Search Results for: Salsa
Hernan Olivera the sonero of the 21st century
Latin America / Puerto Rico / Puerto Rico
Hernan Olivera, this excellent Salsa singer named Hermenegildo Olivera was born on January 30, 1959 in Newark, New Jersey.
Hernan Olivera is the son of Puerto Rican parents and from an early age he felt a great affinity for Latin music since his father listened to the groups of the moment such as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Machito, Ismael Rivera with Cortijo y su Combo, Alegre All Stars, Tito Rodríguez, Santitos Colon, etc.
Then, in the 70s, in the midst of the Salsa Boom, Herman began his love of singing listening to the performances of Chamaco Ramírez, Héctor Lavo’e, Cheo Feliciano and Marvin Santiago, among others. These vocalists were mainly his source of inspiration; That school of soneros served as an apprenticeship for him and that is when he made the decision to sing professionally.
When he was just 15 years old, Herman began his career as a Salsa performer with an orchestra called “La Justicia”, after this he was part of the band “La Sónica” where he met his friend and trombonist Jimmy Bosch, after this He spent time with the “Caramelo” orchestra and later made the most important leap in his career by joining the “Con Conjunto Libre” in 1978, where he left his voice for the first time on the LP “Increíble” from 1981 under the direction by percussionist Manolo Oquendo and Bassist Andy González where he stands out with the song “Decide”.
Then in 1983 he would record with the Conjunto Libre in the production “Rhythm, sound and style” the song “Que Humanity” that would become a success. In 1988 Herman left the group “Libre” and became part of a project by Mr. Fernando Pastrana and under the musical direction of trumpeter Miguel Santiago whose album was called “La Exclusiva” which shared the vocal part with Roberto Mier, in this album stands out interpreting the songs “Xiomara” and “Te vi pasa”.
After this, in 1990 he was invited to record on the album “Salsa Sudada”, for the Valdesa Records label of Víctor Raúl Sánchez “Patillas” and with the musical direction of Isidro Infante, sharing vocals with Mario Muñoz “Papaíto”, Adalberto Santiago, Eladio Peguero “Yayo El Indio” and Pablo Villanueva Branda “Melcochita”; in this work he interprets the themes “La needle” and a tribute to the city of Cali called “Valle plata de salsa”.
He continued with his career as a performer and in 1993 he was once again invited to record the production “Now” with the Free Ensemble, where his great conditions and resources as a singer are undoubtedly reflected, there the song “You belong to me” became a hit in addition to other songs such as “Obsesión” and “El Son” stand out on this album.
Subsequently, he launched an independent project called Herman Olivera and La Exclusiva “Chequea La Mercancía” produced by Fernando Pestana, where the song “Me Extra Spider” is one of the most outstanding. In 1996 he reunited with the Conjunto Libre and made the live album entitled “On The Movie”.
In 1997 he participated in the CD of the band Rikoson All Stars called “Evoluciones Del Son” where he stands out very well in the romantic theme “Aquella Noche”.
In 1998 he was requested by the piano teacher Eddie Palmieri and together with the vocalist Wichy Camacho they recorded the album “El Rumbero Del Piano” in which he stood out as a singer in the songs “Malagueña salerosa” and “Oiga mi guaguancó” that same year. he is invited to the recording studios by the trombonist Jimmy Bosch and they release the album titled “Soneando Trombón” which contains the hit “Otra opportunity” that he performs as a duet with Frankie Vázquez, on this CD the song “Descargarana” is also inserted. ”.
That same duo Olivera and Bosch meet the following year (1999) and make the production “Salsa Dura” where Herman shines interpreting the full “Impact we will have” this album also has the participation of the singers Frankie “Nene” Morales and Frankie Vázquez parallel to this album, the RMM label launches a live CD and DVD entitled “Eddie Palmieri & Friend’s” where Herman looks excellent in the number “Palo Pa’ Rumba”.
Tribute to Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr. His first recording was professionally with Tito Puente in 1964 and was titled “Exciting Rhythm of Tito Puente”
Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez, (September 11, 1945, United States August 17, 2024) son of Johnny Rodriguez Sr. who was nicknamed “La Vaca”, remembered percussionist who was part of the orchestras of Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez, among others; as we can deduce, music for Johnny Rodriguez is something clearly hereditary given that as a child he attended his father’s rehearsals and his mother was a dancer.
