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If you want to listen to Tasty Salsa tune in to Ritmo Sabor y Salsa with Nesmary J. Gómez

Nesmary J. Gómez H. was born in Venezuela, Miranda state, city of Los Teques on January 9, 1995.

If you want to listen to Salsa sabrosa tune in to Ritmo Sabor y Salsa, there's no other way to listen to it — If you want to listen to Salsa sabrosa tune in to Ritmo Sabor y Salsa, there’s no other way to listen to it

Nesmary is a young student of social communication at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, Announcer of the Ritmo Sabor y Salsa program.

From an early age she felt attracted to the salsa genre and at 3 years old she sang Pedro Simon (dumb things) of the Colón orchestra when she turned 7 she already danced songs by Oscar D’ León and the Latin Dimension.

Afirma Nesmary Gómez que gracias a su abuela materna y quién ha sido fiel seguidora del sonero del mundo “Mi abuela Gloria Hueck a ella le debo todo lo que soy una mujer inigualable una madre para mi luego de la trágica muerte de mi mama, fue mi abuela quien me crío y crecí a su lado escuchando desde Óscar D León hasta un Ismael Rivera, Henry Fiol”.

With 12 Years she fell in love with the radio by being a very active listener of all the radios of the town making herself known by almost all the announcers earning the heart and affection for being the number 1 listener of different programs.

Being in the first year of basic education he had the experience of airing an educational program on the community radio Urquia 97.5FM being this radio the first to open its doors to him.

Nesmary Gómez y Carlos Marrero en Radio PLENITUD 90.9FM

After 3 years she is taken into account for a new project as co-producer “El baúl de los recuerdos” on the community radio of Carrizal 91.5FM with the physically disappeared Jhonny Tovar, who with his great support was able to highlight the talent of this young woman, said project had a duration of 2 years.

The opportunities remained present and is called by the director of a commercial radio Carlos Daniel Piñango man who fully trusts this young prospect of broadcasting and is included as a second voice in the El Hormiguero RV program where he was nourished every day more when working with The announcer Mario García is a long-distance man who so far is a reference on Altomirandina radio.

When life began to smile at her a hard blow after the death of her second child made that young woman passionate about the voiceover lose the desire to live “I remember that by that moment I felt the desire to die, depression and pain led me to a bad emotional and physical state.

Thanks to our heavenly father who gave me strength to get up” The best way not to be overcome by pain was a radio booth starting as an audio operator in different live programs, in addition to motivating himself to create a project of the salsa genre called Salsa and Control project that lasted 4 years and was interrupted by situations beyond his will.

This talented young woman continues to prepare herself day by day to be an example of overcoming and show that obstacles can be overcome with perseverance and perseverance “There is no pain that separated us from what we like, on the contrary when you have pain the best thing is to take refuge in what we are so passionate about and mainly in God”.

For 1 year and a half has been airing a proposal that is giving something to talk about Ritmo Sabor y Salsa is Nesmary Gómez’s project on Radio PLENITUD 90.9FM Monday Wednesday and Friday between 2:00 – 4:00pm from where this year 2023.

Has been sharing in exclusive interviews with great exponents of the genre such as Mauricio Silva, Viti Ruiz, Pedro Arroyo, Edgar Joel, Lus “Perico” Ortiz, Gus Colón, Fernando Cancel, Antonio Cartagena, among many other artists.

Who appreciate the existence of this program that gives the audience the opportunity to know their musical trajectory in chronological order.

“I am one of the few people who think and feel that artists must be honored in life, let’s not wait for them to leave this earthly plane to pay tribute and place their songs, let’s give him that great satisfaction that You can enjoy it in life” said space recently premiered the segment “La Clave de la Salsa”.

In honor of that percussion instrument, to those two cylindrical wooden sticks on which many of the music of the Caribbean are built and for this case the salsa known as the key, in this segment the story of 2 songs that sounded insistently and that are still kept in the memories and taste of the public is known.

