Search Results for: charanga

Mayito Rivera “El Poeta de la Rumba” was the distinctive voice of Los Van Van de Cuba

Mario ‘Mayito’ Rivera is, without a doubt, one of Cuba’s most outstanding contemporary singers.

For more than 20 years he was the distinctive voice and recognizable face of Cuba’s most famous musical group, Los Van Van.

Regardless of the musical genre he performs -rumba, son, salsa, bolero or timba, modern or traditional style, with strength and dynamism or with delicacy and tenderness, Mayito Rivera’s performances, with passages adorned with tremors and coloraturas, are always stellar.

Mario Enrique Rivera Godínez was born on January 19, 1966 in Pinar del Río, a province located in the westernmost part of Cuba and famous for its handmade Havana cigars.

It was there that ‘Mayito’ began his musical training as a child. Later, he moved to Havana, where he studied percussion at the renowned National School of Art (ENA), which he later extended with advanced studies at the Higher Institute of Art (ISA).

After completing his training, which lasted a total of 15 years, Mayito Rivera joined the musical ensemble of the well-known Cuban singer Albita Rodríguez.

Later, he played bass in the Moncada Group, a formation belonging to the Nueva Trova Cubana movement, whose renovating spirit is firmly rooted in traditional Cuban rhythms.

At the age of 26, Mayito was discovered by Juan Formell, the director of Los Van Van, an orchestra that by then had already become a legend. Initially hired to play bass and sing backing vocals, he soon established himself as the group’s lead vocalist.

Over the next 20 years, Mayito Rivera, more than any other musician, put his stamp on Los Van Van.

He burst onto the scene as the representative of a new generation of musicians, and his fresh style contributed to the group’s endurin Singer of the group’s countless salsa hits that were played in the discotheques, he has been nominated twice for a Grammy and won it once.

Mario ‘Mayito’ Rivera es, sin duda, uno de los cantantes contemporáneos más destacados de Cuba

At the same time, he was also working on other projects: in 1999 he released his first solo album, Pa’ bachatear.

Chappotín, in which he transports the past to our days with a brilliant interpretation of traditional Conjunto Chappotín songs.

But Mayito Rivera is not only a singer and percussionist. In 2005, he released Negrito Bailador, his second solo album, produced by the Timba label of the German music publisher Termidor, in which he performs only songs of his own composition.

The music, with a rumbero tinge, is fresh, lively and of timeless quality. Subsequently, Negrito bailador was marketed in the United States under the title Llegó la hora and was immediately nominated for a Grammy in the Best Salsa Album of the Year category.

Mayito Rivera is probably the most requested special guest by other Cuban orchestras; so much so, that in recent years he has sung with almost all of Cuba’s star casts.

Nor has his career suffered any interruptions since he left Los Van Van in 2011: currently, Mayito Rivera tours the whole world relentlessly, giving concerts in countries as diverse as the United States, Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, France, Germany, Denmark, Spain and Italy.

The great popularity and multiple talents of this ‘poet of rumba’ are reflected in his performances as guest singer for salsa greats such as Oscar D’Leon, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Issac Delgado, Adalberto Alvarez, Mayimbe, Son Como Son, Timba Live, Pupy y Los que Son Son, Charanga Latina, Havana D’Primera, Tumbao Habana and Elio Reve Jr, to name just a few.

In 2012, Mayito Rivera established himself as a permanent member of Los Soneros de Verdad, the most successful orchestra of the moment dedicated to son and its related rhythms, led by singer Luis Frank Arias.

Two sold-out world tours of three months each in Europe, Asia, Russia and the United States attest to the high quality and great interest in this amalgam of traditional son and the vocal artistry of Cuba’s most dynamic rumbero.

Mayito Durante más de 20 años fue la voz distintiva y el rostro reconocible del más famoso grupo musical cubano, Los Van Van

In 2014, the superstar will be touring with his own orchestra. But before that, from June to September 2013, he will give a series of concerts with Los Soneros de Verdad performing songs from his as yet unreleased album Alma de Sonero.

During this project he will return to his musical roots: son and rumba, bolero and guaguancó, both in their traditional interpretation and in their more modern variants.

The album Alma de sonero includes 11 tracks and will be released in September 2013 worldwide success.

The musicians include Alexander Abreu (Havana D’Primera) on trumpet, San Miguel Pérez on tres and Luis A. Chacón ‘Aspirina’ Bruzón on bongos and cajón.

Website: Mayito Rivera

Wilmer Sifontes “Music is one of the most important things in society”

Music has no boundaries, it has the magical power to bridge social and cultural divides. Such is the case of percussionist Wilmer Sifontes, born in Caracas on March 21, 1968, a year of great events worldwide, a native of the parish of La Vega.

