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Omar Negron

USA / Florida / Tampa

Omar Negron, The Virtuoso of Trumpet and Percussion

Omar Negron was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 3, 1972. Music came into his life as a family legacy.

From the age of 3 he began to play percussion “las pleneras y el bongo”, guided by his maternal grandfather, his paternal grandfather who was also a musician and cuatro player and his grandmother who sang Puerto Rican trova.

At the age of 7, he entered the Carolina School of Music where he learned to read music to interpret it in percussion, which he had already mastered.

The first witnesses of his talent were his classmates at the Angel Ramos de Country Club elementary school in San Juan P.R, where he was part of the central show in several of the school activities, in some of them even imitating the singer Oscar de León. .

At the age of twelve, while attending his regular studies, he was alternately accepted at the Ernesto Ramos Antonini Free School of Music in San Juan.

There he began to study Trumpet since there was no room for percussion.

However, the percussion teacher allowed him to be part of his class, so he (Omar Negron) studied Trumpet and Percussion simultaneously.

Proven his talent, Omar Negron had the opportunity to be part of the School’s dance band, where he began playing Bongo and years later he would play Trumpet.

He was part of some talent competitions where he ranked first as a singer.

Upon graduating from the Escuela Libre de Música, Omar Negrón received the Rafael Hernández medal for his versatility playing different instruments, including his voice.

His musical career

At just 16 years old, Omar Negron makes his first professional recording as a singer, thanks to an opportunity he received from Mickey Cora and his Cabala Orchestra, where he was able to record and perform the songs: “Wanting to Live With You” and “We Will Always Be Friends” .

In 1990, Omar Negron was recruited by the Conjunto Chaney after the departure of the singer José Cheo Andújar.

A year later he made his first recording with the Ensemble, in the production entitled “Somos Amigos” where he performed the song “En Trance”.

Omar made three more productions with the Chaney Ensemble under the Hit Makers record label, but unfortunately none were released.

In 1994, Chaney made a recording with the Musical Production label, entitled “La Escuela de la Salsa”, where Omar recorded the songs: “I’m back”, “Impulsos”, “I fell in love”, “You are the vice”, ” Gaining Sensuality”, among others. This production earned them several awards including a Gold Record and an ACE Award.

It was a season of success and presentations in Europe, the United States, Central America and South America.

In 2004 he was invited by maestro Willie Rosario to be part of his orchestra after the departure of singer Rico Walker.

Opportunity that he enjoyed for three years and allowed him to gain experience as a son player and interpreter of many of his hits.

However no new recordings were made during that season.

In 2013 he launched himself as a soloist with the song: “No Son Juguetes”, composition and arrangement by Frank Poupart, a song that was widely accepted among the fans of romantic salsa in Puerto Rico, the United States, the Canary Islands, Venezuela, Panama, Colombia. among others.

Then he recorded the song by Ricardo Montaner and Jorge Luis Chasin “Bésame” which made him the winner of two Fox Music Awards in the city of Houston, Texas.

The same theme was placed number one on the Italian and Swiss tropical music radio charts.

A year later, he recorded “Waiting for you” written by Jesse Villareal and arranged by the great experienced arranger Tommy Villarini.

This single allowed him to open doors in countries like Belgium, Turkey, and Germany in addition to the United States, Central and South America, especially in Panama where his music is well accepted.

In 2016, with much more accumulated experience and with the help of a new work team, Omar Negron launches his new single entitled “Por Si Mañana”, composed by Jorge Luis Piloto and arranged by Ramón Sánchez.

This song is the Salsa version of the ballad recorded by the well-known Colombian group Mojito Lite.

Know the connections of tropical dances

Latin America / Venezuela /Caracas

Tropical Dances:

Did you know that people have several ways of communicating?

Oral communication is what we normally use to communicate in such a way to establish and maintain personal relationships, and to show not only words and express emotions and/or feelings, body communication is used, which can be said in a few words that it is a form creatively expressing through gestures, eye contact, poses, and arm and leg movements; turning this form of communication into something more intimate and accurate without the need for the use of words.