Nesmary recently received his speech certificate at the Elac of Santa Rosa University. Being one of the few female voices in Los Teques and all the Altos Mirandinos that has the perfect formula to brighten your afternoons in the company of a great audio operator known as Carlos “Lolo” Marrero the duo that is delighting you and dictating catedra quoting those words of the renowned singer Roberto Lugo “If you want to listen to a tasty salsa tune in to Ritmo Sabor y Salsa there is no hay más na”.

Also Read: Lizna Tovar winner in the category Voice Over of the year 2022 in Canary Islands Tenerife

We bring trombonist Félix O. Rodriguez from Santurce to ISM

The beautiful island of enchantment Puerto Rico has always given birth to many of the best salsa exponents of all time and the source of talent that has come out of that place has been inexhaustible. It is always a pleasure to be able to talk with a boricua of those who continue to leave their Latin heritage on high and, this time, it was the turn of the arranger, composer, sound engineer and trombonist Félix O. Rodríguez from Santurce.

It was very kind of the artist to give us a few minutes of his time to answer some questions for International Salsa Magazine and then we will be elaborating a bit on the topics we discussed with the salsa exponent.

Félix from Santurce — Trombonist and sound enginer Félix O. Rodríguez from Santurce

Félix’s beginnings in the music world

Félix’s first contact with music was at home, as his parents listened a lot to salsa, merengue, bachata and Latin music in general. While listening to this music, one of the things that attracted him the most was the sound of the trombone, especially in artists such as Willie Colón, Oscar D’ León, Gilberto Santa Rosa and many others.

Once he reached the seventh grade in school, he decided to take music lessons and chose that instrument to start his training due to his fascination with it, something that today he does not complain about because he assures that he has done very well.

In this learning process, noticing Félix’s interest in the trombone, his father, who was a professional orchestra musician, invited him to rehearsals so that he could soak up this whole atmosphere from an early age. It just so happened that the trombonist of this orchestra could not attend a rehearsal, so they gave the opportunity to the young boy to take his place for that night.

After two or three shows, Félix was selected as house trombonist when he was only thirteen years old. Although he was not old enough to enter nightclubs, he was allowed to be present because he was part of the orchestra that would play there.

Orquesta Innovación and musical arrangements

When he entered high school, Félix began to study a bit about music theory and related topics such as chords, writing for a specific instrument, percussion and other subjects.

The young man worked so hard to train that, at only 15 years old, he was already perfectly capable of making musical arrangements, starting with transcriptions of music existing so far and copying notes from those songs. After several years on it, he finally started writing his own original music.

In fact, he went on to record a couple of songs with Orquesta Innovación (the second orchestra he was in), a couple of original songs that unfortunately were never released, but served as experience for what would follow.

University of South Carolina

Félix acknowledged with laughter that this was the only university he applied to, so it was almost an obligation for him to be admitted. Fortunately for him, it was.

He had to perform some tests with instruments and show examples of material of his own authorship to prove his musical skills. Everything he had learned so far was mostly based on salsa.

Thanks to his effort and dedication in previous years, he was admitted to the University of South Carolina, where he studied music theory and trombone for five years. While there, the musician learned everything necessary about the historical aspects of all variants of classical music, jazz, marching band, orchestral symphony and many more.

The formation obtained in his studies is still useful to Félix in the arrangements he makes today. However, he made it clear that his passion was and still is salsa and Latin music in general.

Félix during a performance — Félix during a live performance

Military life and musical activities during those years

Upon graduating from the university, Félix was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army, following his father’s example, who was perfectly capable of meeting his obligations in the military and continuing to exercise his passion for music without having to give up either.

As fate would have it, the artist met up with a former colleague from Orquesta Innovación, which led them to revive their passion for music and to create Orquesta Ideal, with which he spent eight years at Fort Bragg (U.S. military installation), North Carolina, his first stop as an officer.

Over the years, he was assigned to units in Spain, Germany and Korea. It didn’t matter where he went because there were always Puerto Ricans and Latinos eager to get together to make music, which Felix took advantage of to be in touch with music, whether as a trombonist or a DJ.