In 1992 he travelled to the United Kingdom for the first time to participate with the Entreverao Group in the World Music Festival “Spirit of The Earth” of the BBC in London.

Thanks to his (Wilmer Sifontes) participation with this group, he got several offers to return to the United Kingdom, so from 1996 he decided to settle down definitively in that country.

His musical duality has allowed him to work with different musical groups and bring the intoxicating rhythms of the American continent to those latitudes. He tells us that; “Fortunately, music is a universal language, it is the flag that one carries and allows you to make your way in other spaces”.

Wilmer, sometimes we imagine that the passion for music comes from a family inheritance, I see that this is not the case with you, how were your musical beginnings?

“In my family there are no musicians, however, as a child I always listened to music, on the way to my house there were places where the orchestras rehearsed, and that I liked it, I started playing salsa, it was always my forte, the music worm began at 10 years old, when the theme of Pedro Navaja with Ruben Blades and Willie Colon was in fashion, in the classroom a classmate imitated that little grave on the desk, this impressed me so much that from that moment the message came to me and I said -this will be my thing-“.

That would be his entrance to the world of music

“Yes, that was a message -but look at it-, I was a sportsman -I played Volleyball and Basketball-, and my sportsman friends wanted to be musicians, they were all adults and I was always with them as a boy, but they had no musical skills, no instruments, this prompted me to look for someone who would help me get into music, so, through my cousin I met the bassist José Machado

-he belongs to a family of musicians from La Vega-, they were my first teachers, they were always rehearsing and I saw, -a visual teaching – because I was a kid, they had a Cuban Son group called “Los Machados”.

At some point he played with them

“After a while we started playing with the “Machados”, people were impressed to see such young boys playing, from him I received my first drumsticks, although I wanted to play bongo”.

How was that evolution?

“In the neighborhood I continued with different groups, then with my cousin we created the “Orquesta La Conclave” and here we developed, we played in all the cultural events”. “We were rehearsing at Catia and Jesús Gómez -one of the singers of Sonero Clásico del Caribe- was always passing by and one day he told us that he needed a timbalero and a pianist, that if we wanted to work with him and we said yes, they played every night at La Caneca, a very famous place that was on Sucre Avenue in Catia”.

“This was my first night job, then I went to Silencio and played in different clubs”.

Wilmer Sifontes in the company of various artists

He is an empirical musician

“I made several attempts to study but… It was a little difficult, there were very rigorous classical schools at the time and I could not enroll, in one I went – La Lamas- together with my cousin, we took the exam and they scratched us (laughs), it is a very nice anecdote, we both sang without knowing the Black Tomasa”.

How does it come to perfection then?

“I was playing by ear, it wasn’t something formal, as he already works in the nights in the clubs, a friend told me that in the Central University of Venezuela, Alberto Borregales and Orlando Poleo were giving classes, when I arrived I saw a great amount of people and I said: -whoa, here they are not going to accept me with that crowd- by chance, the teacher Borregales, makes a small group due to the little space that there was in the classroom, and at that moment I was going to evaluate them to decide who was left and who was not, fortunately I passed the test and I stayed”.

The experience of the street helped him

“(laughs), yes.”

Formally, Borregales was their teacher

“Yes, but my first teachers were the Lp, besides the radio, I listened to a program called “Latin America the Cosmic Race”, with Borregales I entered with a greater discipline, he taught me to analyze, he indicated us what to read, what to listen. Later I was with Poleo in Caricuao, then in San Agustín and eventually went to Sarria. In the neighborhood I learned from Carlos “Tabaco” Quintana, he was one of my favorites, he was my inspiration, he was a timbalero with a terrible swing, excellent, in the neighborhood there were many good ones”.

“Apart from them I also learned from; Daniel Milano Mayora, Jesus Milano Palacios, in the Aquiles Nazoa Library -of Caricuao-, the Bigott Foundation and the Grupo Autóctono de la Vega”.

How was that jump from salsa to folklore?

“I was offered to join the Grupo Autóctono de la Vega, with a great trajectory -it must be 40 or 50 years old by now- there is no role for the amount of people who have passed through there, it is the first group that makes the San Juan demonstrations in Caracas, this is from the Rivas and Ochoa family, it was my first school of folklore, they did dances, sports and then it was dedicated only to folklore music, both have been my teaching, I did not leave either of them”. “Then I played with many other folk and salsa groups, music is one of the most important things in society.”

The Grupo Autóctono de la Vega opened its doors to him, but the Agrupación Entreverao marked his future

“Yes, Entreverao marked my future, let’s say it was a show group, a quartet, its musical structure was very particular, harp, bass, drums and singer, then the percussion was introduced, the percussionist Rhay Herrera was their Director, I got a lot of experience with this group, we had a lot of work and learning, with them we made the first trip to the UK in 92”.

