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Lenin Francisco Domingo Cerda, better known as Frankie Dante, the “Underground” and “Irreverent” of Salsa in New York in the 60’s and 70’s.

“Cerda If I were president, if I were a president, there would be no armed forces, wars would end, the boys would go home where they belong.”

Lenin Francisco Domingo Cerda, mejor conocido como Frankie Dante el “Underground” e “Irreverente” de la Salsa en New York

Lenin Francisco Domingo Cerda, known as Frankie Dante, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on September 15, 1945.

He traveled to New York City in search of the sound of the barrio, influenced by Willie Colón and Eddie Palmieri with his Orquesta La Perfecta.

Frankie Dante, always characterized for being an authentic sonero, who interpreted the stories of the Latin barrio.

In 1968 under the label Cotique he appears in the album “Los Coquetones”, where Ismael Quintana also participated, the great influence in his development as a vocalist, this album is produced by Mr. George Goldner.

Cerda records a second production with La Orquesta Flamboyán, entitled: “Different Directions”, following the line implemented by maestro Eddie Palmieri with La Perfecta, where he continues the emphasis on social issues, raised in his first musical work, this time with the production of Ralph Lew.

Orquesta Flamboyan Con Frank Dante Different Directions1970 — Orquesta Flamboyan Con Frank Dante Different Directions
1970

Launches the album: “Se Viste de Gala”. Resuming his social commitment, he includes the piece “Venceremos”, accompanied by the electric guitar played by Harry Vigianno, who also plays the tres in this production.

In 1972, Frankie Dante is invited by Larry Harlow to produce a new album entitled: “Orquesta Flamboyán Con Larry Harlow”.

Here Frankie achieved hits such as: “La Cuna del Son”, “Yo Te Seguiré”, “Vive La Vida Hoy” and “Presidente Dante”.

The album featured the participation of Larry Harlow on piano and musical production, Ray Romero and Jerry Gonzalez on Congas, Ismael “Pat” Quintana and Milton Cardona on backing vocals.

This album is considered as a recognition of Frankie Dante’s talent when he was asked by the “Wonderful Jew”, Larry Harlow to record together.

Frankie shows all his irreverence by substituting the montuno for a political speech in the manner of a candidate.

As a representative of the Underground current, Dante prefers to perform in a bohemian way in Clubs such as: El Caborrojeño and the Cheetah.

While in these clubs he meets pianist Marcolino Demond and they release the historic album: Beethoven’s V.

One of his best productions was with the extraordinary musician and pianist Markolino Dimond, who had played with Willie Colón, the album was titled: Markolino Dimond Con Frankie Dante Beethoven’s where in addition to his extravagances he imposed a different way of playing.

The album included five compositions by Marcolino Dimond: “Sabrosón”, “Camarones”, “El Quinto De Beethoven”, “Maraquero” and “Ahora Sí”, two songs with reserved author’s rights: “Los Rumberos” and “Yo No Tengo Amigo” and the hit “Porque Adore” by maestro Tite Curet Alonso.

Markolino Dimond Con Frankie Dante Guest Star Chivirico* Beethoven's V — Markolino Dimond Con Frankie Dante Guest Star Chivirico* Beethoven’s V

Dante and Marcolino were a duo without precedents, taking into account that both had the stigma of rebelliousness.

The album features Frankie Dante and Chivirico Davila on vocals and Yayo “El Indio”, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez and Ismael “Pat” Quintana on backing vocals.

Other great musicians that participated in the band are Nicky Marrero – Timbales, Bongos; Pablito Rosario – Bongos; Barry Rogers – Trombone; Mike Collazo – Timbales, Eddie “Guagua” Rivera – Bass; Lewis Kahn – Trombone; Reinaldo Jorge – Trombone and Frank Malabé – Congas.

In 1976, again with Marcolino, he released: “Los Salseros de Acero”, in an attempt to reunite the original line-up of Los Flamboyán with Joe “Chickie” Fuentes on trumpet, Ángelo Rodríguez on trombone and Alex Ojeda on timbales, plus the participation of stars of the moment such as: Charlie Palmieri, Tito Puente and Ricardo Marrero, in what was called: Flamboyán All Star Band.

