its excellence.

Los Surik is a group that was created in Victoria Las Tunas, in eastern Cuba.

This group of fifteen musicians (four of whom are vocalists) was established in Victoria, Las Tunas, in eastern Cuba.

They began their professional careers in 1982, focusing on harmonious arrangements through the use of complex structures, all in service of preserving the authenticity of the genres they perform, such as son, guaracha, merengue, song, and bolero, among others.

Los Surik used to rehearse at the home of José Luis Borrel, across from the old La Gran Señora store (at the intersection of Lucas Ortiz and Julián Santana streets). Later, they moved their instruments to Benny Revuelta’s house, on Gonzalo de Quesada street, at the corner of Lucas Ortiz.

This orchestra has stood out in the world of music in Cuba for its excellence.

Los Surik’s repertoire included, among other pieces, classic Spanish and American pop songs, and instrumentals that Benny would recreate with his saxophone. Pablín (now deceased) was an excellent singer, later a finalist on the TV show Todo el mundo canta. Paco Mesa also shone as a vocalist. Catalá was comfortable on the drums, as was Omarito on the bass. The speakers in the photo were designed by José Luis Borrell, who, in addition to being a musician, was a great electronics enthusiast.

In 1994, the group released an album titled Alma Musical (CD (Magic Music 0003-3)). Some of the songs from this album were number one in Cuba at that time.

Los Surik holds an interesting first in their career: its members ushered in the era of discography in Las Tunas, by recording the first long-play record in the territory in 1985. The album features 12 tracks, most of which were authored by group members, and it was recorded at Siboney studios in Santiago de Cuba. Due to its foundational nature, the album is an invaluable piece for the cultural heritage of Las Tunas.

Group Photo and Member

This photo was taken in the 1980s at the home of actress and promoter Blanquita Becerra (center), during the time when this once very popular and distinguished lady of Cuban lyrical theater resided in Las Tunas.

Among other members of the musical collective pictured are Arturo Gooden, Alberto Bada, Benny Revuelta, Gerardo Leyva, Raúl Cáceres, Héctor Aguilar, and Rafael Diez.

At that time, Los Surik was composed of the following musicians:

Julián Galbán Cruz – Bass
Fernando E. Quintana – Saxophone
Herminio García Rodríguez – Trombone
Gastón H. Allen Binhan – Trumpet
Rolando Portillo Cedeño – Trumpet
Arnaldo García Estrada – Keyboards
Eldo A. González Mantilla – Piano
Pablo S. Machado Palmero – Congas
Edilberto Machado Alba – Timbales
Luis Alfonso Guerra Ramírez – Bongos
José Eugenio Marín Tejeda – Vocals
Virginia Iznaga Cantero – Vocals
José Manuel Arnedo Rodríguez – Vocals
Francisco G. Mesa Marrero – Vocals

Lost Treasures and Alma Musical

Almost all the orchestra members were composers of the songs they performed. Sadly, many of these songs were never recorded on any album, so we cannot enjoy the high quality of the tracks they created. Only a lucky few had the chance to enjoy them live in concerts they gave outside of Cuba.

Los Surik – Alma Musical (1994)

Tracks:

Dame Un Traguito (Son)
Estoy Romántica (Ballad son)
Amor De Película (Son montuno)
El Cantante Enamorado (Son)
Lo Que Cae Es Candela (Son)
A Ese Le Llaman Parejero (Son montuno)
La Fuerza Del Amor (Merengue)
Juanita Morey (Merengue)
La Luna Compartir (Ballad son)
Voz Universal (Son)
La Noche Junto A Ti (Bolero)

Musicians:

Julián Galbán Cruz (Bass)
Fernando E. Quintana (Saxophone)
Herminio García Rodríguez (Trombone)
Gastón H. Allen Binhan (Trumpet)
Rolando Portillo Cedeño (Trumpet)
Arnaldo García Estrada (Keyboards)
Eldo A. González Mantilla (Piano)
Pablo S. Machado Palmero (Congas)
Edilberto Machado Alba (Timbales)
Luis Alfonso Guerra Ramírez (Bongos)
José Eugenio Marín Tejeda (Vocals)
Virginia Iznaga Cantero (Vocals)
José Manuel Arnedo Rodríguez (Vocals)
Francisco G. Mesa Marrero (Vocals)

By:

L’Òstia Latin Jazz

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

EcuRed

Also Read: Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñero has played an important role in Cuban music for over seven decades.