How did you decide that London would be your destination, why not another place more tropical, warmer, you did not think that you would face another culture, another language, another climate?

“I was playing with Erick Franchesky, at that time he had 3 songs stuck in New York, we were going to go four or five of the band, it was almost confirmed, but it didn’t happen, music is like that, sometimes it offers you villas and castles and tomorrow you have nothing.” “I also had other proposals to come to the United Kingdom, the first thing that came out was this, that is, my destiny wanted me to come here”.

“Being out of your country, you learn other things, and that’s one of the particularities of my work, you learn to be more tolerant with people, as I know a lot of folklore from other places has allowed me to arrive, the culture is different to ours, is strong above all if you do not master the language, even if it is the basics, the climate if it was a shock, this is a fridge, (laughs)”.

I can’t imagine the English dancing and listening to Salsa, do they like the genre?

“In the 90’s Salsa was very fashionable around here, there were many places to play, the acceptance of the music is excellent, when the Salsa boom, everyone wanted to learn to dance it, there are clubs to learn to dance, they have fallen in love with Latin American culture, they have been very receptive to those we have come to work with”. “I am the first Venezuelan to make a legal Folkloric Group in this country”.

Tell us a little about that project; AfroAmerica Project

He founded it in 2007, it is an official group of typical and traditional Afro-Venezuelan music, people love Latin American music, they receive it very well, the name is due to a magazine that Jesus “Chucho” Garcia made, which speaks of Afro-Cuban music”.

He continues to work with this project

“Yes, it is a group like Un Solo Pueblo, 90% is Venezuelan music, fulia, tambor, parranda, Calipso, Larense music, there are people who are outside Venezuela and do not know their music, then, we must show what we are, show our culture”.

Photo of Wilmer Sifontes and his instruments

What groups have you worked with in the UK?

“Any number of bands, when I arrived in the UK I started with a man named Kora, he played an African harp, his band was World Music, his music was a mix of African rhythms and the idea was to play Latin American percussion, as I have the virtue of playing different styles of music work with him”.

“Although I did a lot of Salsa in the early years, the other bands I remember are Conjunto Sabroso, Hussein Zahawy, Tumbaito, Ensamble Criollo, La Papayera, Salsa Nueva, The Voices of Naturale, La Charanga Rivera, Tango Tierra, Ensamble Criollo, Clara Rodríguez, Ola Onabule, AfroAmerica Project, Cubanito, Chacón y Su Timba, Bahareque, Salsa Céltica, Kora Colours, Los Charlys Orchestra, Classico Latino, Bilongo all Stars, among others”.

It’s easy for him to move through different genres

“Yes, I owe this to my country, thanks to all that learning I have been able to do so many things and share with so many people in different parts of the world.”

Thanks to this duality you have worked with and accompanied different artists, which ones do you remember?

“Among those I remember are Herman Olivera, Willie González, Maelo Ruiz, José Mangual Jr, Luisito Carrión, Roberto Torres,Tony Vega, Pedro Brull, Tito Gómez, Tito Nieves, Cano Estremera, Giovanni Hidalgo, Andrés Cepeda, Aterciopelados, Leroy Burges, Rodolfo Arcardi, Henry Fiol, Alci Acosta, and the Bands and groups in Venezuela are; Orquesta la Grande, Catatumbo, Entreverao, Criollo y Sabroso, Orquesta la Raza, and with whom I have participated are; Grupo Cosecha, Grupo Autóctono, Jesús Ruiz, La Gran Compañía and Eric Franchesky -who- among many others”.

Wilmer Sifontes in the studio with his instruments

Celtic Sauce, explain that to me, it sounds a little strange

“It’s a Scottish group that mixes Celtic music with Salsa, with them I started doing substitutions for the timbalero, it’s very nice and interesting, they use the traditional instruments of Scottish Folk and the instruments of Salsa and Latin Jazz, they have also mixed it with pop, with rock, with Indian music, that gives them a unique and characteristic sound to this group, with this group I have traveled the world”.

Another band you have worked with is Sidestepper, very famous for fusing elements of Antillean and Colombian music with electronic music.

“Yes, the band was formed in Colombia, by the English producer Richard Blair, he revolutionized the traditional sounds of the region by mixing them with avant-garde sounds, with them I made an interesting work”.

Tell us about the Salsa Nueva Project

“That is the project of the Venezuelan pianist Elena Riu, is the fusion of Salsa with classical arrangements, you can be listening to a kind of montuno, a tumbao’ on the piano and the minute it disappears and leaves a passage well classic, is Latin in classical music, had original themes, is a theme that is called sal-si-ta -so separated-, had songs by Ruben Blades, Ismael Rivera, very cool.

