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Legacy of the Cepeda family after eight generations

As all our readers may know, this is a space devoted entirely to the promotion of salsa and other derivative styles, but that does not mean we should leave out other Latin genres that also deserve to be promoted and recognized worldwide. Such is the case of bomba and plena, which we are going to talk about in the next lines.

Bomba and plena are two Puerto Rican musical genres that initially became popular at the local level, but little by little, they have received international notoriety thanks to certain groups of Puerto Ricans who have devoted considerable effort to take their culture to as many places as possible in the world. This is how we get to the theme of the Cepeda family and all that its members have done for bomba and plena.

Bárbara and Margarita — Bárbara Liz Ortiz Sánchez and his mother Margarita ”Tata” Cepeda

The Cepeda Family

The Cepeda family is a cultural institution that has been given the task of promoting bomba and plena for eight generations, so that they can be heard and danced all over the world. Don Rafael Cepeda Atiles, a professional musician and composer with an extensive career who has left a great legacy thanks to his hard work during his lifetime, which keeps current thanks to his descendants.

When he married Caridad Brenes Caballero, he involved her in all his artistic activities and became a fundamental support for the musician in his work. The lady became a professional bomba and plena dancer, costume designer, and choreographer, which made her shine with her own light in every project directed by her talented husband.

During his career, Don Rafael created several musical groups and, over the years, he and his wife involved their children and other family members to collaborate in what would become a renowned family business.

One of the artist’s greatest achievements was the development of a cultural movement around the rescue and preservation of local traditions related to bomba and plena, which were thought to be lost. He was also decorated with the Smithsonian Institute’s National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for his contributions to music.

All this legacy remained in the hands of Don Rafael’s family and one of the first to do something about it was his son Modesto, who founded the Escuela de Bomba y Plena Don Rafael Cepeda in Santurce, Puerto Rico. This institution was created in order to teach bomba and plena in the areas of dance and percussion.

Those who would follow these steps would be Margarita ”Tata” Cepeda, granddaughter of Don Rafael and Caridad, and Barbara Liz Ortiz Sanchez, great-granddaughter of Don Rafael and Caridad. Margarita currently runs the Escuela de Bomba y Plena Doña Caridad Brenes de Cepeda and her daughter, Barbara Liz, runs the Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda in the state of Florida. It was precisely the latter with whom we had the pleasure to talk about this project and the plans she has for the future.

Bárbara and her bomba custome — Bárbara Liz wearing her bomba attire

Barbara Liz from the Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda

Barbara Liz belongs to the seventh generation of the Cepeda family and her children, who also dance bomba and plena, would belong to the eighth generation. She says that each family member has tried to endorse Don Rafael’s legacy in their own way. In her particular case, she has spent five years running the Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda in Florida, which she decided to baptize with his mother’s nickname, which is Tata, to pay tribute to her in life.

Although the operation of her school and his mother’s are different, they usually work together in cases that require it. For example, if for some reason a student cannot pursue his education here because he is going to Puerto Rico, he can continue studying at the school located on the Island of Enchantment without any problem.

”We didn’t have a curriculum or educational program to follow to teach bomba and plena, but my mom was responsible for creating one so that we could teach dance and percussion with a clearer methodology,” said Bárbara Liz.

As a result of Hurricane Maria, many Puerto Rican families went to live in Florida due to the loss of their properties and material things, so the students of the school in Puerto Rico became able to enroll in the Florida school instead. It can be said that they are sister schools working together towards the same goal.

Percussion and dance in bomba and plena

Something Bárbara Liz wanted to highlight about this point is that many girls are enrolling in her school to learn to play percussion, something that did not happen very often.

At other times, it was believed that percussion in bomba and plena was exclusively for men and dance for women. In more conservative versions of these genres, women only sang and men were responsible for dancing and playing instruments.

That has been changing over time. Nowadays, there are many guys who are setting their sights on dancing and many girls are having an interest in the percussion part. Every day, the female part is becoming more and more relevant in the different areas of bomba and plena.

