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Maelo y su Klan want to bring tropical rhythms to the whole world

Maelo y su Klan is the latest project, and one of the dreams, of the producer with more than twenty years of experience, Johnny Ysmael Salaverria Dicurú. The popular “Maelo” as his dearest friends call him, continues his career by working and pouring his heart into this project. With them the first genre fusion between Son and Kizomba is known. In the following lines we will talk about Maelo and his most beloved project.

Who is Maelo?

Johnny Ysmael Salaverria Dicurú was born in San Juan parish, in Caracas, capital city of Venezuela, where he spent his childhood surrounded by the joy of the Caribbean “soneros and salseros”. He was a child when he first expressed his interest in one of the most popular tropical Caribbean rhythms, salsa. Part of his influences came from his uncle, Héctor Bruno Dicurú.

Ysmael D´La O, is his artistic name on stage and producing, but his closest friends call him “El Tiburón de la Salsa”. He left with $80, and a luggage full of dreams, to look out for adventures abroad. His destiny was Tenerife, where he quickly earned the love and respect of the natives, and was embraced as an adopted son.

Maelo as a producer has worked with renowned soloists and groups, from all over the world. To name a few: Nicky Jam, El Binomio de Oro, Tito Rojas, Oscar D’León, Porfi Baloa, Tony Vega, La Dimensión Latina, Ray Sepúlveda, Guayacán, El Grupo Niche. As a promoter and producer of events, one of his greatest achievements was El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico who celebrated their 50th anniversary, and visited Europe hand in hand with him.

We can call Maelo, the cultural ambassador of Caribbean rhythms, making more than 30 countries listen and enjoy them. He was the first Latin American to have 100 continuous virtual conversations during the pandemic, a time when creativity was the escape of many artists.

Among his awards and recognitions is being nominated as International Producer of the Year in 2020, Producer and Promoter of the Virtual Euro Festival in the 20/21 edition. But soon more will come, since Maelo’s talent is infinite.

Defining Maelo and his Klan

The band stands out in danceable rhythms such as: Son, Charanga, Guaguancó, Salsa, Tropical, Latin Jazz and a lot of fusion with an original sound, which is inspired by African rhythms. Of course, with the influences of great masters of the old tropical school. In this way, a combination is created that generates a modern sound, worthy of the new generation. But what most characterizes this Klan is the creation of the fusion of the genres between Son and Kizomba.

The works of Maelo y su Klan have the collaboration of the renowned arranger and director of Billo’s Caracas Boys, the Venezuelan Julio Cesar Estrada. Also by Paquito Barón, ex-member of the Orquesta Bronco of Venezuela, in the musical production.

The Klan has all the merits and the support of the Anglo-Saxon and Asian public. One of his productions entitled ¡Cultura viva! Fusion is positioned as the new sound in Afro-Caribbean music. Maelo not only puts his talent for the band, but also puts all his knowledge of the tropical rhythms of Latin America, as well as its movements through Europe and Asia. Let’s hope that the journey of Maelo y su Klan will be a very long one, full of great successes, so that they can continue to please the public that loves these tropical rhythms.

Life and career of Ernie Acevedo

Introduction

This will be a very special edition because we are going to talk about one of the most transcendental figures of Latin music of his time. We are talking about bandleader and percussionist Ernie Acevedo, who has been one of the greatest pillars of the Latin music movement in the United States from the very moment he decided to explore this highly competitive area of arts.

Percussionist Ernie Acevedo recording in the studio

Biography

Ernest ”Ernie” Acevedo was born in New York City and his parents were two Puerto Ricans who were making their living in the United States. His family had deep musical roots, which may be why the young man to devote his life to this wonderful world. This artistic side of the family comes especially from his uncles who played Christian music, with the exception of Jason Youvert. The latter played bass for a few groups throughout his career and one of them was Ray Rodriguez & Duro.

While still very young, little Ernie showed signs of getting great skills with percussion, which made his father decide to take him to play with him and even become a kind of manager for his son and many other young boys with dreams of being artists who entertained parties and celebrations of all kinds in the neighborhood where they lived. This group of boys was called Orquesta Combinación Latina, but it was not long before it would be renamed Sonora Amantes and would have an alignment of instruments totally different from the previous one.

Given that Ernie was always sure of following this path, he chose to prepare as best as possible for it, so he studied at Johnny Colon School and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, which contributed enormously to the learing of the musician and would serve him well for what he did next.