Alfrid Valdez “The King of Steel Band”

Latin America / Venezuela / Sucre

Alfrid Valdez is a Venezuelan singer who was born in Guiria, Sucre State-Venezuela, and since he was very young he showed a great interest and taste for Afro-Antillean, tropical and Caribbean music, especially the Steel Band, calypso and soca genres. even getting to play all the instruments of the “Steel Band”, always in the hands of his father, the popular “Guapango”.

Alfrid Valdez "The King of Steel Band" — Alfrid Valdez “The King of Steel Band”

Already established in the city of Guayana, in 1990 he began his musical career as executor of the first Steel Band piano in musical groups that cultivated and spread the aforementioned rhythms; and as time passed he gained more experience, excelling in Soca and Calypso which were the main rhythms of “Alfrid y su banda Acero”.

During his day he presented his new record production in the salsa genre, entitled “Salvemos El Amor” which was born from his 2nd salsa work; His first production was made in 2004, presenting himself as “Alfrid El Salsero De Oriente”, with his songs “Sin tu Amor”, “Hasta arrival at the Sea” and “Stay by my side”, which were recognized by the International Organization ” Cacique de Oro” as “Salsa Revelation Singer of the Year”. And with his record work he toured his country (Venezuela) together with several artists in the celebration of the 25 years of artistic career of Salsero Manuel Guerra, creator of the famous group “Salserin”.

Photo - Alfrid Valdez — Photo – Alfrid Valdez

In this new production there are 10 songs of which Alfrid expresses his lyrics and arrangements in 3 songs: “Salvemos el Amor”, “Traicionera” and “Amor en la menor”, in addition to making some tributes to the great singers of the decade of the 80s such as the Great Héctor Lavoe and Ismael Rivera, Alfrid is currently in Lima – Peru where he will launch this salsa material with the support of the record company Col-Discos and the media of that country.

One of the salsa songs to be released soon to its public is “Dudas” that will be launched in Lima, Peru for all of Latin America, if you want to listen you can listen through https://soundcloud.com/pana music/alfrid-el-rey -del-steel-band-doubts

For more information:

Email: [email protected]
Facebook: alfrid.valdez
Instagram: alfridvaldez
Twitter: AlfridValdez
Phones: +58 414-8695554 +58 414-8925467

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).

Quintana inició su carrera musical en 1961 al lado de Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta

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.

Quintana En 1970, firma con el sello Fania Records

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.

By:

Marino Del Jesus

Historia Salsera

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Also Read: The Royalty of our Latin Music Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez first singer signed by Fania Records label

This is Indiana composer, arranger, music teacher, and trumpet player David Hardiman

Our interviewee today is very special because of the talent and the enormous academic background he has, so we are very pleased to have been able to talk with him. We are talking about the arranger, composer, trumpeter, pianist and music teacher David Hardiman, whom we welcome to International Salsa Magazine.

This is David Hardiman — Music teacher and musician David Hardiman holding his trumpet

A little bit of David’s story

The artist from Indianapolis, Indiana, began his tale telling us a little bit about how he started getting interested in music, which was when he was in fourth grade. That is when he started learning to play the trumpet and piano, taking advantage of the fact that he had one at home.

Unlike other children and young people who find other interests and hobbies besides music, David never stopped and kept playing the trumpet until high school, during which time he played in the marching band, the orchestra, the jazz band and the concert band of the institution.