Frankie Dante & His Orchestra Flamboyan Los Salseros De Acero

Among the songs on the album were “Ciencia Política” by Frankie Dante and “Chupa El Pirulí” composed by the wonderful Ciego Arsenio Rodríguez.

That year he published his seventh album “The Flamboyán All Star Band Frankie “Be Bop” Dante”, also recorded for Cotique Records, which included songs such as: “El Pipón”, “Son Retozón” and “Mumbo Jumbo”, compositions by Frankie Dante himself and a version of the song “María Cervantes” by the Puerto Rican Noro Morales.

Sonny Bravo, Norberto Cruz and Marty Sheller participated in the arrangements; Charlie Palmieri – Arrangements and Director and Mr. Ralph Lew as Producer.

The album also counted with the participation of other great musicians of the salsa movement such as: Leopoldo Pineda – Trombone, Ray Maldonado – Trumpet, Frankie Malabé – Congas, Orestes Vilató – Timbales, Ronnie Cuber – Sax and Flute, Willie Colón – Chorus and Tito Allen – Chorus.

One of Cotique’s recordings was entitled “Frankie Dante and his Orquesta Flamboyán Best Foot Forward”, a compilation album with Frankie’s hits such as: “Paz”, “Los Rumberos”, “Presidente Dante”, “Venceremos” and the well known song “Yo Te Seguiré” written by the great Catalino Tite Curet Alonso.

The Legendary Frankie Dante And His Orchestra Flamboyan Best Foot Forward

His last recording appearance would happen in 1979 with the release of “Los Rebeldes”, where he decided to name his group: Frankie Dante Y Los Rebeldes.

This album has songs such as: “Los Congresistas” by Frankie Dante, a version of the song “Semilla De Caña Brava” by Cuban Luis Martinez Griñan “Lily” and “Vuelve El Rumbero” by Puerto Rican Johnny Ortiz.

Also participating in the recording were: Sal Cuevas – Bass, Louie Cruz, Marty Sheller, and Louie Ramirez in the Arrangements, Alberta Dering – Artistic Director, Ralph Lew as Producer and Milton Cardona as Musical Director.

Dominican Frankie Dante developed his musical career in New York City, where he died of cancer on March 1, 1993.

Dante, emulating his compatriot Johnny Pacheco, settles in the city of skyscrapers and takes with his “precursor” lyrical talent in terms of social conscience in salsa. With good artistic sense he perceives that the sound of the neighborhood and its hurtful musical style will be the main axis of the new concept that is born in the land of Uncle Sam.

“He recognizes in the almost adolescent Willie Colón a style to follow, he is enormously attracted to that “sour” way of arranging the songs, the maestro Eddie Palmieri and his Orquesta La Perfecta (already in full swing) also influence the young Dante as well as Ismael “Pat” Quintana’s way of interpreting, a style that Frankie incorporates immediately in his first production in 1968 under the Cotique label (Ref. CS-1043) titled Los Coquetones”.

Sources and Bibliography:

http://www.megaupload.com/pt/?d=FR6AAPU0
• http://ww.malianteo.com
• http://www.salsajazz.com/i
• http://apostolsalsero.soy.es/frankie-dante-la-orquesta-flamboyan/
• Latinastereo 100.9 FM nuestra música

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

Wilmer Lozano from a very young age his mother saw in him the desire to be a musician

Wilmer Lozano is a Venezuelan singer and composer. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on October 7.

When talking about successful Latin singers and good salsa, one has to talk about Wilmer Lozano, one of the greatest exponents of Latin music in the world, who has made millions of people around the world dance.

Among his musical hits are: “Me marcharé”, “Aún estoy de pie”, “Si acaba bien”, “Descarga pa ti”, “Se me pasó la mano” and “Igual que yo”.

Childhood, Youth and Family Life.

Wilmar Lozano’s mother saw in him the desire to be a musician since he was a child.

Every night before going to sleep and saying his prayers, he would dedicate himself with his grandfather Lino Lozano to practicing décimas, which would be very useful in his career as a sonero.

Wilmer Lozano’s Beginnings in Music.

Wilmer Lozano’s career began when he was in school, participating in all the events that took place there.

He got his first singing lessons at the Casa de la Cultura Germán Lira and that’s how he arrived at a very popular radio program for the time, rumbos, coplas y canciones directed by the great Venezuelan Simón Díaz.