When asked if these events in which he was involved in were open to the public, he said yes in most cases, as military bases allowed entry to anyone, but unfortunately that changed with the Twin Tower Bombings on 9/11.

Berklee College of Music

During the last years of his military career, Felix studied production, mixing and remastering at Berklee College of Music in order to go preparing for his return to music once his retirement was official.

In addition to playing the trombone and arranging, the musician also loved production, editing, mixing and mastering, so he wanted to learn much more about all of these areas and thus have more control over his own work.

Given that the Covid-19 pandemic was starting at that time, his hours at the military base where he worked were significantly reduced, which he took full advantage of to dedicate more time to school and continue growing as a professional musician.

Félix recording — Félix in a recording studio

‘‘Con La Música Por Dentro’’

In the year 2021, Felix released his first EP titled ”Con La Música Por Dentro”. In a world still hit by the pandemic, the artist found it very difficult to record and promote his first solo musical work.

He wanted to record with live musicians, but because of this same situation, it was not possible, so there were endless backing vocals he had to do and instruments he had to play himself in order to make the EP happen, so his name is the one that predominates in almost all the credits of the material.

Fortunately, he succeeded to establish a recording studio at home and was supported his friend and singer João José, who recorded voices, piano and bass for the three tracks that make up the EP.

Atlanta

When we wanted to know why he chose Atlanta as his final destination to settle permanently, he told us that he did it to support his wife, who has got a good job in that city. He remembered the time when he started in the army and his wife and daughter always followed him wherever he traveled for his military duties, so he considered that it is time to return everything his partner has done for him and decided to follow her this time.

He had to look a little to meet musicians and re-weave those connections in the industry and the Latino community in Atlanta, so he had to start from scratch in that sense. The good thing is that everything worked out for him and, as soon as he arrived in Atlanta, he was contacted to play with Willie Gonzalez. The bandleader liked his skills as a musician and offered him to continue playing with them, and so it has been to this day.

José Alberto “El Canario” and his orchestra enjoy a great international reputation in the Latin music scene.

His start in music was as a drummer, then as a bongo player, with some 48 years in Latin music and as a sonero, today in International Salsa Magazine through www.salsagoogle.com, José Alberto Justiniano Andújar, better known artistically as José Alberto El Canario, was born on December 22, 1958 in Villa Consuelo in Santo Domingo Dominican Republic.

El Canario began to have a passion for music from a very young age, first playing drums, bongo and timbales, at the age of 7 his mother Adalgisa, recognized dancer of the golden age of “Radio-Televisión Dominicana”, took him to live on the island of Puerto Rico, as a professional dancer she had to perform in important international theaters.

El Canario began to study in a military school in Las Antillas, then in 1970 he moved with his father to New York, where he began to sing with several orchestras, receiving international attention as the leader of the Típica 73 in October 1977, where he earned 25 dollars for each presentation and recognized it as his university in the life of art.

José Alberto credits his compadre Roberto Geronimo for his successful artistic career. Geronimo discovered him as an artist and managed him for many years. El Canario also sang merengue at the onset of his musical journey.

In 1983, José Alberto established his own band and gained fame as a major Latin star after his debut album Noches Calientes released in 1984.

Jose Alberto is a renowned singer who has recorded numerous chart-topping hits, including “Sueño Contigo”, “Hoy Quiero Confesar”, “Te Voy a Saciar de Mi”, “A Gozar”, “Es Tu Amor”, and “Quieres Ser Mi Amante”, among others, for his 1988 album Sueño Contigo and several others.

His inimitable voice and unmatched improvisational skills have earned him international acclaim. Jose Alberto has collaborated with several contemporary artists such as Johnny Rodriguez, Mario Rivera, Nicky Marrero, Oscar D’Leon, and Celia Cruz.

El Canario began to have a passion for music at a very young age, first playing drums, bongo drums and timbales.

José Alberto “El Canario” has earned multiple gold and platinum records due to his high number of album sales.