In addition to all this, the institution’s teachers also teach quite a bit about the emergence and history of these two genres, so that their students are not just dedicated to playing and dancing, but also know the origin of everything they learn now.

Differences and similarities between bomba and plena

When we wanted to know a little about the differences and similarities between bomba and plena, Bárbara Liz explained to us that both genres were very different from each other. The rhythms, the instruments used and the ways of dancing have many differences in both.

In the case of bomba, this is the oldest musical genre and dance in Puerto Rico and is born from a barrel-shaped instrument, which is one of its most representative elements. It is also known as the ”first sung newspaper”.

Similarly, it is the dancer who sets the pace for the percussionist, not the other way around. The musician should be guided by the footsteps of the dancer, which often gives rise to completely new rhythms.

Plena was born a few years later with certain variants of bomba and is called the ”second sung newspaper”. It was plena that inspired several of the Cepeda family members to create their own groups such as the Grupo Gracimá (a variant of bomba), which originated in the school owned by Margarita in Puerto Rico.

In contrast, Bárbara Liz named her professional group Kalindá in honor of one of the most popular variants of bomba.

Bárbara and Kalindá — Bárbara Liz and her professional group Kalindá

Tributes

Something that makes Bárbara Liz very proud is that both she and her mother had the opportunity to go to the Smithsonian National Museum in March to pay tribute to their ancestors and the genres that her great-grandfather promoted so much in life.

At the time, Don Rafael donated some items related to bomba and plena such as barrels, a güiro and barrels However, some bomba costumes were missing to complete the collection, which were given by Bárbara Liz and Margarita to be exhibited in the institution, so anyone interested in learning more about Puerto Rican genres and musical culture can visit the place and cherish these valuables.

José Alberto “El Canario” and his orchestra enjoy a great international reputation in the Latin music scene.

His start in music was as a drummer, then as a bongo player, with some 48 years in Latin music and as a sonero, today in International Salsa Magazine through www.salsagoogle.com, José Alberto Justiniano Andújar, better known artistically as José Alberto El Canario, was born on December 22, 1958 in Villa Consuelo in Santo Domingo Dominican Republic.

El Canario began to have a passion for music from a very young age, first playing drums, bongo and timbales, at the age of 7 his mother Adalgisa, recognized dancer of the golden age of “Radio-Televisión Dominicana”, took him to live on the island of Puerto Rico, as a professional dancer she had to perform in important international theaters.

El Canario began to study in a military school in Las Antillas, then in 1970 he moved with his father to New York, where he began to sing with several orchestras, receiving international attention as the leader of the Típica 73 in October 1977, where he earned 25 dollars for each presentation and recognized it as his university in the life of art.

José Alberto credits his compadre Roberto Geronimo for his successful artistic career. Geronimo discovered him as an artist and managed him for many years. El Canario also sang merengue at the onset of his musical journey.

In 1983, José Alberto established his own band and gained fame as a major Latin star after his debut album Noches Calientes released in 1984.

Jose Alberto is a renowned singer who has recorded numerous chart-topping hits, including “Sueño Contigo”, “Hoy Quiero Confesar”, “Te Voy a Saciar de Mi”, “A Gozar”, “Es Tu Amor”, and “Quieres Ser Mi Amante”, among others, for his 1988 album Sueño Contigo and several others.

His inimitable voice and unmatched improvisational skills have earned him international acclaim. Jose Alberto has collaborated with several contemporary artists such as Johnny Rodriguez, Mario Rivera, Nicky Marrero, Oscar D’Leon, and Celia Cruz.

El Canario began to have a passion for music at a very young age, first playing drums, bongo drums and timbales.

José Alberto “El Canario” has earned multiple gold and platinum records due to his high number of album sales.

He has achieved success not only in the United States and Europe but also throughout Latin America, including his native Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica.

The nickname “El Canario” was bestowed upon him by a New York disc jockey who christened him so in a disco due to his improvisational skills; “Canta canario” was the catchphrase he would belt out through the control microphone.