“She needed a rhythmic element and invited me to accompany them, two months later we recorded an album in a church”.

How do you feel about conducting one of the most popular bands in London, El Conjunto Sabroso?

“It has given me a lot of foundation and satisfaction, it was founded by Mrs. Luisa Elena Caicedo, since I arrived here I started to work with them, she listened to my references and called me to make substitutions, then I was their director and assistant director”.

With you, the saying goes… No one is a prophet in his own land

“I think that yes, many people have been prophets, but… after death or after many years -laughs-, I don’t know, at this moment it is so difficult to put a definition to this, although I believe that nobody is a prophet in his land”.

From whom or from whom has he taken his musical influence?

“There are several, the list is long, Carlos “Tabaco” Quintana, Orlando Poleo, Alberto Borregales, Alfredo Villamizar, Orestes Vilato, Tito Puente, Dave Wackel, Ray Barreto, Un Solo Pueblo, Guaco, Paquito de Rivera, Giovanni Hidalgo, Paoli Mejias whom I had the pleasure to meet and accompany, El Trabuco Venezolano, La Fania All Star, Irakere Orchestra, and Puerto Rican and New York Salsa, among many others”.

How has your musical growth been?

“I have learned a lot from each culture, from the Colombian, Cuban, Argentinean, African, knowing the folklore of other places teaches you a lot, sharing with people from all over makes you grow and learn every day, this is part of the particularity of my profession.”

How do you see the market right now, there is a great variety of music, everyone has their own style, what do you think of all this new, but sometimes not good?

“I don’t know if it’s taking a turn or not, the truth is that Europe is different, it has another kind of market, which is not that I’m involved, previously there were many festivals, pop and rock are the popular music of this country, but, reggaeton has been influenced by society, it has been injected with a lot of money, apart from the impact of social networks, it reaches more people, social networks have changed the way music is sold in the world.

“People are scared of reggaeton, for me it depends on who is doing it, the market has changed because of the networks, anyone makes music, anyone plagiarizes music from others, we are in a time of change and music does not escape from it.”

What do you think about tributes and copies, is the musician’s creativity running out?

“When people are alive it is always good to highlight their contribution to the world, there will always be a reference to someone, but it is good that people are creative, and there are the brazen ones who shoot the songs and put other lyrics on them, it is like winning people over with other people’s work”.

“The musical genius has not declined, what happens is that there are no promotions, people who do not do commercial work, it costs a little more to reach, fight against the great machines that bet on other things, musical geniuses are born for generations, are counted.”

The first production of the Conjunto Sabroso is entitled “Ya tengo lo que quería, realmente”

“You never get to have everything you want, but at that moment, we had what we wanted, in that production there are arrangements by Naty Martínez”.

Among your personal projects, which ones would stand out and what new proposals do you bring to the public?

“I was the founder of Ensamble Criollo, we still work with this, AfroAmerica Project, Wilmer Sifontes y Su Combo Caribe, Will Sifontes and his Latin Sound and I’m still working with Conjunto Sabroso as musical director, besides, I’m making a solo album, -let’s say it’s called Latin Jazz- it’s a mix of everything, of my musical career, I already have 3 numbers, there will be duets, quartets, guests, the production is going to be called “Handmade”.

If you were to choose between folklore and salsa

“I’ll take them both, they’re different loves, I still do folklore, salsa and fusions.”

What recommendation do you have for the relay generation

“My recommendation is that they prepare themselves, musically, but first of all their idiosyncrasy, we have to have very clear the bases of what we are and develop them with modern techniques and other elements from other countries, to have discipline, today it is easier to have the information, there are more institutes, the internet”.

By Eling Blanco, ISM Journalist Correspondent, Caracas, Venezuela

Wilson “Chembo” Corniel Jr.

Wilson “Chembo” Corniel Jr.“A sprinkling of be-bop, a touch of swing with a dollop of bomba, rumba, tango and danzón topped with ‘un chin’ de charanga.”

Grammy award nominated percussionist Wilson “Chembo” Corniel was born in Manhattan on November 22, 1953 of proud Puerto Rican parents; Chembo was raised in the humble streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn.

1- Wilson “Chembo” Corniel Jr

Wilson “Chembo” Corniel Jr

It was during these years, as a quick-witted youngster, that he had the privilege and honor to study with such percussion luminaries as, Tommy Lopez Sr., “Little Ray” Romero, Louie Bauzo, and Cachete Maldonado.

Chembo honed his skills at The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in New York, and also at the prestigious La Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana, Cuba under the direction of the great Chucho Valdés.

