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Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery and its role towards salsa

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery and Latin music

The Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery is one of those places where every salsa lover in New York should visit since there is plenty to see here. This museum has all kinds of items donated by many renowned artists or relatives of some who had passed away. This collection of valuable possessions has resulted in a set of priceless objects that will bow anyone visiting the facilities of such a special institution out of water. 

The Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery, also known as Spaha Salsa Gallery, can be defined as an institution of a cultural nature whose main purpose is to serve as a reminder of how great our culture is, especially our music. Both residents and visitors of East Harlem, New York, can learn about the salsa genre and its roots as long as they desire. All thanks to a lot of tools, information and many initiatives with which those interested will know all kinds of interesting facts about salsa first hand. 

Another of the great objectives pursued by this place is the quest for knowledge about Latin music and the artists involved to offer it to anyone who decides to visit its facilities. That is why both its president Johnny Cruz and the team that helps him have been responsible for creating an inclusive and diverse gallery in which you can appreciate how far Hispanic talent has come by the hand of its top stars. 

Johnny Cruz with Viti Ruíz
Johnny Cruz while receiving Franklin Ruiz’s jacket from Viti Ruíz, his brother

Role of the Spaha Salsa Gallery in the dissemination of Latin culture 

The role played by the Spaha Salsa Gallery in the dissemination of Latin culture is very important, since these institutions are the ones that manage to arouse the interest of the inhabitants of Harlem and other nearby sectors towards one of the most representative musical genres of Latinity. This has made many other cultural institutions to use this gallery in order to awaken a higher interest in its own activities, which shows extensive cooperation between those who seek to promote anything Latin-related at all costs. 

Fortunately, our work is not that complicated to carry out because too many tourists visit New York every day and many of them know that this city was the birthplace of the biggest salsa movement in history, so they are always looking for cultural sports in which you can find information about this set of rhythms and how it emerges in the public arena.   

Instruments donated by La Sonora Ponceña
Some instruments donated by La Sonora Ponceña

Who Johnny Cruz is 

Johnny Cruz is the founder of the Spaha Salsa Gallery, but there are many other facets by which this talented Puerto Rican is known in the entertainment industry. Cruz is a famous musician and record producer who has worked and make friends with a wide number of artists from all genres, by providing him with the platform to create a true sanctuary for Latin music lovers. 

One interesting fact about the museum is that it is located on the plot where a hardware business owned by Johnny’s father used to function, which was made into something completely different thanks to the genius of his son long after. Today, that place contains several of the most invaluable objects in the history of salsa and whose relationship with some of the greatest figures of the genre is legendary.   

Link to the official website of the Spaha Salsa gallery: spahasalsagallery.com

By: Johnny Cruz correspondent of International Salsa Magazine in New York City, New York

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David Lucca “My music is guaranteed to please dancers”

“David Lucca and his Salsa Classics”

He was born on September 16, 1957 to Puerto Rican parents in New York City.

At the age of 13 he moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico where he graduated from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). He began his musical career at the age of 18.

He leads the “Panchanga Band” at the Miami Marlins Baseball Park and is widely known for his orchestra “David Lucca & Los Clásicos de la Salsa”.

David Lucca & The Salsa Classics
David Lucca & The Salsa Classics

The famed percussionist is followed by thousands of people in South Florida.

With an extensive and successful musical career, percussionist David Lucca has accompanied the greats of salsa for 45 years and finally founded his own orchestra “David Lucca & Los Clásicos de la Salsa”, which since 2013 has been recognized as one of the most followed in South Florida, United States.

The famed percussionist is followed by thousands of people in South Florida.
Leads the Panchanga Band at Miami Marlins Ballpark

This excellent Puerto Rican musician, after touring the world and being part of various orchestras, making recordings, and many activities of his art, decided to settle in Miami to retire, considering that his goals were already fulfilled, but his musical essence did not leave him, perhaps motivated by his Puerto Rican origin. As a good lover of salsa, he returned to his adventures with his orchestra “David Lucca & Los Clásicos de la Salsa”, which has stood out as one of the best in South Florida.

Lucca has more than 45 years in music. Throughout his career, he has accompanied many artists such as:

Andy Montañez, Ismael Miranda, Ray de la Paz, Michael Stuart, El Cano Estremera, Luisito Carrion, Moncho Rivera, Tommy Olivencia Jr, Hector Tricoche, Frankie Negron, Tito Allen, Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Rivera Jr, Elvis Crespo, Victor Manuel and Many more.

David Lucca y Oscar D' León "El Sonero del Mundo"
David Lucca y Oscar D’ León “El Sonero del Mundo”

David Lucca Achievements: During the 80’s he traveled the world with artists such as Ray Barreto, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, El Budda All Star, El Flamingo All Star, among others.