José Alberto ‘El Canario’ and his Orchestra have gained immense international recognition in the Latin music industry.

His musical prowess and captivating voice make his live shows some of the most thrilling performances.

El Canario, winner of the “Congo de oro” in 2005 – an award given to the best musical groups presented at the Festival de Orquestas del Carnaval de Barranquilla – and of three Latin Grammys in 2013, 2015 and 2018, is one of the undisputed artists of Latin music with a career spanning some 48 years.

Arturo Sandoval, Oscar D' Leon y El Canario — Arturo Sandoval, Oscar D’ Leon y El Canario

Throughout his career, José Alberto El Canario has gained international recognition for his unique voice and style, but also, according to his biographies, for his improvisations on stage.

José Alberto El Canario y su Orquesta enjoys great international renown in the Latin music scene.

Also Read: Jimmie Morales a conguero for the history of Afro-Caribbean music

José Hildemaro Hugas Amarista “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela to the world

José Hildemaro Hugas Amarista, better known artistically as “Hildemaro, El Sonero Del Amor”, was born on November 10, 1957 in Caripito, a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Monagas.

He is a Venezuelan singer-songwriter whose interest in music began at a very young age, participating in various children’s programs on the radio station in his hometown and in Maturin, the capital of the state of Monagas.

In 1970 he won the first “Festival De La Canción Inédita” held in Caripito.

Then he moved to Carúpano, where he began to sing with different musical groups of that city, such as “Los Bravos” and “Soles De Media Noche”.

"El Sonero del Amor" from Venezuela — “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela

Later he was called by the “Combo Melorítmico” of Maturín, where he stayed for a year. He always wanted to sing in the capital.

In 1976 his dream came true when he was called to be a part of the Front Train Orchestra “Los Satélites”, for seven (7) months, the proposed goals began to be different and began to work to achieve them. In 1979 he joined the “Orquesta Ideal”, with which the song “Contigo Besos Salvajes” was played all over the country and was successively imposed among the first places.

In 1981 he joined the “Supercombo Los Tropicales” of Maracaibo, then the “Noche Caliente” orchestra and later the “Porfi Jimenez” orchestra.

In 1985 he joined the orchestra of Renato Capriles: “Los Melódicos”, which gave him the greatest and best experience, given the popularity, prestige and discipline imposed by its director.

In 1986, as a soloist, he recorded his first LP of tropical music under the name “El Jr. de la música tropical” for the record label “Sur Americana del Disco”, , with the name “El Jr. de la música tropical.”

In December 1987 he received a wonderful offer from the record label “Top Hit (T.H.. ) and in 1988 he records his first LP, as a “sensual salsero” for Venezuela, titled “Amanecí Contigo” under the pen of José “El Flaco” Bermúdez, who is also the creator of the style that pushes him towards the international market, where all his songs hit with great acceptance and have his greatest impact in Peru (his second home as he usually calls it), starting his successful career as “Hildemaro, El Sonero Del Amor”.

José Hildemaro Hugas Amarista "El Sonero del Amor" from Venezuela to the World — José Hildemaro Hugas Amarista “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela to the World

In 1989 he recorded his second LP entitled “Sin Tabú”, which went gold a few weeks after its release, and this album took him back to Peru, where he is considered one of the main idols of Salsa Sensual. Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, United States, Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Holland, Switzerland, among others), Asia (Japan), among many other countries, have joined his successful career.

In 1990 he recorded his third album called “Romantic and Sensual”, consolidating himself as one of the best voices of Latin American and Caribbean Salsa, qualities that were also reflected in his fourth production entitled “Lo Mejor De Mí” in 1991.

In 1993 he recorded his fifth album under the name “Al Natural”.

In 1994 he was invited to participate in the recording of the album “Con Ganas” by the Cuban Issac Delgado, where he performed a duet of a song composed by José L. Cortes called “Que Pasa Loco”, which quickly became an international success and took him to other latitudes.

