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Tribute to Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr. His first recording was professionally with Tito Puente in 1964 and was titled “Exciting Rhythm of Tito Puente”

Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez, (September 11, 1945, United States August 17, 2024) son of Johnny Rodriguez Sr. who was nicknamed “La Vaca”, remembered percussionist who was part of the orchestras of Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez, among others; as we can deduce, music for Johnny Rodriguez is something clearly hereditary given that as a child he attended his father’s rehearsals and his mother was a dancer.

Johnny Dandy Rodriguez Foto By Miguel Martillo

To get an idea of the musical family, let’s say that Johnny Rodriguez Sr. also took part in performances and recordings with musicians and singers of the stature of: Alfredito Levy, Joe Quijano, Jose Curbelo, Lou Perez Louie Ramirez, Machito, Miguelito Valdes, Noro Morales, Orlando Marin, Pete Terrace, Pupi Campo and Xavier Cugat.

The father’s enormous musical background was emulated in a great way with ample merits by the son.

Dandy Rodriguez grew up in Spanish Harlem in Manhattan, his home was very musical and when he was in high school he learned the details of percussion represented by the bongos, congas, timbales and drums. Influenced by his father he became interested in music and so in 1962 he joined the band of maestro Tito Puente.

His first professional recording was with Tito Puente and was titled Excitante Ritmo De Tito Puente; after this first album with Puente, “Dandy” Rodriguez began to deepen his musical studies listening and learning from leading musicians such as: José Mangual Senior bongosero from Machito, Rogelio “Yeyito” Iglesias bongosero from Cachao and Vitin Palacio bongosero from Johnny Segui.

He worked with the King of Timbales for more than three decades, initially in the sixties, more specifically from 1962 to 1972, then he rejoined Tito Puente’s band at the end of the seventies and was part of it practically until the death of the famous King of Timbales.

In the extensive career of our Johnny Rodriguez in music we must mention his internship with Joe Cuba’s orchestra, with whom “Dandy” Rodriguez himself says he participated in seven or eight albums since the mid-sixties; the first of them titled Joe Cuba Sextette – Comin’ At Yous; without forgetting to mention that in those albums the name of Johnny Rodriguez Jr. does not appear in the credits due to issues related to contracts with record companies.

His stay with Puente was not a limitation for him to be part of other musical groups, so he also worked for several years with another great of Latin music, the remembered Tito Rodríguez. He was also part of the band of the famous conguero Ray Barreto, replacing Tony Fuentes, and was one of the founders of the famous Típica 73 in 1972 and even took part in a couple of albums with Machito.

In the seventies, during the Salsa Boom, “Dandy” Rodriguez left his mark on recordings with: Jose “Cheo” Feliciano, Charlie Palmieri, Roberto Torres, Willie Rosario, Ismael Quintana, Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco, Louie Ramirez, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, Fania All Stars, Alfredo De La Fe, Conjunto Clásico, Henry Fiol and Tito Allen.

As we mentioned before, John Rodriguez returned to the band of maestro Tito Puente in 1978 and was part of the band until Ernesto Antonio Puente’s death in 2000 at the age of 77; he participated in this cycle in at least twenty musical works apart from a large number of concerts and performances on tours in different countries around the world.

During those two decades with Tito Puente he also worked with other musicians, singers and groups such as: Miguel Quintana, Roberto Torres, Charlie Rodriguez, Tito Allen, Alfredo De La Fe, Azuquita Y Su Melao, Charlie Palmieri, Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco, Paquito D’ Rivera, Raulin, The Bronx Horns and Angelo Vaillant.

Luisito Quintero, Johnny Rodriguez y George Delgado

During the first two decades of the new century, the musical work of maestro Johnny Rodriguez continued and his musical mark has remained in other publications with The Latin-Jazz Coalition, Frankie Morales, Eddie Palmieri, Gilberto Santa Rosa, George Delgado, Victor Manuelle, Rick Arroyo, Orestes Vilato, Mitch Frohman, Cita Rodriguez, Doug Beaver, Adalberto Santiago and Jeremy Bosch.

Also, special mention must be made of the participation of maestro Johnny Rodriguez with a group called The Latin Giants Of Jazz, in the best style of the classic Big Bands made up of great teachers, including some of the former members of maestro Tito Puente’s band; with this group they have published four albums; this project gave rise to another band called The Mambo Legends, who recorded the album entitled: Watch Out! Be careful!

