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His name is: Elio Osácar Douguet, and artistically we know him as: Sonny Bravo

Interview conducted by journalist and music researcher Robert Téllez M., on February 4, 2017 and originally published later on the SONFONÍA portal. Interview provided by the author for International Salsa Magazine (ISM).

Robert: His name is: Elio Osácar Douguet, and artistically we know him as: Sonny Bravo When and where were you born?

Sonny: I was born on October 7, 1936 in West Harlem, New York City.

Robert: Are you of Cuban descent?

Sonny: Yes, my grandparents were born in Havana, three in Santiago de las Vegas and one (maternal grandfather) in Bejucal. My parents were born in Key West, FL, and raised in Tampa, FL.

Robert: Tell me about your father Santiago “Elio” Osacar.

Sonny: Obviously, my first mentor! Santiago Osácar Colomá, born October 12, 1911 in Key West, FL, raised in Tampa, FL. He and his two older brothers, Juan and Tomás, founded the Sexteto Tampeño in 1928. He married my mother, Elisa Douguet Bravo in February 1932 and they settled in New York around 1933. Shortly thereafter he joined the Caney Quartet as bassist and second voice. At that time he also formed and recorded with his own group, the Conjunto Moderno. Later he was also a member of Monchito y su Orquesta. But he always returned to Caney! Until his death in the summer of 1957, from a pancreatitis attack he suffered on the stage of the Chateau Madrid in NY.

Robert: Maestro Sonny, is it true that you played baseball, but due to an injury you turned to music?

Sonny: Yes, it was in an amateur league in Miami where I was raised, my father was the manager! I was a pitcher and after pitching a complete game, while it was drizzling; the shoulder pains started the next day and that’s as far as my brief career went.

Robert: Did you write arrangements for Conjunto Caney?

Sonny: I only wrote one, “Añorado Encuentro” (Piloto y Vera), but it was never recorded.

Robert: What groups did you work with in Miami?

Sonny: My first job was with the Conjunto Casino de Miami. I also worked with several orchestras (Juanito Sanabria) and several combos (Cheo Venero, Gonzalo Barr). From 1959 to 1961 I was with Conjunto Caney. Then (1961-1963) with Mandy Campo, with whom I made my first tour outside the U.S., it was to Aruba and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Between 1963 and 1964 I worked with José Fajardo. He played dances in Miami on Saturdays and in New York clubs the rest of the week. When he decided to stay in New York, he convinced me to return with him.

Robert: Is the Típico Charanga format your favorite?

Sonny: Yes! I would like to have the same format we used on Alfredo de la Fé’s LP (Toca, Alfredo Toca) with the modern harmonies that can be heard in my arrangement of “El casabe,” my adaptation of Humberto Perera’s arrangement of “Que rico bailo yo,” and my arrangement of my own song, “Toca, Alfredo toca.”

Robert: What pianists influenced your playing?

Sonny: Charanga genre: Jesús López. Ensemble genre: Lilí Martínez. Big band and combo genre: Pedro “Peruchín” Jústiz. Variety of genres: Rubén González.

Robert: How did you become involved with the José Fajardo Orchestra?

Sonny: In 1963, bassist Nilo Sierra took me to the Palladium to meet Fajardo. After I married my first wife, I returned to Miami, and was able to contact him. During 1963 I played with him the dances I mentioned above and also toured with him to Venezuela, Mexico, Santo Domingo, and Puerto Rico. Fajardo stayed to fulfill his contract at the San Juan Hotel, but Orestes Vilató and I returned to New York. Orestes because of melancholy, and I, because I found out that my wife was going to give birth in January 1965.

Robert: As I understand it, when you settle in New York, you start playing with: Willie Bobo, Bobby Valentin and Ray Barretto What would you highlight about your work with Barretto?

Sonny: Between 1965 and 1966 I was Raul Marrero’s musical director. Besides what you mentioned, I also played with Vicentico Valdés, Mauricio Smith, Cortijo, Maelo and La orquesta Broadway, at that time. With Ray Barretto (and his charanga format) I only worked for two weeks, that was in October 1966, until the return of his pianist, Edy Martínez, who had stayed in Colombia after a tour. I felt very comfortable with Barretto’s group and I would have liked to continue playing with him.

Sonny was born on October 7, 1936 in West Harlem, New York City.

Robert: How did your integration with La Tipica 73 come about?