In 1995 he released his sixth production with the title “Lo Que Siento”. One year later he signed a contract with the Mexican label “Balboa Records”, where he recorded the album “La Mejor Salsa Con Hildemaro”.

"El Sonero del Amor" from Venezuela and Viti Ruiz — “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela and Viti Ruiz

In 1999, he was invited by the Venezuelan group “Melody Gaita”, along with other artists, to record a tribute song to his friend and colleague Oscar D’ León.

In 2001, “Orquesta La Constelación” decided to record an album with several artists, in which he participated with two (2) songs (Peruvian waltzes), “Cuando Llora Mi Guitarra”, in duet with Andy Montañez, and “Jamás Impedirás”, which allowed him to sound nationally and internationally.

In 2002, he is called by another Venezuelan group “Pajarito Vola Show”, along with other artists, this time to participate in a well-deserved tribute to Betulio Medina. In 2002 and 2003 he burst in the national and international radio stations with two (2) singles “Corazón Loco” and “El Celular”.

In 2016, he begins to sound again in the radio stations with the song “Que Voy a Hacer Sin su Amor”.

In addition to his talent to sing Salsa Romántica, he is recognized for his interpretation of the Bolero. And on stage he has shared the stage with artists of the stature of: Oscar De León, Tito Rojas, Tito Gómez, Paquito Guzmán, Andy Montañez, Maelo Ruiz, Viti Ruiz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, David Pavón, Ismael Miranda, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Tony Vega, Nino Segarra, José Alberto “El Canario”, among many others.

"El Sonero del Amor" from Venezuela and El Canario — “El Sonero del Amor” from Venezuela and El Canario

Among his many facets is his love for sports, especially volleyball, which he has practiced since he was very young. He is an honorary member of the FUCUFOCA Foundation, which has been responsible for the organization of the Festival de la Canción Inédita de Caripito for fifty-one (51) years. Faithful collaborator of the Friends of Palencia Foundation and sponsor of several institutions.

Through his foundation HH Productions, he has carried out social actions such as Collaboration in the construction of the Virgen del Rosario Church in Caripito;

Donations of medicines and food to the needy, assistance to sports teams with equipment and clothing, organization of charity concerts and support of the “Amigos de la Palencia” Foundation.

Through his foundation HH Productions, he has carried out social actions such as Collaboration in the construction of the church “Virgen del Rosario” in Caripito;

Donations of medicine and food to people in need, help to sports teams with equipment and clothing; Realization of benefit concerts and concerts of popular attraction in collaboration with the end of year festivities of his hometown.

He has always given value to new talents, helping them in their first steps with his advice and teachings, such as Angel “Tu Angel”, Hildemaro Jr. “La Continuación”, Gilberto Hugas, among others.

Between the years 2022 and 2023 he will celebrate his forty (40) uninterrupted years of artistic life, with a long international tour in countries such as: Colombia, Bolivia,

Peru, Panama, United States, Canada and Europe. He is now promoting the songs “Si Tú Te Vas” and “Amigos Especiales” from his new production, which he is preparing with his inseparable director and producer, José “El Flaco” Bermúdez.

Also Read: Carlos “Nene” Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies

Omslig D’ León: “I am the son of the sonero of the world, but I have my own style and I am creating my own musical history

Omslig D’ León enters the world of musical art hand in hand with his father Oscar D’ León, who works functionally as a dancer, choreographer, percussionist, background singer and singer, this young Venezuelan talent has already traveled the world in its breadth and length, through almost all the countries of North America, Europe and Latin America.

Omslig decided to start his career as a soloist and create his own history with new challenges, forming his own orchestra with his own compositions, innovating with his own unique and international style.

Omslig D' León I am the son of the sonero of the world — Omslig D’ León I am the son of the sonero of the world

“He recently toured Europe for more than two months, including performances in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Istanbul”.

“And with you, the sonero of the world, Oscar D’ León. Any Venezuelan or fan of the emblematic salsero from Caracas would be thrilled to hear such a presentation, but when you carry his blood, the adrenaline is even greater. His son, Omslig, explained it this way.

