Search Results for: Son

Alfredo De La Fe, is responsible for transforming the violin for Latin Music

Latin America/ Colombia/ Cali

Alfredo de la Fe is a Cuban-American violinist based in New York, who also lives in Colombia.

He is responsible for transforming the violin into a sound much more suitable for Salsa and Latin music, as well as having manufactured and patented his own violin. De la Fe began studying the violin at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana in 1962.

Two years later, he receives a scholarship to enter the Warsaw Conservatory, in Poland.

In 1965, he soloed compositions by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

A scholarship at Juilliard opened new doors for him. De la Fe began his professional career, at the age of twelve, when he switched from classical music to Salsa, and accepted an invitation to join charanga legend José Fajardo’s Orchestra.

In 1972, he joined the Eddie Palmieri orchestra. He was a member of the group for a very short period, temporarily moving to San Francisco, where he met Santana. Returning to New York, De la Fe joined Típica ’73 in 1977. Two years later, he released his debut solo album, Alfredo.

In 1980, De la Fe signed with the Fania All-Stars, and produced thirty-two albums for Fania Records. His second solo album, Charanga ’80, was released in the same year.

In 1981, De la Fe became musical director of Tito Puente’s Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble.

The following year, he confirmed his solo career, signing with Taboga, for whom he recorded the album Triunfo. He settled in Colombia in 1983, and signed with Philips; As a result of this, he released three albums: Made in Colombia, Dancing in the Tropics and Alfredo de la Fe Vallenato, at the end of the 80s.

In 1989, De la Fe signed with Discos Fuentes. Although he was one of the members of the Fania All-Stars for 1995, De la Fe continued his solo career.

He signed with Sony Music in 1997. Two years later, he toured with his own orchestra, appearing at festivals in Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Turkey, and Belgium, and reuniting with Eddie Palmieri and his orchestra for a European tour.

In 2002, after several years in Europe, Alfredo moved back to New York and visited the US with his New York band, led by pianist Israel Tanenbaum.

Other musicians including bassist Máximo Rodríguez, percussionists Tony Escapa and Johnny Pequeño Rivero, and autistic Andrea Brachfeld.

Discography Solo albums

1979 : “Alfredo”
1980 : “Alfredo de la Fe y la charanga 1980”
1981 : “Para África con amor”
1982 : “Triunfo”
1984 : “Made in Colombia”
1985 : “Alfredo de la Fe Vallenato”
1990 : “Salsa”
1990 : “Los violines de Alfredo de la Fe”
1992: “Los violines de Alfredo de la Fe vol. 2: Sentir de Cuba”.
1993 : “Con toda la salsa Alfredo de la Fe”
1995 : “La salsa de los dioses”
2000 : “Latitudes”
2006 : “Alfredo de la Fe y Fruko (La Llave de Oro)”

Alfredo De La Fe - Photo — Alfredo De La Fe – Photo

Session Artist and Collaborations:

- 1973 : “The Sun de música latina” por Eddie Palmieri & Amigos Con Lalo Rodríguez
- 1976 : “De ti depende” por Héctor Lavoe
- 1977 : “Selecciones clásicas” por José Fajardo
- 1977 : “El Baquine de Angelitos Negros” por Willie Colón
- 1978 : “Comedia” por Héctor Lavoe
- 1979 : “Típica 73 en Cuba – Intercambio cultural” por Típica 73

1979 : ” Necesito tú” por Sylvester
1980 : “Charangueando con la Típica 73” por Típica 73
1980 : “Señor Charanga” por José Fajardo
1982 : “Encima Broadway” por Tito Puento
1997 : “Bravo” por Fania Todo-Estrellas
2001 : “Diferente” por José Alberto (El Canario)

Mario Bauza

North America / United States / New York

Mario Bauza, Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz in New York, Clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter and arranger

Mario Bauzá (Havana, April 28, 1911 – Manhattan, July 11, 1993) was a Cuban saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, arranger and composer.

Known above all for having been the musical director of the Machito orchestra (of whom he was also a brother-in-law), he was a pioneer of what is now known as Afro-Cuban jazz.