John Rodriguez is without a doubt one of the most prolific percussionists in the world of Latin music called Salsa. The nickname “Dandy” dates back to his childhood when the car he was driven in was bought at a store or shop called “Dandy” and people said look how cute “Dandy” is and from there he stuck with that nickname. In music he is better known as Johnny instead of John.

In (the year 2022) the experienced Johnny Rodriguez had three or four groups with which he is playing, including Dandy Rodriguez and his Dream Team, while teaching percussion classes online.

He is one of the true legends of Latin music, not to mention that his talent has also been reflected in recordings for other musical genres such as: Electronic, Folk Rock, Folk, World & Country, Funk / Soul, Heavy Metal, Jazz, Stage & Screen, Jazz-Funk, Merengue and Pop.

In his very extensive artistic career, maestro Johnny Rodríguez was part of historic and iconic recordings of our musical culture, some of these albums have been worthy of awards such as the Grammy Award, among which are:

Tribute to Beny Moré – Year 1978

On Broadway – Year 1983

El Rey: Tito Puente & His Latin Ensemble – Year 1984

Mambo Diablo – Year 1985

Goza Mi Timbal – Year 1990

Mambo Birdland – Year 1999

Masterpiece / Obra Maestra Tito Puente & Eddie Palmieri – Year 2000.

“In 2008, Johny entrusted LP’s Research and Development Department with the design of the John “Dandy” Rodriguez Jr. Legends Series bongos. John is proud that these drums, which bear his name, feature such outstanding sound and visual characteristics.”

Also Read: Jerry Ferrao says in salsa key: “My life is a drum”

Collaboration: Marino de Jesus (1588) from Salsa History from the Dominican Republic

Omar Ledezma Jr. and Pacific Mambo on tour in Europe

We had several occasions to talk with Venezuelan singer and percussionist Omar Ledezma Jr. because he always has interesting things to say about his projects and tours, and this time it was no exception.

Recently, the artist along with the rest of Pacific Mambo Orchestra were doing a small tour in Europe, more specifically in France and Italy, and we wanted to know all he could tell us about these performances, most notably the great musical event Tempo Latino, which is held every year in Vic-Fezensac, France.

Omar at the festival — Omar Ledezma Jr. at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Peruvia, Italy

Pacific Mambo in Italy

Something interesting about this year is that Pacific Mambo not only went to Tempo Latino, but they also had a few shows in Italy prior to the festival. Before that, they played in one of the most important events of jazz and music in general which was the Umbria Jazz Festival that took place in Peruvia, where they had the opportunity to play after the impeccable performance by Brazilian singer and guitarist Djavan.

He also describes this concert as a great experience and a great opportunity to continue to demonstrate their talent to audiences that had never heard them before, so they enjoyed it and took full advantage of it.

Later, they had another performance in the city of Palermo, where they were accompanied by the Palermo Brass Orchestra. Omar says that this combination was spectacular and that the music sounded incredible with the brass in the background, to the extent that they spoke to the group and several of the musicians accompanied them to France to play with them at Tempo Latino as well.

Pacific Mambo at Tempo Latino one more year

Omar explained to us that he does not handle the details of the contact to Pacific Mambo to attend Tempo Latino again, but he did tell us that the singer of the group, Cristel Durandi, was the godmother of the festival, which was a real honor for all its members and they were very gratefulfor that. It can now be said that there is an important connection between the orchestra and the organization of the event for future editions.

He told us that there is nothing particularly different than previous years and that, in his case, he felt he was treated like family by the organizers and the other musicians with whom they had the opportunity to talk to. The ones with whom they shared the most were Latin jazz trumpeter Maite Hontelé and the guys from La Orquesta La 33, who had their own performances on that stage that has seen so many Latin talents shine over the years.

Pacific Mambo in Palermo — Pacific Mambo Orchestra rehearsing at The Royal Theater of Saint Cecilia in Palermo, Italy

On Saturday 27 July, it was finally their turn after Maite played with her new orchestra of young musicians, which was preparing the audience for them when they had to delight the audience with the best of their repertoire.

We are always happy to be able to bring our music to the people of France and the world in general because, as always, there were people from all over the world who traveled just to attend the festival. It was very nice to be able to play there again and soak up so much energy. Whenever we go, we always feel at home” said Omar about Tempo Latino.

General details of the tour

Omar’s tour with Pacific Mambo was conducted entirely in Italy and France. As mentioned previously, the guys had never played in Italy before, so this was something very special for them, since the people they met had excellent receptivity to their music and the organization of these concerts offered them all the support they needed in the technical, administrative and hotel part.

