Search Results for: New York

Efrain is a Puerto Rican Sonero Excélsior, he was born in Salinas in La Isla del Encanto.

His father gave him his first conga at the age of 10, and another one two years later, which allowed him to practice to the rhythm of his mother’s records: El Gran Combo, Cortijo and Eddie Palmieri.

His parents helped him to create his own band at the age of 16 “Los Generales” where he played congas; the band played concerts in his father’s restaurant. Suddenly replacing the singer of the orchestra, he becomes better and more popular. He then dedicated himself to singing, without giving up instruments such as congas, timbales, clave, maracas, güiro and bell.

He moved to New York ’77, debuted recording on Al Santiago’s production Fuego ’77 to Alegre by the young band of the same name; Al liner note Frankie described as “enthusiastic, energetic and full of life”, he always chorused and sang lead vocals on the cut “Nueva York”, his cousin David Sanchez handled the remaining lead vocals. Fuego ’77 lasted two years.

Frankie performs: “New York”, where his very young voice is barely recognizable:

“New York site of opportunity

New York the city I love the most

I have a feeling that one day I would make it big”.

In the others, David Sanchez sings and Frankie is on backing vocals. Both are thanked in the credits for having contributed to the sounds.

This album is a wonderful little one, no song disappoints, on the contrary there is a communicative energy from the first to the last song.

“Fuego 77” was a band of young people in their early 20s.

He then spent two years with Sonido Taiborí (Sánchez sang in chorus with Johnny Ortiz and Taiborí ’79 in Fania with lead singer Tito Nieves, founder Ortiz, an outstanding Puerto Rican composer, later left), a year and a half with Orquesta Calidad and intermittently worked for three years with Orquesta Metropolitana.

He joined the “Conjunto Wayne Gorbea Salsa” for five years, providing lead vocals and güiro, accompanying one of the highlights of the Montuno sessions. He replaced Herman Olivera as singer with Manny Oquendo and his “Conjunto Libre” in December 1990, making his debut.

He partnered with pianist Martin Martin, bandleader of the magnificent “Los Soneros del Barrio” Orchestra in 1999.

He has sung with the Lebron Brothers for more than three years, as well as other spectacular company such as New swing Sextet, Leña Moncho, Tony Gonzalez, La Sonora Matancera, Frankie Morales, Delgado Jimmy, Joe Cuba, Jimmy Bosch, Spanish Harlem Orchestra and stop counting with his great success characterized.

He is currently one of the artists who has participated in countless recordings all over the world and even participated as a special guest in the group Dislocados de Ucrania.

His career is very rich and the list of his collaborations that we have just mentioned is not exhaustive.

We hope that the list will grow because we love his way of modulating his voice in each song, with a perfect diction, and his inspirations that enchant us in concert.

Facebook: Frankie Vázquez

Where did Ismael Miranda’s artistic nickname “El Niño Bonito de la Salsa” (The Pretty Boy of Salsa), with which he became known, come from?

I liked to dress up and look nice for the presentations on one occasion I went to the hairdresser’s and bought a suit for the show when I arrived at the hotel, Johnny Pacheco said to me: ‘How nice, the pretty boy is late! As always.

And from that day on they called me “El niño bonito de la salsa” (the pretty boy of salsa). Pacheco gave the nicknames to everyone in the Fania All Stars.

Johnny Pacheco had a lot of faith when he came up with the idea of making this movie and it was a success.

People vibrated with our songs and we took advantage of 4 emblematic concerts to record it.

That’s how we have to walk through life. It is enough to know that we are doing things right to reap triumphs. Said the trumpet player and composer.

Perico also took the opportunity to tell where all that tasty Caribbean rhythm comes from, of which they are such good exponents. “The folklore of Latin American music was born in Africa”. He recalled the first time he arrived with La Fania to this continent. He still has in his mind the gesture of the Africans when he saw people from other parts of the world playing the congas like masters. We all felt proud, he said.

Miranda also recalled that on August 6, 1980, he arrived for the first time in Barranquilla to present a concert with Héctor Lavoe.

“We were used to performing on huge stages and singing with a well achieved sound; in Barranquilla there was nothing like that, but something magical happened, the affection and joy of the people infected us.

Hector and I gave a show of height, at the end we realized that we enjoyed it completely with all the people of Barranquilla.

During the conference, Perico Ortiz explained why he never recorded an album with Las Estrella de la Fania.

“I never recorded an album, but I participated in many concerts. At that moment I felt in my heart that it was time to sing and I told Jerry Masucci to give me the opportunity, but he did not see me as an artist, but as a trumpet player and arranger, so I decided to retire from La Fania and concentrated on recording my first album as a soloist in 1977 titled My Own Image”.

Ismael was born in Aguada, in western Puerto Rico, but as a child his family settled in New York. He began singing in English in school plays when he was only eight years old, and was even part of a children’s group called “Little Junior in the Class Mate”.

Soon after, he began taking singing lessons at a music school at 46th and Broadway, and then to improve his singing skills he studied with a music teacher recommended to him by Tito Rodriguez.

The environment in which he grew up helped him cultivate his love for music. First he wanted to be a percussionist and not a vocalist. That is why at the age of 10 he told his mother of his desire to buy a conga. Later he acquired a bongo, which resounded throughout the neighborhood. He got to play the conga in Andy Harlow’s sextet, and was part of the Sexteto Pipo y su Combo. But he finally turned to singing, for which he was assisted by Ismael Rivera.

He made his first recording in 1967 with José Luis Pastrana Santos, a musician, composer and timbalero from Santurce, known as Joey Pastrana, on the album Let’s Ball.

This album, recorded for the Cotique label, contains Ismael Miranda’s first big hit, the song “Rumbón melón”.

Facebook: Ismael Miranda