Mario Bauza The Legendary Mambo King — Mario Bauza Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz in New York

Bauzá played the clarinet in the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra. However, after traveling to New York in 1927 with the Antonio María Romeu orchestra, he was so impressed by the Big Bands of Paul Whiteman, Fletcher Henderson and Tommy Dorsey, and by the Harlem music revues, that in 1930 he decided to emigrate definitively to USA.

During the trip, he became friends with Antonio Machín. Mario Bauzá would return on the same boat in which Don Aspiazu’s orchestra was travelling, who immediately began the arrangements to record El manisero.

Upon arriving in New York, Bauzá went to live in Harlem with his cousin, the trumpeter René Endreira. Bauzá began playing the saxophone at house parties with pianist Lucky Roberts and began to absorb African-American culture.

Mario Bauza — Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz in New York

Between 1930 and 1931, he was a trumpeter in the Antonio Machín quartet and made important recordings with this group in New York City. Anecdotally, it is said that he had learned to play the trumpet in just two weeks.

His first jobs were with the orchestras of Cass Carr, Noble Sissle and Sam Wooding.

In 1933 he entered Chick Webb’s orchestra as first trumpet, where he ended up as music director. He then worked with Don Redman and Fletcher Henderson, eventually landing Cab Calloway.

Being in that band, Mario brought the young trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie to the orchestra.

Bauzá married Estela Gutiérrez, sister of Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, known as Machito.

On December 3, 1940, he debuted with Machito at the Park Plaza, a dance hall, with the Afro-Cubans, later working for almost four years at the La Conga club.

Bauzá works for Machito as artistic director, taking care of the arrangements and hiring the musicians.

The style of the Afro-Cubans mixes the son montuno of Cuba with features of swing bands.

Mario Bauzá Pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz in New York

Thanks to this, musicians like Dizzy Gillespie or James Moody introduced Afro-Cuban rhythms into jazz, starting in 1947.

He became interested in jazz when he heard Frankie Trumbauer play the saxophone performing Rhapsody in blue with the Paul Whiteman orchestra.

In the forties, Mario will develop the sound of Afro-Cuban jazz. His work as a clarinetist, trumpeter, saxophonist and arranger in the Machito orchestra constitutes one of the main pillars in the emergence and development of that Cuban genre.

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero

North America / United States / New Jersey

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero hails from Caracas, Venezuela.

Where his father, a respected percussionist in his own right, tutored and encouraged his son to become one of music’s best percussionists.

Luisito comes from a long line of outstanding musicians including his uncle, Carlos Nene Quintero and cousin Robert Quintero.

He studied at the respected Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela (The Symphonic Orchestra of Venezuela) and his percussion technique soon garnered attention from his colleagues.

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero – Photo

Luisito joined the popular music ensembles Grupo Guaco and Oscar D’Leon, where he enjoyed worldwide acclaim.

Luisito Quintero has worked and recorded with many of music’s legends including The Rolling Stones, Vanessa Williams, Paul Simon, Santana, Jack De Johnette, David Sanborn, George Benson, Joe Sample, Bill Cosby, the late Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, Cachao, Eddie Palmieri, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Richard Bona, Ravi Coltrane, Nathalie Cole, Diana Krall, Giovanni Hidalgo, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Spanish Harlem, Willie Colon and countless others. One of his recent projects finds him as musical director for Louie Vega and the Elements of Life Band, as well as extensive work with Jack DeJohnette’s Latin Project. He has also had the privilege to tour and record with the Tony & Grammy award winning Jazz artist, Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Quintero himself has earned more than thirteen Grammy certificate awards for his participation in numerous recordings.

Luisito Quintero has two solo projects under Vega Records/BBE, entitled “Percussion Maddness” and “Percussion Maddness Revisited”.

Timbalero - Luisito Quintero — Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero – Photo

Scheduled for release in the spring of 2013, his upcoming production entitled “3rd Element”, features guest artists Gato Barbieri, Oscar Hernandez, Doug Beavers, Richie Flores, Steve Khan, Reynaldo Jorge and his cousin Roberto Quintero. Currently, Luisito is the touring & recording percussionist for the legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea and for Spanish Harlem.

Nicky Marrero is an innovator, timbalero and bongo player, living legend of our Afro-Latin and Caribbean music.

