Search Results for: Trumpet

Sitara Son Cuban – Latin Band

North America / USA / Angeles

Sitara Son - Integrants — Sitara Son – Integrants

Master percussionist and singer, Maestro Lázaro Galarraga is a native of Havana, Cuba, now living in Los Angeles. He was a founding member of the premier Cuban music troupe, Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba (1961-62, 1977-82) A world-renowned teacher, performing artist, choreographer and writer of Afro-Cuban music, culture and folklore, he has recorded, performed and taught across the U.S. and worldwide. He is also regarded as one of the great ‘Akpons’ or lead singers in the Afro-Cuban religious traditions and a master of the bata drums.

Guitarist/Vocalist, Jon-Oliver Knight is an accomplished classical guitarist who has toured extensively throughout the US, Central America, Mexico and Europe. He has played countless wedding ceremonies, cocktail hours and receptions and epitomizes the flexibility required to be a wedding guitarist. Jon-O is also in demand for his Vocals and plays sitar (Indian) and cuatro (Puerto Rican) in the band as well.

Bobby Wilmore’s is an incredibly well seasoned percussionist. From drum set to congas, bongos, or anything that Bobby can find that will make a noise, he is sure to captivate with his precision and creativity behind the drum. Bobby is one of the busiest percussionists in California with his unique “good vibes” personality and his astounding rhythmic ability and passion.

Pianist extraordinaire, Matt Amper is not only one of the most sought after Latin pianists on the west coast, but is also an accomplished Jazz and Classical pianist. Matt’s musicality is preceded by his need to dive deeper and deeper into exploring and perfecting his craft which many would say has already reached perfection!

Josiel Perez has performed and toured all over the world with some of the best bands out there. He currently plays Trumpet with SitaraSon among other La based bands. A wizard with his countless percussion instruments, Josiel brings that same skill and creativity to the Latin side.

Together these accomplished musicians form a Band that will astound and captivate you, leaving you wanting more.

What a pleasure to talk to Pablo Pérez ‘‘El Alcalde de La Salsa’’

It is a pleasure to talk to Latin music artists who have left our genres in a high place all over the world and today it is the turn of the great American producer, composer and percussionist Pablo Perez, also known as ”El Alcalde de La Salsa”, who we were lucky enough to interview to know his fascinating story with music. We say to our dear readers that they cannot miss it.

Pablo playing — Pablo Pérez ”El Alcalde de La Salsa” playing the bongos live

How Pablo became interested in music

From the beginning, Pablo made it very clear that since his childhood he has been interested in music, to the point of beginning to study it at school, as his taste was great since then. To what we must add that the time when he grew up in Trenton, New Jersey, was marked by a total command of salsa, which greatly influenced the young boy. However, he clarifies that he liked all types of genres like ballads, boleros, cha cha chá, merengue, classical music, among others.

He grew up listening to all sorts of artists and groups such as La Fania All Stars, Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Johnny Pacheco, Spanish Harlem Orchestra and many others. To some extent, all of them have influenced the style he applies to his own work today.

World traveler

Throughout all this process of being involved with music and learning what he knows today, he came to live in a lot of Latin countries like Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica, among others. During all these travels and stays, Pablo dedicated himself at all times to play and present his music to the populations of those places.

In the same way, each of these places has given something new to his style and, in them, he was able to hear new versions of other songs that he knew before. He himself did a new version of the llanera song ”Quierela más que yo” by Venezuelan singer Luis Silva, making it into a salsa song and giving it his own touch. ”I’ve always wanted people to connect with me through my music and I’m always looking to do new, danceable and interesting things,” Pablo said on the subject.

The artist has always liked to mix different sounds and instruments, so he had the idea of creating a trombone orchestra (the first instrument of his career) and seing how it worked. Finally, this group included two trombones, two trumpets and a baritone in order to obtain a bigger sound, helping with a ”baby bass” (an electric double bass model designed by Ampeg), and a piano.