In social activities, one of the most popular is dancing, where body communication is very important since the couple or group needs to know certain signs that indicate “when” or “how”, in order to perform the steps and how. As a result, the success of said interpretation will test the quality, maturity and growth of the dancers in the rhythms they dance.

Of course, it should be noted that each musical genre has its own rules, especially in the counting of steps in music, which gives grace, stability and rhythm to the dancers in the song played either in a musical event and is of vital importance not only for a casual event but for a competition. For this reason, it is important to know the steps and turns to perform and have excellent body communication (especially if it is as a couple) to know what they are going to do.

dancers dancing salsa, bachata and other tropical dances

In Latin rhythms, this type of communication is really important, otherwise the grace of the dance is lost. Among the most important Latin rhythms that are essential and/or significant are:

Salsa: a Latin tropical rhythm that, although it was born in Cuba due to the mixture of “Guaracha”, “Son”, “Mambo”, “Cha Cha Chá” with a unique style, through time several types emerged ( Salsa Cubana, Salsa en Linea, Salsa Casino, Salsa New York or Mambo style, Salsa Cali style, Salsa Puerto Rican and Venezuelan sauce). In this dance it is very important to pay attention to the look, the hands and arms (the latter in the case of the man since with him he dominates and/or controls the woman in the dance and she must interpret what the next movement is) to thus being able to perform either a simple step or a few laps, of which there is a great variety of them.
Bachata: is a danceable musical genre originating in the Dominican Republic, within what is called urban folklore. It is considered a derivative of the rhythmic bolero, with influences from other styles such as the Cuban son and merengue. This dance has great sensuality like the rest of the Caribbean rhythms, where it requires an unbeatable appearance on the part of the dancers when performing it, where that connection with the couple is important so that it can impress the public.
Merengue: is a dance music genre originated in the Dominican Republic at the end of the 19th century. It is very popular throughout the American continent, where it is considered, along with salsa, as one of the great dance musical genres that distinguish the Latin American genre.
Kizomba: a very sensual rhythm that emerged in Angola, which resulted from the mixture of 3 cultures (Angolan colony, Portuguese colony and part of Cape Verde “Brazil” as well as the French Caribbean of Martinique and Guadeloupe.). In this rhythm, the connection of the couple, especially the woman, is of vital importance, since the movement of the hips is slow and sensual, as are their steps. Did you know that many people have the prejudice that it is a very sensual dance, however, it is as sensual as you want to project it, in the same way it happens with Bachata and Merengue, they can be as sensual as you want to project them or as normal how you want to do it.”

So, if you want to give life, grace, elegance and popularity to your dance, keep in mind, keep in mind these characteristics and how you manage to synchronize with your partner and show your spectators either in a personal party, competition, event and/or or congress, whether national or international, which is a true dance.

When it comes to compositions, Luis “Tata” Guerra is widely known internationally

On June 9, 1934, in Guanabacoa, Cuba, Luis “Tata” Guerra was born. Excellent Percussion Master with a Guinness World Record for having accompanied more orchestras live and in recordings.

A virtuoso musician, Luis Tata Guerra, member of a humble and hard-working family, is the last of 4 brothers, born of a musical tradition, his father played guitar, and his older brother Emerio Guerra is a guitarist in Havana.

He studied music and saxophone at the Salesian School of Guanabacoa. He learned to play the tumbadora, and the rhythms of Rumba and Guaguancó in his neighborhood in the 50s.

He joined the Almendra Orchestra in 1954, performing in the best nightclubs of the island. He rehearsed with Conjunto Casino and Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez.

In 1956 he arrived in Colombia with the Cuban Swing Orchestra, he stayed for 4 years working with the groups Sonera del Caribe and the Pepe Reyes Orchestra (Cuban singer). From there he went to Venezuela where he has lived since 1960.

Maestro Guerra has an extensive career as a musician for his activity in different groups such as: Los Melódicos, Víctor Piñero y sus Casiques, Aldemaro Romero, Chucho Sanoja, El Pavo Frank, and accompanying on percussion in Caracas Tito Rodríguez, Miguelito Valdez, Rolando Laserie, Daniel Santos, Olga Guillot, Rubén Blades, Paco de Lucia, including the Timbal King Tito Puente and many Others.