He has achieved success not only in the United States and Europe but also throughout Latin America, including his native Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica.

The nickname “El Canario” was bestowed upon him by a New York disc jockey who christened him so in a disco due to his improvisational skills; “Canta canario” was the catchphrase he would belt out through the control microphone.

José Alberto ‘El Canario’ and his Orchestra have gained immense international recognition in the Latin music industry.

His musical prowess and captivating voice make his live shows some of the most thrilling performances.

El Canario, winner of the “Congo de oro” in 2005 – an award given to the best musical groups presented at the Festival de Orquestas del Carnaval de Barranquilla – and of three Latin Grammys in 2013, 2015 and 2018, is one of the undisputed artists of Latin music with a career spanning some 48 years.

Arturo Sandoval, Oscar D' Leon y El Canario — Arturo Sandoval, Oscar D’ Leon y El Canario

Throughout his career, José Alberto El Canario has gained international recognition for his unique voice and style, but also, according to his biographies, for his improvisations on stage.

José Alberto El Canario y su Orquesta enjoys great international renown in the Latin music scene.

Also Read: Jimmie Morales a conguero for the history of Afro-Caribbean music

José Hildemaro Hugas Amarista “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela to the world

José Hildemaro Hugas Amarista, better known artistically as “Hildemaro, El Sonero Del Amor”, was born on November 10, 1957 in Caripito, a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Monagas.

He is a Venezuelan singer-songwriter whose interest in music began at a very young age, participating in various children’s programs on the radio station in his hometown and in Maturin, the capital of the state of Monagas.

In 1970 he won the first “Festival De La Canción Inédita” held in Caripito.

Then he moved to Carúpano, where he began to sing with different musical groups of that city, such as “Los Bravos” and “Soles De Media Noche”.

"El Sonero del Amor" from Venezuela — “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela

Later he was called by the “Combo Melorítmico” of Maturín, where he stayed for a year. He always wanted to sing in the capital.

In 1976 his dream came true when he was called to be a part of the Front Train Orchestra “Los Satélites”, for seven (7) months, the proposed goals began to be different and began to work to achieve them. In 1979 he joined the “Orquesta Ideal”, with which the song “Contigo Besos Salvajes” was played all over the country and was successively imposed among the first places.

In 1981 he joined the “Supercombo Los Tropicales” of Maracaibo, then the “Noche Caliente” orchestra and later the “Porfi Jimenez” orchestra.

In 1985 he joined the orchestra of Renato Capriles: “Los Melódicos”, which gave him the greatest and best experience, given the popularity, prestige and discipline imposed by its director.

In 1986, as a soloist, he recorded his first LP of tropical music under the name “El Jr. de la música tropical” for the record label “Sur Americana del Disco”, , with the name “El Jr. de la música tropical.”

In December 1987 he received a wonderful offer from the record label “Top Hit (T.H.. ) and in 1988 he records his first LP, as a “sensual salsero” for Venezuela, titled “Amanecí Contigo” under the pen of José “El Flaco” Bermúdez, who is also the creator of the style that pushes him towards the international market, where all his songs hit with great acceptance and have his greatest impact in Peru (his second home as he usually calls it), starting his successful career as “Hildemaro, El Sonero Del Amor”.

José Hildemaro Hugas Amarista "El Sonero del Amor" from Venezuela to the World — José Hildemaro Hugas Amarista “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela to the World

In 1989 he recorded his second LP entitled “Sin Tabú”, which went gold a few weeks after its release, and this album took him back to Peru, where he is considered one of the main idols of Salsa Sensual. Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, United States, Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Holland, Switzerland, among others), Asia (Japan), among many other countries, have joined his successful career.

In 1990 he recorded his third album called “Romantic and Sensual”, consolidating himself as one of the best voices of Latin American and Caribbean Salsa, qualities that were also reflected in his fourth production entitled “Lo Mejor De Mí” in 1991.

In 1993 he recorded his fifth album under the name “Al Natural”.