Pablo in the studio — Pablo Pérez recording in the studio

The Pablo Pérez Project and Orquesta Yanes

Although it is true that Pablo’s first major project was The Pablo Pérez Project in 2005, prior to that, he already had a group called Orquesta Yanes (2001), with which he recorded two albums back then. During that time, what was used were LPs and cassettes, one of them being a recording made in Belgium (country where he also lived) and called ”Pablo Pérez con el paisaje latino”. This was the same name of a group he created with local and Latin European musicians in Europe.

At the same time, the musician was also part of other orchestras in his native New Jersey as well as in Puerto Rico and some of them were ”El Nuevo Sonido”, ”Paquito Y Su Tumbao”, ”Peligro” and many others.

Time in Belgium

One of the most important events in Pablo’s career during his time in Europe was his involvement in the album ”Algo Diferente” by Mexican musician Héctor Islas y Su Pachuco 21. The artist referred to Islas as a very good person and a great singer whom he met in the aforementioned country and it was not long before they worked together.

Hector invited him to join his orchestra as a timbalero and they both toured the rest of Europe together, taking their music to anyone who wanted to listen to them in those territories. Later, the Mexican went to Cuba to make a series of recordings in which he asked Pablo to play the bongos.

During their tours, they were able to play alongside El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Jerry Rivera, Original de Manzanillo, Sin Damas, La Fania All Stars, La India and many more.

Pablo and Luis — Luis González ”El Tsunami de La Salsa” next to Pablo Pérez

El Alcalde de la Salsa

A very interesting facet Pablo had was that of a politician in 2014, when he ran for mayor of Trenton, New Jersey. Although targets were not met, the artist explains that this decision to compete gave him many positive experiences with the community.

One of the biggest endorsements he received at the time came from Willie Colón, whom he had known for many years. When the trombonist asked Pablo about his motivations for running for office, he replied that what he wanted was to help the community from a better position. That is when Colón nicknamed him ”El Alcalde de La Salsa” (The Mayor of Salsa), which Pablo liked so much that he decided to use it for the rest of his career.

It is worth mentioning that he also received the endorsement of Tito Nieves during his aspirations for political office.

Music played a crucial role in the campaign events, since the artist’s orchestra was very attractive to people, especially for the fundraisers that Pablo and his team carried out. Likewise, it was a good tool for the former candidate to connect with the community, especially the Latino community.

It was in this same period that he made contact for the first time with his current bassist and arranger Michael Colón, pianist Efraín ”Juanito” Dávila and other musicians with whom he was able to form his orchestra, which helped him a lot during his political career to gain the sympathy and attention of people.

When asked if he would be interested in running for public office, he assured that this stage of his life is over and that he prefers to concentrate solely on music for now.

Willie and Pablo — Willie Colón endorsing Pablo Pérez’s campaign

Letty Sandoval The Golden Diva of Salsa in New York.

Latin America / Venezuela / Caracas

Letty Sandoval, a Venezuelan singer who has lived in New Jersey for more than 20 years, currently performs at private events in The Big Apple performing her repertoire, and her two recent promotional singles ¨Only You¨ a Musical Production and Arrangement by the Trumpeter. Cuban Agustín Someillan García and as a special guest the Venezuelan Pianist Juan Pulía Liendo Hernández and with them the outstanding Percussionist Luis Mangual from New York in the Bongo, his second single ¨Pesar¨ a Composition of the Arranger, Pianist and Guitarist the Dominican Rafael ¨Bullumba¨ Landestoy Duluc, and again Juan Pulia Liendo Hernández in Production, Direction and Arrangement.

¨Sandovaleando¨

Letty Sandoval - Photo — Letty Sandoval – Photo

Papo Vázquez the Pirate & Troubadour of Our Latin Music

Papo Vázquez Enjoying the Bell.

Angel Vásquez, “Papo Vásquez”, was born on February 24, 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

By age 15, Papo Vázquez was playing with local American bands in Philadelphia and accompanying guest artists such as Eddie Palmieri.

