Latin America/ Venezuela / Caracas

Salsa is an expression of life within the caraqueño and Latin American neighborhoods. This fusion of rhythms has known how to slip in and no one escapes its magic and enchantment. Such is the case of pianist, composer and arranger Fidel Gregorio Antillano, born in the city of Caracas on June 10, 1962 and raised in one of the city’s sound districts, Los Frailes de Catia, where he lived surrounded by salsa groups, street performers, carnival and Christmas parties, enjoying the golden age of the salsa boom.

This genre influenced his destiny and allowed him to make it his way of life. Salsa is a cultural condiment with the flavor of many countries, which has managed to transcend borders.

Almost always at home the musical vein is lit. Was this your case? 

“There was influence from my relatives, in my house there was always music, it was like a big jukebox, La Billos, Los Antaños del Stadium, la Sonora Matancera, Barbarito Diez, Casino de la Playa, among others, my grandmother lived in El Retiro, in La Pastora, she had a piano, when I went to visit her with my dad, I sat at the piano and I liked what I felt, music was part of my family, my dad was a great music lover, he bought all kinds of records, classical music, Creole music, tango”.

Did your grandmother or your father play the piano?

“No, my grandmother Gregoria “Tata” -we called her that because of our affection-, she was an amateur but she did not play it, she had it as a reference, she played cuatro, my uncle also played cuatro and guitar, my father did not play anything, he bought many Lps, given the house we had -the piano was a kind of furniture that embellished and gave cache to the house-“.

“My older brother -on my father’s side- he did have some knowledge, he was the most educated, in that house there were harps, cuatro, maracas, records, my family on my father’s side were very fond of music, from our musical family tree we have four musicians -Julito Antillano, Denis Antillano, José “Kikin” Fernández and me”.

What anecdotes or memories do you have of the piano?

“At the time of the construction of La Cota Mil, my grandmother’s piano was taken to my father’s house, at that time I began to kill a fever, I was about 10 years old, it was the time of the gazebos to choose the queens of the neighborhoods, the Sexteto Juventud was in fashion with its theme Caramel and Chocolate; at Christmas and Carnival we did not peel a rehearsal of the groups that lived in Catia”.

That would be the first impulse to awaken the gift within 

“Yes, that was my first impulse, I inherited that musical vein from my grandmother and my father, they were close to salsa and folk musicians, besides, my father and my uncle bought a lot of Long Play (elepé), I started working with my

brother in a shoe store and started buying records.

Fidel, I understand that you are a self-taught musician. How was that learning process and deciding that the piano would be the instrument to play?

“Yes, I am a self-taught musician, back in the 70s we used to hear Nico Monterola’s Orquesta Renovación, La Banda y Su Salsa Joven on the radio. To my surprise, we used to meet with those musicians and we used to go and hang around their rehearsals, this had a big impact on me, there were many shows, it was a coming and going of groups of the moment”.

When I was 18 or 19 years old, seeing Salsa Mayor, Pacheco, Carlos “El Grande”, all those great musicians, I made the decision to learn to play an instrument, I looked for a teacher or someone who would teach me to play the piano -Salsa was underestimated and that’s why they thought it shouldn’t be studied”.

He got a teacher

“No, because of what I’ve told you, salsa was seen with bad eyes, the scholars did not see it as music would be, look, at that time I was exchanging the Lp with my friends, in one of those exchanges a friend lent me the album “Musical Conquest” by Sonora Ponceña, when I heard the song ‘Ñañara’ I fell and the entrance of the piano played by Papo Luca, that simple montuno, I was hooked – I said; this will be my thing!

That was the leap you’re hoping for 

“Yes, that was the big jump, I went uphill because I didn’t know what a chord was, I didn’t know anything, I mounted 4 songs with simple chords, taking the first steps I fell in love, then I joined people with more knowledge”.

“As there was no one to teach me, I saw books, I had chords of the songs and I was guided by a music theory book, I learned to decipher the codes, music is a code, I read the Swing Latino magazine -from my friend Angel Mendez-, without stepping on a school, I was fed up; one must know about harmony, contra punto, I bought the Berklee harmony book and many more, -I rubbed shoulders with other musicians -some records came as a clinic, all this was feeding me”.

He was his own teacher and a very disciplined student

“I was my own teacher and I took on a discipline because that’s what I wanted, if you went to an institution where they gave music lessons and you said you wanted to play salsa, the musician was fined or thrown out, they were treated in a derogatory way”.

It was worth the effort, from being an empirical musician to playing with the best orchestras.