The great beginning of the percussionist’s career was given in the 1970s thanks to his collaboration with the famous bongo player Ralphy Santi, a union that represented a giant leap in the carrer of Ernie. After that, there was an endless list of artists who wanted to work with him such as Héctor Lavoe, Johnny Pacheco, Oscar D’ León, Pete ”El Conde” Rodríguez, Larry Harlow, Daniel Santos, Héctor Casanova and many more.

All of this would be the prelude to the creation of Conjunto Imagen, a group that would be of key importance in the good name of Acevedo as an artist.

Conjunto Imagen

In the year 2021, El Conjunto Imagen was founded on May 21, 1989, starting a legacy impossible to omit in the history of Afro-Caribbean music in the United States, Latin America and the Antilles. The main members of the group were coordinating and agreeing for a while to crystallize this idea that was running through their heads for a long time. Among them were Ernie Acevedo, Jose ”Junior” Rivera, Luis Hernandez, Angelo Gonzalez and many others.

These childhood friends always were clear that they wanted to create a highly successful musical group and go that succeed. In the year 2021, they celebrated their 30th anniversary with their 14th record production entitled ”Los Rumberos”, with which this group proved once more they are one of the most talented Latin groups despite the passage of time. This musical work has great names in the industry such as Juan ”Tiny” Colón in the arrangements, Toby Rivera, Guillermo ”El Pulpo” Colón Jr. and Miguel ”El Zurdo” Rodríguez. Luis Arona Junior Rivera, among others.

Record production to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Conjunto Imagen

By Johnny Cruz, ISM Correspondents, New York, New York City

ISM February 2023

Romantic duos in Latin music

The month of love is coming, and nothing better than accompanying those moments with good music. Latin music has always been loaded with romance, passion, heartbreak, and despite that each of the listeners feels identified with the lyrics, and moves to their rhythms. Added to the great artists, both the active ones and those who have already left, there have been songs that raise the level due to the union of two of those singers. In this article we tell you about the most romantic duos in Latin music.

These are the most romantic duos in Latin music

Marc Anthony and La India – Vivir Lo Nuestro

One of the most popular salsa songs at the start of the new millennium. This work launched both singers to stardom. To this day it is a song that many couples definitely identify with, with lyrics like:

“En una noche cerrada

Voy a detener el tiempo

Para soñar a tu lado

Que nuestro amor es eterno”

The eternal love between both parties, the desire to shout to the world how much you love your other part, and that there is no obstacle to stop them, is the message they want to give.

“En un mundo sin razas

Sin colores, ni lamentos

Sin nadie que se oponga

En que tu y yo nos amemos”

Despite the resounding success of the song, and the boost it gave to both their careers, they are currently not on good terms, which shows that although the song is loved by its fans, and speaks of a love without barriers, external factors can end a relationship, be it friendship or professional. So it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a fresh, live version of this romantic classic anytime soon.

Maná and Rubén Blades – Sábanas Frías

This is a combination that few expected back in 2002, but Blades has never hidden his desire to collaborate with many artists. On this occasion it was the Mexican Rock group Maná, who had the great opportunity not only to mix the talent of the group with the great Panamanian artist, but also the fusion of two genres, rock and salsa so characteristic of Rubén.

The song talks about how lonely a person in love feels, without their other half living under the same roof. So as the track progresses, he invites his love to live together, to take care of each other forever, and share everything.

“Y te cuidaré por siempre y donde quiera

Te amaré como uno quiere a su bandera

Yo te quiero compartir todo, todo mi amor

Te comparto mi cuarto, mi cama, mis besos

y todo, todo amor”

This is one of the emblematic songs of Maná Revolución de Amor album, released in 2002. As its name indicates, it is totally dedicated to love, that’s where Sábanas Frías came from, but nobody expected the collaboration with Rubén Blades to bring that tropical sound so typical of Panama.

Eddy Herrera and Liz – A Dormir Juntitos

Merengue is another genre that does not escape love, and one of its hymns is A Dormir Juntitos by the Dominican singer Eddy Herrera, who invited the Venezuelan Liz, known for having been part of Los Melódicos, so that both of them could mix their talents in this song.

If you take a look at the lyrics, it’s not completely a love song, but more about heartbreak, since it talks about a couple who are separated, and although they still love each other, they can’t sleep together again.