Recognition for Luis "Tata" Guerra — Recognition for Luis “Tata” Guerra

His compositions have been played in the media in Santo Domingo, Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela.

The composition “Son Matamoros” dedicated to this famous Cuban trio, was included in the movie “Salsa” with the participation of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Grupo Niche and other values. He was a member of the VTV Orchestra (channel 8) for 23 years (1965-1991).

Member and Director of the trio Hermanos Rodriguez, in 1994 they traveled to the Canary Islands invited by President Hermoso, and are well known there for the hit “Son Canario” (composition by Guerra himself).

Again in 1999, they returned to the Canary Islands for more than 2 months, in addition to performing at the fabulous The Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

He presented his program “RAICES CARIBEÑAS” on ANTV.

When it comes to compositions, Luis "Tata" Guerra is widely known internationally. — When it comes to compositions, Luis “Tata” Guerra is widely known internationally.

His fondness for acetate collection was recognized throughout Venezuela. A work with his conjunto became very popular and the voice of “Kiko” Mendive reminded us of the grilles and discómanos of Cali in the 80’s. “Barara Bururu”.

We also remember the time he shared with his compatriot Rafael “Felo” Bacallao Hernandez, who had retired from the Aragon orchestra.

With great regret we recorded on February 24, 2015, the unfortunate news of the death of Tata Guerra, four months shy of his 81st birthday, he had been suffering from an accelerated affection in his respiratory system, remaining hospitalized at the Florida Clinic in the city of Caracas, where in the early morning of that day he left us.

“When I listen to reggetón/ my heart stops/ because my thing is rumba and son”.

Maria Luisa Guerra

Source:

Por: Carlos Molano Gómez

Bogotá – Colombia
Derechos Reservados de Autor -primera publicación – 2016
Actualizado 2021.

Tempo Latino 2023

Tempo Latino is a music festival held in Vic-Fezensac, France, in the region of Gers in Gascony it is the first and the greatest Latin American and Afro-Cuban music festival of the summer in Europe. The festival was founded in 1994 and has been held annually since then.

“In 2020 and 2021, the festival was only interrupted for two consecutive years due to the containment of the new crown pneumonia (COVID-19) epidemic.”

With around 600 volunteers from all over the city for four days of intense activities and an audience of around 60,000 people from all over the world.

Tempo Latino offers a variety of Latin American and Afro-Cuban music, including Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, Cumbia, Merengue, Rumba, Latin-jazz, Reggaeton and more. The festival also features dance workshops, food stalls and other cultural events.

International performers and instructors from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Africa, the United States (primarily New York, Miami, and California), and Europe have participated in a number of concerts and workshops

Tempo Latino has grown from a small festival to one of the most important Latin American music festivals in Europe. The festival hosts some of the biggest names in Latin music, including Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Oscar D’ León, Johnny Pacheco, Adalberto Álvarez, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Kassav, Totó la Momposina, and Los Van Van. Tempo Latino has also helped advance the careers of many new artists.

Here’s more information on Tempo Latino:

The festival takes place in a beautiful setting in the heart of the French countryside.
The festival is family friendly and has activities for all ages.
The festival is a great opportunity to experience a different culture and learn about Latin American and Afro-Cuban music.

A festival of concerts takes place in the square and, at the same time, many free outdoor events for those who want to discover music in the city’s dance halls in the afternoon and evening. In the second edition, they have integrated dance, music, and percussion lessons.

The 28^th edition of Tempo Latino will take place from July 27-30, 2023.

The lineup includes:

La Conga

27 July – Ana Tijoux (France)

Les Arenes

28 July 2023

21:00 – Orchestra Baobab (Senegal)

23:00 – Grupo Compay Segundo (Cuba)

29 July 2023

21:00 – Lila Downs (Mexico)

23:00 – Cimafunk (Cuba)

30 July 2023

21:00 – Bernard Lavilliers (France)

23:00 – La Excelencia (USA)

and many more!

Pass Concert:

On the official website, tickets for four days are available for 120 € (during the festival, they cost 150 €).

