Search Results for: Tito Rodríguez

Tito Planas talked to us about his Orquesta Afinke and its members

If there is something that we have seen in recent times is that Los Angeles, New York and Miami are not the only places Latin music has had great boom due to the huge number of Latinos in those areas, as our culture has permeated many other places in the United States. A great example of that is the Orquesta Afinke, based in the state of Connecticut, and its director Herminio ‘‘Tito’’ Planas, with whom we were able to talk about his career and band.

Tito playing the trombone — Orquesta Afinke director Tito Planas playing the trombone live

How Tito fell in love with music

Tito was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the town of Ponce, the home of great luminaries of salsa such as Hector Lavoe, Pete ‘’El Conde’’ Rodriguez, Papo Luca, Jose ‘‘Cheo’’ Feliciano, Ismael Quintana, Yolanda Rivera, among many others. He even attended school with Keila Lucca, the daughter of one of the Luccas of La Sonora Ponceña, and is still in contact with her through social networks.

He studied at the Free School of Music in Ponce where he sang in a children’s choir and they traveled around the town to delight a variety of audiences with his voice. Building on the success of this program run by the school, there were many children from third through eighth grades who began taking lessons of solfeggio or any instrument they wanted.

In Tito’s case, he moved with his parents to the United States at age 13 in the eighth grade of the secondary education. His father had lost his job in Puerto Rico and the economic situation of the family was very precarious, so he made the decision to go first to find work and, in so doing, taking his children and his wife to live there.

In college, he started getting involved with salsa and had Jerry Perez as a trombone teacher, who taught him in this instrument for several years and offered him to form an orchestra together. They eventually did and toured with it in various parts of the United States.

Tito moved to the United States — Tito Planas moved to the United States at age 13, but never left his Latino heritage behind

Professional start

After being played the trombone for some time, many other musicians saw him and offered him to play with them in their orchestras. Many of these job opportunities came from New York, which was very close to him, which benefited him greatly because the clubs in that city closed much later, so they could play even till five in the morning. He combined all these activities with university and his private lessons in order to further improve his musical skills.

Orquesta Afinke

After the foundation of the orchestra, Tito and his musicians accompanied many great artists such as Hector Tricoche, El Grupo Guayacán, Viti Ruíz, Van Lester, Frankie Vázquez and many others.

Thanks to all these shows they were doing with other groups, Sammy Diaz, co-director of the orchestra, and Tito decided it was time to create a much more formal project that grouped together all the original members of the band. What brought them closer together was the fact that both Tito and Sammy had teenage children, whom they included in the group to keep them playing and in constant contact with music.

Tito and the rest of the group — From left to right: Junior Travieso, Victor Planas, Jerry Perez, Daniel Planas, Tito Planas, Samuel Diaz Jr., Samuel Diaz III, Louis Carrasquillo, and Rafael Rosado

Today, Tito’s youngest son is 18 years old and is about to enter the University of Connecticut to study music in order to follow the same path as his father, with whom he has been working in the orchestra since he was about 11 years old singing backup and playing the saxophone.

They started with about three scores with which they managed to put on a show for as long as half an hour. Today, 16 years later, they have more than 80 scores and about 12 original songs, of which one was recently released and another is being recorded at the time of writing this article.

On the other hand, the core of the orchestra has been the same since its foundation and includes pianist Rafael Rosado, bassist Victor Planas, bongo player Sammy Diaz Jr. (co-director of the orchestra Sammy Diaz’s son), timbalero Sammy Tercero (another son of Sammy Diaz), conguero Luis Carrasquillo, singer Junior Travieso, singer Raquel Ramirez, Peruvian singer Jano Arroyo, trombonist Jerry Perez (the teacher who taught Tito to play the trombone) and Daniel Planas (Tito’s son).

Tito and his son — Tito Planas with his younger son Daniel Planas

Tony Succar Releases “Me Enamoro Mas De Ti” Featuring Jean Rodriguez

Europe / France / Bahrain

Miami, Florida February 20, 2018: Tony Succar announces the release of “Me Enamoro Mas De Ti “ (I Fall More In Love With You) featuring Jean Rodriguez, adding another song to his ever-growing list of new flavors that are defining salsa-infused pop music.

