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Timbalero, Arranger, Composer, Producer and Band Director, Tito Rodriguez, Jr. is one of the most important timbaleros of Salsa and Tropical Music as well as being one of the heirs of the mambo.

I had previously listened to, analyzed and shared my impressions about Transición (2017), by Tito Rodríguez, Jr. In conversation with Tito himself, he confirmed that Transición is his fourth album and the first to carry a Spanish-language title.  We are doing well, Tito.  This album was preceded by:

Curious?

Eclipse (1994) y

The Big Three Palladium Orchestra live at the Blue Note (2004).

The idea of bringing together the three great orchestras of the Palladium was Machito, Jr.’s, whom I will be approaching soon.

Promise is a promise, so here I am to elaborate a bit on what I left out of the previous report.

Why the title Transition?

For much of his productive life, Tito has held a conventional job so music has been his part-time love.  Well, we should clarify what this so-called “part-time” has meant for Tito because even part-time, from 1994 to 1999 his orchestra was performing once a month at the world famous Copacabana in New York City.  On the other hand, The Big Three Palladium Orchestra live at the Blue Note secured him a promotional tour – through Brian Theobald of BPR Music – that lasted a whopping eleven years.

Well, now it looks like Tito is getting ready to hit the stages that have been waiting for him so long.  So get ready, what is coming is not from friends.  I wonder if the title track Volver had something to do with Tito’s dream of surrendering to his first love: music.

Tito has been consistent in following the musical line of his progenitor’s orchestra although he has managed to modernize the baseline, adding his own forceful stamp.  That is why the musical line of Tito Rodriguez, Jr.’s big orchestra is more modern without straying from the classical foundation.

Reading several articles, I stumbled upon one by Robin Denselow published in 2010 for the international newspaper The Guardian.  My chest swells with Puerto Rican pride when I review the legacy left by the “Mambo Kings”: Machito, Puente and Rodriguez, those 3 bandleaders who transformed the American music scene.  The Palladium located on Broadway and West 53rd Street no longer offers mambo, chacha or rumba but the musical legacy of the mambo kings remains more alive than ever.  According to Denselow, when that Palladium Orchestra took the stage with a brass section it was Tito Rodriguez, Jr. who first led that historic reunion.  According to the British view Rodriguez, Jr. lovingly revived his father’s compositions while showing off his percussion skills.

This was just the hors d’oeuvre for when Larry Harlow arrived to raise the bar even higher.  Of course, having the luxury of having the pianist hero of not only the mambo kings but also the Fania All-Stars was no small feat for these virtuous offspring.  Perhaps they are the offspring of the most influential trio in Latin music.

Back to Borinquen:  In 2009 Tito Rodriguez, Jr. was in Puerto Rico fulfilling one of his musical dreams. With that dream in his suitcase, Tito, Jr. arrived behind his timbal to lead a very large orchestra.

Once on Puerto Rican soil, they joined that dream: Luis Nazario “Güiriche” on conga, Paquito Corselles on bass, Luisito Marín on piano, Pablo “El Indio” Rosario on bongo; Emilio Reales, Darío Morales, Simón Rivera and Edwin González on trumpets; Rafy Ruiz and Al Schnitzler on alto saxophone; Nelson Vega and Wilfredo de la Torre on tenor saxophone plus Angel “Chiqui” Vidal on baritone saxophone.

On vocals, Josué Rosado was backed by José Miranda and Juan Manuel Lebrón on backing vocals.

On that occasion, the orchestra performed in the Chucho Avellanet Show, at the gala of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, at the Yagüez Theater in Mayagüez with the special participation of Chucho Avellanet.

The show that closed the tour in Puerto Rico took place at the Science Park in Bayamón.  It is worth mentioning that Al Schnitzler and Emilio Reales were musicians in Tito Rodríguez’s orchestra in the 1960s.

Searching through the archives I think I fell for the performance of El Mulato Rumbero.

Although Tito, Jr. has not insisted on the label of being the son of the great vocalist Tito Rodriguez, it is not possible to escape the good shadow of being the son of a Puerto Rican glory who, almost fifty years after his death, is still a topic of conversation in musical circles.

WedSite: Tito Rodriguez, Jr.

By: Bella Martinez “La Escritora Irreverente de La Salsa”

Puerto Rico

WebSite: Bella Martinez

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Born in the city of Carolina, Puerto Rico in 1969 with music in his veins.

Carlos Enrique Lopez (Carlitos Lopez el gordito favorito), he begins to show interest in music in general, boleros and trios

The bomba, plena, jibara music which he listened to in the countryside when his uncles and aunts visited his family, they liked to play stringed instruments and harmony either the tres or the Puerto Rican cuatro and the symphony.

At the age of 7 he moved to his grandparents’ house to begin studying in elementary school in his native Puerto Rico, while studying in the afternoons he spent his time listening to Fania and its stars. Singers like Hector Lavoe, Cheo Feliciano, Ruben Blades, Ismael Rivera among others.

Courtesy of his cousin who was a loyal fan and collector of Willie Colon’s salsa etcetera, little by little he was learning to vocalize demonstrating the ability to learn to do vocals for the choir at that time he met a young Anthony Cruz for the first time and was impressed with his melodious voice, although they never shared in those days.

Carlos debuted at the age of 14 with an orchestra created by his cousin and some students of the vocational music school where he had the opportunity to accompany Santos Colon former singer Tito Puente, he decided to move back home to his parents where he met Anthony Cruz who lived on the same street where his parents lived, and who already belonged to the orchestra of Mario Ortiz and began to attend rehearsals, recordings and dances.