David Lucca Productions: for 2010 I did the production “David’s Dream” which is a production of 10 songs and a mix of Salsa and Latin Jazz. For 2020 I just came out with the production “Ponle Corazón” which has 10 original songs. It is composed of Salsa, Son Montuno, Bolero, Plena.

Hector Tricoche, David Lucca y Van Lester
Héctor Tricoche, David Lucca y Van Lester

He is currently the director of the Bomba and Plena group “PLENA ES”. He has also worked around the world doing Folkloric rhythms.

Right now I am one of the most requested Bands in South Florida under the name of David Lucca y Los Clásicos.

My new single “PONLE” video was considered as Short Video of the Year by Latin Grammy’s but was not nominated. The same with my production of David’s Dream was also considered by the Latin Grammy’s but was not nominated.

Celso Clemente, David Lucca y Moncho Rivera
Celso Clemente, David Lucca y Moncho Rivera

Lucca also mentioned that in 2020, he came out with a production called “Ponle Corazón”. We really put heart into this. The production is all original, but if you look at the arrangements, if you listen to the music, it has the feeling of the seventies, the little flavor for the dancer. We put heart into it to always please the dancer. This production is being heard all over the world, sales are going very well and I am very happy.

God willing, next year we will start with another production”, he said after pointing out that those interested in buying the album can find it on Spotify, Itunes, Amazon, among other platforms, as well as in the Casa Latina and Casa del Barrio stores in New York.

Those interested in acquiring the album of master percussionist David Lucca can contact him through his Facebook page “David Lucca & Los Clásicos de la Salsa“, or by sending an email to [email protected].

This excellent Puerto Rican musician, after touring the world and being part of several orchestras, making recordings, and many activities related to his art, decided to settle in Miami
David Lucca his Classics and Musical Trajectory

Source: https://latinopinionbaltimore.com/maestro-david-lucca/

Article of Interest: Alexandra Albán Manitas de Piedra baptized by Bobby Cruz

By: Diana Marie International Salsa Magazine Miami Correspondent

Salsa Superior
Salsa Superior Award
Diana Marie
Lady of Salsa 2021

International Salsa Magazine

 

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Willie Morales The Salsa Pilot Taking off with force… New, Tasty and Danceable Salsa!

The Salsa Pilot Willie Morales, “Vivencias mi Misión”

Is his second and most recent musical production after debuting with Desafiando la Gravedad, el Piloto returns with more power and an original sound that bets on the style of Salsa de la Vieja Guardia or Gorda in the same way of interpreting a Son Montuno, a Guaracha, a Bolero or El Mambo and surrounds us with a voice of the original Sonero.

The main theme and title track of the production “Vivencias mi Misión” features an excellent Congas solo by veteran Puerto Rican percussionist Paoli Mejías and the Vázquez brothers (Víctor and Toñito) on Trombones.

Willie Morales El Piloto de la Salsa ¡Despegando con fuerza... Salsa Nueva, Sabrosa y Bailable!
El Piloto de la Salsa Willie Morales, “Vivencias mi Misión”.

 William Morales Echeverría, better known as Willie Morales. Born in East Chicago, Indiana on December 1st. Son of Puerto Rican parents from the town of Añasco.

From a very young age, the inclination towards music was apparent, inspired by his brother Jose Rodolfo Morales (Rudy) who sang with various musical groups in the city of Chicago.

Willie developed in choirs of different schools in the city of Chicago where he demonstrated his vocal range where he performed all voices from soprano to baritone.

At the age of 13, after his parents’ retirement, he took up residence in Añasco, Puerto Rico on Nicolás Soto Ramos Street, better known as La Gallera.

Willie performed in choirs of different schools in the city of Chicago where he demonstrated his vocal range from soprano to baritone.
Taking off with force… New, Tasty and Danceable Salsa! The Salsa Pilot Willie Morales

It was here where his passion for Salsa grew and he had gatherings in the neighborhood with family and childhood friends where we spent hours in street rumbones.

He attended the Escuela Libre de Música de Mayagüez, where he took piano lessons with Luciano Quiñones, and also participated in the school’s band as a singer. He sang with several musical groups in the area such as Polanco, Nelson (Ruido), and La Dictadora, which belonged to Willie Sotelo, the current pianist of the Gran Combo.

His favorite singers are Cheo Feliciano, Marvin Santiago, Ismael Miranda, his relative among others. During this trajectory, he began another passion in his life, aviation.

His desire to be a pilot grew with the same intensity he felt to be a singer, as time went by, he took the path of aviation where he has been flying around the world for more than 30 years. He never stopped singing, bringing joy to co-workers, neighbors and the general public.

Bringing music and joy in every corner, in every place, dancing and singing even in the airplane.

