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Search Results for: Salsa Orchestra

The Club de los Soneros Dorados The Orchestra of the Stars

The Club de los Soneros Dorados The Orchestra of the Stars, where great stars and legends of Cuban music meet

Two years ago, an orchestra made history. For the first time in Cuban music, the greatest legends, singers, and instrumentalists were united in a single project, their songs quickly transcended the world and occupied places in the charts.

The Cuban’s Golden Club
The Cuban’s Golden Club

The Golden was born from the hand of the young composer Carlos Sanabia from Santiago de Cuba. The Golden Soneros club  (La Orquesta de las Estrellas) was one of the most awaited realities for all of Cuba.

The news of its 3rd record production is one of the best news in the musical world, its title will be MAESTROS DEL SABOR and it will count with the presence of several international guests, among them the living legend of Salsa Bobby Cruz, will consist of 21 themes in total divided into 3 volumes of 7 Songs Individually.

With a more modern and youthful style, the songs were specifically designed by Sanabia to capture the attention of the dancing public by inserting them in the popular taste.

The Cuban’s Golden Club
The Cuban’s Golden Club

With elements of Rumba, Salsa, and Timba and Occurring and Sticky Phrases from the day to day life of the Cuban people.

With the presentation of new talents, singers, and musicians in the Orquesta de las Leyendas, Sanabia insists on the purpose of bringing the secrets of its music to the new generations and thus guarantee the new formation of future stars in the new talents that abound on the island.

They have not yet entered the studio to record and this third album by EL GOLDEN has already made the news. Thanks to Carlos Sanabia and his Soneros Dorados, “Salsa is in fashion again.

The Cuban’s Golden Club
USA Tour The Cuban’s Golden Club

Several established musicians played at the club during the 1930s and 1940s, including bassist Cachao López and bandleader Arsenio Rodríguez.

According to Ry Cooder, “Cuban and Caribbean society and even New Orleans society, as far as I know, was organized around these social clubs.

There were cigarette wrappers clubs, baseball players clubs, and they played cards and sports and had their pets, like dogs.

In the case of the Buena Vista Social Club, there were musicians there, like in the clubs in the United States.

Rodriguez’s pianist, Ruben Gonzalez, who played the piano on recordings in the 1990s, described the 1940s as “an age of true musical life in Cuba, where there wasn’t much money to be made, but they played because they really wanted to.

That era saw the birth of jazz-influenced mambo, charanga, and dance forms such as pachanga and cha-cha-cha, as well as the development of traditional Afro-Cuban musical styles such as rumba and son, which was later modified by Arsenio Rodríguez’s use of additional instruments to become son montuno.2 Son, described as “the foundation of Cuban music,” has transformed much of Latin American music in the 20th century.

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Víctor Cuica “The Eternal Breath of Latin Jazz and Venezuelan Identity “

The legacy of a visionary who fused the saxophone with the essence of the Caribbean and national cinema.

Víctor Cuica was more than just a musician; he was a bridge between two worlds. Born on April 19, 1949, in the iconic Caracas neighborhood of La Pastora, Cuica established himself as a preeminent saxophonist and actor, earning global acclaim for his innovative fusion of Jazz with Afro-Caribbean roots.

His presence defined a golden era in Venezuelan culture, as he shared the stage with legends such as Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, Porfi Jiménez, and Gerry Weil.

Victor Cuica “The Eternal Breath of Latin Jazz and Venezuelan Identity”

Victor Cuica “The Eternal Breath of Latin Jazz and Venezuelan Identity”

Training and First Steps: The Birth of a Style

The journey of this virtuoso—master of the tenor and soprano saxophone as well as the flute—began in 1963 at the Military Music School of La Victoria. His time in the Venezuelan Navy band served as the catalyst for his love of Jazz, leading him to deepen his knowledge of flute, harmony, and composition at the “José Ángel Lamas” Higher School of Music.

His professional career took off in Chucho Sanoja’s orchestra. Shortly thereafter, he joined Oscar D’León’s ensemble. It was actually Cuica who suggested the name “Dimensión Latina” to replace the group’s former name, “Oscar y sus Estrellas,” thereby christening what would become the most iconic salsa orchestra in Venezuelan history.