In 1994 he was invited to participate in the recording of the album “Con Ganas” by the Cuban Issac Delgado, where he performed a duet of a song composed by José L. Cortes called “Que Pasa Loco”, which quickly became an international success and took him to other latitudes.

In 1995 he released his sixth production with the title “Lo Que Siento”. One year later he signed a contract with the Mexican label “Balboa Records”, where he recorded the album “La Mejor Salsa Con Hildemaro”.

"El Sonero del Amor" from Venezuela and Viti Ruiz — “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela and Viti Ruiz

In 1999, he was invited by the Venezuelan group “Melody Gaita”, along with other artists, to record a tribute song to his friend and colleague Oscar D’ León.

In 2001, “Orquesta La Constelación” decided to record an album with several artists, in which he participated with two (2) songs (Peruvian waltzes), “Cuando Llora Mi Guitarra”, in duet with Andy Montañez, and “Jamás Impedirás”, which allowed him to sound nationally and internationally.

In 2002, he is called by another Venezuelan group “Pajarito Vola Show”, along with other artists, this time to participate in a well-deserved tribute to Betulio Medina. In 2002 and 2003 he burst in the national and international radio stations with two (2) singles “Corazón Loco” and “El Celular”.

In 2016, he begins to sound again in the radio stations with the song “Que Voy a Hacer Sin su Amor”.

In addition to his talent to sing Salsa Romántica, he is recognized for his interpretation of the Bolero. And on stage he has shared the stage with artists of the stature of: Oscar De León, Tito Rojas, Tito Gómez, Paquito Guzmán, Andy Montañez, Maelo Ruiz, Viti Ruiz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, David Pavón, Ismael Miranda, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Tony Vega, Nino Segarra, José Alberto “El Canario”, among many others.

"El Sonero del Amor" from Venezuela and El Canario — “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela and El Canario

Among his many facets is his love for sports, especially volleyball, which he has practiced since he was very young. He is an honorary member of the FUCUFOCA Foundation, which has been responsible for the organization of the Festival de la Canción Inédita de Caripito for fifty-one (51) years. Faithful collaborator of the Friends of Palencia Foundation and sponsor of several institutions.

Through his foundation HH Productions, he has carried out social actions such as Collaboration in the construction of the Virgen del Rosario Church in Caripito;

Donations of medicines and food to the needy, assistance to sports teams with equipment and clothing, organization of charity concerts and support of the “Amigos de la Palencia” Foundation.

Through his foundation HH Productions, he has carried out social actions such as Collaboration in the construction of the church “Virgen del Rosario” in Caripito;

Donations of medicine and food to people in need, help to sports teams with equipment and clothing; Realization of benefit concerts and concerts of popular attraction in collaboration with the end of year festivities of his hometown.

He has always given value to new talents, helping them in their first steps with his advice and teachings, such as Angel “Tu Angel”, Hildemaro Jr. “La Continuación”, Gilberto Hugas, among others.

Between the years 2022 and 2023 he will celebrate his forty (40) uninterrupted years of artistic life, with a long international tour in countries such as: Colombia, Bolivia,

Peru, Panama, United States, Canada and Europe. He is now promoting the songs “Si Tú Te Vas” and “Amigos Especiales” from his new production, which he is preparing with his inseparable director and producer, José “El Flaco” Bermúdez.

Also Read: Carlos “Nene” Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies

René Latin Soul and his journey into music from his home country

René Latin Soul

After anything we have yet witnessed in the Latin music scene of the United States, we can say that it is undeniable that Cuba is an endless source of talent and passion for music, so this island can never be missing in International Salsa Magazine. On this occasion, it was the turn of producer, musical director, arranger, composer and trombonist René Latin Soul.

René is a talented Cuban who has managed to gain a very important place in the music industry in this country and we wanted to know how he managed to get there. Do not miss the fascinating conversation we had with the artist.

