Search Results for: Salsa Music

No man is a prophet in his own land

“Cherry” Navarro, the Latin American Elvis Presley

As indicated the title of this material, no man is a prophet in his own land and one of the best proofs of that is Cherry Navarro, one of the greatest artists that Venezuela has given birth to, whose talent has not been matched despite the time elapsed.

Alexis Enrique Navarro Velásquez, artistically known as Cherry Navarro, was a Venezuelan singer and musician born in Caripito, Monagas State, on July 9, 1944 with the marriage of his parents Manuel de Jesús Navarro and María de Jesús Velázquez de Navarro. He had five other siblings whoe names were Manuel, Rene. Lelys, Audy and Carlos, the latter also being a great artist today.

After age 14, he moved with his family to the parish of El Valle, Caracas, where he would continue his studies and start his way in the world of music with some friends in his area. One of them was the world famous José Luis Rodríguez ”El Puma”, with whom Cherry shared his passion for music, a group called ”Canaima” and a close friendship.

Alexis Enrique Navarro Velásquez, whose artistic name was Cherry Navarro

Beginnings in music

By deciding that he wanted to dedicate himself professionally to music, he started training in various instruments and performing at small parties and meetings to gain fame and become known. It was not long before he was invited to participate in the TV show ”Show Del Twist”, which would represent a giant leap in the musical and public life of the young artist.

Some time later, he was spotted by Chelique Sarabia, who invited him to join his group and started a media tour that helped him gain even more popularity and fans all over the national territory.

In the 1960s, he met the woman who would become his wife and mother of his son Belkis Montero, a Cuban national, but it did not take long for them to divorce due to the artist’s busy schedule and professional commitments, which prevented him from spending enough time with his family. Their little boy was named José Enrique Navarro Montero.

In 1964, he recorded his first album with Velvet de Venezuela and named it ”Pavísimo” which would contain some of his best known pieces such as ”Hoy”, ”Amor Goajiro” and ”Confidente”. Around the same time, he had a cameo appearance in the movie ”Soltero En Apuros”, in which his song ”Hoy” was part of the soundtrack.

In Mexico, one of the first countries to receive him with open arms, he recorded a long-playing album called ”Me Conformo” and some of his most important songs were ”Me Conformo”, ”Norma” and ”Si Dios Me Quita La Vida”.

Cherry Navarro and his girlfriend María de las Casas Mcgrill

Time in Europe

In 1966, he permanently separated from Montero and started a romantic relationship with former beauty queen María de Las Casas McGill, who would become his public relationist and be a fundamental piece in the internationalization of Cherry as one of the greatest artists of the time. the first steps in that direction were the preparation of Navarro in languages and the Maria’s completion of diplomacy studies.

Thanks to the efforts made by the new love of the singer, both were able to travel to Spain, a country that would be key in the exponential growth in the singer’s popularity. It is in that territory where the young woman got the necessary connections in order to get Cherry to record with the label Polidor, which meant an enormous prestige for a Venezuelan at that time. Not any Latin could record with such an important label in the European country.

Thanks to all the gains made in Europe, he was received in Venezuela with distinction. Finally, the humble young man from Caripito had delivered his dreams and was at the peak of his popularity. Both Cherry and Felipe Pirela were the most played artists of the moment and all the TV shows of that time were fighting to have their performances in their studios. One of those was the show hosted by the unforgettable Renny Ottolina, who received him with all honors despite his short career.

In 1967, while in Madrid, the city chosen by the singer as his work base in the Old Continent, he had the great idea to use the song ”Aleluya” written by Luis Eduardo Aute, make his own version and add to it his particular touch. The result could not have been better. Cherry’s version became a national and international sales success that established the Venezuelan as one of the greatest ones in Latin America. It continues to be listened to in the main radio stations of the country in spite of the decades that have passed.

Cover of the album ''Aleluya'' — Cover of the album ”Aleluya”

Death

In the aforesaid year, he had an intense international tour in which he had to travel to Colombia, Mexico and the Antilles. In the middle of the tour, he noticed some signs that something could be wrong with his health, such as the lack of wound healing while shaving, nosebleeds and extreme pallor. Seeing he had a lot of professional commitments, he preferred to ignore these symptoms and move forward with his responsibilities. However, there were so many discomforts that he could no longer ignore them.

In fact, he was once forbidden to travel to Spain where she had a series of performances that could not be postponed, but Cherry refused to cancel his trip and disappoint his fans. His doctor’s advice came after he found some bruises on his stomach and legs.

Soon after, he was diagnosed with bone marrow aplasia and refused a bone marrow transplant with one of his brothers in a desperate attempt to save his life. Unfortunately it was all in vain and the talented Venezuelan finally lost his life on September 28, 1967 at only 23 years of age.