Nicolás Marrero Jr. “Nicky Marrero” was born in the Bronx, New York, on June 17, 1950, to a Puerto Rican father and mother (born in San Germán and Corozal, respectively).

He had formal studies in drums during his adolescence, but more could the sounds of Tito Puente and Willie Bobo, his major influences.

Nicky Marrero is an innovator, timbalero and bongo player, living legend of our Afro-Latin and Caribbean music.

He debuted in music with a high school ensemble called Orquesta Caribe.

However, his first recording session was at the age of 15 with the original band of another teenager born in 1950: Willie Colón.

Curiously, at the time of these sessions, three pillars of the Alegre All-Stars, Charlie Palmieri, Louie Ramirez and Kako, were present in the studio, and young Nicky was invited to participate as a timbalero.

In 1968 he was recruited by Eddie Palmieri, who by then, as a consequence of internal problems, gradually disbanded his original orchestra: La Perfecta.

Nicky Marrero joins the orchestra shortly after recording the album “Champagne,” the album “Justicia” (1969), where, still under the powerful voice of Ismael Quintana, Nicky begins to explore his own sound (listen to his solo in the song “My Spiritual Indian”),

The decade of the 70’s opens for him with three important events: the classic album “Vámonos Pa’l Monte”, his participation with Patato in the album “Portrait Of Jennie” by Dizzy Gillespie and the beginning of his career as a percussion teacher, as a member of the faculty of the East Harlem Music School, the school of Johnny Colón, legendary pianist and one-time pioneer of boogaloo.

At this institution Nicky gives his first lessons to a 13 year old boy named Jimmy Delgado.

In 1972 Nicky is invited to participate in the Afro-American Music Festival. 1975 he joins the troupe of the Wonderful Jew, Larry Harlow, then he is part of the Revelation Orchestra, two years with the Novel Orchestra.

In fact, thanks to his internship with Harlow’s band, Nicky was already part of Fania Records’ staff of musicians, recording as timbalero, bongos player and even drummer (and one of his first assignments for that label as a studio musician was the album “Pa’ Bravo Yo” by Justo Betancourt, produced by Harlow himself in 1972).

In 1973 he was included in the Fania All-Stars, replacing Orestes Vilató.

Marrero received an invitation from Pacheco to make his debut with them at Yankee Stadium in August of that year. Ironically, despite the events that separated Vilató from the stellar orchestra, he remained part of Fania’s studio staff. In fact, Vilató and Marrero crossed paths on countless sessions for various artists on the label between 1973 and 1980, in most cases with Marrero on timbales and Vilató serving as bongos player.

His multiple sessions for Fania (Ismael Miranda, Ismael Quintana, Héctor Lavoe’s first solo album (“La Voz”), Justo Betancourt and others), he also participates in “Sun Of Latin Music,” Eddie Palmieri’s classic par excellence and the first album to win a Grammy in the then debut category of “Best Latin Album.”

He is also invited to participate in the first of several rock sessions, this one specifically as an all-around percussionist for the group Electric Flag: “The Band Kept Playing”.

He travels with Fania to the African continent, later Jerry Masucci gets a potentially lucrative contract for the Fania All-Stars with Columbia Records, for recording purposes the orchestra is reduced to a sextet: Pacheco, Barretto, Nicky, Roberto Roena, Bobby Valentin and debuting with the orchestra, Papo Lucca.

This is how Nicky, without being a band leader, not only became a star member of the Fania All-Stars, but also an “exclusive artist” of the Fania label. And as such, he appears on several albums that are not necessarily Latin and travels with Fania to Europe (the first of several subsequent visits) and Japan. Together with Harlow, Vilató on bongo, Eddie “Guagua” Rivera on bass, Frankie Rodríguez on congas, Harry Viggiano on guitar and Pablito Rosario on percussion, he recorded an album of downloads for the Japanese market under the curious group name of Belmonte (“Olé”). [This album is very difficult to obtain.

1977 he joins Tipica’73, an orchestra which he joins shortly after the release of the previous album: “Rumba Caliente,” ironically replacing Vilató once again. The album in question, for which Nicky alternated between his timbales set and the drums proper, is “The Two Sides Of Tipica’73,” the band’s most progressive album.