It was inevitable that I would become a musician. It’s not just my father, Oscar, it’s my mother, it’s my whole family that has music in their blood,” said the son of one of the most important salsa musicians in history.

Omslig, who began his musical career at the age of 16 as a lectern player in his father’s orchestra, with which he toured the world for 23 years, was in Panama to promote his solo career, which recently took him on a European tour that included Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Istanbul, among other countries.

He will stay a while longer in the isthmus, a country that he says has treated him wonderfully, and then he will travel to Peru and Colombia. “People will think that I am 100% influenced by my father.

Although I learned a lot from him, especially responsibility, I have my own style,” said the director of the orchestra La Melena, referring to his musical project in which he covers songs by various artists, including Panamanian Omar Alfano and Venezuelan Frank Quintero.

Omslig D' León I am the son of the sonero of the world, but I have my own style. — Omslig D’ León I am the son of the sonero of the world, but I have my own style.

Not everything is rosy.

Being the son of Oscar D’ León can be very good, but it can also be difficult. He recalled that in the past there were people who “wanted to throw his last name in his face.

“Don’t think that because you’re Oscar’s son it’s going to be easy. I don’t think you sing the same as your father. Things like that have been said to me, but I have moved forward and thank God with his support and a unique style,” he explained.

For those who think that everything has been handed to him on a silver platter, he wanted to leave this anecdote from when he was in Oscar D’ León’s band. “We were in the Canary Islands, we had already finished the show and the next day, very early, we had to take the ferry to another island.

I fell asleep and my dad dropped me off. In the lobby he left me a note saying ‘you have to learn to be responsible’ and that marked me. Then I was able to make it, but I had to pay for everything.

¿Reencuentro de Leones?

Omslig admitted that he would like to reunite with his “soul mate”, his brother Yorman, to start a musical project and, if the opportunity arises, with Iroska, better known as “La Mazucamba”, Oscar’s daughter, who currently lives in the United States.

“A few days ago my dad called me to tell me that why don’t we do something together and the truth is that it would be great. We’ll see, but it was there and something important is going to happen,” he explained.

For now, Omslig is concentrating on his work as a soloist, with several confirmed performances, and continuing his work as a father, already with three children and happily married.

“I will continue to sing my father’s songs, I will continue to keep his name high, but with the tasty and fusion style of Omslig D’ León,” concluded the 42-year-old native of Caracas.

Omslig León enters the musical artistic world hand in hand with his father Oscar D' León. — Omslig León enters the musical artistic world hand in hand with his father Oscar D’ León.

In a few words

One place: Milan, Italy.

One food: lasagna.

Artist: Luis Enrique.

A person you admire: Will Smith.

A musician: Robert Vilera.

Hobby: Painting.

Why Omslig: Oscar, Moises (paternal grandfather) and Ligia (mother).

Also Read: Freddy de Jesús Ortega Ruiz “Coco & su Sabor Matancero”

Sources:

Peggy Blanco (Manager)

Panama El Venezolano

Metamorphosis: from music to photojournalism, a reinvention without limits

In the salsa scene, we are privileged to have the presence and companionship of Felix “Guayciba” Ayala.Guayciba is one of the greatest photojournalists Puerto Rico has ever produced.

He has moved from the musical notes that embrace our ears to now capturing visuals that awaken our five senses of unrepeatable moments.

I appreciate and share first hand the reference of how this idea begins, how the seed of wanting to be a photojournalist is planted, after having directed the Guayciba Group for 12 years.

“In the mid-’80s, a group of friends and I got together. We started playing and put together a Christmas repertoire. People liked it, and they told me, ‘Hey Felix, you should form a group, you sound great.'”

Encouraged by the public’s reception, they set about the task of banding together and formalizing a repertoire of Christmas music, which they later expanded to include popular music. In 1987, the group did not yet have a name, but the musicians were already rehearsing and playing in a bar in Santa Rosa (Bayamón, Puerto Rico).