Jean Rodriguez - Unity by Tony Succar - Concert Arenes Fes Tempo Latino — Jean Rodriguez – Unity by Tony Succar – Concert Arenes Fes Tempo Latino

The powerful combination created when these two work together has been a consistent formula for viral success. When Tony Succar and Rodriguez combine their talents, it’s a concoction of tropical goodness that has their fans loving their groove. The single is available now on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. And, you can view Tony’s infectious “Me Enamoro Mas De Ti“ music video here.

“Me Enamoro Mas De Ti” is part of a follow-up project to Succar’s UNITY album, The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson that hit #1 on the Billboard Tropical Album Music Chart, iTunes’ #1 World Latin Chart, and Amazon’s #1 Latin Pop Music Chart.

It was that collaboration of Universal Classics and Universal Music Latin Entertainment that landed Succar a nationally televised primetime PBS special. Inspired by what Succar refers to as the “Unity Sound,” his production of “Me Enamoro Mas De Ti” merges the unmistakable driving elements of Salsa with Pop.

It’s a blend of multi-cultural roots that results in a characteristic, retro sound with a full horn section, Latin rhythms and inspired vocals. This is Succar’s always-fresh approach of cleverly combining pure Salsa with super hip, funky and pop musical elements.

Tony Succar escalated to the top of the charts with Unity, but now it’s clear that Unity was only the foundation of his full vision.

“Many people have been asking me what would come after ‘Unity,’ or ‘when is Unity 2 going to be released?’ Fans have also asked when I would release some of my original compositions. The success of Unity really took my career to another level, and from that was born a new sound that I wanted to stick with.”

“So, I decided now is the time to hit the refresh button and surprise people with brand new material. This track is just the beginning. I won’t stop writing new arrangements of the amazing songs of Michael Jackson and other legendary artists I admire, but I love to create, captivate, and innovate new music.”

With that, “Me Enamoro Mas De Ti” is just a taste of what Tony Succar has on the horizon. Make no mistake, Succar is committed to the essence of tropical music that catapulted him to how far he has come. It runs in his veins and he is devoted to creating new sounds without losing the very core of what the great Salsa artists who came before him produced.

Tony Succar’s production of “Me Enamoro Mas De Ti” was co-written with Jorge Luis Piloto. Piloto has written hits for great artists such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, Victor Manuelle, Tito Nieves, Celia Cruz, Christina Aguilera, Olga Tañon, and many others. His prolific career also includes having led Sony’s Latin division and winning ASCAP’s Latin Songwriter of the Year award.

Tony Succar has been traveling a lot and performed at the Tempo Latino Festival Scène des Arènes in Vic-Fezensac, France and was a part of the amazing lineup of featured artists at the Desert Beats Music Festival in Bahrain. Succar and Unity; The Latin Tribute To Michael Jackson, shared the stage with Kool and The Gang and UB40, among others. You can see where Succar is headed next on his calendar.

Me Enamoro más de ti - Tony Succar — Me Enamoro más de ti – Tony Succar

Tony Succar has also collaborated with Latin Percussion (LP) Music to develop a “Tony Succar Signature ‘Unity’ Peruvian Cajon,” available in stores beginning in April. Just another indication of where the Peruvian-born musical talent’s heart lives.

Download “Me Enamoro Mas De Ti” here: http://smarturl.it/MeEnamoroMasDeTi

WEBSITE: http://tonysuccar.com/

Contact: Nurby Lopez – Mixtura Productions 305-771-1014 [email protected]

Video For Single “Me Enamoro Mas De Ti” Click to watch: https://youtu.be/qQkS-1DDcJM

The Royalty of our Latin Music Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez first singer signed by Fania Records label

Pedro Juan Rodríguez, Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez “La Realeza de la Salsa” (Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on January 31, 1933).

First singer signed to the Fania Records label in conjunction with the Johnny Pacheco Orchestra and of outstanding participation with the Fania All Stars and his own orchestra.

His father, who made his living as a musician playing in a string quartet that entertained parties and social gatherings, guided him during his first steps as a musician.

By the age of 6, little Pedro was very skilled with the bongo and singing popular Puerto Rican songs of the time.

Things became difficult after the death of his father and as a teenager Pete had to emigrate to the United States (1946) to live with his aunt in New York.