Nicky introduces drum toms to his rhythm kit (the only drum component Nicky overlooks in his regular timpani set is the hi-hats).

Nicky even recorded his first drum solo on the song “Yo Bailo De Todo” on that album. By this time, production at the Fania label and its subsidiaries was exhausting and the salsa boom in New York was in full swing.

Exhausting tours with the Fania All-Stars, he travels with Tipica’73 to Havana, Cuba, the first time in 20 years of economic blockade and open political friction that a New York Latin orchestra performs in the home of son, Nicky’s visit with La Tipica and Orestes Vilató’s own visit the following year, replacing him with the Fania All-Stars, helped to restore the timbal and bongo to the importance they should never have lost in Cuba.

To this day, Nicky remains healthy and active in music.

Also Read: The legendary singer Guadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond “La Lupe”

Colombia’s legendary Grupo Niche and its founder Jairo Varela

Grupo Niche was founded in 1979 in Bogotá, Colombia, by Jairo Varela, born on December 9, 1949 in Quibdó, Chocó, and Alexis Lozano, who played trombone and was an arranger, later leaving Grupo Niche to form Orquesta Guayacán de Colombia.

That same year, the group released its first album under the Daro label, entitled Al Pasito, with Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano as directors, Nicolás Cristancho “Macabí” on piano, Francisco García on bass, Luis Pacheco on congas and singers Jorge Bazán, Saulo Sánchez and Héctor Viveros.

Two years later, Niche’s second production, Querer es poder, was released. The song “Buenaventura y Caney”, included in the album, became the first composition of the group to become a hit in Colombia, said Jairo Varela.

The legendary Grupo Niche of Colombia 2023

In 1983 After a tour of the United States in which they performed before several colonies of Colombians and a short stay in Buenaventura, the group decided to settle in Cali in 1983.

In 1984 and after releasing the albums Prepárate (1982) and ¡Directo desde Nueva York! (1983), Jairo Varela composed and produced the song “Cali Pachanguero”, which brought the group to national and international stardom.

The song, included in the 1984 album No hay quinto malo, was chosen as the official song of the Cali Fair.

After the success of No hay quinto malo, the group began to tour constantly throughout Colombia and other Latin American countries, becoming the most important orchestra in Colombia.

The album Triunfo, Niche’s sixth discographic production, was released in

1985 The song “Ana Milé”, sung by Jairo Varela, became a radio hit. A year later the group incorporated the renowned Puerto Rican singer Tito Gómez, who had previously worked with La Sonora Ponceña and Ray Barretto, the godfather of Latin jazz.

The inclusion of Gómez further boosted the group’s career throughout Latin America. That same year the album Me huele a matrimonio was released, with Gómez and Varela sharing the lead vocal duties.

Colombia's legendary Grupo Niche 2020 — Colombia’s legendary Grupo Niche 2020

Later, another Puerto Rican joined the group, pianist Israel Tanenbaum, who would eventually leave the group to join a parallel group to Niche, Orquesta Guayacán.

Taking advantage of the group’s growing popularity, in 1987 an album of new versions of songs previously released by the group entitled Historia Musical was released.

That year, the director Jairo Varela fired a group of musicians due to their claims for high fees.

Varela hired some new musicians and recorded the album Tapando el hueco, a production that became an instant hit especially for the songs “Nuestro sueño” and “Cómo podré Disimular”.

After the release of the album, Grupo Niche became a sensation in Latin America, especially in countries such as Venezuela and Peru.

In 1989, the group gave a concert at the Campo de Marte in Lima, where it attracted more than one million people, a record number in that country.

To thank the Peruvian people for their incredible welcome, the band released the album Me sabe a Perú that same year. 1989 also saw the release of the album Sutil y contundente, a production that revalidated the group’s good form, especially with songs such as “Mi hijo y yo” and “Miserable”.

In 1990, after the departure of singer Tito Gómez, the group released the album Cielo de tambores, Grupo Niche’s most successful production to date. The same year of its release, Cielo de tambores ranked third on Billboard magazine’s tropical music chart in the United States.