In 1988 they started calling themselves Murciélago Sound Machine and got their first professional contract, for which they charged $200.00. During one of the rehearsals, Felix’s neighbor, who owned a movie and video rental store, offered to give him the name of his store: Guayciba; which he had already registered with the State Department.

The rest is history.

Felix liked the name, even though he still didn’t know what it meant. Guay-ciba means to take care of the stone. It turns out that our Taino Indians communicated by carving messages on stones, which we now know as petroglyphs.

This form of communication of our Indians, the Tainos, was engraved on the stones that are part of our heritage.

Since 1989, Guayciba claims to have lost his last name – Ayala – to replace it with the name he is known by in the media, Guayciba.

On the salsa stage we have the privilege of having the presence of Felix "Guayciba" — On the salsa stage we have the privilege of having the presence of Felix “Guayciba”

This was the name of the musical group of which Félix Guayciba was the director, composer and singer. As the main member and founder, he took on the task with commitment and in 1989 they released their first record production, entitled Nuestra música primero en LP, because CDs were not yet widespread in the market.

Felix remembers that the first singer of Grupo Guayciba was Gisela Ortiz. Some time later, Gisela got thyroid cancer and when she lost her voice, she had to be replaced by Aidita Encarnación.

Guayciba recalls that Aidita made her debut with the group during the “Coffee Festival” in Maricao and remained with the group until it disbanded in 2000.

In 1991 they produced Echemos pa’lante, which opened the door to radio stations on the island. In 1992 they produced Por ti doblaré rodillas, and in 1993 they released what Felix considers their masterpiece under the title Borinquen, nido de amores.

Félix affirms that this production became the classic album that consolidated them in Salsoul, Z-93 and Estereotempo. Later they released La revolución apoya lo nuestro. In 1999 they released their last album, Contra viento y marea.

In this last Guayciba production, Maestro Luis ‘Perico’ Ortiz made two arrangements: “Déjame Soñar” by Perín Vázquez, which Tito Puente had already recorded on the 100th album, backing the voice of Tony Vega (Antonio Vega Ayala), the cousin of Félix Guayciba Ayala. The six albums of the Grupo Guayciba were recorded in the studio of Maestro Pedro Rivera Toledo, and in Contra viento y marea Maestro Rivera Toledo recorded the saxophone.

In his last album, the song “Por nada la cambiaré” was composed by Guayciba and dedicated to his homeland, Puerto Rico.

They never recorded Christmas music because their mission was to defend our music, the seis, the bomba, the plena and the guaracha, among other indigenous rhythms. The time came for the group to disband, but as Guayciba affirms: “We left a legacy for the musical history of our nation (…) Guayciba was, is and will be one of the best musical groups in the history of typical Puerto Rican music. I have retired, but at least we have left a legacy for history, we have left a mark”.

With the arrival of the new millennium, Guayciba’s musical stage ended to give way to the visual arts, making it clear that he had not retired from the humanistic arts, but had reinvented himself and now stood out in the visual arts.

The images captured by Guayciba’s photographic lens are full of life and movement. The viewer sees as if the artist, athlete or object in the photo comes to life.

Guayciba reflects while explaining how the image speaks or remains silent, depending on the adjustment made, the movement given, the position and the light.

He hastens to clarify: “I have used my musical career to distinguish myself in photography. I photograph artists the way I want them to photograph me.

I try to make the image I take of an artist or a show speak. In photojournalism, the photo has to speak.”

Guayciba made the decision to move from music to photojournalism as a result of a deep depression that he faced and fought with professional help. Once the decision was made, he began training at the University of Puerto Rico.

He never forgot what one of the specialists who was part of the medical team that helped him recover told him: “I have faith in you. If you are going to be a photojournalist, I want you to be the best photojournalist”.

Felix attended classes every Wednesday for three hours. He remembers his first photographic experiments. One that comes to mind is Ricardo Arjona, who performed for an entire season at the Centro de Bellas Artes. Felix would leave his weekly class to go to the CBA, where he would stay until late.