His intense studies with such legends noted above channeled his energy onto a path where Wilson “Chembo” Corniel has now created a reputation for himself among musicians and the public. Today, he is considered as one of the best hard-hitting, versatile percussionists around.

Chembo teaches percussion to students at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music and leads numerous clinics throughout the United States where he brings awareness to others of the rich Afro-Caribbean traditions.

Among his credits, Chembo was chosen to create his own instructional DVD called, “An Introduction to Hand Percussion: Volume I—Congas”. It was released in December of 2000 and with distribution by Warner Brothers it has been a success.

He’s been a vital endorser of Latin Percussion instruments since 1982 as he is currently for Remo drum heads, Vic Firth sticks and Sabian cymbals.

His touring credits are as long as his performing credits. Chembo has toured with many major artists throughout Europe, Asia, North & South America, and the Caribbean. Television credits include an appearance on the “Bill Cosby Show” and a recurring recording gig on Nickelodeon’s children show, “Dora the Explorer”.

Chembo continues to perform and/or record with many artists of different genres. He is currently concentrating on leading his own Latin Jazz quintet, “Chembo Corniel Quintet”. Chembo received a GRAMMY NOMINATION by NARAS IN 2009 for “BEST LATIN

JAZZ ALBUM” for his 2009 cd “Things I Wanted To Do”. This is a well-balanced Latin Jazz group that incorporates many rich traditions, such as writer Aurora Flores states:

“A sprinkling of be-bop, a touch of swing with a dollop of bomba, rumba, tango and danzón topped with ‘un chin’ de charanga.”

Wilson “Chembo” Corniel Jr. ARTISTS: RECORDINGS:

Wilson “Chembo” Corniel – “Land Of The Descendants” – 2016
Wilson “Chembo” Corniel – “Blue Monk” (ASM) – 2012
Wilson “Chembo” Corniel – “Things I Wanted To Do” – 2009
Akiko Tusuruga – Orient Express – 2009
Wilson “Chembo” Corniel – “For The Rest Of Your Life” – 2007
Mark Sherman – Family – 2007
Carlos Jimenez – El Flautista – 2007
Akiko Tusuruga – Sweet And Funky – 2006
Chris Washburne & SYOTOS – Land Of Nod – 2006
Chembo Corniel & Andrea Brachfeld – Beyond Standards 2006
Willie Martinez – La Familia – 2005
Hilton Ruiz – Steppin’ With T.P. – 2005
Wilson “Chembo” Corniel – Portrait In Rhythms – 2004
Ray Vega – Squeeze Squeeze2004
Chris Washburne & SYOTOS – Paradise In Trouble – 2003
Steve Wilson – Soulful Songs – 2003 Larry Harlow’s
Latin Jazz – Live At Birdland -12/02
Chico Freeman – By The Way -4/2002
Ray Vega – Pa’lante -3/2002
Blood, Sweat & Tears – Christmas Album -12/02
Chris Washburne & SYOTOS – The Other Side – 4/2001
David Gonzalez & LLB – Sofrito3/2000
Bobby Sanabria BIG BAND-Live At Birdland -2/2000
(Grammy Nominated) Chris Washburne & SYOTOS – Nuyorican Nights -10/99
Ray Vega – Boperation- 8/99
Larry Harlow – Latin Legends Band – 5/98
The Bronx Horns – Silver in the Bronx – 4/98
Greg Abate – Sweet Samba – 3/98
Buddy Montgomery Trio – Here Again -1/98
Ray Vega – Ray Vega -12/97
Willie Colón – Honra y Cultura Louie Ramirez – El Genio de la Salsa Jose Bello – Jose Bello y su Orchestra Bobby Rodriguez y la Compañia – Hay Que Cambiar La Rutina

ARTISTS: TOURS/PERFORMANCES:

Chucho Valdés
Hilton Ruiz
Buddy Montgomery
Angela Boll
Tito Puente
Grady Tate
Machito
Willie Colón
Toshiko Akiyoshi
Jane Bunnett & Spirits of Havana
Bobby Sanabria Big Band
Charlie Sepulveda
Andrea Brachfeld
Ray Vega
Bob Baldwin
Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez
Larry Harlow
Tito Nieves
Louie Ramirez
Chico Freeman
Chris Washburne & the Syotos Band
Chico O’Farrill Big Band
Bobby Rodriguez y Compañia
Lainie Kazan
Celia Cruz

Honor to whom honor is due – Johnny Cruz

This month I hope to be able to pay tribute to great figures of our Latin music, who have worked tirelessly for years to make our music very high.

I want to greet my great friend Larry Harlow and wish him a speedy recovery. Larry Harlow is an American artist and performer, composer and producer of Cuban son, Montuno, Afro-Cuban jazz, mambo, guaracha, cha-cha, and salsa, hailing from Brooklyn, New York. Harlow, who is known for his mix of Afro-Cuban jazz and piano playing styles, studied music in the 1950s in Cuba, but was unable to complete his studies before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, forcing him to leave the island.