The first place they visited was the city of Peruvia, Italy, where they participated in the Umbria Jazz Festival. From there, they moved to Palermo, Sicily, where they had their second performance, and finally, they flew to France for Tempo Latino.

Regarding the accommodation in France, the artist told us that he and his orchestra fellows stayed in a hotel in the town of Auch, a place they had never been to before and which was about 25 to 30 minutes by bus from Vic-Fezensac. Omar highlighted the spectacular view they enjoyed on their journey and all the fields of vineyards and crops they had the opportunity to observe.

Omar and Maite — Musician Maite Hontelé and Omar Ledezma Jr.

Upcoming performances

As for the next Tempo Latino edition, it is still too early to know if Pacific Mambo will participate again in the festival, so those conversations with the group to go to France next year remain to be seen.

However, the musician could confirm that they will have a local performance in September. He also informed us that they will have a concert at Yoshi`s the first weekend of next year, which is already a tradition for the band every year.

For the time being, the band will use these months to refresh their repertoire, create new music and prepare for what is to come in 2025.

ISM / September 2024

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My mother sang tango

One of the Latin genres that is currently on the rise is tango, so it is common to find more and more people linked to it. There are even many who have made tango one of the most important passions of their lives, as in the case of Carlos Álvarez Guevara, with whom we have had the fortune to talk exclusively about this and other interesting topics.

Carlos dancing tango — Carlos dancing with his dance partners in tango classes

Childhood with a tango singer mother

Carlos’ contact with tango began during his early childhood thanks to his mother, who was a tango singer and dancer.

Carlos describes his early live in El Salvador and points out that, back then, there were no cassettes or CD players with which to listen to music, so people had to make do with what they heard on the radio. His mother went to a well-known radio station to take part in singing competitions.

It is then that the boy would listen to his mother rehearse for the competitions with old tango songs, which made him memorize them perfectly and be able to sing them in full. The rest is history.

How Carlos sees tango today

Today Carlos is a tango and salsa dancer, a genre that has also been important in his musical journey. However, he sings the songs he dances to at amateur level.

For many years, he left aside music to devote himself to become a mechanic, a job from which he recently retired after more than 40 years of hard work. It was when he turned 45 that he fully resumed his love for tango and enrolled in dance classes to remember everything he had learned with his mother.

This is why Carlos says that he is much more professional in dancing than in singing, since he dedicated much more time and effort to the former to become an expert in the field. Dancing, of course, is accompanied by singing, but it has less hierarchy in terms of the artist’s priorities.

He has reached such a level of excellence in these disciplines that some friends of his put him in touch with Eduardo Guilarte, director of International Salsa Magazine, so that he could talk to us and his talents would become better known.

Carlos was a mechanic during a great part of his life, but tango is his biggest passion

Time dedicated to mechanics and dance

Regarding the time dedicated to his formal work and dancing, Carlos claims he never had any problems, since he knew how to organize very well in this aspect.

He always devotes his time to dance on weekends, days where he frequented, and still frequents, nightclubs with friends with whom he dances and spends very pleasant moments that clear his mind of everyday life.

In addition to that, he also has a karaoke machine at home with which he also sings and practices his repertoire to delight anyone who wants to hear him on any nightclub stage.

What Carlos has learned from tango

Just as Carlos has been dedicated to singing and dancing tango, he has also invested time in learning about its history to give more depth to the knowledge he has about this genre and he wanted to share with us a little of what he has learned.

He told us that one of the things he was most fascinated to learn is that tango has roots from many places and times around the world, although nowadays it is seen as an Argentine genre. Something that many do not know is that it has its origins in the arrival of Africans in the ”New World”, which played a fundamental role in the emergence of tango in Argentina and Uruguay, which were under Spanish rule.

Both countries were transit ports for slave traffic, so the new inhabitants of these places brought with the their music and customs, which were mixed with the local music and customs to give rise to what is known today as tango.

A very interesting detail he told us is that, when European sailors stopped in these countries and went to bars to look for drinks and some company, so the ladys in these places danced tango to seduce and provoke them. At that time, this kind of music was perceived as the lowest level of society to the point that the Catholic Church demanded its parishioners not to dance tango, but it turns out that the genre was pleasing to the people and nothing could be done about it.

In the end, puritans had no choice but to embrace this wonderful dance and, today, people of all social classes, ages and races enjoy it without any complex.

Carlos with his family — Carlos with his mothers, brothers and dog Mozote

The lyrics and references of tango

Since Carlos has very extensive knowledge of everything about the genre and its lyrics, we wanted to know what he has studied about it.

