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From the 23 de Enero neighborhood of Caracas to Cologne – Germany

October 4, 1952: Javier Ernesto Plaza Castillo was born in the Tiro al Blanco area of the Sarría neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela. He is a musician, percussionist, singer, and composer.

Javier Plaza is a great and veteran Venezuelan sonero that was trained in the 23 de Enero parish.

He started his professional career as a member of groups such as Rumbón 10, Sexteto Juventud, and Enrique “Culebra” Iriarte y Su Orquesta. It was “Culebra” who allowed him to be one of the singers of the orchestra.

He participated in records from different groups such as José Rosario y Sus Soneros, Federico y Su Combo, and El Clan de Victor.

Javier visited Cali to promote his album “Con Sabor a Coco” and had the opportunity to listen to his live music accompanied by the Coimbre Orchestra formed by young musicians from Cali at the Baile Swing Latino Academy in March 2011. Without a doubt, it was a unique experience, Javier demonstrated that he is a true sonero.

In the early ’80s, Plaza created his band called Orquesta Café in the company of Joe Ruiz and Carlos Espósito, making possible the recording of one of his most important songs.

Sometime later, he participated in the group called Combo Ventú established in Paris.

In Europe, he participated in different groups and collaborated in recordings and performances of other artists.

Thanks to the performances with the Combo Ventú group, the Conexión Latina Orquesta’s director, contacted him, he has continued to remain in this orchestra for 18 years, being now the most ancient musician of the group.

He has also participated in groups such as: Kimbiza, La Charanga Nueva de Alfredo Cutuflá, pianist Francisco Zumaqué, Salsamanía, César “Chino” Pérez and Gerardo Rosales. All this without dropping his responsibilities to the Conexión Latina orchestra.

Thanks to the orchestra, he has had the opportunity to accompany international figures in Latin music such as Luis Perico Ortiz, Ismael Miranda, Adalberto Santiago, and Camilo Azuquita, among others.

Since 1992, Javier Plaza has been managing his personal project, which is the Son-Risa Orchestra. Additional to that, he has performed two productions titled “Libre Soy” and “Mi Música” and most of the songs of his authorship.

Javier Plaza is one of the most recognized Venezuelan percussionists in Europe, with a career spanning more than 20 years in the salsa and Latin music industry. Do you want to know more about him? Here are the details.

While growing up, music was one of the most important things, and practiced different instruments with friends and family. Among those friends were future stars such as Bitervo Plaza, José “Cheo” Navarro, and Alfredo “Cutuflá” Franchesqui.

In the mid-’70s, his career took off when he joined different Latin bands such as Rumbón 10, Sexteto Juventud, and Enrique “Culebra” Iriarte, and his orchestra; this allows him to open the doors to a new recording market from the hand of producer Víctor Mendoza.

After many years, Alfredo Cutuflá invited him to join the Combo Ventú group in Paris with other Venezuelan musicians.

This is when Plaza started a career in Europe playing with different bands and in projects by other artists.

Thanks to the Combo Ventu group’s connections, the Conexion Latina orchestra’s manager offered him to join the group in Munich, Germany, and from that moment he has been in this band for 18 years.

Currently, he is still in Germany, working on his project that is the salsa band Son-Risa and his mission is to spread the Venezuelan flavor throughout Europe.

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“Music has made me a more complete person, it’s part of who I am, I think I would be a miserable person without music, it’s a tremendous art, a language I feel very comfortable with”.

A well known percussionist, he is considered one of the most Swinging timbaleros in the world, possessing a particular style that has allowed him to leave a distinctive touch in the groups where he has participated, as far as the interpretation of the timbal is concerned.

Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York’s Harlem Latino, Ralph is a self-taught musician who learned the trade by listening to his brother’s records and the music of his idols in nightclubs, where he used to sneak in when he was 16.

His first experiences with professional Latin music took place in Puerto Rico, where he had the opportunity to share the stage with renowned bands such as La Terrífica, El Gran Combo, and La Sonora Ponceña, among others, for three years.

He then returns to New York where he begins to play with local groups. In 1978 he met the maestro Ray Barretto, with whom he began a fruitful and productive working relationship that would result in five extraordinary record productions.

This particular percussionist considers that music is an important part of his life, so much so that he has stated that “Music has made me a more complete person, it is part of who I am, I think I would be a miserable person without music, it is a tremendous art, a language with which I feel very comfortable”.

Ralph has recorded with important figures of the show, such as: David Byrne, Paul Simon, Harry Belafonte, Earl Klugh, Juan Luis Guerra, Cachao, Celia Cruz and Yomo Toro, although he is mostly recognized for his musical relationship with Ruben Blades and Seis del Solar, a group of which he was part for 13 years, recording and performing internationally.

His musical contributions have also been fundamental. Although he does not consider himself a composer, he has composed for some salsa singers.

He also wrote a rap that he sang on a record by Seis del Solar; the song is entitled “Entrégate”. In addition, in Timbalaye’s first recording, he wrote the lyrics for “Raza Cósmica”. He has also contributed to the group’s arrangements. He even participated in the recording of two Latin jazz albums made by Seis del Solar.

He is currently one of the most sought-after musicians and has continued to work on commercials and soundtracks for film and television.

His charisma allowed him to develop an unexpected career as an actor: he performed in The Mambo Kings playing the role of Pito Fernández.

He has also participated in films and documentaries, Cachao, Como Mi Ritmo No Hay Dos, with Andy García, The Roots of Rhythm with Harry Belafonte and The Life and Times of Rubén Blades.

In 1996 he participated with Tito Puente in the show Master Timbaleros, presented in New York. This historic concert was the culmination of 26 years of dedication, practice and love for music. Puente noted on that occasion:

“Ralph is a star of the future who has never forgotten his Latin roots. His group is a marvel.

This valuable percussionist began to feel the need to record something in his own style, taking care of what is his premise in his musical work: “I have always said that one should play with the same quality in front of 10 or 5,000 people.

When the sound is perfect, there is a lot of rapport and you kind of rise six inches off the floor when that happens. I think that’s called swinging with intensity.

Hence his next step was the founding of the group “Timbalaye”, a septet with a strong big band sound.

The group combines contemporary Latin jazz with various tropical rhythms: timba, songo and traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms, bomba, cha cha chá and son montuno.

Their innovative sound has allowed the group to perform weekly in New York. In October 1997, Ralph and company performed with >Batacumbele> in a historic concert at Hostos College.

Among their most recent projects is a recording at the Birdland for a compilation to be released by RCA Records.

Among its members are Oriente López from the Afro-Cuba group, Arturo Ortiz from Rubén Blades and Juan Carlos Salas from the famous Venezuelan group Guaco. Timbalaye is considered the most select band in Latin Jazz.

This talented percussionist considers that his priority is to know that the public will be satisfied with what they have heard: That is my mission, to bring joy to the people.

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