At just 17, he moved to New York and was hired to play for trumpet player Chocolate Armenteros’ band, and soon began playing and recording with other top artists on the salsa scene such as The Fania All-Stars, Ray Barreto, Willie Colón, Grupo Folklórico Neoyorquino, Eddie Palmieri, Larry Harlow, and Hector Lavoe.

Vazquez also became a key player in the burgeoning New York Latin jazz scene of the late 1970s, performing with Jerry Gonzalez, Hilton Ruiz, and more.

He began his studies with Slide Hampton, eventually recording and performing Slide Hampton’s World Trombones.

Papo Vázquez Photo by Ernie Gregory (Gone but not forgotten) Thank you Ernie!PV

A Grammy-nominated trombonist, composer, arranger, NEA Master Artist, he has a 50-plus year career in jazz, Latin and Afro-Caribbean music.

Musical Director of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade Orchestra, (NYC/WABC) 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

Commissioned by Wynton Marsalis to compose music for Jazz and Art series, conducted and performed with the J@LC orchestra, CD release August 2019 New York Pops Education, Board of Education certified, 2018 and 2019

New music commissioned for Afro Latin Jazz Alliance for the “Nueva Música” concert series.

Nominated for Grammy for Papo Vázquez’s Mighty Pirates, Marooned/Isolated, 2008

Born in 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, although his early formative years were in Puerto Rico.

He went on to play and/or record with jazz luminaries Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Chico O’Farrill, Ray Charles, Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones, Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache, among many others. By the age of 22, Vazquez had traveled the world.

Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours 2023

Vázquez was deeply moved by jazz from a young age. His appreciation and knowledge of indigenous Caribbean music provides him with a unique ability to fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms with the freer melodic and harmonic elements of progressive jazz.

Beginnings

After spending his early years in Puerto Rico, he grew up in the heart of North Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican community. He purchased his first trombone from a friend for $5 and joined the elementary school band.

At the age of 14, an uncle recommended him to a local salsa band, where he met trumpeter Jimmy Purvis. Purvis inspired Papo’s lifelong passion for jazz by giving him two records: J.J. Johnson’s Blue Trombone and John Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard. By 15, Vazquez was performing with local Latin bands in Philadelphia and accompanying visiting New York artists such as Eddie Palmieri.

He was a founding member of Jerry Gonzalez’s Fort Apache and Conjunto Libre, as well as the popular Puerto Rican Latin fusion band Batacumbele.

With Batacumbele he performed, composed, arranged and recorded several albums from 1981 to 1985. Upon his return to New York, he joined Tito Puente’s Latin Jazz Ensemble, traveling with them as principal trombonist and touring Europe with Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra.

Leader, Composer and Innovator.

Vázquez has always been deeply moved by jazz, and specifically cites the music of John Coltrane and J.J. Johnson as having influenced him most. In addition, his appreciation and knowledge of the indigenous music of Caribbean peoples gives him a unique ability to fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms, specifically those of Puerto Rico, with the freer melodic and harmonic elements of progressive jazz.

During his time in Puerto Rico with Batacumbele in the 1980s, he began experimenting with “bomba jazz,” a fusion of jazz and traditional Puerto Rican bomba. In 1993 he recorded his first album as a leader, Breakout. He continued to collaborate with a variety of Latin Jazz artists, contributing Overtime Mambo to Hilton Ruiz’s Manhattan Mambo and Contra Viento y Mareo to Descarga Boricua, Vol. 1.

In 1999, he released a live recording with a number of leading New York Latin and jazz artists, including bassist Andy Gonzalez, saxophonist Michael Brecker, among others. The release of Pirates & Troubadours At the Point, Vol. 1 was followed the next year by At The Point, Vol. 2.

Mighty Pirates Troubadours Songs del Yucayekepor Papo Vazquez — Mighty Pirates Troubadours Songs del Yucayeke
por Papo Vazquez

This project evolved into the Pirates Troubadours, an “Afro-Puerto Rican jazz band” that includes musicians such as Roberto Cepeda of Puerto Rico’s Familia Cepeda folklore group, Milton Cardona and Anthony Carrillo on percussion, and John Benitez, among others. The group performed at festivals around the world and released Carnival in San Juan in 2003, followed by From The Badlands in 2007.