Wilmer Lozano and his union with different groups.

Soon after, he belonged to an orchestra in the block where he lived and shared his studies with music. Little by little he belonged to orchestras based in Caracas, such as: Grupo Autana, Grupo Rayta, La Quinta Galaxia, Quinteto Visa, Conjunto Sensación, Sonora Habanera, Hildemaro y su Orquesta, Orquesta Selecto, Marianela y su Orquesta, Orquesta Vía de Escape and Orquesta La Júnior.

He later joined the ranks of the Dimensión Latina Orchestra. With this orchestra he has the privilege of sharing with the excellent bolerista Wladimir Lozano and the sonero Rodrigo Mendoza, both recognized nationally and internationally, with whom he further nurtured his knowledge as an interpreter and sonero.

He also formed part of the youth orchestra called Los Adolescentes, where he is a key piece of it, standing out as a leading artist.

With this project he recorded two productions where he performed several hits, with which he became known worldwide.

Musical genre.

Wilmer Lozano is a performer who is considered one of the best salsa singers due to his graceful voice register.

Career and Legacy

Wilmer Lozano has managed to place eleven songs in the first place of the Hit Parade. According to information provided by the company Record Report, besides being the only Venezuelan singer, who in two opportunities being in the first place, is incorporated again to the same place of honor with the same interpretations.

Wilmer Lozano, Tuky Torres, Dj. Augusto Felibertt y Rey Torcatt

Then his artistic life assumes another challenge, which he achieves with great professionalism, since his talent exceeds many expectations. Proof of this was his record production “Wilmer Lozano Original”, where he took the opportunity to launch himself as a soloist.

In this work he shows all the experience he has acquired during his artistic career, with the help of producer Thomas Bernal.

He achieves an excellent production, with very varied Latin rhythms and social themes. This album has the participation of the composers: Thomas Bernal, Ruby Pérez, José Luis Perales, Amaury Gutiérrez, Ángel Flores and Pedro Vargas, among others.

Among the hits of his debut are: “Me han contando que existe un paraíso”, “Me marcharé”, “Se me pasó la mano”, “Completamente” and “Sueño guaireño”, this last one was dedicated to the people who had something to do with the tragedy of La Guaira, Vargas, Venezuela.

In many of his songs he also talks about the social content, as well as the concern of many people to move forward beyond their borders.

He has also collaborated with renowned interpreters of the salsa genre, such as: Tito Puente, Tito Rojas, Rey Ruiz, Victor Manuel, Cheo Feliciano, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tony Vega, Celia Cruz and Oscar D’León.

Wilmer Lozano is a salsa performer who has achieved musical success. His career has excelled nationally and internationally, with his arduous talent that has characterized him.

His tours have taken him to Latin America, the United States, Asia and Europe.

Theme: Se me paso la mano

Album: Wilmer Lozano “Original”.

Composition and Arrangement: Tomas “Monchy” Bernal (RIP)

Year: 2001

Label: Plátano Record

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with me, today I’m destroying myself little by little, I was wrong I lost my way because of her my destiny is transformed, because I don’t know what to do with this love that makes me run amok, she makes me see everything differently”.

Sources: Buena Música

Also Read: If you want to listen to Tasty Salsa tune in to Ritmo Sabor y Salsa with Nesmary J. Gómez

Career and interesting facts about Venezuelan singer and musician Omar Ledezma Jr.

Venezuelan singer, percussionist and music teacher Omar Ledezma Jr. has already talked to us in the past and has revealed important details regarding his life and career, but this time, our editor Eduardo Guilarte has been in charge of interviewing him and revealing some unknown details about his different facets professionally and personally.

Is such a pleasure to have the chance to talk to one of the most talented Latin musicians who currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and know so many things that the artist had not previously revealed.

Venezuelan percussionist Omar Ledezma — This is Omar Ledezma Jr., Venezuelan singer, percussionist and music teacher

Omar Ledezma’s beginnings in music and childhood

Omar Ledezma Jr. was born on February 17, 1972 in Caracas, Venezuela, and was raised in a very close family that gave him a lot of love and care since he was a child. Both the Ledezma and López families were very important in his growth, but it was from the Ledezma’s that he got his musical vein.