Eric Duffau

The current director of Tempo Latino is Eric Duffau from Toulouse, France. He is also the founder of the music festival which he started in 1994. A passionate lover of Latin American and Afro-Cuban music, Dufour devoted his life to promoting this music to a wider audience and serves on the board of the French Association for the Promotion of Latin Music (AFMPL).

Dufoe was a tireless promoter of Latin American and Afro-Cuban music. He travels the world in search of new talent and works hard to make Tempo Latino a major cultural event. He is a passionate advocate of Latin music and works to bring this music to a wider audience.

Dufour graduated from the National School of Arts and Crafts (ENSAM) in Paris. In the early 1980s he worked as a DJ, during which time he became interested in Latin American and Afro-Cuban music. In 1989, he decided to create a festival to showcase this music and Tempo Latino was born.

https://www.tempo-latino.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/TempoLatinoFestival

The Tempo Latino Festival is Back

Antonio Cartagena is an acclaimed artist, leaving the name of Peru on high all over the world

Antonio Cartagena is one of our best bastions who was born artistically in 1990 from a humble family with Afro-Peruvian roots.

Born in the Constitutional province of Callao (Bellavista) and having studied higher education in the National Police of Peru and half of career in the course of Psychology at the University San Martin.

Being able more the art is consecrated presenting his first success “Sin Ti” belonging in that instant to the Orchestra Peru Salsa All Star at the same time is invited to record songs like Niña and Tengo Todo Execto a Ti by the Orchestra of the Prestigious Oscar “Pitín” Sanchez La Sensual 990 achieving a greater acceptance the demands of work.

They were not made to wait in all the Peruvian literal for such reason is that Antonio Cartagena is traced important goals as the conquest of other countries reason others so that in 1991 produces his first album as a soloist with 10 songs where they highlighted songs like; Sedúceme and Necesito un Amor.

Becoming known in countries such as Colombia, Venezuela and part of the United States.

In 1992 he launches to the market a fresh and romantic Salsa where he highlights songs like Y que Tiene el and M Dueña; from there he reaffirms the internationalization being hired for a tour in the United States with all his group visiting places like New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Virginia, Dallas, Texas, San Diego, among others.

Then in 1993 he is hired by the prestigious international record company RMM of Mr. Ralph Mercado, one of the biggest salsa producers in the world; recording his first international album entitled Dime Que Si, where the most outstanding songs are Apaga La Luz and Perdone Querida.

To perform in dream stages such as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Miami Arenas, alternating with many stars such as Oscar Leon, Van Lester, India, Marc Anthony, Tito Puente, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Domingo Quiñonez, Ray de la Paz, Tony Vega, Ray Sepulveda, Johnny Rivera, Tito Nieves, Jose Alberto el Canario, Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Giovanni Hidalgo, and an innumerable list of the greats of the firmament of the salsa market. The tour continued to include Canada, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico and Argentina.

These were events that marked a milestone in the vertiginous career of the artist; who arrives in his country after three years of coming and going; with a production titled Punto de Vista (1996), where he consecrates himself with the songs Si Tu No Estas and Pídele Perdón, successfully placing himself at the threshold of his career in his own country.

Already in 1997 he wants to impose the criollismo converting famous and traditional waltzes of our country in salsa; Disc that made him known all over the world even in Europe, presenting himself in stages of Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Spain among others.

In the year 2000 and without stopping touring nationally and internationally, Antonio Cartagena produced a new album which highlights the theme Nadie Quien te Quiera como Yo.

Then in 2001 he travels to New York to produce an album titled Volveré, with songs such as Ni Siquiera, giving much to talk about in that country and in Latin America, visiting countries such as the United States, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, etc.

In 2005 he presents a renewed and updated product imposing themes such as Salsa Regaee, titled No Me Digas Que No, placing himself in the first places of our musical environment.

Antonio Cartagena, is one of our best internationally recognized bastions, who is going through his best moment, considered in salsa as the best exponent of music in his genre and winner for this year of a number of awards such as: Nominated for Best Interpreter of the year in the salsa music genre.

Cartagena is an acclaimed artist, leaving the name of Peru on high all over the world.

Antonio Cartagena