Interest grew as a composer.

He was the first artist to receive a composer commission (Iron Jungle) for the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, then a resident orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

His first classical composition, Palomita Suite Afro-Caribeña which to date was the first time Bomba y Plena had been performed with a Chamber Orchestra, was commissioned by the Bronx Arts Ensemble and premiered at the Hostos Center for Arts and Culture in the Bronx in 2004.

In 2007, on a commission from the Bronx River Arts Center, he wrote Sube el Río (River Rising) for its Mighty Pirate Orchestra for its 20th anniversary concert “Bronx River Sounds.”

Discography

Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours – Capítulo 10: Breaking Cover, Picaro Records 2020
Cuarteto Papo Vázquez – GV J.S. Bach, Picaro Records 2017
Papo Vazquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours – Spirit Warrior, Picaro Records, 2015
Papo Vazquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours – Oasis, Picaro Records, 2012
Papo Vázquez The Mighty Pirates – Marooned / Aislado, Picaro Records, Nominación al Grammy 2008
Papo Vázquez Pirates Troubadours – From The Badlands, Picaro Records, 2007
El Niño Josele – 2011
Tego Calderon – The Underdog / El Subestimado, Jiggiri Records, 2006
Shakira & Wyclef Jean – Tema de la final mundial de fútbol (“Bamboo”), 2006
Ray Barretto – Normas rican-ditioned, Zoho Music, 2006
Los Pleneros de la 21 Para Todos Ustedes, Smithsonian Folkways, 2005 – Nominación al Grammy,
Bebo Valdes – Bebo de Cuba, Calle 54, 2005 – Grammy, Mejor Álbum de Jazz Latino
Papo Vázquez Pirates Trovadores – Carnaval en San Juan, Cu-Bop Records, 2003
Wayne Shorter – Alegria, Verve, 2003 – Grammy, Mejor álbum instrumental de jazz
Jack Bruce – Sombras en el aire, Sanctuary Records Group, 2001
Freddie Cole Rio de Janeiro Blues, Telarc
Chico O’Farrill “Carambola” Fantasía
Banda sonora de la película Mo ’Better Blues de Spike Lee
Papo Vázquez “Piratas y trovadores – En el punto Vol. I” Cubop
Papo Vázquez “Piratas y trovadores – At the Point Vol. 2” Cubop
Milton Cardona “Cambucha” Clave americana
Arturo O’Farrill “Bloodlines” Fantasy
Chucho Valdés “All Stars Bronx Lebanon New Directions Project” RMM
“Jammin ‘in the Bronx” Papo Vázquez Band, Chucho Valdes & The Machito Orq RMM
Chart Busters con el Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lenny White, Hiram Bullock, Craig Handy, Papo Vázquez, et.al. Chico O’Farrill Fantasía “Pure Emotion”
Steve Berrios Fantasía del “primer mundo”
Descarga Boricua “Descarga Boricua” Tierrazo
Dave Valentin “Tropic Heat” GRP
Juan Luis Guerra 440 “Fogarate” 440
Papo Vázquez “Breakout” Timeless
Ruben Blades “Amor y Control” “Antecedente” & “Caminando” Sony
Hilton Ruiz “Manhattan Mambo” Telarc y “Hands on Percussion”
RMM Tito Puente “Fuera de este mundo” Tito Puente “100” RMM
Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache Band “Obatala” “Live in Berlin” Enja & “Ya Yo Me Cure” American Clave
New York Latin Jazz All Stars “Feliz Navidad”
Bobby Valentin “Presenta al Cano Estremera” – Bronco Records
Batacumbele “Con Un Poco de Songo” & “En Aquellos Tiempos” Tierrazo
Ray Barretto “Ricanstruction” Fania
Slide Hampton “Mundo de trombones” WEST54
Chico O’Farrill “Calle 54”
Fania All Stars “Habana Jam” Fania
Willie Colon & Ruben Blades “Siembra” Fania
Willie Colon y Celia Cruz Fania
Héctor La Voe “De Ti Depende” – Feliz Navidad, Fania
Mon Rivera “Vuelvo a Vivir” Fania

