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On october 19, 1961 in Portoviejo, Ecuador, Marco Bermudez Brito was born. Extraordinary Musician, Percussionist, Singer, Composer.

Nobody is a prophet in his own land. At the age of 23 he traveled to the United States as a singer. And in 2004, being a member of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra (SHO), he won the Grammy in the category Best Salsa Album for the album Across 110th street.

On a day like today, October 20, Marco Bermudez was born in Portoviejo, Ecuador. He is an excellent performer, composer and studio musician in all styles of Latin music.

He was born into a family with a rich musical heritage and has resided in New York for the past thirty-four years. Marco has toured the world with Latin music greats: Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Oscar D’ Leon, Tito Nieves, Domingo Quiñones, Jose Alberto and all the artists on the RMM Records label.

Marco’s discography includes: RMM All Stars 10th Anniversary CD/DVD Live at the Continental Arena New Jersey; Recorded a Selena (RMM) and Tropical Tribute to the Beatles CD/DVD recorded live at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Marco is currently one of the singers of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. As a performer and composer, Bermudez has collaborated in the record productions of the SHO, writing the lyrics of the songs Son de Corazón, Regalo de Dios, Qué Bonito, La Fiesta began.

(One more year of life for this Ecuadorian performer, composer and musician who has performed in different variations of Latin music.

Experiences with Isidro Infante y La Élite, Conjunto Clásico, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Oscar D’León, Tito Nieves, Domingo Quiñones, José Alberto “El canario”, and Ralph Mercado’s RMM Records family in which he participated in productions such as “RMM All Stars 10th Anniversary – Live in Continental Arena of New Jersey”, “Recorded a Selena”, “Recorded a Selena”, “Recorded a Selena”, “Recorded a Selena”, “Recorded a Selena”, “Recorded a Selena”, “Recorded a Selena”, “Recorded a Selena”, and “Recorded a Selena”; the album “Recorded a Selena” (RMM) and “Tropical Tribute to the Beatles”, a CD/DVD recorded live at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

The pinnacle of his career came when he became part of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra’s line-up of singers, collaborating in different record productions and strengthening his facet as a composer through titles such as “Son de corazón”, “Qué bonito”, “Regalo de Dios” and “La fiesta empezó”.

He has also been part of The Mambo Legends project sharing microphones with Frankie Vázquez and Jorge Maldonado.His story is told to us when he was in Ecuador on vacation with his wife.

“From a very young age, I was always surrounded by music,” she says proudly. He refers to his parents, siblings and most of all to his uncle, the great singer Eduardo Brito.

Marco, at the age of 9, together with his brother Eduardo formed the duo Hermanos Bermúdez Brito, being the first to record the pasillo Romance de la tejedora manabita, lyrics by Paco del Casty and music by Filemón Macías, Marco’s uncle: “Con horma de esperanzas/y encajes de clavellina/ va tejiendo su sombrero/ la manabita más linda” (With a last of hopes/and lace of carnation/ she weaves her hat/ the prettiest manabita).

In the early eighties, brothers Mariano and Venancio Larrea invited him to join the Marfil group, from Guayaquil. That was when the group turned to salsa music, which was just becoming popular in these parts.

But his life and stage changed in 1984, when he and his brother joined the Manabita orchestra Los Profetas, which would perform in Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago.

With the illusion of succeeding in the north, Bermúdez stayed and formed El Combo de Nueva York, which was the staff orchestra of a chain of nightclubs in Queens.

At that time, Marco was concerned about his musical training, besides being a singer and composer, he was also a percussionist. His entry into the big leagues of salsa came when he was part of La Élite, led by maestro Isidro Infante, for 6 years.

There he achieved fame as the interpreter of the songs Santo, Militar and Montuno and for the album Tributo Tropical a Los Beatles.

He was also part of La Charanga de Johnny Almendra and Los Jóvenes del Barrio, and was one of the singers of the legendary Conjunto Clásico orchestra. “Even when there is a tour they call me because I know the repertoire and I know the routine”.

At the beginning of 2003 he made a great leap when he joined the SHO, an orchestra that besides winning the Grammy and achieving nominations for two of its albums, is considered “the best salsa orchestra in the world”, according to the Puerto Rican critic Jaime Torres Torres, who in referring to Bermúdez affirms: “He is the only recognized Ecuadorian salsa singer who dominates the difficult art of soneo and clave”.

About the renowned SHO, Bermúdez says that in reality this orchestra “is the sound of the Harlem neighborhood, where urban salsa was born.

We are inspired by masters like Tito Puente and Mario Bauza, who left us that legacy”. And although every salsa singer is mistakenly called a sonero, very few are.