His mother and cousin José Vicente Rodríguez López decided to enroll him in the marching band at the Claret School, where he had his first contact with music by playing the snare drum, an instrument he was first assigned to play. It is also in the band where he started making friends with other teens who were already forming gaitas groups to compete in contests related to this traditional Venezuelan genre.

When he turned 16, he began to participate in these gaitas inter-school competitions in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, he participated in his first big musical event at the nightclub Mata de Coco. Omar assures that this was the official start of his career in a more professional way. A few years later, going hand-in-hand with his father, he began to take a deeper interest in music as a profession and wanted to experiment with other genres such as Afro-Cuban music and Latin jazz.

This path led him to join the orchestra La Charanga Clásica led by Mr. Frank Luzón. While playing there, he met several inspiration timbaleros such as Daniel Cádiz (from the Andy Durán Orchestra).

In parallel with all of the above, Omar was admitted to study in law school at the Santa María University, so he shared his time between his university studies and his professional musical activities. In his spare time outside the university, he played Latin jazz and was formed as a percussionist with his orchestra.

In 1995, Omar graduated as a lawyer as part of the class ”Honor a Venezuela” ranked in 12th place among his classmates. Although today he is not engage in law at all, he considers that having continued his studies was very important to him as a person because he would have a base on which to stand on in case his plans with music fell through.

However, the artist never thought about practicing law, since he was very clear that it would be difficult to do so due to the legal situation in Venezuela, so he continued to focus on his great passion, which was music. Besides, after analyzing it, he decided that he did not have a natural talent for that career.

In parallel, during those years as a law student, he made a trip to Cuba, which he claims changed his life completely. Some friends he made there, when seeing his skills as a musician, told him that he could be studying law, but that his life was and would be music forever.

Omar graduating as a lawyer — Omar Ledezma Jr. graduating from Berkee College of Music

The United States and Berklee College of Music

Just a few years after graduating, specifically in 1998, Omar made the decision to move to the United States looking for new opportunities and describes this trip as an exploring experience because many of his friends, orchestra fellows and acquaintances from the musical environment in general started taking new directions in the mid 90’s. The young man knew he wanted to do the same and chose the city of Boston to settle in at first.

Although he finally moved to Boston in 1998, already in 1997, his mother gave him the idea of going to the United States with an open ticket so he could decide whether to stay permanently or return. In the end, he opted not to use the return ticket and stayed in Boston to try to enter any music school through a scholarship.

After checking several options, he chose Berklee College of Music because it was the only college that allowed him to study composition and arranging as hand percussionist, so he auditioned to be admitted and was selected in the fall of 1999. He obtained a 70% scholarship, but he had to work hard to get the remaining 30%. In that sense, Omar assures that the same school helped him to obtain the corresponding permits to work legally in the country and thus be able to pay the percentage that is not covered by the scholarship.

Omar also told us that it was his friend Gonzalo Grau who helped him do the demo with which he auditioned to enter Berklee and it was a song of his own titled ”Cacao”. Today, he assures that that recording gave him one of the greatest opportunities he has ever had in life, which was to study there. He spent a total of four years studying in that institution and graduated in 2003.

During his undergraduate studies at Berklee, Omar had the option to study business and intellectual property and his lawyer’s training made it easier for him, but he defines himself as a ”natural born performer” and his life was the stage, so he did not see himself stuck in an office solving cases.

One of the first jobs Omar had in Los Angeles was replacing the singer from Johnny Polanco’s prestigious orchestra and that one that helped him take that place was Ray Barreto’s flautist, the late Artie Webb. The concert was held at the Mayan.

Omar playing the conga — Omar Ledezma Jr. playing the conga in a live performance

Family

As to the family part, Omar told us that he had married his wife Jennifer Radakovich about seven or eight years ago, but they have no children for the moment. This is because they are still analyzing their opportunities to settle permanently in the state of California, so he assures us that they are still building their future as a couple and as a family.

Jennifer’s family comes from Serbia and settled in Detroit, Michigan. They had to leave their country, which was then the former Yugoslavia because of the war that went on in the territory at the time. In fact, at a family reunion, his in-laws told him that his wife’s father arrived in the country on the boat anchored in Long Beach, California, The Queen Mary.

