Search Results for: Salsa Music

It is known as Disc Jockey (also known with the abbreviation of DJ, and its Anglo-Saxon pronunciation of Deejay) or disyóquey to “the person who selects and mixes recorded music of his own or of other composers and artists, to be listened to by an audience”.

Musicalizador: is that person who can extract a periodic and varied list of an equis amount of songs of proven success loaded in the storage system.

Many people and/or dancers express the controversy of the musicalizadores and Dj’s. Of the rumbas salseras of all the times nowadays that call it of (Salsa Guateque and Baúl).

With respect to the content or musical selection that they place or propose each one to give to understand to the public rumbero dancer.

Today there are many musicalizers and above all self-appointed “Dj`s” and they use to call themselves from one day to another and what they do not know that to reach this art they must study and know the art of basic music such as harmonies, theory and solfeggio, to be more complex.

First, one thing is to be a Dj and another musicalizer, both have to know music, but the Dj is responsible for making the mix of one over the other in couplings of the song without distorting the original revolutions or Bpm that makes you feel the harmony of both in one. Making the dancers flow and make the place feel good and cool.

The Djs and musicalizers have a difficult task to bring the creativity and the magic to put to dance to their public some traditional and others demanding to be able to over carry a rumba or danceable night.

This work has been difficult, but also easy to have an ear to select a song with a good sense of lyrics and above all with a harmonious and contagious arrangement that gives pleasure at the time of dancing. Making of them the work of how and when to place the melody to make the hook between the public/dancer.

The public rumbero, dancer…It is hard to understand that going out one night and feeling the atmosphere with something musical that not only you like, but also your partner or whoever you ask to dance likes the theme. Remember that not only the song makes the night enjoyable, but also the sound of the song and the people around you.

On the other hand, there is the audience that is not even a dancer. Many have the bad sense to bother with a drink in hand, dance alone, even take pictures and record the musicians and / or DJs. They get in the way of those who really want to enjoy the dance floor.

The criticisms are constructive to be better for the next dance, remember that there is a lot of music from the older music stirring memories of the public. As well as the newest, given that the music is modern and evolving.

With this I do not mean that all are bad, on the contrary there are good musicians and DJs par excellence that I follow for many years. But there is a large group that is coming out in this that lacks some of the conditions mentioned above.

For DJ’s

1. If you are going to play a number, play the original. The musicians, composers, arrangers and dancers will thank you for it.
2. Music with instrument downloads are UNCOMFORTABLE FOR DANCING. Know how to choose which solos are danceable. Give swing to the dancer.
3. Don’t cut the end of the music, or mix it up. It takes away the happy moment of that final punch.
4. Just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it’s danceable; listen and see how people enjoy the different tempos in the music.
5. Hey…the guajira, the son montuno, the chachacha…whatever you call it, it’s part of the genre. Why do you have to ask for it and they look at you funny? Out of every three to four salsas, a chacha goes down very well.

Papo Rosario and his “Salsa de La Buena”

We are incredibly pleased to talk about Luis Alberto Rosario, better known as Papo Rosario, who can be considered one of the most beloved salseros by people who have enjoyed his music for decades. In addition to being a very cloase and kind man to everyone around him, his musical and acting talent is undeniable.

Isidro Infante next to Papo Rosario

After having sung along with El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico for more than 40 years, Rosario makes his debut as a soloist with his first recording work “Salsa de La Buena”, in which he receives the full support of maestro Isidro Infante. Both Rosario and Infante are part of Salsaneo Records, which is close to becoming one of the most important music labels thanks to its contemporary salsa. Thanks to the counselling and advice received from Isidro, Papo has managed to create one of the most important and interesting albums in 2002.

One of the things that makes the album stand out is the great amount of danceable rhythms, positive lyrics, good vocals and fresh sonority. It is evident that the essence of the artist always stands out and he does not let himself be dragged along by what he learned during his time in El Gran Combo. While it is true that there are some traits learned from his friend and former colleague Jerry Vivas, Rosario seems pretty determined to distance hemself from the past and focus on a vastly different future.

