Search Results for: Salsa

Jesus Pagan and his Orchestra Salsa Artist, Singer, Composer and Producer.

He began his musical career in 1991 as a percussionist and backup singer with various tropical music and nueva trova groups in Puerto Rico, being the Andrés Jiménez “El Jibaro”‘s group the best known amont those at that time.

In 1997, Jesús moved to the state of Massachusetts to get on with his life and continue his duties privately until he was invited to share a rehearsal of the Carlos Pabón’s orchestra, brother of salsa singer David Pabón.

That is when he again took the path on music, this time, as a lead singer. His name quickly ran throughout New England letting slip that this little guy was a great singer and sonero. Local orchestras such as The Latin Heartbeat, Komboloko, Ray Gonzalez, Eguie Castrillo and Frankie Rodriguez Y Homenaje A La Salsa immediately opened to him the doors and opened the plate to stand out as a great singer and sonero.

By 2008 Jesus Pagan was counting in a vast experience as a singer, sonero and composer, so he decided to release his first album under the title “Salsa De La Mata” becoming the new sense of the art of soneo in the genre he loves, Salsa. This album immediately became a classic of modern salsa.

Figures such as Hector “Maximo” Rodriguez, Eddie Montalvo, Ray Castro, Luisito Quintero, Joe Fiedler, Ray De La Paz and Lucho Cueto are among the talents in this recording which earned Jesus Pagan a Paoli Award and a U.S. Grammy Award nomination.

After this recording Jesus Pagan has released 3 other albums including one that he considers very special in his career which is “Ya Llego Conjunto Barrio”, “Somos Del Barrio” which he produced locally in the area of Springfield and Holyoke Ma. with musicians of the local salsa scene and internationally renowned figures.

Currently, Jesús Pagan is in the initial phase of what will be his new salsa work and has also recorded with other orchestras and artists in several genres as a guest artist, backup singer and composer.

Currently, Jesús Pagan also works as a chorister and singer for many of the best-known salsa artists in his environment. As a chorist, he has accompanied artists such as: Ismael Miranda, Tony Vega, Johnny Rivera, Adalberto Santiago, NG2, Frankie Negrón, Ray De La Paz, Raulin Rosendo, Wilmer Lozano, Héctor Tricoche, Tito Rojas, Roberto Blades, Willie González, Giro, Michael “El Buenon” and many others. As a singer, he has performed with: Larry Harlow, Richie Ray, George Delgado Y Conjunto Neoyorquino, Conjunto Classico, Alex Torres, Luisito Rey Y La Dinámica, Orquesta Dicupe and many others who have invited him to be part of special performances.

Recently, he returned from a super successful tour in Medellin, Colombia where he was the guest singer for the classic salsa orchestra from New York, the Dicupe orchestra in a sold out concert, over 10,000 people at La Macarena bullring.

His dreams realized include his performance at the most famous concert hall in the world, Carnegie Hall in New York City at a sold out concert with Puerto Rican percussionist Eguie Castrillo’s The Palladium Big Band and “The Gentleman of Salsa” Gilberto Santa Rosa featured as a guest artist by the year 2012.

Jesús Pagan also had the honor of being one of the main singers to salute the memory of Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández in a concert in his honour at the Mortenzen River Front Town Square in Hartford Ct and sang together with the son of the celebrated composer Chali Hernández.

Another of his achievements was to open 2 important concerts for renowned figures of the salsa scene. The first one at the UMASS Fine Arts a sold out concert with singer La India and the other one at the Boston City Hall for “Salsa’s bad boy” Willie Colon.

Jesús Pagan Y Su Orquesta Jesús Pagan & Conjunto Barrio

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By: Erika Muñoz

La Mulata Rumbera

“Se Armó la Rumba en México“

International Salsa Magazine Correspondent

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Johnny Rivera Born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx, NY.

Better known as El Noble de la Salsa, with more than 40 years of artistic career, a descendant of Puerto Rican parents.

He began his artistic career in New York, thanks to the influence of his uncle Adalberto Santiago, he began to demonstrate a strong inclination towards music and a great desire to prosper as a singer and learn all genres of music and especially Salsa, he continued his studies to improve his technique in singing and in a short time as a singer and chorus singer, he joined his uncle Adalberto Santiago and once he had the backing.

JOHNNY showed his talent, recording in the album Noche caliente, Volume 2, the song “Terciopelo y piedra” with Meñique and Tito Allen.

In 1980 JOHNNY RIVERA, was presented with the opportunity to record with several great orchestras that put him in the spotlight of the Music Industry, including a youth orchestra, Grupo Fascinación.

He recorded three additional albums, later he also received the opportunity to join Conjunto Clasico, standing out as a lead singer, he recorded two albums with Conjunto Clasico before leaving for his solo career, he recorded his first album now for real in his debut as a soloist, he stayed between Puerto Rico and New York.

The songs “Necesito Una Amiga”, “Esa Chica Es Mia” and “Como Fui A Enamorarme de ti” were hits from that production and the salsa singer had already recorded his second album entitled Encuentro Casual.