There he met a young Tony Vega, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Elias Lopez, Lalo Rodriguez, Dario Morales who encouraged him to take vocal lessons, but he never did for lack of time.

but he never made it due to lack of support from his parents because there were other hopes and expectations.

The teacher Mario Ortiz noticed his uneasiness and spoke casually with his parents, but the decision had already been made by his parents.

but the decision was already made by them leaving Carlos disenchanted with music and taking the decision to emigrate to the United States where he dedicated himself to the culinary arts for the rest of his life until 2004 when he met again with Anthony Cruz who already had a successful career as a soloist and was touring they spoke for a moment and that was enough to return to her first love, music.

Anthony Cruz introduces him to several of the musicians who accompanied him in that activity and the rest is history. He joins the orchestra as a chorus singer and debuts as a composer where he writes 4 songs for the production of a CD of the orchestra entitled Going solo under the musical direction of Harry Rios.

They gain the popularity and admiration of the salsa people playing in different parts of Central Florida, festivals, clubs, and discotheques.

They return and record a single Going Back to Old School on which Carlos dedicates a song to Israel Lopez Cachao titled 80 Year’s of Cachao with arrangement and direction by Luis Jungo Ortiz which had tremendous acceptance from the dancing public and the radio listeners, from there Carlos decides to retire from music again to continue his career in the culinary arts.

Until he receives a call from an old friend asking him to help him with the choirs because he was going to accompany different artists.

Carlos began to accompany different singers with that orchestra called La Predilecta as a chorus singer among which there were names of the height of Anthony Cruz, Lalo Rodriguez, Cano Estremera, Manolo Lezcano, Chamaco Rivera, Frankie Figueroa, Ommy Cardona, Paquito Acosta, Paquito Guzman, Hector Tricoche, Papo Cocote and many more.

Carlos has written several songs including a collaboration between Anthony Cruz and Danny Sanchez titled No Vale la pena Enamorarse with arrangement by Luis Jungo Ortiz.

In addition to a song titled Today again under the tutelage of Harry Rios sung by Danny Sanchez currently Carlos Enrique Lopez known as Carlitos (the favorite fatty) made his debut as a solo singer.

And is promoting the theme of his authorship entitled Me Enamore under the direction, arrangement and production of the master Luis Jungo Ortiz which has enjoyed a good reception on digital platforms, social networks and independent radio stations on the internet.

As Radio Brisa Tropical con the master Taíno Roldán, Radio Calidad de vida del Dr Ted, Top 98 radio with Richie Sanchez and also.

Que Siga la Fiesta

Carlos has just recorded a song of his authorship entitled Que Siga la Fiesta in collaboration with 2 talented gentlemen from Orlando Central Florida and Miami are Edwin el Calvito Reyes and Luis Jibarito de Jesus under the direction and arrangement of Mike Rivera The Professor in the studio 305 Imma Studio owned by music engineer Immanuel Ramirez which came out on April 20, 2021.

Facebook: Carlos Enrique López

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Erika Muñoz official administrator of the portal “Se Armó la Rumba en México”

Through Erika Muñoz official administrator of the portal “Se Armó la Rumba en México”, www.SalsaGoogle.com International Salsa Magazine and Por La Maceta Internacional 101.1 FM present the Puerto Rican Chevy “El Pitirre De La Salsa” based in Columbus, Georgia, USA.

The singer-songwriter Jose David Flores Perez better known as Chevy El Pitirre De La Salsa, son of Puerto Rican parents (both Cidreños), so at the age of 8 years settles in Cidra, a municipality in the mountainous Central Region of the Island of Enchantment.

He had the privilege of being lulled with musical notes; his father was an amateur singer as well as his maternal grandfather and uncles, and the string instruments (guitars, Cuban tres, and Puerto Rican cuatro) were his letters of introduction and distinction.

Once he settled in Puerto Rico, and as a teenager, he participated in choral activities at his school and in troubadour competitions in his town and surrounding areas.

In 1999 he arrived in Columbus, Georgia in fulfillment of his military service and remained there until 2005. During this period of time he joined musical groups in the area of Son Tropical (Columbus), Orquesta Tamboricua and Taboga, both from Atlanta.

Back to Puerto Rico in 2006, he stayed away from the stage, except for his participation in the second edition of the contest “Buscando el Sonero de Picante” for the year 2012 held at the Marriott Hotel in Isla Verde, where Chevy managed to sneak into the finalists.

Those evenings were hosted by radio man and event promoter Nestor “El Búho Loco” of Z93, Puerto Rico’s Salsa radio station, and accompanied by the musical framework of La Sonora Sanjuanera.

He returns to Columbus in 2016 and the meeting with the musician and arranger Felix Rodriguez takes place, integrating the vocal line of the Caribbean Sound group “group that by then was in the process of formation” and that somehow would be the necessary incentive for his return to the musical stage.

In the month of February 2019 prior to the celebration of Valentine’s Day, the single titled Instrumento de Amor was released through the different social networks and could be obtained through the various platforms in music sales in digital format.

The date was selected intentionally because from the titles of the singles, the name of the production and the theme of this one, it is evident the concordance of the encounters and misunderstandings of love that happen in everyday life.

The first production “Entre el Amor y el Vacilón” contains 8 songs inspired by Chevy’s own pen that he has drawn from the depths of his heart.

Under an intense work in this 2021 El Pitirre De La Salsa presents his second production for the album titled “Enjaulado” contains 12 songs of which some are authored by Chevy.

On May 30 was the official launch of the second production of the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and is available on all digital platforms.

You can already listen to the promotional track titled “En Modo de Avión” and “Siempre en mi Mente” to mention a few that are already available on his YouTube channel.

Facebook: Chevy “El Pitirre De La Salsa

By: Erika Muñoz from “Se Armó la Rumba en México”

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