The soneo is an improvisation by the singer when the percussionist solos on the drums, he explains.

The next SHO album will feature three songs by Bermúdez: Son de corazón, Regalo de Dios and La fiesta empezó. “I like to write everything, romantic, jocular, nature and rumba songs,” says Marco who is currently selecting songs for his solo album which he hopes will be released this year. It will include a recording with Las Leyendas del Mambo, Tito Puente’s legendary orchestra.

These are his plans. His dream: “to come to Ecuador as a soloist or with SHO because I have had recognition abroad, but it must be nice to be recognized in your country”. Although they say that no one is a prophet in his own land, Bermúdez, the sonero, will surely be.

At the age of 9, together with his brother Eduardo, he formed the duo Hermanos Bermúdez Brito, being the first to record the pasillo Romance de la tejedora manabita.

In the early eighties, the brothers Mariano and Venancio Larrea invited him to join the Marfil group, from Guayaquil.

In 1984, together with his brother, he joined the Manabita orchestra Los Profetas, which would perform in the United States. He stayed in New York and formed El Combo de Nueva York, which was the staff orchestra of a chain of nightclubs in Queens.

Later he was part of La Élite, led by maestro Isidro Infante, for 6 years.

He was also part of La Charanga de Johnny Almendra and Los Jóvenes del Barrio, and was one of the singers of the Conjunto Clásico orchestra.

At the beginning of 2003 he joined the “Spanish Harlem Orquestra” of Maestro Oscar Hernandez. He has collaborated, among others, with the band of “Mister Moña” Jimmy Bosch and “La Mambo Legends.

You can read: Héctor “Bomberito” Zarzuela Calidad y Tuning en la Maquinaria Fania All-Star

Marco Bermudez

José Antonio Fajardo, in the month of November we refer to one of the greatest musicians that the island of Cuba has given in the last century; we are talking about maestro José Antonio Fajardo Ramos: flutist, composer, orchestra conductor and music producer; one of the great promoters of Cuban music represented in the rhythms of bolero, son, guaracha, mambo, chachachá and pachanga.

José Fajardo was born in Guane, province of Pinar del Río in 1919. He began his musical career as a maraquero in his father Alberto Fajardo’s orchestra, later he took up the flute.

From the age of 16 he was part of several groups such as: Joseíto Fernández, Paulina Álvarez, Melodías del 40, La Romance de René Álvarez, the orchestra of maestro Antonio María Romeu, the orchestra of pianist Luis González Valdés: “Neno” González and the orchestra of Antonio Arcaño, known as Arcaño y sus Maravillas.

After his time in these famous groups, in 1949, Fajardo created his own orchestra called Fajardo y sus Estrellas, with musicians such as: Orlando “Cachaito López”, René Fernández on piano, violinists Ignacio Berroa and Félix Reyna, who was also the composer; percussionist Jesús Esquijarrosa on timbales; Carlos Real on tumbadora and Rolando Valdés on güiro; in the vocal part he initially integrated Joseito Valdés.

In the early fifties, with the boom of chachachá in 1951, things improved a lot and the charangas orchestras began to perform in the best cabarets, aristocratic salons and private parties of high society, such as the Montmatre and Tropicana cabarets.

Fajardo became internationally known in the mid 50’s at the head of his orchestra, Fajardo y sus Estrellas, he was the first charanguero to introduce the cymbals to the timbal and the pioneer in the incorporation of the cowbell and the bongo to the charanga, his group was one of the sensations of the golden age of chachacha and pachanga.

After going into exile in the 1960s, he toured Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, popularizing an eminently Cuban repertoire.

Maestro José Fajardo has been one of the only musicians who have stood out in different periods of Latin music; initially in Cuba, in the 50’s with the arrival of Chachachá, later in the era of Pachanga and Boogaloo, in the sixties in the United States, and he also came to prominence in the golden era of salsa in the seventies and eighties of the last century.

In the seventies, eighties and later, the flute master recorded with Joe Quijano & His Conjunto Cachana, Tico-Alegre All Stars; Ray Barretto and Adalberto Santiago; Johnny Pacheco, Pupi, Javier Y Su Charanga; Jimmy Sabater, Orlando Contreras, Alfredo Valdés Jr, Fania All Stars, Louie Ramirez, Graciela and Mario Bauza, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, with our great Joe Arroyo in the nineties and with Hector Casanova, Mario Muñoz, Andy Gonzalez, Eddie Montalvo, Manny Oquendo, Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros, Carlos “Patato” Valdes, Alfredo Rodriguez and Francisco Aguabella.

After a brilliant musical career spanning more than six decades, Maestro José Antonio Fajardo passed away in New York City on December 11, 2001, leaving an enormous legacy to our culture.