“I started with Grupo Fósforo, back in 81, we only wanted to play, it was a sextet, Mr. Manuel Ibarra passed me the notes and I didn’t know much about playing, then Jesús “Mandinga” Torres, took me to see different groups, That’s when I decided to introduce brass into the sextet and it became an orchestra, -all the arrangements were done by me-, I had any number of records and many songs from those Lp were not played or played by other orchestras -Gran Combo, Sonora Ponceña, among others-“.

He is a collector

“Not a collector as such, but I do like it, not with the eagerness that any collector has to obtain all the production, as La Sonora Ponceña says, but I have my Lp”.

What happened with the group Fósforo?

“It dissolved because they each started playing for different orchestras.”

And then the Grupo Fósforo   

“Mandinga tells me that Carlos “Tabaco” Quintana needs a pianist, I clarify to him that I do not know how to read the scores, that he gives me the papers that I have the album, I began to listen to the album and I saw the papers, with that I completed the study, and I was increasing the experience, I recorded in the production of Tabaco and his Group Futuro”.

“Then with Dimas and his Orchestra Alegria, it was the first album I recorded professionally in the year 85, through those works I was doing with Dimas, I know Mauricio Silva, I felt afraid because Mauricio already had experience, he was the producer of Dimas’ album, but everything flowed, on the way I know many other professionals”.

“In the year 87 Roberto Blades came to Venezuela to the famous events Consul, Alberto Vergara recommended me Manuel Guerra and we made several tours by some regions of the country, then Julito – my nephew – told me that Naty Martinez needed a pianist”.

How was your time with Naty’s orchestra and your separation?

“Thanks to the album I made with Dimas, many doors opened for me, he believed in me and I will always be grateful for that. Through this album, Naty hired me, he already had references from me, and I recorded 4 of his productions with him -Naty, El Legendario, returned, In Dos tiempos and Proyecto Maelo-, with Naty I made my debut at the Poliedro de Caracas, I met Ray Barreto and the pianist Ricky González -he passed me some tricks-, we also went to Colombia and alternated with Grupo Niche and Joe Arroyo, a great growth and learning”.

“I left the Orchestra with a good relationship with Naty, so much so that he called me later to record in the productions, En dos Tiempos and Proyecto Maelo”.

It was a very fast growth 

“Yes, I’ve even recorded jingles, I was with the Orquesta Café de Caricuao, I was with Erick Franchesky in the production where he pays tribute to Billos”.

From Salsa orchestras to working with one of the greatest exponents of Caribbean popular music, maestro Porfi Jimenez 

“At the time that erotic salsa was introduced, I started to play with Porfi, merengue and snail soup were in fashion, all that music was in great demand, it was a boom, weekly there were 3 or 4 dances, this dragged a great group of followers, with it I go to Tenerife to some carnivals, I have great respect and admiration for the master”.

His time with the group of Porfi opened the doors to work with the group “Los Roques” of Tenerife

“Of course, however, I had left my resume there and one day they called me and told me that they were going to send me the ticket, I was with them for about 7 months, I played in the carnivals of Tenerife, it was something apotheosis, dances and dances did not let me come – laughs – they played merengue, I was blessed to visit Africa”.

All this accumulation of experience allows him to decide to create his own orchestra

“When Porfi was in the merengue boom, however, most of us musicians were salsa musicians, and because of that need to play our rhythm I decided to create my orchestra, but before doing the Combo Antillano we had an orchestra called La Gran Fuga, the singer was Edgar dolor, we killed fever with that orchestra and eventually I played with Naty and Porfi, because of so much activity I played with my orchestra on the days I had free, it was a good time for the groups”.

What happened with La Gran Fuga?

“We made it to occupy the days we had free with Porfi’s orchestra, at that time it had suffered a drop in the number of performances, but when it came back up, we didn’t have time or space to play, – well – it didn’t really dissolve, in fact they always give us caps to reassemble”.

From being the musician of the Orchestra Dé, to being the owner of El Combo Antillano and taking responsibility for a team

“A great responsibility and commitment, but it was time to do the same, we opened the compas playing music from the Gran Combo of Puerto Rico, that was the end, we played the greatest hits of the moment, no other band did, on Tuesdays that was full of people in the different places where we worked, this served as a bridge and accompanied other artists, Andy Montañez and other groups, this made me think about making original songs to record.

What was your first composition?

“The “Afro-Caribbean Music Festival” took place at the New Circus in Caracas, with 30 orchestras participating. Lil Rodríguez asked the orchestras to play original songs, and my first composition was a tribute to Caracas”.

At that moment they take a prize as the most applauded group of the night 

“Yes, that was impressive, with Leah’s song, a Mongo Santamaría song, it was something new for the moment, an instrumental discharge”.