Sonny: I was there from the beginning. The group (unnamed) started in the summer of 1972 with musicians from various orchestras in a “jam session” (descarga) format, with the purpose of filling out the week with stews on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, that is, the laziest days in clubs and dance halls. Alfredo de la Fe was one of the original musicians. He and I played with Fajardo at that time.

There was also Bobby Nelson (flute) from Charlie Palmieri’s orchestra. Instigated by Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez and with the support of several promoters and club managers, we decided to strengthen the group, create an ensemble and take the risk of competing with the already established groups.

Robert: Where did the idea of making the record production “Intercambio Cultural” come from?

Sonny: Johnny Rodriguez made the connection when he went to Havana on vacation. When he returned, he convinced Jerry Masucci to initiate the arrangements so that he could record at EGREM’s studios.

Robert: Was Típica 73 blocked because they had performed and recorded in Cuba and that’s why the group disbanded? Or were there other reasons…

Sonny: That’s the only reason!

Robert: What do you remember about your experience with Conjunto Clasico?

Sonny:

Side A: A lot of work, good music, good musicians.

Side B: Out of 20 songs, there were 19 solos of three and only one piano solo!

Robert: Maestro Sonny, you were present in several stages of Tito Puente’s orchestra, did you replace Jorge Dalto?

Sonny: Yes, in the Latin Jazz Ensemble. Jorge had his own group called “InterAmerican Band”. In the salsa band, I replaced Ruben Rivera. Eventually, the two formats came together to form a super-combo.

Robert: Of all the arrangements you have done in your career, which is your favorite?

Sonny: I have several, by format.

COMBO:

Typical ’73:

Chachagüere
Tula
Rumba caliente

BIG BAND:

Latin Giants of Jazz:

Gua Cha Rumba
I have to conform
I don’t bother

Mambo Legends Orchestra:

Conmigo, candela brava 2.

CHARANGA:

Alfredo de la Fé:

Toca, Alfredo Toca
El Casabe

Robert: And your favorite piano solo?

Sonny: I have two. El casabe (Alfredo de la Fe LP), because of the relaxed son montuno tempo and because of my favorite format: ¡Charanga moderna! And ¿Adónde vas? (Tito Puente’s LP) because it was recorded live and I could extend the solo, and because it’s the King’s orchestra!

Robert: On January 28, 2003 there was a historic reunion in Puerto Rico, which culminated with the release of the album TIPICA 73 LIVE. How did you live that experience?

Sonny: The audience enjoyed it, but not me. There was flavor and swing, but the piano had a damaged key and I was almost completely out of tune and the choruses were pretty weak. The record was bootlegged before it was released.

Robert: Of today’s pianists, who would you single out?

Sonny: In the Afro-Caribbean Jazz genre (Latin Jazz) there are a ton of Cubans like Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Hilario Durán, Ernán López-Nussa, Harold López-Nussa, Aldo López-Gavilán, Iván “Melón” Lewis, Alexis Bosch, Yan Carlos Artime, Rolando Luna, Ramón Valle, Manuel Valera, Daniel Amat, the Venezuelan Luis Perdomo, the Colombian Edy Martínez, etc. In the genre they call salsa, my favorite: Papo Lucca, the poet of the piano, impeccable flavor and swing. Eddie Palmieri is Eddie Palmieri! Oscar Hernandez, Ricky Gonzalez, Edwin Sanchez and Yeissonn Villamar.

Robert: What future do you see for salsa?

Sonny: Unfortunately, I think it is diminishing with the disappearance of the old guard. We need to remember and respect tradition, but we also need to move forward, developing genres and sub-genres. For example, in Cuba, dance is developed and danzonete and danzón emerge. They develop the son and the son montuno, the guaracha, the mozambique, the mambo, the ritmo pilón, the ritmo pa’ cá, etc., emerge. Then came the songo and the timba, all based on the son. Where is the development of the New York, Puerto Rican, Caribbean or South American “salsa”? It is still more or less the same since the day it was discovered. If it were not for the innovations in Cuba, there would be no groups such as: Los Van Van, NG La Banda, La Ritmo Oriental, Klimax, etc. And please don’t talk to me about “salsa monga” or “bachata” or “reggaeton”, which, in my humble opinion, are not innovations, but aberrations!

Exclusive interview with Sonny Bravo

Interview by music journalist and researcher Robert Tellez M.