René playing the trombone — René Latin Soul playing the trombone during a performance

Beginnings in Cuba

René Amet Campos Artigas was born in the province of Camagüey, specifically in the municipality of Nuevitas. He came to music from a very early age, as many of his relatives are musicians, including his father and grandfather. This led him to enroll in the music conservatory when he was only 10 years old.

He confesses that he always knew he wanted this to be his profession and had no other career in mind for tomorrow, so he always did his best to excel as much as he could in the music business.

Once he finished school, René entered the military for mandatory service and was part of the general staff band. He was always intended to move to Havana in order to make himself known as an artist and he finally did it to stay for a while and see how he was doing.

During this time, he was working for several nightclubs that offered live music, but he did it with the trombone given by the army when he was in the staff band, since he just did not have enough money to buy one of his own.

Unfortunately, the time of the ”Special Period” arrived and this crisis forced him to return to his native Camagüey. However, this was not the end of his dream.

Upon returning, both René and his father started an artistic project which they named ”Valentín y Los del Caribe” and started working in tourism, specifically in a company called El Cuartón Club which had hotels in Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa, Mexico.

Canada and the United States

While working with El Cuartón, René spent a long spell touring in the Aztec country, which gave him the opportunity to get to know other territories and other ways of doing things. In one of these trips, he made the decision not to return to Cuba and try his luck on new horizons.

He lived in the capital of the aforementioned country for more than 12 years, during which time he worked as an instrumentalist and worked with several artists belonging to the salsa guild such as La India, Jerry Rivera, Grupo Niche, Oscar D’ León, Los Adolescentes, among many others.

René on stage — René Latin Soul performing on stage

When he met the woman who became his wife, they started their romantic relationship and began making plans of life in common, between which Mexico fell a long way short, so it was time to put down roots elsewhere. At first, this new place would be Canada, but plans changed and the couple ended up leaving to the United States of America.

René and his wife spent about eight months living in Canada, but immigration issues became very difficult for them from one moment to another, so it did not take long for them to relocate to the United States.

René never thought to live here, since the Cuban government instilled an absolutely negative view of what this country represents in children from a very young age and he was no exception. However, all those opinions changed once the musician began to really get to know this nation. Today, he feels he has adapted perfectly and has been here for about six years, when he moved to this country to establish his family and career.

René Latin Soul & His Quartet

Once René arrived in the United States with his wife, his situation was very complex as any immigrant’s, so he had to work on things that had nothing to do with music. In fact, he recalls he spent more than a year without playing the trombone because he could not devote himself to music at that time.

That was it until he started playing trombone with the Kimbalai Orchestra, which he left in December 2021 and went to live in the city of Murrieta, one hour from San Diego. Once there he met Michael Mora, a friend who advised him to exploit the features of the city to start a solo project, which led him to start a solo career, which he finally did.

As he made a name for himself, he was able to include other musicians in his project, which allowed him to build the quartet he has today. Although René is very happy with what he has accomplished so far, he plans to have a much bigger salsa band in the future.

René and his piano — René Latin Soul in front of his piano

Music classes

A very important part of René’s work with music is teaching and this was a point we found interesting to discuss.

When asked if talent was natural or developed, he said natural. The artist thinks that the ability to play an instrument is innate in the musician, so this person only requires academic training to educate those gifts at a professional level.

He finishes by saying that ”there is a very particular way of feeling the music and, if you don’t feel it that way, you can’t play it correctly. Time, tuning and melody are essential for anyone who wants to be a professional musician.

Cuban talent despite the circumstances

According to one of the descriptions provided by René’s website, the artist is one of the figures who demonstrates the virtuosity of Cuban-born musicians. Of course, considering that the island does not live the same normality as most countries in the world.

About this, René said that ”clothes don’t make man. The most important thing to a talented person with an instrument is to focus on what he or she has to do and not look at anything around. There may be vicissitudes and shortages, but if you are focused on something you love, you have to find a way to improve and develop yourself in spite of everything”.

In his case, the musician tells us that he had friends with travel opportunities who brought the most recent findings made in music and he was always interested in knowing these things to apply them to his own technique.