Once in New York, Pete managed to establish himself as a percussionist in the Orquesta Oriental Cubana. Before, long before joining the great Pacheco, Pete had to go through several orchestras among which stand out: Las Jóvenes Estrellas de Cuba (57), the Típica Novel and the Broadway from which he left for personal reasons.

In May 1962 Pete Rodriguez (he was not yet called El Conde), joined Pacheco in a Charanguero orchestra (flute, violin, rhythm and chorus). The first album with Pacheco was Suavito in 1963.

By 64 Jhonny Pacheco and Jerry Massucci founded Fania Records and created the internationally recognized Fania All Stars.

Pete was the first singer that Fania had, and on his shoulders was the responsibility of taking that project forward. On Fania’s first album Cañonazo (1964) Pete performs the song Fania, a composition by Josualdo Bolanos, with which the orchestra was inaugurated.

The Realiza of our Latin Music Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez — The Realiza of our Latin Music Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez

Rodriguez’s first appearance with Fania was at the Greenwich Village Red Garter Club in 1968.

For reasons of life Pete had to leave Jhonny Pacheco’s group; the concrete reasons for this separation will remain a mystery, but it seems that his departure was due to personal disagreements with other members of the group.

After Pacheco, Pete packed up his motets and moved with Rey Roig and the Sensación group (1964-1968). From his time with this group w For the years 66-67, Pete returned to the ranks with Pacheco. This was a more mature stage where the marvelous duo achieved their greatest hits: Azuquita Mami, Convergencia, La Esencia del Guaguanco, Sonero, Viralo al Reves and others.

The turmoil of the time, the world events, the new way of dressing and people’s way of thinking made Pete change his appearance; he let his beard grow and changed his hairstyle a little. This change gave him a new image and a new name “EL CONDE”.

The Pacheco-Rodriguez duo lasted approximately 8 years, since in 74 El Conde decided to go solo.

That same year El Conde released his best selling and Grammy award winning album El Conde (1974). Two years later (1976) El Conde became part of the Salsa Hall of Fame immortalizing himself with Catalina la O.

With the appearance of Salsa Romántica and the onslaught of Dominican merengue in the markets, salsa entered a crisis which was reflected in the musical work of El Conde. So between 1983 and 1990 El Conde managed to record only 5 albums of which Salsobita (1987) stands out.

In 1993 El Conde made way for his son Pete Emilio and his daughter Cita Rodriguez who joined the group as second voice and backing vocalist.

The family was already complete because Francis Rodriguez, his wife, was in charge of the administrative and financial part of the group.ere the following songs Salsa, Bailando Conmigo and his hit El Rincón.

El Conde made his last recording on the Masterpiece Album (1999) with Tito Puente (1923-2000) and Eddie Palmieri. This album is considered posthumous because in that same year (2000) Tito and El Conde passed away.

Cepelio de Pete El Conde Jhonny Pachoco, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda y Papo Lucca

El Conde had suffered from heart problems for many years, but was always reluctant to have open heart surgery. Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez passed away of a heart attack on Saturday, December 2, 2000.

His remains were taken to his native Puerto Rico. He is survived by his wife Francis, his two sons Cita and Pedro Emilio, and his grandchildren.

Remains of Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez finally rest on the island. December 7, 2023 – After his death in 2000, the remains of Ponceño singer Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez were transferred from New York to the National Cemetery for veterans in Bayamón.

Source: El Pozo de la Salsa

Also Read: Héctor Martignon has been one of the most sought-after pianists on the Latin jazz scene in New York

Jimmy Rodríguez ”El Salsero Mexicano” talked to ISM about his career

El Salsero Mexicano

Jimmy Rodríguez ”El Salsero Mexicano” is a talented singer born in Mexico City, but spent a lot of his childhood in the city of San Luis Potosí, where he took his first steps as an artist.

Thanks to his brother and manager, Daniel Rodriguez, we had the opportunity to talk to him and learn more about the interesting career he has had in the world of entertainment. Meet Jimmy Rodriguez and the kind answers he gave to our questions.

Jimmy on stage — Jimmy Rodríguez singing on stage

Beginnings of Jimmy Rodriguez in music

By the time he got to high school, his talent for singing and charismatic personality made him the ideal candidate to participate in a talent contest, in which he would come in second place the first year in which he participated.