For the Venezuelan society of that day, the artist’s departure was an extremely strong blow and thousands of fans were felt from the very moment that the news announced his death. At 10 am on September 29, the funeral cortege began to scort the body of the singer from the Vallés funeral home to the headquarters of the Asociación Venezolana de Artistas de la Escena (EVADE) and then to Radio Caracas Televisión, a channel with which the artist had an exclusive contract.

TV hosts Guillermo ''Fantástico'' González and Renny Ottolina at Cherry Navarro's funeral — TV hosts Guillermo ”Fantástico” González and Renny Ottolina at Cherry Navarro’s funeral

Alng the way, there were all kinds of intense reactions from many women who admired Cherry in life, such as tears, faints, screams and wailings. It was even reported that 17-year-old Melba Elena Contreras took her own life at the news of Navarro’s death.

During those days, numerous Venezuelan and foreign media outlets reported the news with pictures of the crowd that accompanied this young promise to his final resting place, showing the love that Venezuelan people felt for this musical icon since he became known until his last breath.

Newspaper clipping about Cherry Navarro's death — Newspaper clipping about Cherry Navarro’s death

Alberto Beltrán “A mí me llaman el negrito del Batey” and Bailar medio apreta’o con una negra bien sabrosa

Alberto Amancio Beltrán (Palo Blanco, La Romana, May 5, 1923 – Miami, February 2, 1997) was a Dominican singer, known in the Latin American musical world as “El Negrito del Batey”.

Early years

Beltrán was born in the town of Palo Blanco, in the province of La Romana. As a child, he barely had a basic education because his family’s economic situation forced him to sell candy on the streets. At the age of fourteen he was attracted to music and debuted as an amateur singer on the radio. This first artistic incursion led him to take singing lessons.

Alberto Beltrán “A mí me llaman el negrito del Batey”

From 1946 to 1951 he belonged to several groups in his country, such as “Brisas de Oriente”. Later, he formed his own group called “Dominican Boys”.

International projection

In 1951 he emigrated to Puerto Rico. There, he recorded with “Los Diablos del Caribe”, a group led by Mario Hernández, the song “El 19”.

He then traveled to Cuba, first to Santiago and then to Havana on July 15, 1954, to work with the Puerto Rican composer and singer Myrta Silva on Radio Mambí.

On August 16 of that same year, he was requested by the Sonora Matancera and recorded the composition Ignoro tu existencia by Rafael Pablo de la Motta and Aunque me cueste la vida by the Dominican Luis Kalaff. Both songs, in bolero rhythm, were recorded on the same 78 rpm disc.

On November 16, he recorded the merengue El negrito del batey composed by Medardo Guzmán, which catapulted him internationally as it became a sales hit.

From there came the nickname with which he became popular. That same day he also recorded the boleros Todo me gusta de Ti by Cuto Esteves, Enamorado de la inspiración by José Balcalcer and, for the second time, El 19 by Radhamés Reyes Alfau.

Beltrán nació en la localidad de Palo Blanco en Cuba

On January 18, 1955 he recorded his last pieces with the Orquesta Sonora Matancera. Then, he spent some time in Venezuela where he left phonographic records with the orchestras “Sonora Caracas”, Los Megatones de Lucho and the Orquesta de Jesús “Chucho” Sanoja.

Hired by the Dominican musician settled in Venezuela, Billo Frómeta, he participated in two albums recorded in Cuban studios: “Evocación” (1956) in which he performed as a soloist and “La Lisa-Maracaibo”, in which he shared credits with the Cuban singer Carlos Díaz.

What does El negrito del batey mean?

In the Dominican Republic the batey smells of black and the black often smells of batey. Both evoke in their generality misery and human abandonment, fruit of injustice and discrimination. This is so, although it pains us to say it

The Negrito of the Batey

They call me the little black man of the batey

Because work for me is an enemy

To work I leave everything to the ox

Because work was made by God as a punishment

I like the merengue apambicha’o

With a black woman who is a retrechera and a good girl

I like to dance de medio la’o

I like to dance half tight with a tasty black girl

Hey!

Get your ass out of here!

There!

They call me the little black guy from the batey

Because work for me is an enemy

To work I leave everything to the ox

Because God made work as a punishment

I like the merengue apambicha’o

With a black woman who is a retrechera and a good girl

I like to dance de medio la’o

I like to dance half tight with a tasty black girl

Hey, there!

And you tell me if it’s not true

Merengue much better

And you say if it’s not true

Merengue much better

Because that of working

It’s a pain for me

Because that of working

To me it causes me pain, it sounds!

The meek ox works hard

But he never gets dengue fever

The meek ox works hard

But he never gets the dengue

I’ll dance with a good black woman

I’ll dance to a good merengue

But I never get tired

To dance a good merengue, it sounds!

There, candela!

Finbroso, hey!