Pacific Mambo Orchestra

Omar Ledezma started his journey with Pacific Mambo Orquesta practically since its foundation in October 2010, when he started playing at Café Cocomo. Santana’s timbalero Karl Perazzo, who was already included in the lineup of the venue, proposed him to go to this place to play as a percussionist on Monday nights. The problem was that there was no money to pay him for the moment.

That’s when the directors of Pacific Mambo, Christian Tumalan and Steffen Kuehn, proposed to the owners of Cafe Cocomo to give them some space to have band practice. These Monday meetings ended up being paid rehearsals open to the public in exchange for 10 dollars a night. This lasted some years in which the 20 members of the orchestra were in charge of developing much of the repertoire that has made them famous internationally.

About this time, Omar said that, on several occasions, he and his orchestra fellows sat down to talk about the continuity of the band owing to the lack of money. The wonderful thing is that everyone always voted in favor of their stay in the group despite the adversities. According to the Venezuelan musician, it was this hunger and desire to succeed that made the orchestra what it is today.

Omar, Eric, Karl, and Edgardo — Omar Ledezma Jr., percussionist Eric Rangel, music producer Karl Perazzo, and bandleader Edgardo Cambon

These efforts worked and Pacific Mambo Orquestra managed to win their first and only Grammy so far in 2014. That year began with the orchestra’s appearance in one of the main banners of the iTunes page for a little over a week, which gave them a lot of popularity at that time and was not common for Latin artists and groups.

That same year, the group began touring with Tito Puente Jr. in August and were so successful that Omar and five other members of the group decided to begin campaigning for that year’s Grammys via e-mails to all the members of the jury promoting their latest album. Then, on tour, they received the news of their nomination (the second of Omar’s career), but they did not think they would win.

Much to the surprise of Omar, in January 2014, he received word that Pacific Mambo Orquesta won its first Grammy in the category of Latin Tropical Album of the Year. This event changed the lives of everyone in the group to the extent that large media outlets started looking at them. One of them was world-famous Billboard magazine, which published a piece talking about the band and its talents.

It is important to stress that, although it was an experience the musician will never forget in his life, he is aware that this is in the past and has to look ahead and focus on his future successes. At this moment, Omar and his companions are focused on making up for time lost during the pandemic and performing all the activities that confinement prevented them from doing.

The Conga Room closes its doors, but says goodbye in style

Recently, we learned some unfortunate news for the Latin music scene and the community in general and it is that The Conga Room, one of the most important nightclubs in Los Angeles, will close its doors this March, which has shocked those who used to frequent the cheerful and colorful place to forget their everyday problems for a few hours of dancing.

This great place was opened in 1999 by businessman Brad Gluckstein thanks to the support of leading figures in the entertainment industry such as businesswoman, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, actor Jimmy Smits, actor Paul Rodriguez and actress Sheila E.

Although it first opened its doors on Wilshire Boulevard in 1999, it was moved to L.A.A. LIVE about nine years later. After the change of venue, there were personalities interested in investing in The Conga Room due to the great project it represented at the time, such as rapper and member of the Black Eyed Peas William Adams (better known as will.i.am), actor of Puerto Rican descent Amaury Nolasco, former basketball player Baron Davis and former basketball player Trevor Ariza.

It was these great figures in music, acting and sports who made The Conga Room one of the most recognized meeting places for Latin music fans and its greatest exponents.

Jimmy Smits and Paul Rodriguez at The Conga Roo — Jimmy Smits and Paul Rodriguez celebrating The Conga Room’s 20th anniversary some years ago

The achievements of The Conga Room all these years

During the years following as of its reopening, The Conga Room became an iconic place for music lovers and contributed greatly to the development of the Latin music and cultural scene in Los Angeles.

During 25 years of operation, it has not only brought the best singers and DJs from California and the United States in general, but also managed to create a lively environment composed of all kinds of cultures that transcended musical genres, to the point that there were people of all nationalities dancing to the same rhythms without any problem, proving once again that music is a universal language we can all understand perfectly.