Jimmy told us that he entered the contest to live a new experience, but he did not expect to achieve such a high place, so he felt very excited and motivated because of what he could achieve thereafter.

The following year, he managed to get the first place in the same contest because he had spent a whole year studying and getting ready for that important moment. The previous time, he had only rehearsed the days prior, so he decided to take much more time on this occasion and the effort invested paid off.

As a result of this achievement, the Group Alfa Omega saw the potential in this young man, so they contacted him and offered him to join them. This would be his first paid job in music, which began to teach him how this business worked.

He began to play with Alfa Omega in events like weddings, and baptisms, which taught him how to entertain and charm an audience, and he is very grateful for this opportunity he had. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.

In the end, Jimmy had to leave the group due to his move to Mexico City to continue his studies.

During his learning process, he developed their skills in playing the guitar and dancing in order to perform better on stage, keeping inmind that singing was his thing and that was not going to change.

When Jimmy arrived in the United States, he began taking singing lessons for more than nine years to improve his voice. Today, he continues with his vocal learning, as there is always something new to learn in this field.

Jimmy and Tito — Jimmy Rodríguez and Tito Nieves

Musical genres

It is not common to find a Mexican who sings salsa professionally, and more if we take into account that many of the most famous Mexicans sing ranchera, norteño music and corridos tumbados. So, we wanted to know why he chose salsa as the genre he wanted to pursue.

Jimmy explained to us that the first time he sang with a salsa orchestra on stage, half the musicians were Colombian and the other half were Mexican. At that moment, I felt like I had found my soulmate and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Besides, dancing is very important in salsa and I have always loved to dance,” Jimmy said.

He finished by saying ”salsa combines my three most important talents, which are singing, dancing and charisma”.

When asked whether he would enter more typical genres of his country, he pointed out that he loves ballads and would have no problem in performing fusions and collaborations, but his north is still salsa for the moment.

The Voice and proceeds from the show

Being in The Voice has always been one of Jimmy’s biggest dreams, which he finally achieved a few years ago and whose judges were Luis Fonsi, Carlos Vives, Alejandra Guzman and Wisin. The best of all is that he made it to the final and he says that his secret to achieving this feat is to always be focused, to give the best of himself, to have a good relationship with show’s production and his colleagues and, above all, to choose a genre that was not typical for a Mexican.

This particularity made people call him ”El Salsero Mexicano”, a nickname he has continued using to this day with pride in what has been achieved so far.

Jimmy and Carlos — Jimmy Rodríguez and Carlos Vives

While he was still participating in the contest, Adolescent’S Orquesta contacted him to have him in the group, which Jimmy accepted and became the first Mexican to be part of this Venezuelan orchestra. In addition to that, Jimmy kept releasing new music in order to stay alive in the public spotlight, as the singer understood that the fame that came La Voz was momentary and he had to take advantage of it.

Today, he continues touring with Adolescent’s Orquesta, working on an album with Marc Anthony‘s producer and taking singing lessons to further improve his vocal technique.

And speaking of Marc Anthony, this Puerto Rican artist has been one of the greatest inspirations for the Mexican, who wishes to one day reach that level of talent and fame, although he knows it will not be an easy way.

In addition to the already mentioned salsero, Jimmy has also been inspired and influenced by the styles of Rubén Blades and El Grupo Niche.

He has also had the opportunity to share the stage with Tito Nieves, Willie Colón, Jerry Rivera and many others.

Salsa and comparisons with other genres

When we wanted to know what Jimmy feels with the current situation of salsa, he says that he is well aware that this musical genre is not going through a good moment due to the popularity of trap, reggaeton and, more recently, corridos tumbados.

However, he ensures that he does not see this fact as something negative, but as a challenge of bringing salsa back to the place it occupied for years in past decades, so he gives his best every day to offer a fresh sound that appeals to new generations, and not only to fans aged 30 and older.

Jimmy and Gilberto — Jimmy Rodríguez and Gilberto Santa Rosa

It is what has led the artist to make modifications in regard to the technical aspects, arrangements, lyrics and other details. In the specific case of lyrics, he has opted for simpler words and phrases that can be understood by anyone who listens to them. He continues to maintain the quality and heart that salsa should have, while taking into consideration what new generations are looking for.