Also Read: Robert Tellez is undoubtedly “El más que sabe de salsa” (The one who knows the most about Salsa)

The best marimba band found in Los Angeles

Every day there are more Latin bands that leave the music of our countries in the highest and one of them is Marimba Tropical and the great talents who make up this group. To know a bit of this project, we have made contact with its current director and one of its founders, Lucas Critchfield, with whom we have been able to talk via email about his life and the group he leads.

bandleader Lucas — This is bandleader and musician Lucas Critchfield during a wedding where he played

Lucas’ beginnings in music and marimba

Like many other artists, he had an interest in music at a young age. In his particular case, he used to imitate animal sounds such as roosters, crows and other typical animals from the rural area of New Mexico, where he spent practically his entire childhood. In addition to that, he was always very curious about the Native American drums because of their particular sound, although this was not the first instrument he would play, but the bells.

When he joined the school band, Lucas wanted to play the drums, but first he had to play the bells for a while. He was in that band from sixth through twelfth grade and was also in his college marching band, which was his springboard to a more professional path in music.

Some time later, he managed to play in international bands Troopers and Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps in the state of California, where he played quad drums for about five years and toured all over the United States.

His first contact with what would become his main instrument, the marimba, was in the University of New Mexico band, something that did not convince Lucas completely since he did not think he had the ability to take on a challenge like that. Fortunately, he dared to do so and did so well that, two years later, he became the leader of the band, which played the Mexican style and whose mentor, Steve Chavez, owned a multitude of Mexican marimbas.

By 1993, his father took him to Chiapas, Mexico, where he met numerous marimba makers and was encouraged to buy his first marimba to start playing marimba professionally.

Lucas playing ”Marimbas Para Mamá” for a church and reception

Lucas’ first band

Lucas’ first band was Marimba Dulce in Albuquerque in around 1997. The group lasted 10 years and he shared the project with Mike Anaya on bass and Anthony Bacca on drums. At the same time, he studied music education and earned a master’s degree in percussion.

In addition to all that, he was also fortunate enough to play with steel drum bands, reggae groups, symphonic orchestras, among many others.

Back in 2008, he also taught music classes in high school and middle school and did the same in the state of California, where he would return to teach percussion in elementary schools.

Marimba Tropical’s founding

The group Lucas created and currently leads receives is called Marimba Tropical, which was founded in 2009 and short-lived because of the difficulties of a nascent group without many resources to stay in the market for a long time. It all started with Lucas meeting a couple of musicians in the Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps, with whom he got to play at some dive clubs and at blues festivals.

In those years, they did not have a large repertoire, so they did repetitive shows and even repeated several songs in the same concert, so sometimes they did not get a chance to eat. Group’s conditions were not the best, so Lucas and the young musicians who accompanied him did not have a very good time and it was very difficult for them to take the project forward.

Years later, specifically in 2015, the band became a duo only composed of Lucas and his partner Jasenia Ruvalcaba Morningstar, who is a Southern California native, plays the bootom of the marimba and also the maracas, the güiro and the flute. She is also a music teacher.

While both Lucas and Jasenia are the key players in the group, they also have Aaron Leutwiler in San Diego, while talented musicians Nancy Guzman and Horacio Peralta support them in Los Angeles when they are busy with other commitments.

What Lucas aspires to achieve from Marimba Tropical in the future is to spread love to the marimba as much as he can and to make it as common in the United States as it is now in Chiapas, Oaxaca and Central America. Similarly, the artist wants to keep offering memories to the natives of these places, whose smiles when he plays ”Las Mañanitas” make him feel very honored to be able to represent so many places at the same time.

Renzo Padilla “El Borincaico”

Latin America / Peru / Lima

Renzo Padilla (Renzo Antonio Padilla Reyes) was born in Barrios Altos in Lima, Peru, on July 12, 1979. In search of a better future, in 1993 his parents decided to travel to the city of Buenos Aires.

Renzo Padilla. At the age of 15, Renzo began his career as a backing singer with the “New Band Salsa” Orchestra. His time with this group was brief, because later he would join the Orquesta La Original, made up of Peruvian musicians based in Buenos Aires.

In the year 2000 he moved to New York City, fulfilling a dream that he thought was impossible. That same year he signed a contract with the Grupo Fuerza Juvenil, he participated for two years in this group that was nominated for the Billboard awards in 2002.