Victor Cuica in concert held on August 22, 2011 in Juan Pedro Lopez Square in Caracas

Victor Cuica in concert held on August 22, 2011 in Juan Pedro Lopez Square in Caracas

Latin Jazz: From the Silver Screen to International Stages

By the late 1970s, Cuica expanded his horizons into the “seventh art.” In 1978, he composed and performed the soundtrack for “The Sea of Lost Time” (El Mar del Tiempo Perdido), based on the short story by Gabriel García Márquez. A year later, he solidified his own group, “Víctor Cuica y su Jazz Latino,” debuting to resounding success at the Alcázar Theater in Caracas and gaining international momentum in Costa Rica.

Throughout the 1980s, critics hailed him as the most important innovator of jazz fusion in the region. His talent brought him to historic venues:

  • 1981: He triumphed at the “Memphis in May” festival in Tennessee.
  • 1982: He performed at the prestigious “Domicile” club in Munich, Germany.
  • 1985: He reached a milestone as the leader of the first Venezuelan group invited to the Montreal International Jazz Festival, where he shared the limelight with the legendary vibraphonist Lionel Hampton.

Artistic Maturity and Recognition

In the 1990s, his music reached new academic heights when Maestro Eduardo Marturet composed the work “Music for Six and Sax” specifically for him. It premiered with the Sinfonietta Caracas and represented Venezuela at the 1992 Universal Exposition in Seville.

Víctor Cuica was not just a musician; he was a bridge between two worlds. Photograph at Juan Sebastian Bar

Víctor Cuica was not just a musician; he was a bridge between two worlds. Photograph at Juan Sebastian Bar

His discography, which includes gems such as Que sea para siempre (1984), Noctámbulo (1993), Just Friends (1998), and Los Locos de Caracas (1999), stands as a testament to his versatility. In 1995, the Venezuelan Artist’s Guild (Casa del Artista) honored him as Musician of the Year.

A Farewell with the Flavor of the Streets and Bohemia

Víctor Cuica passed away on Saturday, December 26, 2020, at the age of 71 due to a heart attack. His departure left a void in the film industry, where he starred in memorable films such as Santera (for which he also composed the award-winning soundtrack in 1997), and in the bohemian nights of Caracas, where his saxophone was often the soul of the evening.

A Tribute from His Peers

Multi-percussionist José Hidalgo, known as “El Tokun Mayor,” describes Cuica with words that summarize his essence:

“Víctor Cuica is the finest example of an artist intimately linked to his daily reality and cultural origins, without ever losing sight of the cosmopolitan and universal nature of his musical message. Cuica is the expression of genuine jazz performed with the simplicity of the streets.

Víctor is as authentic in his personal character as he is as an artist. This virtue was his companion as he traveled across numerous international stages, spanning the worlds of music, film, theater, and opera always with the transcendence of a bohemian, simple, and bold minstrel.

Cuica never ceases to surprise us, whether through his voice or the sound of his saxophone an instrument that, with his habitual ingenuity, he turned into a centerpiece of performance through his creativity and versatility.

His talent has graced stages across Europe and the Americas. His work projects far beyond the commercial mainstream and, today, leaves us with a brilliant musical improvisation that is truly beyond compare.”

DJ Augusto Felibertt with the one and only virtuoso Víctor Cuica

DJ Augusto Felibertt with the one and only virtuoso Víctor Cuica

Today, the name Víctor Cuica remains etched in history as the man who gave Jazz a Caribbean color and gave the Venezuelan saxophone a voice of its own.

Victor Cuica and his Latin Jazz, March 23, 1980 at the Cantv Theater in Caracas

Victor Cuica and his Latin Jazz, March 23, 1980 at the Cantv Theater in Caracas

Also Read: Oscar Rojas Oscar Rojas has 54 years of musical career full of passion, rhythm and flavor

Cache Live Music puts Miami to dance to traditional Latin music

Roland Cache graced this edition with his presence to tell us about his beginnings, the subsequent creation of his band Cache Live Music, and his current career. The American of Cuban descent honors his roots with the music he and his collaborators play to delight their fans at any event they are hired, indicating the pride he feels in representing his parents’ country and how passionate he is about his craft.