And speaking of music, its little stage witnessed more than 500 live shows that included big stars such as Celia, Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Tito Puente, Ocar D’ León, Tito Nieves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Carlos Santana, Elvis Crespo, Los Van Van, Buena Vista Social Club, Alejandro Sanz, Juanes, Fito Paez, Jerry Rivera, Eddie Santiago, Tony Vega, Zacarias Ferreira, Invasión Latina, Andy Montañez, Atercipelados, Aleks Syntek, Beto Cuevas, among many others. As for newer idols, The Conga Room has also received Ivy Queen, J Balvin, Maluma, Bad Bunny, Luis Fonsi and many more.

It should also be mentioned that; while The Conga Room’s approach is to promote salsa, merengue and bachata; the nightclub is not limited to Latin genres. In fact, there have been great performances by rock, hip hop and R&B artists such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake, Avicci, Snoop Dog, Ed Sheeran, Andy Grammer, Jamie Foxx and on and on.

This shows that The Conga Room was not limited to the original concept of its founders, but sought to go above and beyond to increase its assistance every day. Its management knew how to reinvent itself in spite of trends and circumstances, which is why it managed to survive so long.

Oscar D’ Leon at The Conga Room — Oscar D’ Leon performing at The Conga Room

The Conga Room’s definitive closure and farewell show

The Conga Room was inaugurated with music, so it must also say goodbye with music, so it will offer a private concert this March 27th featuring famous personalities who will meet at the club that day to say goodbye in style.

The main star of the event will be the renowned Puerto Rican singer Gilberto Santa Rosa, who will be one of those responsible for livening up the night for the show attendees with his greatest hits. Likewise, the host will be Jimmy Smits and he will be accompanied by Paul Rodriguez in the hosting of the show, who were bot very important in club maintenance for so long.

As for the reasons for the closure, founder Brad Gluckstein has issued statements saying that the ravages of the pandemic, the few events at the convention center and the difficulties in booking national artists with AEG Live (a company focused on the production and promotion of musical events) have made the business model of The Conga Room no longer viable in today’s economy. Not to mention that cost of living, inflation and high interest rates have changed the priorities of potential consumers.

However, despite the sadness that Gluckstein and the rest of those involved in the Conga Room project have, the businessman pointed out that not everything related to this mythical place will be forgotten, since Conga Kids, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting the social-emotional well-being of children through dancing, will continue to operate as before. This beautiful sister project of The Conga Room will keep its doors open despite the setbacks for the sake of the kids.

Bobby Escoto

North America / USA / California

Bobby Escoto, a percussionist, was born in East Los Angeles, from Mexican & Puerto Rican descent. Bobby Escoto III is the nephew to the great vocalist Bobby Escoto, who performed and recorded, with the great percussionist, Tito Puente. Bobby Escoto III has been playing music, since the age of eight. Today, Bobby is considered one of the most prominent percussionists in the salsa genre, here in his hometown of Los Angeles.

Bobby Escoto has performed with many salsa icons in Los Angeles, New York, Europe, and Asia. Such as Celia Cruz, La India, Jose Alberto “El Canario,”Lalo Rodriguez, Domingo Quinonez, Menique, Camilo Azuquita, Yolanda Rivera, “Fania All Star” violinist Pupi Legarreta, trombonist Jimmy Bosh, and legendary vocalist Tito Allen who performed and recorded, with the legendary ‘conguero’, Ray Barretto. Bobby also takes pride in performing and directing his band to back up Frankie Vasquez, Herman Olivera, Pupy Cantor, Jorge Maldonado, and Hector Tempo Alomar, vocalists to his favorite band, from NYC, Conjunto Libre.

Bobby Escoto is the band leader, director and bongo player to his band, Conjunto Afro Son. They have performed at prominent salsa venues, as a back-up band, to salsa icons, due to their extensive educational background, training, and authenticity. Bobby is also the band director and bongo player to The Granada All-Star Orchestra and The Salsa Divas (an all-female Orchestra) in the city of Alhambra, CA

Bobby’s goal is to increase awareness of the new generation, about the Afro Cuban and Puerto Rican music. Every Saturday you will find Bobby teaching percussion to underprivileged children in East Los Angeles. Bobby states: “it hasn’t been easy growing up in the streets of East Los Angeles, but my vision as a kid was to perform with great salsa icons.” Bobby Escoto believes that dreams do come true if you put your heart and effort into your talent. No doubt, Bobby’s talent, passion for his art, leadership, and vision have no barriers.