“Y yo te veo

A través de la ventana cuando te vas

Y llorando me dan ganas de decirte, quédate

Por qué estamos durmiendo solos

Si nos seguimos queriendo

Si nos seguimos amando

No dejamos de lado el orgullo y volvemos”

Víctor Manuelle and Oscarcito (Yakozuki) – Si Tú Me Besas

Puerto Rican singer Víctor Manuelle is well known for the romantic lyrics that make up his songs. For 2011 he worked with the Venezuelan producer Oscar Hernandez, better known as Oscarcito or with his new name Yakozuki. This is how Si Tú Me Besas was born, a song that was originally covered in 3 versions for the album Busco Un Pueblo, so you can enjoy the song in salsa, pop and ballad.

“Bésame despacio

Y no se te ocurra dejar libre

Ningún beso ni ningún espacio

Con ese cuerpazo

Dame el privilegio de viajar hacia el espacio”

The lyrics talk about the experience of kissing your partner, and everything that this awakens in both parties. It not only talks about the feelings that arise from a kiss but also that you can forget the world through it. There is a fourth version of this song, although it follows the salsa genre, it is sung by both Víctor and Oscar, which got more followers in many countries.

This is just a small glimpse of all the great duos that Latin music has given us over the years. Without counting all those who will come, since the new generations show more and more talent.

The return of Ray Sepúlveda to Europe

Ray Sepúlveda loves his music ardently, and it is for this reason that, for two decades, he has been one of the most notable voices in salsa to date. This much loved singer takes every opportunity he gets to give us all of his soul through his music, and his most intimate feelings. One of his first steps this 2023 is to visit Europe, to celebrate Valentine’s Day with all his European fans. Learn more about the singer, and his dates for this Europe Tour with the following lines.

Ray Sepúlveda is a singer forged in Salsa’s golden years

Sepúlveda Jr. was born in Brooklyn, his parents are originally from Puerto Rico. Today he is a successful singer who has recorded five albums for his current label RMM, and has built up a reputation as a vocalist on all continents. However, his journey to his success was not an easy one.

Since his childhood, Ray Jr. learned everything from his father, Ray Sepúlveda Sr., who was a bolero singer, and a member of Trío Los Románticos. This experience allowed him to listen to the best artists from Puerto Rico and Latin America, which inspired him to follow his dreams of becoming a renowned singer.

At the end of the 70’s Ray managed to record his first album and two more under Fania. He also got to dabble in the cinema, and in the 80s he even worked with Hector Lavoe. But in those years there was a decline in the genre, which is why Sepúlveda came to work with the United States Postal Service.

The 90s were his return to the stages with the Johnny and Ray Orchestra, with which he came to record his greatest hits. As he himself has commented on several occasions: “At that stage of my career I had the opportunity to work with Sergio George, the music producer of Salsa Con Clase. Sergio greatly influenced, and in a way created the musical style of Ray Sepúlveda.”

A few years later he would sign with RMM which led him to further consolidate his solo career. In “Salsabor,” his fifth production with RMM, Ray Sepúlveda shows us his way of being and feeling. He uses the same energy that he had on his first album with them, and inspires us to enjoy his well-known romantic salsa sound.

Ray has made appearances at some of the world’s most famous venues. For example, he has played in New York’s Madison Square Garden several times, including a Valentine’s Day concert. He has also performed at Radio City Music Hall and at the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey to celebrate RMM’s 10th anniversary. In addition, Ray has traveled throughout Europe, receiving a great reception especially in Italy.

2023 marks his return to Europe

This new year marks the return of Ray Sepúlveda to the European stages with his Europe Tour, led by Luisito Eventos and Amber Productions. This tour consists of a total of 6 dates, starting on February 3 in Madrid, Spain. Two dates follow in Italy on the 4th and 5th, in Genoa and Firenze respectively. It closes with stops on 10, 11 and 12 passing through Milano, Italy; to then reach Valencia and Barcelona in Spain.

In these presentations Ray will captivate the audience with his best-known classics, in addition to showing his new songs from his latest production Salsabor, among which stand out: Como Tiembla El Alma, Eres, Lo Necesario, Sabes Que Soy Aquel, among other great works. To obtain tickets for these dates and enjoy a great night, you just have to contact the following numbers: +34627098111 / +34635417043.