Roland shared many interesting details about his musical life, and we are more than happy to share them with our readers in the following lines.

Roland Cache playing
Roland Cache playing drums live at an event

Roland’s musical beginnings as a teenager

As a child, Roland lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where some high school friends convinced him to play drums with them. Their favorite genre was the rock of the day, which was the 1960s. A few years later, specifically in 1973, another friend took him to a salsa concert at Madison Square Garden, and he liked what he heard so much that he became more involved in Latin music and left American music aside. 

Seeing great artists such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and other artists of Puerto Rican descent, he learned to play timbales, tumbadora, and bongos, which allows him to play a combination of conga, timbales, and clave at the same time. 

Orchestras prior to Cache Live Music

Before creating his own band, Roland was part of other projects that were training him for what was to come in his career later. One of them was a band from New Jersey, whose members formed La Charanga Casino, which became very popular in that city.

Some time later, Roland could not play for a while, so he has been throwing himself into selling cars and other area businesses. Then, in 1998, he returned to music and created an American band that played rock and jazz with a touch of Latin music.

Roland Cache and the rest of the band
Roland Cache and the rest of Cache Live Music

Creation of Cache Live Music 

Eventually, he left the American band and founded a Latin band called Cache Live Music with a group of musicians, some of whom remain alongside Roland to this day. He met most of them through another musician friend who introduced them so he was knowing other artists who joined his project.

Cache Live Music was officially started in 1999, and according to its founder, the hardest thing about keeping a band like this together for so long was the search of opportunities in clubs and other kinds of places. However, Roland says that his experience as a salesman and negotiator has helped him a lot in winning contracts and the best conditions for him and his bandmates.

Current status of Cache Live Music

Today, the core of the band consists are three of its members: the guitarist, the bassist, and Roland, who is a multi-instrumentalist. More recently, Cache included a flutist, a trombonist, and sometimes a singer. This is how, depending on the requirements for a particular event, the group’s leader decides which members and instruments to include for every occasion in order to offer something different.

Cache at an Amazon event
Cache Live Music at an Amazon corporate event

Regarding the repertoire, they only perform covers, but they ensure that each and every song has their personal touch so that they resemble as little as possible to the original versions.

Anyone who wants to hire Cache Live Music can do so through its profile on The Bash by making a deposit and sending a contract to agree on the conditions of the event. However, it is important to note that they are already booked for December and January with corporate parties and weddings, for which we wish them every possible success because they already have the talent.

Tomas Pedro Regalado and Roland
Former Mayor of Miami Tomas Pedro Regalado and Roland Cache

Read also: The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra: electrifying fusion and salsa flavored with indie rock

Alberto Crespo and Carlos Santos Release Their Latest Single “Narci” with Grupo Bacheo to the Latin Market

On November 7, 2025, the vibrant Latin music scene celebrates a stellar collaboration that promises to ignite dance floors.

The acclaimed Venezuelan pianist, arranger, and music producer Alberto Crespo joins legendary Puerto Rican sonero Carlos Santos and the talented Grupo Bacheo to present their latest musical track titled “Narci.”

Alberto Crespo and Carlos Santos release their latest song, titled Narci, to the Latin market with Grupo Bacheo
Alberto Crespo and Carlos Santos release their latest song, titled Narci, to the Latin market with Grupo Bacheo

This original composition by Ali Delgado and José Granados, featuring arrangements by Alberto Crespo himself, fuses a modern sound with the unmistakable rhythm of salsa, guaranteeing a musical experience that will delight dancers.

Alberto Crespo: A Piano Master with an International Career.

From his beginnings at the “José Ángel Lamas” Music Conservatory in Caracas, Alberto Crespo demonstrated exceptional passion and talent. His deep immersion in harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, and improvisation has established him as a versatile and well-rounded musician.

By age seventeen, he was already touring with renowned orchestras, sharing the stage with icons such as Naty y Su Orquesta, Celia Cruz, Bobby Capó, Carmen Delia Depini, Carlos Cano Estremera, Andy Montañés, Ismael Miranda, Pete Conde Rodríguez, and José Mangual Jr., among many others.