‘‘Tango can be many things at the same time. It can touch on issues related to the moral conduct of the individuals and, like many Latin genres, it also serves to mock and criticize politicians. It can also be an ode to love, spite and regret for having lost the loved one” Carlos shared with us on the subject.

‘‘This genre can deal with many subjects at the same time, but one of the most recurrent is frustration with failed love and I don’t think that will change in a long time” said Carlos.

Regarding the issue of the greatest artists who have inspired him to dance and sing tango, he mentioned Carlos di Sarli, Carlos Gardel, Oswaldo Pugliese and Enrique Rodríguez.

What Carlos feels at singing and dancing tango

Carlos describes listening to any tango song as ”listening to your own national anthem in a foreign country”. For him, listening to any piece sung by his parents in the past is a source of pride and takes him back to the most beautiful moments of his childhood.

Carlos pointed out that ”when you are driven by loving emotions and some thoughts are trapped, you can express them through singing and dancing, which is what I always do”.

The artist pointed out that he loves this world and it is one of the things that fills him the most in life, so he is grateful to be able to talk about it in International Salsa Magazine and express what it makes him feel to the world.

The Bolivian charango with Spanish roots

There are many instruments that have greatly contributed to make Latin music and its great exponents known worldwide, but unfortunately they are not very popular and the general public is unable to identify them. Such is the case of the charango, which we will talk about in this opportunity.

The charango can be defined as a stringed instrument that is part of the lute family and has its origin in the South American Andean region. It is believed that it began to gain popularity during the Viceroyalty of Peru. It has approximately five pairs of strings, but there are some models that have a greater or lesser number of strings.

Here is more information and interesting facts about the charango and its history.

Federico playing the charango — Peruvian charanguista Federico Tarazona playing the charango

How the charango is created in the first place

Although it was not possible to determine exactly when the charango began to be played, it was found that it existed from the 17th century and was inspired by the Canarian timple (a stringed instrument from the Canary Islands that has five strings).

The Canarian timple was always very present in the so-called ”Spanish charangas”, which were a type of parades or comparsas that took place in the street. This is the origin of the name ”charango” with which it would be called from now on.

How the charango began to become popular

Previously, it was an instrument used exclusively by the more rural classes of the time and was closely related to the indigenous population. However, since the 1950s, this situation began to change and the charango started to be heard in more urban areas, which led residents of such places to participate in concerts and folkloric activities for all audiences.

the one responsible for this was Bolivian-born musician and luthier Mauro Núñez, who in 1944 began to use the charango to disseminate folk music and peduce new charango models in order to popularize it even more. This led many other musicians to find their own musical styles with the instrument, which brought the charango to concert halls and theaters all over Bolivia.

A few years later, the charango arrived in Ecuador, but in the 1960s, it reached Argentina and some European countries. During those same years, several artists from Bolivia, Peru and Argentina began to tour the world and, as a result, ended up taking the charango to the rest of Europe, the United States and Japan.

In 1973, Bolivian charanguista and composer William Ernesto Centellas took the initiative to create la Sociedad Boliviana de Charango with the support of charanguista Abdón Caméo and singer-songwriter Ernesto Cavour Aramayo. This society organizes the Congreso Nacional de Charango and the Encuentro Internacional de Charanguistas every two years.

Nowadays, everyone accepts the idea that the home city of the charango is the city of Potosí and, due to the way its later diffusion went, the town of Aiquile was very important for the instrument to the point that today it is known as the ”Capital of the Charango”.

A Youtuber playing the charango — A Youtuber teaching how to play a charango

How is the charango and how is it played?

The charango is shaped like the guitar, although it tends to be slightly smaller. Likewise, its sound box has a smaller size and the neck is much shorter. Among the most common sizes, we can mention 50cm, 60cm and 75cm. Generally, it has five pairs of strings, but there are some Peruvian models that may have four strings, two at eaither end and a double string in the middle.

The way in which the charango is tuned varies depending on the area and the musician’s preferences, but the most common tuning is natural temple. Just like the guitar, the charango also has the third-order strings octaved between them.

As for the way the charango should be played, the techniques most used by the charanguistas are the rasgueos, the repiques and the tremolo. In talking about the most popular rhythms, we cannot fail to mention the Huayno, the Carnaval, the Cuenca, among others.

Playing the charango can be quite a challenge for beginning musicians, but with enough effort and dedication, incredible results can be achieved even for the most inexperienced.