To get an idea of the musical family, let’s say that Johnny Rodriguez Sr. also took part in performances and recordings with musicians and singers of the stature of: Alfredito Levy, Joe Quijano, Jose Curbelo, Lou Perez Louie Ramirez, Machito, Miguelito Valdes, Noro Morales, Orlando Marin, Pete Terrace, Pupi Campo and Xavier Cugat.
The father’s enormous musical background was emulated in a great way with ample merits by the son.
Dandy Rodriguez grew up in Spanish Harlem in Manhattan, his home was very musical and when he was in high school he learned the details of percussion represented by the bongos, congas, timbales and drums. Influenced by his father he became interested in music and so in 1962 he joined the band of maestro Tito Puente.
His first professional recording was with Tito Puente and was titled Excitante Ritmo De Tito Puente; after this first album with Puente, “Dandy” Rodriguez began to deepen his musical studies listening and learning from leading musicians such as: José Mangual Senior bongosero from Machito, Rogelio “Yeyito” Iglesias bongosero from Cachao and Vitin Palacio bongosero from Johnny Segui.
He worked with the King of Timbales for more than three decades, initially in the sixties, more specifically from 1962 to 1972, then he rejoined Tito Puente’s band at the end of the seventies and was part of it practically until the death of the famous King of Timbales.
In the extensive career of our Johnny Rodriguez in music we must mention his internship with Joe Cuba’s orchestra, with whom “Dandy” Rodriguez himself says he participated in seven or eight albums since the mid-sixties; the first of them titled Joe Cuba Sextette – Comin’ At Yous; without forgetting to mention that in those albums the name of Johnny Rodriguez Jr. does not appear in the credits due to issues related to contracts with record companies.
His stay with Puente was not a limitation for him to be part of other musical groups, so he also worked for several years with another great of Latin music, the remembered Tito Rodríguez. He was also part of the band of the famous conguero Ray Barreto, replacing Tony Fuentes, and was one of the founders of the famous Típica 73 in 1972 and even took part in a couple of albums with Machito.
In the seventies, during the Salsa Boom, “Dandy” Rodriguez left his mark on recordings with: Jose “Cheo” Feliciano, Charlie Palmieri, Roberto Torres, Willie Rosario, Ismael Quintana, Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco, Louie Ramirez, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, Fania All Stars, Alfredo De La Fe, Conjunto Clásico, Henry Fiol and Tito Allen.
As we mentioned before, John Rodriguez returned to the band of maestro Tito Puente in 1978 and was part of the band until Ernesto Antonio Puente’s death in 2000 at the age of 77; he participated in this cycle in at least twenty musical works apart from a large number of concerts and performances on tours in different countries around the world.
During those two decades with Tito Puente he also worked with other musicians, singers and groups such as: Miguel Quintana, Roberto Torres, Charlie Rodriguez, Tito Allen, Alfredo De La Fe, Azuquita Y Su Melao, Charlie Palmieri, Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco, Paquito D’ Rivera, Raulin, The Bronx Horns and Angelo Vaillant.
During the first two decades of the new century, the musical work of maestro Johnny Rodriguez continued and his musical mark has remained in other publications with The Latin-Jazz Coalition, Frankie Morales, Eddie Palmieri, Gilberto Santa Rosa, George Delgado, Victor Manuelle, Rick Arroyo, Orestes Vilato, Mitch Frohman, Cita Rodriguez, Doug Beaver, Adalberto Santiago and Jeremy Bosch.
Also, special mention must be made of the participation of maestro Johnny Rodriguez with a group called The Latin Giants Of Jazz, in the best style of the classic Big Bands made up of great teachers, including some of the former members of maestro Tito Puente’s band; with this group they have published four albums; this project gave rise to another band called The Mambo Legends, who recorded the album entitled: Watch Out! Be careful!
John Rodriguez is without a doubt one of the most prolific percussionists in the world of Latin music called Salsa. The nickname “Dandy” dates back to his childhood when the car he was driven in was bought at a store or shop called “Dandy” and people said look how cute “Dandy” is and from there he stuck with 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, including Dandy Rodriguez and his Dream Team, while teaching percussion classes online.