Alberto Crespo A Piano Master with an International Career
Alberto Crespo A Piano Master with an International Career

With over three decades of experience in salsa and Latin Jazz, Crespo has consolidated his reputation as a highly prestigious producer, arranger, and pianist. His impressive list of collaborations includes national and international artists such as Maikel Stuart, Frankie Morales (former singer for Tito Puente), Orquesta Bailatino, Grupo Mango, Herman Olivera, Rumberos de Callejón, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Naty y Su Orquesta. His versatility has led him to be part of the most prominent musical groups in Venezuela.

Carlos Santos: A Classy Sonero with a Legendary Trajectory.

Born on March 13, 1946, in Cataño, Puerto Rico, Carlos Santos is a true sonero whose career took off with Joey Pastrana’s band. His powerful voice and unmistakable salsa flair led him to perform and record with emblematic salsa orchestras, including “Kako y su Trabuco,” “Los Kimbos,” “Conjunto Candela,” and Roberto Roena’s “El Apollo Sound,” in addition to special performances with Ray Barreto and El Conjunto Libre.

Santos has left classics for posterity such as “Chacaboom,” “Las cosas de la vida” and “Amor verdadero” with Joey Pastrana, as well as “Flores para tu altar” and “Me imagino” with Conjunto Candela. His voice also enriched productions by Eddie Palmieri and Los Kimbos with tracks like “Caridad” and “Todo el mundo.” During his time with El Apollo Sound, he garnered hits such as “El Progreso” and “Háblame ahora.”

Carlos Santos Un Sonero con Clase y una Trayectoria Legendaria

Carlos Santos currently resides in Florida, United States, and continues to delight audiences with his international and local performances.

The union of these two pillars of salsa, under the production of Chongo Producción (from New York) and Juancho Producción (in Cali), promises to be a memorable event for Latin music.

Ali Delgado (Caracas) y Juancho Producción (Cali)
Ali Delgado (Caracas) y Juancho Producción (Cali)

Note: “45 RPM is for sale in Cali by Juancho Producción, and will be presented with great fanfare on December 30 at 10:00 a.m. at the Meeting of Music Lovers and Collectors (Encuentro de Melómanos y Coleccionistas) of the Cali Fair, Colombia. 2025.”

Production Credits

General Production

  • Production: Alberto Crespo & Chongo Productions LLC

Musical Team

  • Composer: Ali Delgado / José Granados
  • Vocalist: Carlos Santos
  • Arrangements: Alberto Crespo

Musicians

  • Timbal: Carlitos Padrón
  • Tumbadoras (Congas): Manuel “Manny” Márquez
  • Bongó / Bell: Carlitos Padrón
  • Trumpets: Jorge Maestre “Pitufo”
  • Baritone Saxophone: José Antonio Fariñas
  • Bass: José Soto “Mortadelo”
  • Percussion: Carlitos Padrón, Carlos Crespo
  • Chorus / Background Vocals: Heyzer Cabrera & José Soto “Mortadelo”

Recording and Post-Production

  • Recording Studios:
    • Chongo Estudios (New York)
    • A Tempo Estudios (Caracas)
    • París Recording Estudios (USA)
  • Mixing: Heyzer Cabrera / Alberto Crespo
  • Mastering: Heyzer Cabrera

Important Note by Alberto Crespo:

I was working on the arrangement for the song NARCI, and when I reached the chorus, I wanted to find a beautiful melody with a different harmony, like a chorus of angels singing from heaven. I was pacing around my workspace and the areas near my house, searching for ideas.

My wife, Adriangela, was listening to what I was developing to achieve a final connection, and all of a sudden, she sang that beautiful melody to me. I immediately copied it and added the chords, and honestly, it was something magical, very spiritual… “Ya no estás más a mi lado, cómo te extraño, mi amor, cómo te extraño…” (You are no longer by my side, how I miss you, my love, how I miss you…) That final unison of the chorus is very subtle and sentimental.