The Harlow Orchestra was the first to sign with Fania Records, Harlow has also produced more than 106 albums by various artists and more than 50 albums of his own authorship, in addition to those he produced for Fania. Among his most popular albums were “Abran Paso” and “Tributo a Arsenio Rodríguez” with Ismael Miranda as the vocalist. He also appeared with La Fania All-Stars, in the film, Nuestra Cosa Latina.

Harlow recorded one of his most momentous albums in just two days. Under the simple title of Salsa, it pays homage to the Cuban roots of tropical music, combining the sound of trumpets and trombones with two violins that evoke the aesthetics of the charanga of groups such as Orquesta Aragón.

With “The portfolio”, a version of a song by Arsenio Rodríguez, Harlow finds his greatest success. Thanks to the singers Adalberto Santiago and Junior González, the nickname “the wonderful Jew” arises. In 1972, salsa was in full swing. Larry Harlow, meditates on a musical concept for the Afro-Caribbean music market. Inspired by the success of the Anglo-Saxon opera, “Tommy”, Harlow was preparing for the launch of a similar concept, aimed at the salsa market.

For 1973 the opera Hommy, using the lyrics of Heny Álvarez, tells the story of a boy who, although blind and deaf, had a great talent for percussion. The outstanding musicians of the time and singers such as Justo Betancourt, Cheo Feliciano, Adalberto Santiago, Junior González, Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez and Celia Cruz joined.

The combination of musicians and voices achieved its goal with a recording that established a lecture in the history of Afro-Caribbean music with a radiant exhibition that captured the airwaves and the imagination of the salsa audience. The songs “Es un Varón”, “El Día De Navidad”, “Quirinbomboro”, “Gracia Divina”, “Cari-Caridad” and “Soy Sensacional” were undoubted radio hits that became themes of dance and discussion among all the salseros.

It was the first time that an opera, Spanish-speaking, and in the salsa guild, was directed to the populace. Salsa got dressed up and that legacy opened the doors for the Afro-Caribbean musical tradition to now visit the most prestigious venues in the world.

That is the legacy of “Hommy”, one of the best recordings of the time, which brought together the best musicians of the moment in an expression that transcended time; and, in turn, he brought Celia Cruz to the salsa market and placed her in a seat of honor which she never left. But more importantly, “Hommy” took Salsa to a new place among audiences. What a contribution from Larry Harlow!

I also want to send my regards and appreciation to Ralph Irizarry. Recognized as one of the timpanists with the greatest “swing”, Ralph Irizarry has a distinctive style that has allowed him to leave an indelible mark in the groups where he has played. Born in Harlem Latino New Yorker, Ralph is a self-taught musician who learned his trade by listening to his brother’s records and the music of his idols in nightclubs, where he used to sneak into when he was 16 years old.

His family moved to Puerto Rico when Ralph was in his teens; There he acquired his first professional experiences with La Terrífica, El Gran Combo, La Sonora Ponceña and many other groups. After three years on the island, Ralph returned to New York, where he began playing with local groups.

One winter night in 1978, he met the legendary Ray Barreto at Manhattan’s Corso Nightclub and began a productive working relationship that would result in five extraordinary recordings. Ralph has recorded with David Byrne, Paul Simon, Harry Belafonte, Earl Klugh, Juan Luis Guerra, Cachao, Celia Cruz and Yomo Toro, although he is widely recognized for his musical relationship with Rubén Blades and Seis Del Solar, with whom he remained. recording and performing internationally for 13 years.

His musical contributions have also been fundamental in the recording of two Latin jazz albums made by Seis del Solar for the Messidor Records label. Currently, he is one of the most sought after musicians who has kept working on commercials and film and television soundtracks.

His charisma also allowed him to develop an unexpected acting career: he acted in The Mambo Kings, playing the role of Pito Fernández. In the summer of 1996, Ralph participated along with Tito Puente in the show Master Timbaleros, presented at S.O.B.’s in New York. This historic concert was the culmination of 26 years of dedication, practice, and love of music. He founded the group Timbalaye, a septet with a strong big band sound.

The group combines contemporary Latin jazz with diverse tropical rhythms (timba and songo) and traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms (bomba, cha cha chá and son montuno). Their innovative sound has allowed the group to perform weekly at various venues in New York. Among his most recent projects is a recording at Birdland for a compilation to be released by the RCA Records label. Timbalaye is considered the force of Latin jazz. My hug and respect to you Ralph!

I am happy to express my gratitude and admiration to a powerful woman, Director of Taínos Tower and Vice President of the Museum of Salsa: María Cruz.