The gentle ox works hard

But he never gets the dengue

A lot of work the gentle ox works hard

But he never gets the dengue

But I never get tired

Of dancing a good merengue

But I never get tired

Of dancing a good merengue, it sounds!

There!

Dominicanize!

Sonora Matancera

North America – March 2023

Javier Cabanillas and his Cabanijazz Project

It has been a privilege for International Salsa Magazine to talk to Mexican bandleader, professor and musician Javier Cabanillas, who told us in detail about his life from the day he started in music until today, when the fruits of all the hard work and great talent are seen.

Interesting beginnings

Javier begins by speaking of his beginnings in the world of music on the streets of Tijuana, in his native Mexico. He tells us that he used to work in San Diego, USA, and Tijuana is a border city, so he had to cross the border every day in order to fulfill his professional commitments.

On his days off, he often went to what is known colloquially as ”sobremesas” or ”tianguis”, which are closed streets where vendors set up their stands to offer their goods to passersby. In those places, he played the conga, as he felt that this was a space where he could freely express his art in front of an audience, although his dream was to do it on stage. What he did not know was that sooner or later it would come true.

Javier did not think he could walking down a red carpet in Los Angeles, since his activity was completely informal. He was just looking to blow off some steam and drain daily stress. I felt very comfortable playing the conga as I did, but over time, I began to professionalize myself in the musical area and that is how I have gradually achieved what I have set myself out to do,” says the artist.

Although it is a long time ago, Javier remembers very fondly those years because that gentle scene and that communication with people on the street helped him to develop the warmth an artist needs to connect with the audience.

Javier Cabanillas and his Cabanijazz Project at the 62nd Monterrey Jazz Festival

How have your Latin roots affected your career in the United States?

As to how his roots have affected his career, Javier says that he had to learn most things on the go, but always ramaining respectful toward all cultures in which his music was involved. He mentions this as his origins are focused on northern Mexico where the typical thing is to listen to norteño and banda music, but he did not choose those genres for his career, but jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms. ”I had a lot of respect for that culture because I felt that it was not completely mine, which led me to be much more responsible and respectful when experimenting with this market,” he said.

When talking about learning to play an instrument or genre that does not belong to his culture, he said that there are always some limitations because musical language will always vary. In his case, the kind of musical language comprehensible to him is that of mariachi or banda music, making easier for him to identify certain elements. When he went to live in San Francisco, he spent time with musicians from all nationalities and could realize that they were not able to do many of the things that were not proper from their countries of origin. This makes learning more complicated, but not impossible.

In that sense, Cabanillas says there are some useful techniques to learn to play instruments and rhythms we did not grow up with, so there is a revolution of percussionists and musicians who have managed to break that mold. The Internet has played an extremely important role in all this, as artists of all kinds can access content that helps them improve and develop professionally. In his particular case, YouTube and these online tools did not exist, so he could only count on his ear and imitate what he heard to learn.

Cabanillas' music is based on jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms — Cabanillas’ music is based on jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms

The Grammy

One of the great victories in Cabanillas’ artistic life was the Grammy he won with the Pacific Mambo Orchestra. Since the members of the group did not have the necessary funds to produce an album, they turned to other financing options supported by the community through an online fundraising campaign. The intention was that anyone could make a donation or even buy the album in advance.

30 days later, they achieved their goal and recorded the album. Javier was one of the 36 musicians who participated in the production and his role was to be in charge of percussion with his congas. The orchestra was not supported by any major label, so they did everything independently. This gave them more control over what they wanted to offer to the audience, since they were not subject to what any management wanted from them. This meant that the process of preparing the material was very organic and spontaneous.

When the album came into competition in the ”Best Tropical Album of the Year” category, it managed to be among the five best nominees along with Marc Anthony, Carlos Vives, Los Ángeles Azules, Sergio George, Oscar D’ León and many more. Three of them were working with Sony Latin Music, so they had great chance chances to win because they worked with such a big label, while Pacific Mambo did not have all that machinery behind them, not even close.

Javier Cabanillas with the Grammy he won with the Pacific Mambo Orchestra

That’s how we were invited to Los Angeles, walked down the red carpet like the rest of the artists and took a huge surprise to win the Grammy in our category. At that moment, I felt that all my effort was worthwhile” the conguero said excitedly. He confesses that he and his orchestra fellows did not expect the win because they were the least popular nominees in the category. Fortunately, the judges focused their attention on the quality of their work and not on their popularity at the time.

Cabanijazz Project

As noted, the name of the group is a play on words between the artist’s last name and the word ”jazz”. The whole idea came up in Tijuana, where he was clear that he wanted to start a project in which he would not limited to a single rhyming scheme. He did not want to use something as generic and worn-out as ”Javier Cabanillas Y Su Orquesta”, so he started to play with other elements to obtain an original name that would capture the essence he wanted to show. This is how the name ”Cabanijazz Project” was born.