Video

Video: Chongo Productions LLC

Carlitos Padron Director de Chongo Producción (desde New York)
Carlitos Padron Director de Chongo Producción (desde New York)

Listen to “Narci” on YouTube:

Alberto Crespo y Bacheo

[email protected]

+58 4142521642

Also Read: The Conjunto Bailatino “La Resistencia Salsera” again “Antes los ojos del Mundo” and here, “No hay quinto malo”

Pedrito Moya and Jhonatan Araque: A Tribute to Jerry Rivera

Latin America / Venezuela / Caracas

“There is a great variety of new artists who want to expand and promote their new talents to all lovers of salsa music. For this new edition, we present Jhonatan Araque, a Venezuelan born in Maracay, Aragua, on March 25, 1983. Since he was very young, he showed admiration and an inclination for music, especially singing. By the age of 14, he joined the Grupo Rumba Costeña for a year, performing as a soloist; later, he joined the quintet ‘Quinto Elemento,’ who interpret pop and ballad music. From that moment, he had the opportunity to perform at the ‘Forum’ of Valencia, his first experience performing in front of a significant audience.

He mentions that he began his studies at the ‘Tecnológico de Música de Valencia’ (Valencia Technological Institute of Music), where he graduated with a major in singing, obtaining excellent grades. By the age of 18, he decided to record his first solo demo, which opened the doors to his first record contract with the ‘Sonográfica’ record company, alongside the Moratinos brothers, forming part of a group called ‘Okey,’ experimenting with various genres on that album, such as ballads and pop with Latin and Spanish influences.

“Jhonatan Araque’s Orchestra is made up of very talented young Venezuelans.”

Pedrito Moya and Jhonatan Araque
Pedrito Moya and Jhonatan Araque

After performing in various nightclubs, he decided to join the salsa orchestra ‘Los Latinos,’ where he became known in the cities of Caracas, Maracay, and Valencia, having the opportunity to share the stage with great national and international performers of the genre, including: Hernan Olivera, Marcial Istúriz, Wilmer Lozano, Edgar ‘Dolor’ Quijada, Hildemaro, Erick Franchesqui, Rodrigo Mendoza, Ángel Flores, and Mariana La Sonera.

Additionally, he spent six months as the singer for La Dimensión Latina, performing with them in different cities across the country; he also auditioned and became part of the ‘Simón Bolívar Latin Caribbean Orchestra,’ belonging to the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela, with which he had great experiences in various projects under the direction of maestro Alberto Vergara Icaza.

With all these new experiences, new opportunities arose for him in various forms to become part of renowned orchestras within the national salsa genre, such as Rumberos del Callejón, Orquesta Puma Band, El Combo de Venezuela, and the recording of two tracks with Fidel and Julito Antillano. In 2013, he decided to retire from La Latino Caribeña and form his own orchestra to lead ‘The Tribute Project to Jerry Rivera and Rey Ruiz.’

Salsa singers Jerry Rivera (Puerto Rican) and Rey Ruiz (Cuban) are recognized in all Caribbean countries, and both have had a great impact in the Venezuelan salsa scene, where their recordings are widely known and have a large following.

Jhonatan Araque’s orchestra is made up of very talented young Venezuelans with specific studies for each of the instruments they use. They are dedicated to presenting the audience with the interpretations that have been highly successful throughout their careers, thus paying tribute to these two singers of great international renown.

The members of this great orchestra are:

Name Role
Jonathan Araque Solo Vocalist
Mauricio Marin Backing Vocalist
Luis Martínez Backing Vocalist
Angel Palma Piano
Edwin Garcia Bass
José “Puma” Reyna Timbales
Braimy Mijares Congas
Lukas Gomez Bongos
Jose Anahole Trumpet
William Rada Trumpet
Pedro Xavier Moya Trombone (Musical Director)
Leycester Licon Trombone
Pedrito Moya and Jhonatan Araque - TV
Pedrito Moya and Jhonatan Araque – TV

For more information, contact them at:

Contact Method

Phones

Jonathan Araque: +58 424-3443504 Pedro Xavier Moya: +58 416-3077868 0414-9276637

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ Bachology?hc_ref=SEARCH

Correo: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCZP0snvp3tqkP24c X_fg1KQ

Twitter: @Bachology

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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.