Sources:

Textos www.jazzismomedellin.com

Also Read: Eddie Palmieri brought salsa for the first time and live from Sing Sing Penitentiary in New York

His father’s love for music rocketed him to stardom

Latin musicians with interesting stories to tell keep coming out and today it was Colombian singer-songwriter Marcel Portilla’s turn, who has been kind enough to talk to International Salsa Magazine in order to find out more about his career in the United States after leaving his native country in search of a better future, such as millions of artists who had made the same decision.

Marcel next to Wendy — Marcel Portilla next to the singer of his band Wendy

The beginning of Marcel’s taste for music

As we were reading in Marcel’s biography, his father, Don Gerardo Portilla, played a very important role in the taste he picked up for Latin music. When we wanted to know this from his own mouth, he was delighted by the question and told us that his father used to collect music of all kinds, whether Latin, classical or from anywhere in the world. In fact, inside his business, he had a small music room where father and son passed the time and listened to all the music Gerardo had there.

They first listened to one artist and then quickly moved on to the next one as they chatted animatedly, which usually took all day. These interactions obtained a very young Marcel love music in its various genres, including Colombian folk music and the very famous trios of that time.

Gerardo generally gave Marcel a number of cassettes to choose from that day, so that is what they listened to. This great music collector was not a professional musician, which his son Marcel found very strange given his sensitivity to this branch of art. However, his grandfather, whom he would never meet, was a trumpet player.

One of his favorite groups was the Trio Matamoros and, whenever the family went for a ride, they used to listen to their most successful songs as they approached their destination.

The singer affirms that these years were the best of his life and conserves the best memories of his childhood with much affection and many of them were shared with his beloved father.

Marcel singing — Marcel Portilla Band singing live some years ago

Professional start in music

By the time he was still in Colombia, Marcel was a fan of all kinds of music and spent many hours stuck at house playing, rehearsing and listening to every single detail of the artists of the moment to try to imitate them as best he could. He also had a best friend who loved to sing, so they got together regularly to practice amateurishly. One of his favorites at the time was Jerry Rivera.

Sometime later, when he moved to the United States, specifically to New Jersey, he attended college and belonged to the institution’s choir, with which he had a performance in a large stadium. This was the first interaction he had with the public, with what he felt absolutely comfortable.

When he finished his studies, he went to North Carolina and met a guitar teacher and producer, with whom he spent a lot of time learning vocal technique, music writing and many other things for several years. After having achieved a certain level, this man made him decide to form his own band, as he saw him ready for it.

Since Marcel had no experience at all in the subject, he had no idea how to start and where to get musicians, so this teacher started to connect him with people he already knew. In addition to that, the artist got to work by his own means and published an ad in which he requested the service of musicians to join his group, which attracted a drummer who met with Marcel and they discovered they had the same vision of music.

It was truly through this same drummer that he managed to have communication with many other musicians until October 2010, when he could complete his band with about 11 members and make his first rehearsal. This is how Marcel Polilla Band was finally born and is currently integrated by Ecuadorian guitarist Jorge Lord, Dominican bassist Carlos Baez, Venezuelan drummer Alejandro Galarraga, Peruvian percussionist Raul Verano and Dominican singer Wendy.

Marcel and his band — Marcel Portilla and the rest of his band at the Harrah’s Cherokee NC 2019

What Marcel appreciated the most to music

Marcel told us that what he thanks most to music is the diversity and culture that he has learned around this time. He also emphasized that he does not limit himself to salsa, but to any genre or country from which what he likes comes.

In addition, he enjoys being able to mix all kinds of rhythms and seemingly different genres and thus create new things that have never been done before.