Tell us about your record productions

“My first production is called Háblame de Melao (2010), in most of the songs I do the lyrics and arrangements, was something new, the black Mendoza puts me to record and tells me to do theme by theme, we made 21 track, but in the album only put 19, this production was made to recognize the singers, Dimas Pedroza, Teo Hernandez, Angel Flores, Larry Tovar, Luis del Valle “Don Wicho”, Rodrigo Mendoza, Eloy Rios, a tribute to them and highlight our people.

“The second, Fidel and the descarga de los Frailes (2013), here we handle the Salsa, Latin Jazz, Danzón, has a lot of instrumental music before starting the rumba, I had the desire to work and create with a sense of belonging, I made an innovation in the melody with the electric guitar and flute, I did not want to continue recording on wet”.

“and, Caracas en su Salsa (2018), is a tribute to the Salsa of Caracas, in this production we have 14 songs”.

Through this production you made a documentary with the same name, which begins with a beautiful phrase of Cabrujas “Caracas Suena. The city was made to be heard, not to be seen”. How would your interpretation of this hidden city be?

“There is a city that cannot be seen, but it is there, and although the media does not show it to us, we can notice it, through, for example, the musical groups that exist in our neighborhoods and that become visible when there are events, like the one organized by Héctor Castillo (+) in 1983, where we could realize that there was a whole cultural movement hidden in each of our neighborhoods”.

“So I urge this type of inter-neighborhood events, which allow the visibility of the hidden Caracas.

Another of his passions is composition. At what point does the muse come to him?

“At first sight I fell in love -laughs-, -Bella Cubana-, to compose you must have a little bit of each thing, love, dislike, joy, sadness, they are not always experiences of the composer, sometimes if, in the variety is the taste, in my case I work with the rhythmic part and I put lyrics, and more than muse is a mixture”.

He makes songs with meaning that captivate the audience

“You like your audience to identify with your songs, the lyrics are thought-provoking.”

Does the song I don’t want to live in the dark have to do with any experience?

“That one was written by Carlos Navarro and I arranged it for him, it was a personal experience of his. I was in a treatment centre and he talked to me about it, I decided to do the arrangement”.

In the music industry we have many issues of strip and shrinkage, is the case of Domina tu lengua

“Sometimes people think that a song can be a strip and shrink, because of the content of the lyrics, in this case it is not, this was written by the Cuban producer Luis Llamo”.

What gives you the most pleasure as a musician?

“Finishing the product with quality and seeing the acceptance of the public, when you are in the studio and you realize that it looks better, then it sounds on the radio, seeing that the public sings it, dances it, that’s priceless, that’s the greatest satisfaction”.

Which of your productions has given you the most satisfaction?

“Tell me about Melao.”

Why?

“There is a great variety of rhythms in it, I had the opportunity and the satisfaction of exchanging with a large number of people from outside, in it is the theme Pa’ Barlovento, in it exported what is ours, our native rhythm, Venezuelan Sangueo, the Culo e’ Puya, the San Millán”.

What have been your musical influences?

“I wouldn’t be a musician if it wasn’t for Papo Lucas, trying to emulate what he did, as a musician, arranger and person, I admire him a lot, from here comes my influence, -in what time he learned everything he knows-, that makes him incredible, apart from the master Tony Monserrat, an independence with his left hand, he was a virtuoso”.

Many begin by imitating a style, versioning lyrics from other groups. What do you think of the copies, has creativity been lost?

“It’s a resource that is used, at a certain moment, it’s a hook, I barely had the opportunity to do my work, one must have the ability to discern where to play each song, maybe many are afraid of not liking it, or not being accepted”.

What do you think this fear is about? 

“Perhaps not to be broadcast on the radio stations.”

He believes that more support is needed from the various media

“Yes, the lack of support sometimes makes one fear, it’s worrying to touch on a subject and the track gets empty.”

That’s when the artist turns to the hated payola

“I don’t agree with the payola, but it is a necessary evil, all the work that an orchestra owner does generates expenses, and after making an investment you need a retribution; previously live performances were a springboard, they projected a lot to the groups, that has declined a lot”.

What has happened to the Bolero in productions, you don’t listen to them anymore?

“The record companies are more determined to sell, that’s why I think they stopped recording, the new generation should identify with that rhythm, there are many beautiful boleros and if they stop recording they might be forgotten”.

Fidel, what new projects are on the way?

“Right now I’m recording with Angel Flores -record pocket- the song is called Callejon 107, is dedicated to the experiences of Latin American neighborhoods, is a son montuno very tasty, lyrics by Flores and with arrangements by this server”.

At this time when humanity is going through a hard test for its survival, what message would you leave behind?

“There is advice to live a life attached to good habits, one must live under these guidelines, the book of proverbs is wisdom… The man who walks in integrity walks confidently”.

By Eling Blanco, ISM Jounalist Correspondents, Caracas, Venezuela