Always with the hope that in the future he could realize his dream of making his own musical production. After such a long wait, he got the opportunity to do what he loves so much in life, taking both careers hand in hand, singing and defying gravity, two dreams come true.

Here is Willie Morales, El Piloto de la Salsa! As his friends called him.

Familia… ¡Recién salido del horno! Ya está disponible

Family…

Just out of the oven!

Now available for sale by PayPal, Zelle or money order. Bufete de Salsa, features 12 tracks, Pa’ Gozá!!!! Each unit has a cost of $16.00 includes shipping (USA) with tracking number. Autographed if you wish!

“YOUR SUPPORT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE MAKING MUSIC FOR THE SALSA PEOPLE”.

Contact: Willie Morales II or call 832-515-3522

Por: Erika Muñoz 

La Mulata Rumbera

Erika Muñoz 

“Se Armó la Rumba en México”

Corresponsal de International Salsa Magazine

Article of Interest: Fabián Rosales Araos Chilean singer-songwriter, native of the city of Valparaíso

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Good music and fine dining at Café Salsera

Feel at home at Café Salsera

North America is packed full of places where Latinos can feel at home and native people can learn more about a culture that is apparently distinct from theirs. One of these places is the wonderful Café Salsera, which has much to offer every one of its visitors. 

We are talking about a spectacular place that has a very peculiar characteristic. It turns out that, at any time of the day, it serves as a restaurant and café, while at night it becomes a fabulous nightclub where you can enjoy the best hits of today. The menu is entirely based on Mexican food and the main objective of this place is to offer the best Latin flavor to all those who want to taste it. 

While it is true that the menu is based on Mexican dishes, the ambiance of the restaurant has a Spanish colonial style which contrasts starkly with what is offered to diners. Among the main dishes to be served at Café Salsera, we can mention tacos, nachos, empanadas, pasties, chicharrones, street-style elotes, among many others. On top of this, there are also incredible cocktails, including the mangonadas, caipirinhas, margaritas, mojitos, and much more. 

Recipes made by the kitchen staff are always varied and very original. The menu always surprises regular visitors no matter the amount of times they have attended the place. 

Image of the facade of Café Salsera
Facade of Café Salsera

Fine dining and good music

When the night comes, you can enjoy an alfresco dining with live music, but this does not have to end this way. On Fridays, the place has the powerful presence of DJ Turo, who is in charge of livening up the atmosphere with the latest salsa, bachata, merengue and other rhythms. On Saturdays, attendees will be lucky enough to dance to the rhythm of Erick Jaimez, who will play the latest music and some not-so-recent hits for the nostalgic. On Tuesdays, salsa lessons are planned to be given by a group of instructors who are highly trained to reach this genre. 

According to the opinions issued through social media, those who have had the opportunity to go to Café Salsera assure that it is a fantastic place to visit at all times, since it has the particularity of being a restaurant, cafe and nightclub on the same day. They also assure that the treatment by the staff is the best and warmest to make customers feel at home. 

Considering open hours, on Mondays, they are open from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, it is open from 5 pm to 2 a.m. Attendees can go for dinner, dancing or both without any problems. 

Here you can see some tables at Café Salsera
Some tables at Café Salsera

There is also the possibility of renting one or more VIP rooms in which an approximate of 10 people can spend a good time in glad company and the best Latin music in the background. Of course, the cost will depend on whether visitors wish to dine or simply have a nice time between drinks.   

If attendees want a table for only 4 or 5 people, they can book a VIP table, which will include a bottle for all members of the group. On Saturdays, the cost of booking a table will be $155. In case you want to book a VIP section for 10 people, you must cancel an amount of $ 285.   

Without a doubt, a fabulous place to eat, drink, dance, and listen to good music after all these months of confinement due to the pandemic.   

Ourdor tables at Café Salsera
Outdoor seating at Safé Salsera

Link to its official website: https://www.cafesalsera.com/

 

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Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr. Growing Up in Latin Dance Music and Jazz

Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez Jr. is a salsa legend and world-renown, pioneering bongocero.

His “Dream Team” is currently regarded as the hottest salsa “conjunto” performing In New York City.

It is rare, and ever increasingly so, that a musician would spend a lifetime in a band. But percussionist Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr. who was a teenager when he was allowed to sit in with the Tito Puente Orchestra and be an apprentice for a few months before earning a place in its rhythm section, was also there at the end, playing alongside Puente until his death, after a concert on May 31st, 2000.

“I went from being a kid, coming into the band as a 16-year-old to being the man running the band at the end,” said Rodríguez, 70, in a conversation from his home in Las Vegas.

Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez Jr. Growing up in Latin dance and jazz music
Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr.

Between that beginning and end, Rodríguez also contributed, in prolonged stints, to the sound of the Tito Rodríguez Orchestra, Ray Barretto, his own band, Típica ‘73, and more.