Jimmy understands that everything happens very quickly nowadays due to social media, so he has had to adapt his style to what young people are looking for on digital platforms. That is why when he shows his music on his social networks, he always tries to communicate what he wants from the first second so as not to lose the public’s attention.

End

The conversation concludes with a thank-you to all the people who still support the salsa genre and a recommendation to new talents to never give up on their dreams and to work continuously to achieve all what they want.

Jimmy used his case as an example, remembering that he started singing on buses to help his family and now he assists international awards and reach the level that he has today, so he ensures that dreams come true and we must not lose heart until we achieved them.

1 New artist Wito Rodriguez “I am distinct and different”

Norte America / Estados Unidos / Florida

Wito Rodriguez. “I am distinct and different”

Irwin “Wito” Rodríguez was born in Chicago to Puerto Rican parents and got his start in the musical field as a singer and musician. During his teenage years, he performed with a Rock and Roll band as a guitarist.

In 1968 Wito Rodriguez decided to move to “La Isla Del Encanto”, Puerto Rico, in order to search for his musical roots and experience the spicy sounds of his beloved Latin Ritmo.

His first encounter in the Salsa genre was with a Puerto Rican percussionist from the 60’s called “Chacón y su Orquesta”, where Wito learned all the Latin rhythms such as Guaguancó, Boogaloo, Mozambique, etc.

Chacón was his coach in Latin percussion instruments and Wito also fell in love with maracas.

Wito Rodriguez returned to Chicago in 1971 to join “Orquesta La Justicia” a local band that opened shows for artists such as: Ismael Rivera, Ray Barreto, Willie Colón, El Gran Combo and the legendary “Fania All Stars”.

Like many young men of that time, in 1973 Wito Rodriguez decided to join the United States Army and was sent to Europe.

During his stay in Germany, Wito Rodriguez took singing lessons with the Opera singer Barbra Sutton, and at the same time he created two bands with the names of “El Conjunto Sabor” and “La Sonora Antillana”.

These orchestras accompanied artists of the Salsa genre such as: Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Miranda, Tito Allen, Santitos Colón, Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez and the queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz.

After his retirement from the army, Wito joined forces with German band leader Rudi Fuesers and created the European Salsa Orchestra “Conexion Latina”.

With Conexion Latina, Wito Rodriguez recorded two albums; “Calorcito” and “Un Poco Loco”.

He also had the great experience of recording two songs with the band of Director and Arranger Peter Herbolzheimer.

During the 80’s, Wito wanted to broaden his horizons by forming his own groups called “Wito Rodriguez y Orchestra” and “Wito Con Cache”.

Missing his family and friends, Wito “crossed the pond” to return to the United States to finish his Army career.

He never gave up his passion for music, a new big band sound was on his mind, and he returns to the spotlight with the Wito Rodriguez Salsa Jazz Orchestra under the musical direction of trumpeter and arranger, Gino Picart.

“What a wonderful world” or “What a Wonderful World” is his third album released in January 2015.

Although busy in 2016 with live performances, a new album had also been produced and recorded between South America Venezuela and Orlando, Florida.

The most recent production called “Como el Viento” will be released in 2017. This album contains a compilation of songs recorded over the years in Europe than ever for the Western Hemisphere. I hope you enjoy your first solo release… What a wonderful world!

In 2018 Wito released another CD called “The Best of Wito” which has a mix of all the songs that fans thought were the best and respected their preferences.

Wito also has four new singles that he has released from his new album, which will be available from February 2019.

Through the internet platforms you can find these releases.

Always and Forever, Soy Caribe, Yo No Te Echo La Culpa and Now and Forever are the ones that have been released so far.

“As a bilingual singer, I am blessed to contribute to the music industry in my songs, singing them in English and Spanish, unity through my music in a mix of salsa and R&B, etc.” Wito Rodriguez

In the year of 2018. Wito Rodriguez was blessed to be nominated at the Hollywood Music Media Awards (HMMA) in Los Angeles, CA in November 2018.

You can also see his certificate as an honoree at the Fox Music Awards USA, Miami in November 2018, who was nominated and honored for being the Army Veteran Salsero Singer.

The Chicago Salsa Congress was one of its great events in 2018.

In March 2019 his new bilingual production Soy Distinto Y Diferente came out with the song Soy Caribe already nominated at the Hollywood Media Music Awards on November 20, 2019 in Hollywood California.

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