María Cruz was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. In 1966 she came to New York looking for new opportunities. While studying at Manhattan Community College, she began working with the East Harlem Pilot Block Redevelopment Project. Although she may have had no idea at the time, that job was the beginning of her career as a community activist and advocate for social services. As a community worker at the East Harlem Pilot Block, she helped design and offer a tenant orientation in preparation for the occupation at Taino Towers.

Later, she became a Building Representative and worked with tenants regarding apartment issues, rent, social service issues, and Section 8. Maria Cruz has been involved in many community activities:

From 1984 to 1989; She served as president of the Tenants Association of her apartment building. She was vice president of the East Harlem Little League Baseball organization. In her spare time, she organized bus trips for neighborhood children to amusement parks and ball games. Encouraged and assisted several tenants to return to school and continue their education, so that they can be trained and empowered to return to the workforce and leave Public Assistance. Ms. Cruz earned her RAM (Registered Apartment Manager) certificate from NYU and is registered as a Certified Leasing Professional.

Currently, Ms. Cruz is the Executive Director of ARCO Management Inc. / Taino Towers. She has always been a strong activist for the community. In the summer of 1999, Ms. Cruz organized the first annual Taino Family Day. Day in which all residents and members of the East Harlem community participate and celebrate a day of unity. On Taino Family Day, residents rent “kioscos” food stalls and sell various ethnic foods, dance to the rhythm of various musical bands, and children enjoy activities such as face painting, puppet theater, and a petting zoo.

Each year, Ms. Cruz focuses on a different topic such as: education, music, tributes, and family values. As Executive Director, one of her greatest accomplishments was the renovation of the Touro College building. She is currently a board member of the East Harlem Council for Human Services and works closely with local politicians and representatives.

In 2002, Ms. Cruz along with Irving “Magic” Johnson opened the Magic Johnson Computer Learning Center. This program provides computer classes to Taino Towers and the East Harlem Community. As Executive Director, she was also able to oversee the completion of the Senior Park at Taino Towers.

In the summer of 2003, voted by the majority of the tenants, the Park for the elderly was renamed the Maria Cruz Park for the elderly. In September 2019, she was honored with the Eugenio María de Hostos Award from the Puerto Rican National Association for her commitment to the East Harlem Community. People like Mrs. Cruz are exemplary citizens of the Latino community in the United States, and in New York.

Do not stop listening to the new single: “Gracias”, and the first solo production of Papo Rosario, produced by the arranger and musician Isidro Infante. Rosario is grateful to be alive and to be able to walk after being bedridden as a result of a car accident. Papo Rosario is a world-class artist who has put the name of Puerto Rico high. Rosario, withdrew in 2019 from the group considered the “university of salsa”, El Gran combo de Puerto Rico, after having an accident and presenting health problems. Now, he affirms that he already feels ready to resume his musical career with the launch of his first solo production by producer Isidro Infante. Much success in this new stage.

I highly recommend that you follow the track of Quintero’s Salsa Project, a Venezuelan salsa group based in New York, nominated for a Latin Grammy and led by cousins Luisito and Roberto Quintero, released an album in which they pay tribute to the work of La Dimensión Latina, the orchestra that represented a before and after in the history of this musical genre in Venezuela.

The band wanted to go back to the 60s to remember that particular style with which La Dimensión Latina championed Venezuelan salsa: “Many of the world’s salsa players and Venezuelans identify with this rhythm. We, the Quintero, have always been loyal fans of these great teachers. With this album we wish to pay tribute to those who today are a world icon of salsa ”, they said through their networks. “Ya tú lo verás”, promotional single from the album composed by Oscar D’León, was arranged by the legendary trombonist and director of La Dimensión Latina, César Monges, better known as “Albóndiga”.

The album is the second released by Quintero’s Salsa Project, following their debut project, Nuestro Hogar, which was nominated for the 2019 Latin Grammy for Best Salsa Album. In that same ceremony, Luisito Quintero, one of the great Venezuelan percussionists who make a professional life in the United States, received the gramophone as a member of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, which was recognized for his Anniversary album as Best Latin Tropical Album. Quintero is also a member of the group of the great pianist Chick Corea. Do not miss it!

The invitation to tune in to the new Fm / Internet radio station on Live365.com continues: Salsagallery. Good music, interviews with the artists and much more.

At the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery Museum we are happy to say that we are gradually returning to our activities and we will be opening the gallery sporadically. We do not stop, we continue to work for our music and we will always keep you informed through our social networks. We hope to have more news shortly and that we can return to normal soon.

***By Johnny Cruz, ISM Correspondents,* *New York, New York City***

Vicentico Valdés “The elastic voice” of Bolero in Cuba and the Caribbean

“The earrings that the moon lacks I have kept to make you a necklace”.