The great musical contribution of this portentous son of Pinar del Rio, has highlighted him as the highest flute of Cuba and Latin America, a true ambassador of Cuban music and salsa in the world; from our beautiful page ‘Los Mejores Salseros del Mundo’ we want to highlight the enormous artistic career of maestro José Antonio Fajardo Ramos as a tribute to his wonderful musical work.

José Fajardo Jr.

You can read: Ángel Bonne He was part of Juan Formell’s Los Van Van Orchestra, and collaborated with the impressive Irakere band of maestro Chucho Valdés

The name of the city of Barquisimeto continues to be known as the musical capital of Venezuela.

Characteristic by which, for years, is national and international reference and for proof of this, excellent musicians born in this city, who triumph and shine with their own light, demonstrating quality and versatility in all Latin rhythms stand out.

And today’s character in “Salsa Escrita” is the multi-instrumentalist Jorge Gregorio Rojas Perozo, artistically known as Jorge “El Papi” Rojas, extraordinary tres player, guitarist, bassist, arranger, composer, producer and teacher of Latin rhythms and tumbaos.

“El Papi”, as he is commonly known, was born on November 28th in the city of Crepuscular and from a very young age he started in this wonderful art of music, studying at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Music Conservatory.

Welcome Jorge to “Salsa Escrita”, through International Salsa Magazine, www.salsagoogle.com our readers want to know your wide and successful trajectory.

Thank you Professor Carlos Colmenárez for giving me the opportunity to appear in your well read and well known salsa column.

Jorge, tell us in general terms, with which groups have you been part of?

Professor, in 1986 I was director and founder of Grupo Identidad Caribe, in the salsa genre, then in 1987, founder of Grupo Miyare, also salsa.

From 1988 to 1992, director of the Orquesta Profecía (Christian salsa); 1996 to 2003, director of the Orquesta Monumental. From 2003 to 2008 I was director of the Epsilon Band (rock-pop) with music from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and from 2003 to 2010, bass player, accompanying on tours in Venezuela of: Henry Stephen, Trino Mora, Los Tres Tristes Tigres, Carlos Moreno, Los Pasteles Verdes, Los Ángeles Negros, Mirtha Pérez, Tania and Leo Dan; from 2007 to 2009, accompanying musician for singers: Mervin Rodriguez, Aurita Uribarri and Marco Molina.

In 2012 to the present, tres player of “Sasón Latino”; in 2018, musical director of the Orquesta Siete Mangos y una Flor.

Today I direct the salsa group “Coimbre” and in parallel I am recording my own production of salsa and sones with lyrics and arrangements of my authorship to provide a contribution to Latin music from the state of Lara.

Also, I am giving virtual classes of Latin rhythms and tumbaos in the Cuban tres, bass and guitar, both nationally and internationally.

Very interesting and admirable your trajectory; Jorge, by the way, I remember a performance of you with the “Orquesta Profecía”, alternating with the “Estrellas de Fania” in the Municipal Coliseum of Barquisimeto, how was that experience? Well professor, it was an unforgettable experience, to be sharing the stage with Ismael Miranda, Larry Harlow, Bobby Valentin, Richie Ray, Bobby Cruz, Pete “Conde” Rodriguez and Jhonny Pacheco; in an unforgettable night, where we opened that concert, taking pleasant impressions from the audience and salsa specialists.

And I tell you professor, besides alternating with Fania here in Barquisimeto, we also did it in the Poliedro of Caracas, in a tour made by them in our country in 1993.

And as for international tours, which countries have you visited? Professor Carlos, I had the honor of performing in the brother country of Neogranadino with the salsa group “Coimbre”, where the Colombian salsa public enjoyed the Afro-Caribbean music, made by musicians from Barquisimeto; visiting the cities of Cucuta and Medellin.

Recently we accompanied the sonero Ramoncito Mendez in his show at the end of 2019, here in the state of Lara. Current projects “Papi”, what do you have out there? Friend Carlos, at the moment, as I told you at the beginning, I am finishing my production and simultaneously I am teaching online classes, with people from abroad.

What are your digital platforms? They are, Facebook: Jorge El Papi Rojas; phone +58 426 3531337; email: [email protected]. Finally, on behalf of Salsa Escrita, we would like to congratulate you for your vast and interesting artistic career and we hope you continue to succeed in our country and abroad, with the help of God Almighty.

Thank you Professor Carlos Colmenárez, for the interview in your salsa column, very grateful and I wish you long life to continue supporting and projecting the musicians from Barquisimeto, Venezuela and around the world.

Jorge El Papi Rojas

You can read: Henry Valladares, a brilliant, versatile, and disciplined percussionist