The next day he would go to a megastore to develop the photos from the night before and bring them to the professor to evaluate the shots. The professor would give him advice on what to do to improve the photos he had in hand.

Another moment he remembers with emotion was in 2002, when Fania played a concert at the Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamón.

Guayciba already had a digital camera, and during that concert, he says he used 25 rolls of film with 36 exposures each.

He says this was his first international assignment. The first time he photographed an international artist was when he was still a photography student, practicing with Ricardo Arjona in the Fine Arts Department.

As a result of that coverage, he got in touch with the Guatemalan artist, who was thrilled with the photos Felix took, saying at the time that they were the best photos he had ever taken, adding that the Puerto Rican had captured his best side.

Felix has continued to evolve and has had the opportunity to cover concerts by Elton John, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, among others. He says: “The only thing I don’t do is pornography, weddings or quinceañeras”. His specialty is artistic shows and sporting events.

Guayciba is the longest serving photographer to cover the Coliseo de Puerto Rico since its inauguration in 2004, when Sonora Ponceña, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz and Roberto Roena’s Apollo Sound performed in that memorable concert produced by Pepe Dueño.

One of the highlights of his career was a trip to Cuba in 2009, where Guayciba was the official photographer for the Puerto Rican delegation that went to the Cuba Disco Festival, which was dedicated to Puerto Rico in that edition.

He has taken more than 24,000 pictures of Cuba. The most memorable experience of his trips to Cuba was visiting the resting place of Che Guevara.

He continues to learn from all the images he has taken and published. “At one point, during the performance of the 2013 musical Pedro Navaja, the Caballero de la Salsa, Gilberto Santa Rosa told me, “You have to let yourself be criticized and you have to accept criticism as long as it is constructive criticism.”

Felix added and still maintains: “It depends on who is criticizing you, because there are people who criticize you just to make fun of you; yes, you know, out of envy”. In fact, Felix understood that he had the best photos of Gilberto.

When he went to see him to show him, Santa Rosa told him: “They’re good, but these photos where I’m alone don’t say anything because it could be at the Fine Arts Center or it could be in some theater. This concert is symphonic, where is the symphony orchestra?” Santa Rosa was right. “From that ear flattery I learned that you have to take the picture of the artist and the complements like stage, orchestra, etc.. It’s like writing a story. You have to include the day, the historical setting, the characters, and make sure that the viewer can get a picture of what happened there in the moment. It’s more of a frozen in time effect.

Guayciba considers Conrado Pastrano her teacher and mentor. She expresses gratitude for all that she has learned in photography and acknowledges that there is still more to learn.

Conrado is an exceptional colleague who takes the time to explain ways to correct unwanted effects in images. Guayciba has developed her own unique style by studying the works of other colleagues and drawing inspiration from each of the photojournalists whom she admires.

Guayciba is highly regarded as one of the top photojournalists in Puerto Rico, although he is humble and has never claimed the title for himself. He recognizes that there are others who may be more talented than him. His motto is: “I may not be the best, but I am proficient in my craft and the photos I take convey a narrative.”

When he is at the ball park, he adeptly adjusts his lighting, shutter speed, and lens to capture the intricate details on a ball despite its velocity exceeding 100 miles per hour. When artists perform on stage, Guayciba faces the task of restoring their natural appearance despite the color filters and stage lighting often making them look unnatural or cartoonish. Overcoming these challenges and bringing the images to life, imbues these artists with renewed enthusiasm for their craft, a pursuit they have devoted over two decades to.

At 68 years of age, he prays daily for longevity. He abstains from drugs and alcohol, including wine, champagne, and cider. His sole indulgence is tobacco and photography.

To view Félix Guayciba’s artistic works and keep in touch with this vital advocate of Puerto Rican culture, please visit the publication at www.guayciba.com. To email him, please use [email protected], or follow his IG account at https://www.instagram.com/guay54/.

To reach him by phone, please dial 787-637-8617. He is always available and eager to assist with his usual helpful demeanor.

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