Vicente Valdés was born in the neighborhood of Cayo Hueso, Havana, on January 10, 1921. He was the younger brother of Alfredito Valdés (1908-1988), a versatile singer who performed with numerous sones groups, ensembles and orchestras in Cuba until, around 1940, he settled outside Cuba, mainly in New York and Mexico, where he continued his artistic career.

Two of Vicente’s other brothers, Marcelino and Oscar, stood out as percussionists, and the latter also as a singer in the Irakere group.

Also known as “La voz elástica” Vicentico is one of the most celebrated interpreters of the bolero with a great interpretative strength and dramatization in his performance for the benefit of couples in love who enjoy his songs to this day.

Valdés was part of “El Septeto Nacional”, the orchestra of Cheo Belén Puig, “La Cosmopolita”, the orchestras of Noro Morales, Arturo Núñez and Tito Puente,

In 1937, recommended by Alfredo, Vicentico sang for a short time with the Segundo Septeto Nacional, a group that had been founded to share the multiple artistic commitments that the renowned Septeto Nacional of Ignacio Piñeiro received at that time. He was also a member of the sones sextet Jabón Candado.

Vicentico Valdés La voz elástica del Bolero en Cuba

Later, he replaced Alfredo as a singer in the orchestra of Cheo Belén Puig, one of the most famous Cuban groups of the charanga format. Later, he joined the jazz band Cosmopolita, led by Vicente Viana and later by pianist and composer Humberto Suárez.

Together with Marcelino Guerra Rapindey and Cristóbal Dobal, among others, he was part of the sextet Los Leones.

In the mid-1940s, due to the difficult economic situation in Cuba after World War II, Vicentico, like many other Cuban artists of the time, went to Mexico to explore new horizons for his work in music.

In the Mexican capital he performed with Humberto Cané’s conjunto Tropical, and the orchestras of Arturo Núñez, Rafael de Paz and Chucho Rodríguez, with whom he later recorded with Benny Moré. In those years he received his first ovations on the stage of the Follies.

In Mexico, between 1946 and 1947, he made recordings for the Peerless label, backed by the orchestras of the Mexican Rafael de Paz and the Cuban Absalón Pérez.

The repertoire chosen for these records consisted almost entirely of guarachas, afros and sones montunos, which had been popularized in Cuba by Orlando Guerra Cascarita with the Orquesta Casino de la Playa.

Vicentico was hired as a singer of the musical group of the Puerto Rican pianist Noro Morales in New York at the end of 1947. In that city he had a successful season at the Hispanic Theater which, according to the chronicles of the time, “consecrated him in the taste of the Latin community”. He also performed at the Million Dollars, Park Plaza and Puerto Rico theaters.

In 1948 he joined Tito Puente’s orchestra as a singer, along with his brother Alfredo. With Puente he recorded his first boleros (among them “Quiéreme y verás”, by José Antonio Méndez) for the Seeco label. Until then he had been used mainly as an interpreter of upbeat numbers. With Tito Puente he made numerous recordings throughout his career.

In 1953, the Seeco record company promoted a group of recordings with the Sonora Matancera, which had great repercussion in Cuba, where he was hardly known, and in other Caribbean countries.

Among the pieces recorded in Havana in November of that year were two boleros (“Una aventura”, by Elisa Chiquitica Méndez and “Decídete mi amor”, by José Antonio Méndez), a genre in which he achieved the greatest triumphs of his career.

From then on, in New York, with great studio orchestras conducted by René Hernández, Joe Cain, and later Charlie and Eddie Palmieri, he made new recordings that were quickly distributed throughout Latin America.

Their repertoire during this stage (early 1960s) included boleros and songs by authors of different tendencies and styles; the Cubans René Touzet, Javier Vázquez, José Antonio Méndez, Piloto y Vera, Pepé Delgado, Juan Pablo Miranda, Marta Valdés and the Rigual brothers; the Puerto Ricans Silvia Rexach, Myrta Silva and Rafael Hernández; the Dominicans Rafael Solano and Manuel Troncoso; and the Mexicans Manuel Prado, Luis Demetrio and Armando Manzanero.

Vicente Valdés y La Oquesta de Bobby Valentin

La Sonora Matancera among others no less important. He also excelled in other genres such as Mambo, Guaguancó, Son and Guaracha.

He was an exceptional singer with a particular style that set the standard and also spread the best Latin American bolero composers, particularly those of the Cuban Feeling, of which he was a valuable promoter at an international level. His career as a soloist was impeccable.

He died in a New York hospital on the morning of June 26, 1995, according to a heart attack.

Source: En Caribe

Sonora Matancera