The first single from this album, “Te Regalare”, became a hit upon its release.

In 1993, Johnny Rivera recorded his third album, Cuando Parara La Lluvia, which featured three hit singles, “Cuando Parara La Lluvia”, “Por Eso está conmigo” and “Voy a Conquistar Tu Amor”.

Cuando Parara La Lluvia earned platinum accolades shortly after its release and made an impact around the world.

Rivera made a name for himself at New York’s Madison Square Garden, during his tenure with the late Ralph Mercado’s RMM label, Johnny Rivera had the opportunity to join another of the most important music star conglomerates of all time, the RMM Salsa Stars or the also renowned Combination Perfecta, where along with salsa artist Ray Sepulveda he earned multiple Gold and Platinum Records for sales in the United States and Latin America, including the Caribbean for the worldwide hit titled “No vale la Pena”.

In 1994 Johnny received the Paoli Award for Newcomer of the Year and the Diplo Award for Best Album of the Year.

Johnny Rivera has also obtained first places in the Billboard charts and has performed in the most important stages of the world such as Madison Square Garden in New York and is one of the most recognized salsa artists worldwide who has traveled with his music and charisma to cities around the world such as Cali, Bogota, Medellin, Venezuela, Lima, Quito, Guayaquil, Panama City, Guadalajara, San Jose, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, among many others, always enjoying great acceptance and popularity in recent years.

Now Johnny Rivera, a salsa legend hopes to surpass the success of his past and present musical endeavors with a resume that boasts the accomplishments that only a man of his caliber and experience can show.

For this year 2021 El Noble de la Salsa launches his latest album titled “Romántico y Algo Mas” 

Already available on all digital platforms…!

Background

It is no secret that music has always been a vast source of social expressions that tell an infinite number of stories dating back to the time and focused on the awakening of the personal and collective conscience of the people at the time. This is exactly what has happened with salsa and Latin music in general from its origins. 

As is the case for almost all known musical genres, salsa was the result of a set of migration waves caused by the political, social and economic issues that were gestating in a large part of the Latin countries. These people saw in various cities across the U.S. the place they were looking for to start a new life far from the suffering of the past. This is how large Latino communities were growing in the country, New York being one of the cities with the highest number of these new residents.   

Although people from all over the continent immigrated to the United States, there is no denying that Puerto Ricans and Cubans started making an impact on their new home, at least in cultural terms. Cities that received these new citizens were already becoming too small for the large number of immigrants who would not stop arriving, which presented a challenge for the old and new inhabitants. 

A number of new arrivals were forced to live in inhumane conditions to find themselves in places which did not have minimum conditions of dignity to house human beings. This led many of them to live a life of squalor equal to the one from which they were fleeing, or even worse.   

This is how neighborhoods were starting to be born in New York City, which was gradually configured in small communities inhabited only by people of one or certain nationality. It was this mix of old and new culture that gave birth to new rhythms that were born on the streets and began to spread robustly. At that time, we were starting to enjoy the talent of Cheo Feliciano and historic boleros of Pedro Flores were becoming increasingly present in the rickety windows of Latin low-income neighborhoods. 

This social situation coincided with the creation of the record label Fania Records from the hand of the legendary Johnny Pacheco and Jerry Masucci. The early work of the label attracted a great deal of attention due to its freshness and novelty in comparison with what was being done at the time. Fania All Stars, Bobby Valentín’s orchestra and a few other groups, not noticing it, began to start a trend to the sound of timbales and claves whose rhythm was increasingly fast and furious. 

The young people of the time were clamoring for music far from art academies and social circles which became more and more unattainable for them. Something that many would call music closer to the street and much more like them. The black population had ceased to be represented by much acclaimed jazz artists at the time and could feel its purest essence in boogaloo.   

For those who do not know, boogaloo can be defined as a genre of Latin origin resulting from the mixing of Afro-Cuban rhythms and American soul, which was already beginning to be sung in both English and Spanish. This last shows the widespread influence of the arrival of so many Latinos to the United States in such a short amount of time. 

This is what made the figures that would later emerge so famous. In addition to Pacheco and Valentin, names like Pete Rodriguez, Monguito, Ismael Miranda, and Ismael Rivera were also popularized. And of course, nor can we fail to mention the explosive duo formed by Héctor Lavoe and Willie Colón.   

What the term salsa means 

After the emergence of the already mentioned artists, there came about a great confusion concerning the meaning of the term salsa, as that was the word chosen to refer to the music done by a growing group of singers in New York. This, of course, did not make Tito Puente and Machito content, who saw the pioneers of this new trend as intruders who came to take the place they had already earned by pluck and application. 

Some scholars of the subject have stated that the term salsa comes from a kind of like campaigning in which this rising genre was likened to the seasoning used in food to make it more appetizing. Others said that it was just a phrase that says échale salsa (salsa in Spanish can also refer to sauce used in the kitchen) used by various musicians for sudden changes in rhythm. Fania Records used this to make its artists famous and it worked as well as expected. 