The son of Johnny “La Vaca” Rodríguez Sr., a respected percussionist who also played with the Puente and Rodríguez orchestras, “Dandy” Rodríguez is one of those essential musicians who have created and shaped the sound of contemporary Latin Jazz yet are little known by the public at large.

"When they called me to talk about the concert I thought it was a great idea," Rodriguez says.
Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr. y Pedro Bermúdez en New York

While some of the great players in Duke Ellington or Count Basie bands have long been recognized for their contributions, their counterparts in the Latin orchestras, for the most part, have not.  Rodriguez will be honored by Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra in their concert “Tribute to the Great Sidemen of Latin Jazz” alongside Sonny Bravo, Ray Santos, Papo Vázquez, Reynaldo Jorge, José Madera, Joe González, and Bobby Porcelli at Symphony Space, in New York City, January 29th and 30th.

“When they called me about the concert I thought it was such a great idea,” says Rodriguez.

Johnny Rodríguez
Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez Jr. is a salsa legend and a world-renowned pioneer bongocero.

“Usually people just know the name of the bandleader and it’s fine,” he says. “But they must remember that there is a good team behind that leader which makes him look so much better.

There’s a way of playing that music that makes it sound the way they wrote it and the way they wanted it and these guys knew it and they knew how to do it.”

Rodríguez grew up in Spanish Harlem, Manhattan, in a house with “a great music collection, a good, what was then called, hi-fi system and always full of musicians,” he recalls.

“It was great but I was interested in baseball, in stickball. I didn’t get involved with music until later, but the music was always in the background, in my house.” By the time he was in junior high, Rodríguez played bongos, congas, timbales, and set drums and, as he puts it, “started to get into it.”

“Remember, I lived in El Barrio and back in those days, in that area, there was a lot of music in the air.

There would be speakers outside the furniture store or the bodega or the record shop, and music would be playing. This shop would be playing this radio station, the butcher would have another, so walking one block you’d be hearing three different pieces of music. It was an environment full of music.”

During the first two decades of the new century, the musical work of maestro Johnny Rodriguez continued; thus, his musical imprint has remained in other publications with The Latin-Jazz Coalition, Frankie Morales, Eddie Palmieri, Gilberto Santa Rosa, George Delgado, Victor Manuelle, Rick Arroyo, Orestes Vilató, Mitch Frohman, Cita Rodriguez, Doug Beaver, Adalberto Santiago and Jeremy Bosch.

In addition, special mention must be made of the participation of maestro Johnny Rodríguez with a group called The Latin Giants Of Jazz, in the best style of the classic Big Bands, made up of great teachers, among them, some of the former members of the band of maestro Tito Puente; with this group they have released four albums; this project gave rise to another band called The Mambo Legends, who recorded the album titled: Watch Out! ¡Ten Cuidao!

John Rodriguez is, without any doubt, one of the most prolific percussionists in the world of Latin music called Salsa; the nickname “Dandy” goes back to his childhood, when the car in which he was taken was bought in a warehouse or a store called “Dandy”, and people said: look how cute the “Dandy”, and from there he kept that nickname. In music he is better known as Johnny instead of John.

In the (year 2022) the experienced Johnny Rodriguez had three or four groups with which he is playing, among them Dandy Rodriguez and his Dream Team, and at the same time he teaches percussion classes over the Internet. He is part of the true legends of Latin music, not to mention that his talent has also been reflected in recordings for other musical genres such as: Electronic, Folk Rock, Folk, World & Country, Funk / Soul, Heavy Metal, Jazz, Stage & Screen, Jazz-Funk, Merengue and Pop.

In his very extensive artistic career, the master Johnny Rodriguez took part in historical and iconic recordings of our musical culture, some of these albums have been worthy of awards such as the Grammy Award, among which are:

Homenaje a Beny Moré – Year 1978.
On Broadway – 1983
El Rey: Tito Puente & His Latin Ensemble – Year 1984
Mambo Diablo – 1985
Goza Mi Timbal – Year 1990
Mambo Birdland – Year 1999
Masterpiece / Masterpiece Tito Puente & Eddie Palmieri – Year 2000.

“In 2008, Johhny entrusted LP’s Research and Development Department with the design of the John “Dandy” Rodriguez Jr. bongoes in the Legends series. John is proud that these drums, which bear his name, feature such outstanding sound and visual characteristics.”

He died on August 17, 2024 in New York City of a stroke.

 

Facebook: John Rodriguez(Dandy)

Article of Interest: José Madera Timbal de Machito and his Afro-Cubans, Tito Puente, Mambo Legends Orchestra and Fania Record Co.

Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez Jr. y Frankie "El Sonero del Barrio" Vázquez
Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr. y Frankie “El Sonero del Barrio” Vázquez

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