The project started as a quintet that played in several festivals and events, achieving some success in a short time. Later, he added more musicians until having eight. When he started working in San Francisco, he began studying more and absorb the culture around him for a few years. Some time later, he restarted his project again with Bay Area musicians and started uploading his material to music platforms such as ITunes and Spotify.

Among the instruments used by his group, the trombone, the tenor saxophone and the baritone cannot be left out. They are the three largest wind instruments in the brass range, so they were the ones that achieved the sound Javier was looking for in his orchestra.

Another important detail is that the music they play is entirely original and they only change their repertoire a little when they play live.

San Francisco Salsa Festival 2023

One of the group’s upcoming performances will be at the annual San Francisco Salsa Festival to be held in March 2023. Cabanillas says that one day he received an email from the event organizers informing him that Cabanijazz Project was the choice to play there. They were recommended by several of Javier’s friends and colleagues who assured the organizers that the band was the best choice for its quality.

They have already played three times at the festival before the pandemic resulted in the suspension of the event, so the artist and his musicians already have a lot of experience entertaining the tough Bay Area audience. Cabanijazz Project will be the opening band for the festival and will perform along with two other local groups that will also offer their talent to the attendees.

Interview with Colombian singer-songwriter Potty Lozano

Conversation with Potty

It is a great honor for us to announce that we have spoken with the talented and prodigious Colombian singer and songwriter Potty Lozano, better known as Lozano, who had the kindness of spending a few minutes of his time to talk about his story, his former groups, his release as a solo artist, his current projects and much more.

Here are the most important details of the nice chat we had about the most interesting aspects of his career.

Arrival in the United States

Potty has been living in the United States for over 30 years to further advance his career, which began in his native Colombia. That same year in which she came to the United States, the Kambaro Orchestra, a group where she participated, won the ”Congo de Oro” prize in the category of ”New Orchestra Of The Year”. The aforementioned award is one of the most important in Colombia and is given as part of of the world famous Carnivals of Barranquilla.

The reason why he left his native country is that he wanted to look for new airs and go international as a romantic salsa artist, something that would be extremely complicated if he continued to live in the same place. Thanks to the hard work of the artist, he managed to sign with the record label FONOVISA/MUSIVISA and turn his situation around.

It was the beginning of very successful years, touring Mexico and across the entire European Union and constant professional growth as time progressed.

When did you decide to go solo?

Lozano has said that it was precisely the award he won with the Kambaro Orchestra which motivated him to make progress in other areas of the music field. Another of his main motivations was the success of his song with the Cachaco Orchestra ”Si Tú Supieras”, which led him to continue making romantic salsa for a few more years under the label FONOVISA until the cessation of his contract with this record company. ”That’s when I decided to make some changes in my independent musical life with my own style, have the power to decide, choose songs to please myself and be free to make fusions between Latin Jazz, Bosa, Bolero Jazz and some Caribbean fusions” said the artist.

Potty Lozano next to songwriter and musician Francisco Zumaque

When asked about the best time for an artist to pursue a solo career, he replied that artists gradually mature both musically and personally, leadings them to the point where they feel ready to take that important step and decide that there is a high probability of success. ”There is a click or reset in your senses and you do what you think you have to do, but the important thing is to get it right”, he added.

Differences between commercial salsa and non-commercial salsa

Regarding this important issue, the singer-songwriter replied as follows: ”I love traditional salsa and it is the basis of everything that follows. I am from that generation, but I also grew up in an atmosphere of jazz, bosa, bolero, Colombian street genres and a lot of American pop music, so my brain mixes all that set of rhythms and fuses them in several ideas presented in workshops with my music producers. That’s why I don’t make COMMERCIAL radio music, which every day is more disposable and meaningless, my target has always been cultural, music with soul, harmony, intelligence and possitive messages and effects, but above all, pleasant the ear as music should be”.

He also pointed out that he mixes these genres according to his own musical tastes and the music he listened to when he was a child. All of this with the support from the members of his work team, who are on the same page, although they contribute their own ideas.

”Aquel Loco Miami”

In terms of his latest single ”Aquel Loco Miami”, he told us that ”it is the preamble to a CD in which we are working on, whch is also full of melting pots and rhythms such as salsa jazz, a little conventional salsa with fused touches and more modern salsa using fusions”.

Aquel Loco Miami is a song penned by BRAULIO, a famous Spanish singer and songwriter who is allowing me to record several of his songs. It is a chachachá song where there is no apology to the crime or what happened in Miami in the 70s/80s/90s. It’s just to remind the new generations that negativity can also bring positive things and Miami was in his time the Mecca of Rumba and enjoyment and, despite the violence there was space room for fun”-