During the 1970s, the genre hung over the youth of the time and the old school that took quite a lot to impress. 

What part Cuba and the Cuban Revolution played in all this.

It is undeniable that Cuban music had a before and an after due to the Cuban Revolution. When Castro came to power, high tensions began to arise between the island and the United States, which caused the Caribbean country to be perceived as a threat by the media of the time. This made its cultural and artistic expressions to be no longer seen with good eyes. This led artists who were afraid of being censored to rename it as salsa and pass it off as Latin music. 

This salsa ended up by uniting an entire continent in a single voice, for it spoke of a shared culture and a common origin that not only stood for Cuba, but also for Latin America in full. This was what turned the genre into an identity movement for countries such as Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, and many more. There was a time all these nations were competing to be considered the official home of salsa. 

This brought about a countless number of historic concerts in which the Fania All Stars, other groups, and artists proved that the Fania got huge potential as a product. This was the exact same Cuban music with certain variations that never left the art world despite pressures to do so.

If you want more information, you can read Génesis of Salsa, its essence, characteristics, rhythm, history and expansión 

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The role that the Cheetah Club played in the beginnings of salsa in New York

As we all know, New York City has been instrumental in the birth of what is today known as salsa because this has been the place that has seen the birth and bloom of the greatest talents who have given life and added rhythm to this wonderful and fast-paced genre. That is why when we talk about the history of salsa, we cannot leave out the most populous metropolis in the United States. 

We all know how important the city that never sleeps is to the development of this musical genre, but where and how does this set of rhythms specifically born? Right, well this was a now-defunct nightclub called Cheetah, which met all the conditions for giving birth to salsa and making it a cultural phenomenon, which is now known worldwide. 

The establishment, located in an area full of theaters and nightclubs close to Times Square, witnessed a spectacular and historic evening in which, unexpectedly, brought together several of the biggest stars of Latin music, including Willie Colón, Ray Barreto, Bobby Valentín, among others. None of them could ever imagine that they would draw crowds eager to hear them. From that night on, the Latins finally had voices to make known to the rest of the planet their purest essence. 

As soon as the band started playing, those present started to dance no matter what. According to calculations by a pianist for Fania All Stars, they gathered as many as two thousand attendees who were lined up around the block to enjoy the talent of some of the considered greatest exponents of Latin music.  It should be noted that the artists from that night had never played together, but when they took the stage, everything went spontaneously and the audience fell madly in love with them. However, nothing was by chance. 

How it all started 

After the Second World War, Latin music and dance began to be present in New York City during the 20th century. This was due to the arrival of Cubans, Puerto Ricans and other immigrants from the southern part of Latin America, who brought with them a number of rhythms that started playing in discos and nightclubs from various US cities. 

When these sounds arrived in the Big Apple, there was a very interesting mixture of these sounds with jazz and some instruments that were incorporated to have as a result what we know today as salsa. This is how some of the most popular genres began to be played and become famous in places near the Cheetah Club, so, as a logical consequence, the establishment would end up falling under the spell and rhythms of so cheerful melodies.

One of those places was the Palladium Ballroom, where artists such as Machito and Tito Puente performed. Of course, the public that gathered there was Latin in origin, but its privileged location in the heart of Manhattan made it very well known to the locals of any nationality. It got to the point where there were spectators from the five continents and of all religions, which was unthinkable with any other musical style. 

This is how the great concert at the Cheetah Club succeeded in bringing Latin music to places nobody thought it could reach and all thanks to American artists with a Latin background that was very awake in their being. 

How was the Cheetah club created and what became of its facilities? 

The Cheetah club was created by Olivier Coquelin and Border Stevenson in 1968 when it was formally opened to the public. From the beginning, it had two spaces specially designed for dancing: a dance floor of reduced size located on the top floor and a bigger one which could accommodate about two thousand people at the same time. Likewise, there was a stage on which no less than 20 musicians could perform in the same show. 

Although the club enjoyed a certain fame among the locals in the area, what really made it famous was the concert performed by the Fania All Stars on August 26, 1971. That was a day that will undoubtedly remain in many people’s mind forever, both attendees and musicians. This was the moment when the musical phenomenon initiated by Johnny Pacheco and Jerry Masucci would reach well beyond what its creators have never dreamed of. 

The idea of performing the show was conceived by Ralph Mercado, who would comment to Masucci on this. Given that the Cheetah Club had a large space and enviable acoustics, it was the place they finally selected for the historic concert. 

Anyone seeing the place in which would be the colorful establishment would never imagine what happened there 50 years ago. At present, the formerly nightclub is a residential condominium of more than 20 floors housing large apartments with wide windows. 

Although there is nothing left of the place that witnessed one of the greatest musical events in Latin music history, the memory of that special night will remain in the minds of those who witnessed such a waste of talent on that now-defunct platform in the 1970s.   

For more information, you can read Génesis of Salsa, its essence, characteristics, rhythm, history and expansión and Where the idea of the name of the Fania Record label came from

 

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