He meets the timbalero Jimmy Delgado and he offered him a project to record, so Renzo resigns from Fuerza Juvenil and decides to record with Delgado, his first single titled Salsa con Dulzura. After this recording he was invited to accompany the most renowned artists in the world of salsa, such as: Frankie Hernández, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Cano Estremera, Ismael Quintana, David Pabón, Roberto Roena, Marvin Santiago, Meñique, Ray Barreto. , Adalberto Santiago, Cuco Valoy, Junior González, Paquito Guzmán, Yolanda Rivera, Luigi Texidor, José Bello, Pedro Conga, Cheo Andujar, Anthony Cruz, Luisito Carrion, Maelo Ruiz, Tito Nieves.

Another of his dreams came true when he met the master Willie Colon, he was invited by him to perform a song by Hector Lavoe, in a New York nightclub. He was also invited by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico on several occasions.

In 2003, Ray Barreto and Adalberto Santiago met again, in which he participated as a chorister at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York.

In 2006 with bassist Ray Martínez he recorded his second album Alto Nivel, and recorded two songs with the Narváez Orchestra. In 2008 he sang with Jimmy Delgado at the Leyendas de la Salsa Concert, along with a lineup of artists such as Luis Perico Ortiz, Richie Ray, Bobby Cruz, Lalo Rodríguez and Adalberto Santiago.

Renzo also sang in the second part of the Legends of Salsa Concert in tribute to Ismael Quintana, where Tony Vega, Luis Perico Ortiz, Lalo Rodríguez, Héctor Tricoche performed, among others.

In 2009 he was a soloist with the Lavoe All Stars Orchestra, made up of musicians from Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe, such as Professor Joe Torre, José Mangual, Jimmy Delgado, Eddie Montalvo, Reynaldo Jorge, Milton Cardona.

In 2010 he was called by the New York group “Our Latin Thing”, to share the stage with Victor Manuel.

On the other hand, Renzo began to develop his talent as a composer. One of his compositions Donde Esta Tu Amor was recorded by Puerto Rican singer Maelo Ruiz.

In 2014 he got together with Jacob Plasse to form the Melaza Group, in which all the songs are his. In that same year, he participated in the largest salsa group, the “Fania All Stars”, and also sang for the recording of the Narváez Orchestra’s album 65 Infantería.

In 2015 he participated as a backing vocalist and as a singer in the concerts of the piano emperor Eddie Palmieri.

In October 2016 he was part of the Eddie Palmieri Orchestra that traveled to Lima to perform a concert at the National Stadium. He has been a vocalist for Los Hermanos Lebrón.

In 2017 he had a successful tour of different cities in Japan. Currently he continues to sing in Lima and on tour around the world.

This talented Peruvian singer is considered one of the promises of salsa. He will continue in his rising career of success and international recognition.

Cuban pianist Daniel Amat achieves his dream abroad

Historically, Cuba has been a tremendous source of talent and keeps on proving it to this very day. Through our great friend, Cuban tres player Ivan Camblor, we have been able to make contact with talented pianist Daniel Amat, who has revealed some of the most interesting facts about his life and career both in his native country and worldwide.

How Daniel got into music

Daniel was fortunate to have been born into a musical family, starting with his father, who was known as ”El Pancho Amat” and had a great talent with the Cuban tres. On his mother’s side, there were also several musicians, so as a child Daniel always had contact with this fascinating world, to which he would belong a few years later.

By learning to play, he started with percussion, but little by little, he experimented with the trumpet and ended up playing the piano at the age of 13, since he saw it as a mixture between the sound world of the trumpet and the rhythmic world of percussion. This is the instrument that would finally hook him and for which he would later become known.

Havana National School of Music

Daniel was a native of a small village in the country, where music could be studied at a basic level. However, anyone who wanted to attain an average level had to go to Havana if or if, but first those interested had to take some entrance exams in order to study in the aforementioned city.

After passing those tests, you went to the National School of Art (ENA), which was especially for the people from the Cuban provinces. In the case of Havanans, there was a music school exclusive for them. At the ENA, I met people from all over the country who played all kinds of genres, which helped me a lot. I studied with Ulises Hernández, who was an excellent teacher and one of the best concert pianists in Cuba” said Daniel on the issue.

Daniel playing — Daniel Amat playing his piano live

He also told us that the school prepared him for many things, although he assures us that teaching is never complete, since a professional in any field must always look for a complement to add to that knowledge, which is given by practical professional experiences. The same happens with music and he is a great example of this.