Rosario and Infante recording in the studio

What “Salsa de La Buena” is 

“Salsa de La Buena” has many tracks that can perfectly mark a before and after in current Latin music. It starts with a beautiful hymn to optimism and perseverance called “Gracias”, which is one of the four songs composed by the pen of maestro Infante. In the case of “Salsa de La Buena”, the song that gives its name to the entire album, speaks of the connection the singer has with his people as an exponent of the salsa genre. The arrangements and piano melodies are reminiscent of what Richie Ray and Bobby Valentín did when they sang “Los Reyes de La Salsa”.

Isidro also shows his great talent with “Los refranes de Don Yeyo”, a beautiful piano solo where you can see how important the Caribbean collection of proverbs is for the culture at large.

Johnny Cruz with Papo Rosario

Promotion for Papo Rosario’s album 

In a conversation between Papo Rosario and Johnny Cruz, director of the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery Museum, the two talk about this recording work and the artist tells how did the whole process go.

Rosario has said that both he and Infante had studied together, but had built their careers separately until they met again recently. That’s when he proposed him to make some arrangements to his songs, but they ended up collaborating to make the album in full. The main objective of the record production was to bring a positive message to the peoples and do what God has put on their shoulders.

In the same way, he pointed out that the salsa museum was quite empty the last time he went, but he was surprised to see that all those spaces have been filling up with truly valuable objects for salsa and its fans.

From there, they gave their regards to Isidro Infante and invited him to the museum to join them and talk about “Salsa de La Buena” and other issues that arise.

Johnny Cruz, Papo Rosario and Rubio Boris

        By Johnny Cruz, ISM Correspondents, New York, New York City

Carlos Molina and El Museo de La Salsa

It makes us very happy to talk today about Carlos Molina Jr. and El Museo de La Salsa in Colombia, place that has become a salsa library with all the information the Latin public wants to get about their favorite artists. The popularity that this proposed reading has achieved is no coincidence, as it compiles the old, the new and the best of our Latin roots to raise anyone interested awareness of it.

Carlos Molina Jr., director of El Museo de la Salsa

Carlos Molina Jr., director of El Museo de La Salsa, knows everything that a proper salsero should know about this beautiful musical genre, since much of his life has been tied to this kind of music and the biggest stars who have excelled in it. Let us not forget that Daniel Santos himself had a chance to hold him when he was just a baby, which says a lot about the path taken by Molina growing up.

This man has so many things to say and stories to tell that he has written a book in which all this data can be read in great detail.

“El Legado”

Molina explained recently that the book arose due to his intention in paying tribute to his father, Carlos Alfredo Molina. He said that he had already worked on a documentary in his honor and wanted to use that same script for a text in which the most important stories of both his progenitor and himself could be read.

Carlos Molina Jr. next to Oscar D’ León

Molina Jr.’s father became known as “El Fotógrafo de La Salsa” in the middle and maintained a close relationship with several of the most famous artists of the genre. Such was his closeness that he even managed to attend many of their rehearsals and forged bonds of friendship that many can only dream of.

It was Molina Sr.’s work as a photographer that allowed his son to create El Museo de La Salsa and turn it into a place of pilgrimage where all lovers of the genre should visit at least once. The room has approximately 700 photographs, which are part of an archive of 300,000 negatives.

Childhood and adulthood surrounded by artists

Molina Jr.’s childhood was definitely not common, as his father’s profession allowed him to stay in constant contact with many big names in the industry. He got to witness a very important number of rehearsals and grew up forming a very special relationship with music.

Johnny Pacheco and Carlos Molina Jr.

He also managed to form the same relationship with several well-known singers, some of whom write the foreword for El Legado such as Willie Rosario, Andy Montañez and Papo Lucca. From the very beginning, the three luminaries maintained a very close relationship with the museum and did not hesitate to participate in the text when asked to do so.

“El Legado” tells completely true stories

The book is already on sale at the Museo de La Salsa, but it can also be found on Amazon, so anyone who wishes to read some of the most important salsa stories ust has to order their copy and enjoy everything the material has to offer.

Molina Jr. also commented that he still expects many more copies of the book to be printed and made available at “la Red de Bibliotecas Públicas de Cali”.

Celia Cruz and Carlos Molina Jr.

        By Johnny Cruz, ISM Correspondents, New York, New York City