Years later, he attended Indiana University where he also played in the marching band and concert band. He received his bachelor of music education through which he obtained a lot of classical training that he would later apply to his artistic career, but he did not stop there, as he also began to participate in ensembles with which he played R&B and jazz.

When he returned to his hometown Indianapolis, he was hired by a band with which he started playing blues, tap and jazz at parties, weddings and other events of this type.

In addition to that, he also taught instrumental music for over 11 years at the elementary level. He also taught flute at the fourth grade level and prepared children of those ages to be introduced to instruments until their formation in high school, something very similar to his case when he got started in this world.

The young musician already wanted to expand his horizons and thought about leaving the nest and moving from his home state to try his luck elsewhere, but first he obtained his master’s degree in music education in 1970. This was the final step that would make him realize that he was ready to take flight farther away from home.

David playing the trumpet — David Hardiman playing the trumpet live

Berkeley

In 1971, David went to Berkeley, California, where he began to teach at King Junior High School, which he describes as an excellent experience that taught him a lot about music at the educational and practical level. His teaching specialized in the orchestral and symphonic part of classical-oriented music. At the same time, he spent much of his time playing for clubs and private parties with various orchestras and bands.

One of his fellow teachers at King Junior High School named Grey Gomez taught at the elementary level and was a trombone player. Gomez told David that he needed a trumpet player for a group called ‘’The Aliens’’, so he proposed him to join the band and play with him at The New Yorker club. This would be the first time the musician played Latin music, more specifically salsa.

Introduction to Latin music in San Francisco

By then, David was looking for new challenges, so he decided that he could not teach at low levels at King Junior High School for life, so he began working part-time at the City College of San Francisco. Parallel to this, he played with another band for various basketball and soccer games during breaks.

Soon after, the musician began directing the big band in the aforementioned institution and teaching at the middle college level outside of San Francisco. When he became a full-time professor at the City College, he was much more exposed to Latin music and genres, which was contrasted with his hometown, as Indiana is not known for its large number of Latin orchestras and musicians.

David at 12 years old — Young David Hardiman playing the trumpet at 12 years old

In the Bay Area, he began to have much more contact with people from other nationalities and cultures, especially Latinos, which made him listen to various Latin music groups and play with others. He even opened up for great artists such as Celia Cruz and the Fania All Stars.

He also played with the group Café Canela, whose genres are a very interesting combination of salsa, chá chá chá and many more.

San Francisco All Star Big Band

About 50 years ago, parallel to what he did with other orchestras, he created his own big band named San Francisco All Star Big Band, with which he has played for all kinds of events such as festivals, university parties, religious services, weddings, birthdays, charity balls, nightclubs, among others.

With this orchestra, he has a few albums which can be found on YouTube and other similar platforms and they are ‘’It’ll be alright’’, ‘’Portrait of David Hardiman’’, and ‘’Music Around The World’’.

Cover of the album ”Portrait of David Hardiman”

Liz Rojas and John Narvaez share their experience with the San Francisco Salsa Festival

The San Francisco Salsa Festival is one of the most important Latin music events in The Bay Area and California in general, so we could not miss it. Eduardo Guilarte, senior editor of International Salsa Magazine attended on our behalf to witness firsthand everything that happened over the three days of the festival, as in previous years.

To learn a little more about the most important facts related to the festival, Elizabeth Rojas and John Narvaez have made room in their busy schedule to talk with us and relate some elements and details of this fifteenth edition, which we are infinitely grateful.

John, Liz, and Angie at the festival — John Narvaez, Angie Seminario y Liz Rojas

How was the 15th edition of the San Francisco Salsa Festival organized?

Liz tells us that the organization of this edition started last year immediately following the previous festival to avoid wasting time and handle contingencies as soon as possible. Whenever they complete an edition, they immediately start to organize the next one, since all the details to keep in mind are too many to leave them for another time.