In the same way, he pointed out that what he learned in the conservatory could not be learned on the street and what he learned on the street could not be learned in the conservatory, so the study and practice complement each other and are not mutually exclusive.

Daniel’s professional start in Cuba

In addition to his studies at the conservatory in Cuba, he also began to pursue music in a much more professional way by playing charanga and danzones at the national hotel. He assures that this experience was very enriching, since he had the opportunity to learn what he could from older musicians with an immense trajectory.

Of that time, Daniel highlights his enormous will to know everything, so he always paid close attention to the anecdotes and stories that his colleagues told each other. Additionally, he was given a lot of advice on how to play or not, so he learned a lot during those years.

He also played with some Cuban popular music and danzón orchestras until he found his own style and released his first album ”El Piano Que Llevo Dentro” in 2003, which is when he formally started his solo career. It is since then that the piano started to be a fundamental part of his repertoire, although he never abandoned danzón, son and changüi. He also adds a bit of Latin jazz to his songs, which was always to his liking and he relied on what Chucho Valdez was doing with Iraquere to find the style he wanted to follow.

the album by Daniel — Cover of the album ”El Piano Que Llevo Dentro” by Daniel Amat

Moving out of Cuba

When Daniel turned 24 years old, he decided to leave Cuba and look for opportunities in other latitudes after marrying his current wife. It is there where his career obviously takes a new direction and many more growth opportunities for the young artist seemed to be surfacing.

While very far away from his homeland, he began collaborating with big bands and symphonic orchestras, but always playing and experimenting with the Cuban genres with which he started his career in the first place.

Since he had already traveled with his father to other countries in previous years due to his work, he developed many friendships and contacts with many people outside of Cuba, so he was able to get to work on his own stuff quickly and without delay. This led him to be called to perform at festivals and events in the United States, Spain and other parts of Europe.

Thanks to the above, Daniel has been fortunate to be able to work in the music branch without the need to look for other jobs as is the case of many other musicians when they emigrate from their respective countries. This has allowed him to focus one hundred percent on his musical projects and to start teaching jazz, Latin jazz, phrasing and many other areas.

Daniel’s current projects

The pianist is very happy because he will soon release a compilation of his first two albums called ”Una Parte de Mi” in vinyl format. For the same, he had the collaboration of his father ”Pancho” Amat, musician Orlando Valle ”Maraca”, maestro Chucho Valdéz, Sixto Llorente ”El Indio”, his piano teacher Ulises Hernández, percussionist Changuito and many more.

Elizabeth and her Timbales

Latinoamerica / Colombia / Cali

Elizabeth

Latin percussionist born in Cali, Colombia. Since she was little she felt passion for music, singing, dancing and playing percussion. At the age of 17, she was invited by her cousin to a rehearsal and since she saw the Timbal she knew she had to undertake ‘the conquest for him’.

The first orchestra with which he worked was called Tumbadora, made up of women. Three years later she joined the Canela Orchestra, made up of 13 women and internationally recognized. Thanks to the tutelage and trust of percussionists from the most important groups in Colombia, such as Grupo Niche, Orquesta Guayacán, la Identidad and others, she was able to move forward and thus demonstrate that women, with effort, passion and dedication can conquer any instrument of percussion.

Elizabeth has had the opportunity to travel the world and share the stage with renowned artists such as Gilberto Santarosa, Andy Montañez, la Sonora Ponceña and the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. With the latter two, he had the opportunity to share Timbal solos at the Bacardi Salsa Congress in Puerto Rico.

She recorded on the first album of Grupo Kemade Colombia directed by one of the most important musical producers in Colombia, José Aguirre, former director of Grupo Niche, Son de Cali and Yuri Buenaventura. In the educational field, Elizabeth founded the Percussion Academy in Cali which she directed for four years. In it children and adults received instruction.

Elizabeth has been based in Tampa, Florida for four years, where she develops as an independent musician. There he has shared the Timbal with renowned musicians such as Chago Martínez (timbalero and musical director of Víctor Manuelle), La India, Isidro Infante, Ramón Sánchez, Jerry Rivera and Michael Stuart. He is currently part of the Sol Caribe Orchestra.

Elizabeth has always proudly played the Timbale LP ‘Stainless Steel’, model Tito Puente. In her own words “I’m happy with my Timbale! I feel safe, calm and I love its sound”.

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