He is one 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, maestro Johnny Rodríguez was part of historic and iconic recordings of our musical culture, some of these albums have been worthy of awards such as the Grammy Award, among which are:
Tribute to Beny Moré – Year 1978
On Broadway – Year 1983
El Rey: Tito Puente & His Latin Ensemble – Year 1984
Mambo Diablo – Year 1985
Goza Mi Timbal – Year 1990
Mambo Birdland – Year 1999
Masterpiece / Obra Maestra Tito Puente & Eddie Palmieri – Year 2000.
“In 2008, Johny entrusted LP’s Research and Development Department with the design of the John “Dandy” Rodriguez Jr. Legends Series bongos. John is proud that these drums, which bear his name, feature such outstanding sound and visual characteristics.”
Also Read: Jerry Ferrao says in salsa key: “My life is a drum”
Collaboration: Marino de Jesus (1588) from Salsa History from the Dominican Republic
Guatemalan group Malacates Trébol Shop enchants with its Latin rock and ska
We have had the opportunity to talk with artists and groups from many Latin American countries and the United States, but so far, we had not had the honor of interviewing anyone from Guatemala. Therefore, it was a pleasure for us to talk to Leonel Fernández and Rodolfo ”Chofo” Fernández, two of the members of the band Malacates Trébol Shop, to whom we dedicate the following lines.
How did the members of Malacates Trébol Shop get interested in music?
The band Malacates Trébol Shop already has more than 27 years of creation in the country of origin of its members, which is Guatemala. They started playing ska, which basically, in the words of Leonel Hernández, has been the backbone of everything they have done during this time, but this has not prevented them from flirting with other Latin genres that they also like very much, such as cumbia, reggae, Latin rock, among others.
bout this, Rodolfo pointed out that each of the members of the band has very diverse musical tastes including rock, pop, jazz, ska, blues, reggae, funk, salsa, bolero, mariachis, among others. So, all the musicians bring to the table their own musical ideas resulting in the sound that the group has today. However, just like Leonel, he emphasized that ska is always the basis on which they build most of their project.
Previous experience to Malacates Trébol Shop
Leonel again took the floor to emphasize that all the musicians in the group had already been in other bands before being part of this project with the illusion that at some point they were going to be music professionals fair and square.
It was in this same musical environment that Leonel, Rodolfo, Jacobo Nitsch, Francisco Paez and other artists met and began to get together. Over time, they all discovered that their views on music were very similar, so it would not be long before each of them would leave the groups they were in to create something on their own.
They would all get together regularly on weekends to play music, have fun and drink some beers. With the passage of time, they noticed that they were taking things more and more seriously to the point that they decided they had to lay the groundwork for something more formal in the near future.
This represented for the youngsters the opportunity to do something serious in music for the first time and they were not going to waste it under any circumstances.
How did the name Malacates Trébol Shop come about?
The name Malacates Trébol Shop came about just before the first rehearsal of the group because they wanted to baptize the project from the beginning, but the guys wanted something original and, if possible, humorous for people to remember it upon hearing it.
So, they all began inventing funny names to identify themselves with, such as ”Conchinflín Godinez” or ”Los Champurradas” (a typical Guatemalan bread). This is how one of the boys suggested the name ”malacates”, which was a word used by grannies to refer to children who misbehaved. In addition to that, there was a club in Guatemala called ”Trébol Shop”. This resulted in the current name of the group which is ”Malacates Trébol Shop”.
When they started to call themselves this way, people generally took it with humor and it caused curiosity, which was exactly what the musicians were looking for. At that time, musical bands used to have elaborate names with many deep meanings, so ”malacates” broke that mold and stood out from others.
In its first performances, without a doubt, the name was one of the elements that made its early audiences that enjoyed the band live have it in their memory for a long time.
First professional experiences
In order for Malacates Trébol Shop to play live for the first time in a formal presentation, the musicians rehearsed for a whole year to make sure all worked out as best as it could.
In the process, they managed to be played on the radio and generated a lot of expectation around what they could offer with their talent, so many commercial brands wanted to work and sponsor them. One of them was Pepsi, which published a campaign with a Malacates song in the background, which was a great honor for the boys and resulted in a much larger number of concerts and bookings in general.
Groups and artists who inspired Malacates
As for the groups and artists who inspired the members of Malacates, we can mention Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, The Skatalites, Grupo SKA-P, Bob Marley, Cultura Profética, among others.