Liz and John always have to confirm orchestras and artists in advance, but they have a very efficient team of friends and partners to help them with everything related to the event. For this reason, every year it has become easier to make the preparations faster and more efficiently.

Novelties compared to other years

As for the novelties of this edition compared to other years, it could be shown that there was much more influx of people wanting to enjoy the activities offered. In addition to that, the dancers made sure that the program included more guests for classes, dance workshops on Friday, shows and competitions, which in turn helped to attract more interested public.

Another innovative detail was the invitation to local teachers in order to attract their students and people from their academies in general.

Latin Rhythm Boys at the festival — The Latin Rhythm Boys playing at the San Francisco Salsa Festival

Adding to all this, Liz and John sought to take much more into account the bachata dancers and artists in order to offer a little more variety in terms of musical genres and not just salsa.

Situation with the Orquesta La Máxima 79

No matter how majestic an event can be, there are always facts that can tarnish a little the satisfaction of organizers with all that has been achieved. This not so pleasant situation was the regrettable absence of the orchestra La Máxima 79, which was unable to travel to the United States at the last minute because of visa related issues.

John described how the days went by and the visas for the members of the group were not issued, to the point that the immigration department had not even conducted the first interviews. Because of this, they began to consider the possibility that La Máxima might not perform their show as planned.

However, this didn’t stop them from having a card up their sleeve, so replacing La Máxima 79, they hired the amazingly talented Ray de La Paz, whose concert was amazing and delighted the audience with his fabulous show. They had to do much more publicity in the last few days due to the unforeseen change, but fortunately, it was all worth it.

They met Ray de La Paz in Hong Kong in 2004 during one of his shows where they were dancers on stage with him. Although they did not know him at the time, they really liked how he sang, so they called him up for the festival. They proposed to him to participate through Javier Cabanillas, another musician hired for the festival, who was a friend of his and kindly provided them with his contact information to invite him.

Ray at the festival — Ray de La Paz on the red carpet at the San Francisco Salsa Festival

When we wanted to know how the organization deals with last-minute inconveniences, Liz commented that they already had a plan B for such an eventuality. The main organizer of the event, Angie Seminario, and John had already talked about what to do in a situation of this kind. Likewise, they did not wait for the last moment to replace the missing orchestra, but acted quickly and worked on an alternative in parallel. At this point, John highlighted the importance of cultivating good connections and relationships with many musicians, so that they can count on them in emergencies.

Despite everything, they do not give up and will do whatever it takes to bring La Máxima to the festival next year. They are already working on this issue with the company’s lawyer.

The hardest thing to organize the San Francisco Salsa Festival

Together with last-minute absences, another problem which Liz and John face when organizing the festival is the hotel booking process for the time planned. Booking for the selected days and times of the festival and the multiple activities to be developed can turn to a headache, even more so than the organization of the workshops and concerts.

Also, the economic and time requirements can be very complex depending on what an event needs. The fines imposed by the government on venues that exceed the time limits with their events are well known, so planning failures should be avoided at all costs.

John also added that it is always very complicated to deal with people and the selection process of the best staff to work with is not always easy. ”We always look for people who are equal or better than us. We make sure to surround ourselves with people who are even smarter and more capable than us so that they can see what we can’t” said the dancer and entrepreneur.

John, Anfie, Liz, and Ray at the festival — John Narvaez, Angie Seminario, Liz Rojas, and Ray de La Paz

How John and Liz feel now in comparison to the first festival

When compared this latest edition with the first one, John says that both he and Liz are extremely proud of what has been achieved so far. The artist assures that for him it is a great honor to be able to have Liz by his side, then thanks her for accompanying him and making the festival and the rest of the things they have achieved possible.

Meanwhile, Liz fully agrees with her partner and also said she feels very proud of what they have accomplished all these years. Since we have seen other artists doing big dance events, John and I set out to achieve the same thing someday and we are very proud to have been able to make it possible” said the dancer ending her speech.