The album’s success was based on the quality of compositions such as “Busca por dentro”, “Sin sentimiento”, “Debiera olvidarla” and “Cali ají” and the massive popularity of the song “Una aventura”. Charlie Cardona and Javier Vásquez provided the vocals for the album.

From that moment on, the group enjoyed international popularity, touring constantly in countries such as the United States, Peru, Mexico and Colombia, as well as making some presentations in Europe.

In 1992 the group released another successful album entitled Llegando al 100% with Charlie Cardona as lead vocalist. The songs “Hagamos lo que diga el corazón” and “No tuve a quién decirle amor” stand out from this production.

After the release of two compilation albums, the group released Etnia, an album recognized especially for the compositions “La Canoa ranchá” and “La magia de tus besos”. The vocalists on this production were Willy García, Álvaro Granobles and Javier Vásquez.

Jairo Varela was captured and imprisoned in 1995 after returning from a tour of the United States.

The musician was accused of front man and illicit enrichment for allegedly receiving payments from the account of a sister of drug trafficker Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, corresponding to the presentations of Grupo Niche at the Caseta Carnaval del Norte, an event where artists such as Sergio Vargas and Oscar D’León el sonero del mundo also performed.

His experience in jail was reflected in the lyrics of several songs on the next Niche album. 1997’s A prueba de fuego became another commercially successful production for the group.

Colombia's legendary Grupo Niche 2015 — Colombia’s legendary Grupo Niche 2015

The song “Eres”, sung by Willy García, achieved strong radio airplay and its video clip was equally popular.

A year later the album Señales de humo was released, which could not match the success of the previous production.

The group closed the 1990s with the release of the album A golpe de folklore, an album in which the group returned to its musical roots, exploring the folklore of the Pacific coast and emphasizing the “salsa brava dura”.

In 2001, Jairo Varela decided to move Grupo Niche’s headquarters to Miami in order to better focus on the group’s international touring demands.

That year the group published Propuesta, an album that was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the “Best Salsa Album” category, along with productions by prominent artists such as Isaac Delgado, Oscar D’León, Tito Puente, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Tito Rojas, great salsa artists.

In 2005 the group performs for the first time in Japan. That same year the album Alive was released.

In 2007 Varela suffers a heart attack that forces him to quit smoking. Two years later he released a new album entitled Robando sueños, promoted by the single “Un día después” with Elvis Magno on lead vocals. Jairo Varela stated that it was the best song he had ever written in his life.

The death of Jairo Varela.

On August 8, 2012 Jairo Varela suffered another heart attack in his apartment in southern Cali, dying at the age of 62, while he was writing a novel titled “Luces negras”, a story based on the Colombian Pacific that he was unable to finish.

Jairo Varela Founder of Grupo Niche in Colombia

After his death, a large number of songs were recorded on demos and written down on sheets of paper.

Some of these compositions were recorded and included in the posthumous 2013 album Tocando el cielo con las manos.

Yanila Varela, Jairo’s daughter, succeeded him as the group’s director.

At the end of 2014, the group shared the stage with the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In August 2015 José Aguirre took over the musical direction of Grupo Niche replacing Richie Valdés. That same year the idea of releasing an album with songs composed by Varela that failed to become hits arose.

The idea was finally embodied in a new record production released on October 2, 2015 titled 35 Aniversario, promoted with the single “Niche como yo”, a song composed by Jairo Varela in 1978.

The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album, a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Salsa Album and a Lo Nuestro Award nomination for Album of the Year in the Tropical category.

New stage 2020

Grupo Niche is currently formed by singers Alex Torres, Luis Araque and Alejandro Iñigo, percussionists Juanito Murillo, Fabio Celorio and Diego Camacho, pianist Víctor González, bassist Sergio Munera and musicians Edgardo Manuel, Edward Montoya, Carlos Zapata, Oswaldo Salazar and Paul Gordillo on wind instruments, under the direction of José Aguirre. At the end of the year, Grupo Niche won a Latin Grammy award for the best salsa album of 2020 with “40” and in March 2021 they will win the Anglo Grammy.

Also Read: Leo Pacheco Sonero del barrio and beloved example of father and friend was lead vocalist of the Orquesta Renovación under the direction of the tumbador Nico Monterola.