In addition to this, one of the founding members of Malacates and the band Bohemia Suburbana, Juan Luis Lopera, is one of the first Guatemalan artists to do some Ska in the country, which made him one of the precursors of the genre in the Central American nation.
They also used to listen very often to the group Madness, Los Auténticos Decadentes and Versuit Vergarabat.
It is on these groups that Malacates Trébol Shop has based its sound and repertoire since it was conceived as a serious project by its founders and members.
Read also: Nanette Hernández promotes the bomba and plena in New Jersey
Omar Ledezma Jr. and Pacific Mambo on tour in Europe
We had several occasions to talk with Venezuelan singer and percussionist Omar Ledezma Jr. because he always has interesting things to say about his projects and tours, and this time it was no exception.
Recently, the artist along with the rest of Pacific Mambo Orchestra were doing a small tour in Europe, more specifically in France and Italy, and we wanted to know all he could tell us about these performances, most notably the great musical event Tempo Latino, which is held every year in Vic-Fezensac, France.
Pacific Mambo in Italy
Something interesting about this year is that Pacific Mambo not only went to Tempo Latino, but they also had a few shows in Italy prior to the festival. Before that, they played in one of the most important events of jazz and music in general which was the Umbria Jazz Festival that took place in Peruvia, where they had the opportunity to play after the impeccable performance by Brazilian singer and guitarist Djavan.
He also describes this concert as a great experience and a great opportunity to continue to demonstrate their talent to audiences that had never heard them before, so they enjoyed it and took full advantage of it.
Later, they had another performance in the city of Palermo, where they were accompanied by the Palermo Brass Orchestra. Omar says that this combination was spectacular and that the music sounded incredible with the brass in the background, to the extent that they spoke to the group and several of the musicians accompanied them to France to play with them at Tempo Latino as well.
Pacific Mambo at Tempo Latino one more year
Omar explained to us that he does not handle the details of the contact to Pacific Mambo to attend Tempo Latino again, but he did tell us that the singer of the group, Cristel Durandi, was the godmother of the festival, which was a real honor for all its members and they were very gratefulfor that. It can now be said that there is an important connection between the orchestra and the organization of the event for future editions.
He told us that there is nothing particularly different than previous years and that, in his case, he felt he was treated like family by the organizers and the other musicians with whom they had the opportunity to talk to. The ones with whom they shared the most were Latin jazz trumpeter Maite Hontelé and the guys from La Orquesta La 33, who had their own performances on that stage that has seen so many Latin talents shine over the years.
On Saturday 27 July, it was finally their turn after Maite played with her new orchestra of young musicians, which was preparing the audience for them when they had to delight the audience with the best of their repertoire.
We are always happy to be able to bring our music to the people of France and the world in general because, as always, there were people from all over the world who traveled just to attend the festival. It was very nice to be able to play there again and soak up so much energy. Whenever we go, we always feel at home” said Omar about Tempo Latino.
General details of the tour
Omar’s tour with Pacific Mambo was conducted entirely in Italy and France. As mentioned previously, the guys had never played in Italy before, so this was something very special for them, since the people they met had excellent receptivity to their music and the organization of these concerts offered them all the support they needed in the technical, administrative and hotel part.
The first place they visited was the city of Peruvia, Italy, where they participated in the Umbria Jazz Festival. From there, they moved to Palermo, Sicily, where they had their second performance, and finally, they flew to France for Tempo Latino.
Regarding the accommodation in France, the artist told us that he and his orchestra fellows stayed in a hotel in the town of Auch, a place they had never been to before and which was about 25 to 30 minutes by bus from Vic-Fezensac. Omar highlighted the spectacular view they enjoyed on their journey and all the fields of vineyards and crops they had the opportunity to observe.
Upcoming performances
As for the next Tempo Latino edition, it is still too early to know if Pacific Mambo will participate again in the festival, so those conversations with the group to go to France next year remain to be seen.
However, the musician could confirm that they will have a local performance in September. He also informed us that they will have a concert at Yoshi`s the first weekend of next year, which is already a tradition for the band every year.
For the time being, the band will use these months to refresh their repertoire, create new music and prepare for what is to come in 2025.
Read also: Yari More Latin Band, the orchestra that accompanied Celia Cruz