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Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery and its role towards salsa

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery and Latin music

The Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery (https://salsagoogle.com/north-america/the-spaha-salsa-gallery-and-the-johnny-cruz-show-to-the-order-of-salsa/) is one of those places where every salsa lover in New York should visit since there is plenty to see here. This museum has all kinds of items donated by many renowned artists or relatives of some who had passed away. This collection of valuable possessions has resulted in a set of priceless objects that will bow anyone visiting the facilities of such a special institution out of water.

The Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery, also known as Spaha Salsa Gallery, can be defined as an institution of a cultural nature whose main purpose is to serve as a reminder of how great our culture is, especially our music. Both residents and visitors of East Harlem, New York, can learn about the salsa genre and its roots as long as they desire. All thanks to a lot of tools, information and many initiatives with which those interested will know all kinds of interesting facts about salsa first hand.

Another of the great objectives pursued by this place is the quest for knowledge about Latin music and the artists involved to offer it to anyone who decides to visit its facilities. That is why both its president Johnny Cruz and the team that helps him have been responsible for creating an inclusive and diverse gallery in which you can appreciate how far Hispanic talent has come by the hand of its top stars.

 

Johnny Cruz and Rubio Boris presenting their show

Role of the Spaha Salsa Gallery in the dissemination of Latin culture

The role played by the Spaha Salsa Gallery in the dissemination of Latin culture is very important, since these institutions are the ones that manage to arouse the interest of the inhabitants of Harlem and other nearby sectors towards one of the most representative musical genres of Latinity. This has made many other cultural institutions to use this gallery in order to awaken a higher interest in its own activities, which shows extensive cooperation between those who seek to promote anything Latin-related at all costs.

Fortunately, our work is not that complicated to carry out because too many tourists visit New York every day and many of them know that this city was the birthplace of the biggest salsa movement in history, so they are always looking for cultural sports in which you can find information about this set of rhythms and how it emerges in the public arena.

Some instruments donated by La Sonora Ponceña

Who Johnny Cruz is

Johnny Cruz is the founder of the Spaha Salsa Gallery, but there are many other facets by which this talented Puerto Rican is known in the entertainment industry. Cruz is a famous musician and record producer who has worked and make friends with a wide number of artists from all genres, by providing him with the platform to create a true sanctuary for Latin music lovers.

One interesting fact about the museum is that it is located on the plot where a hardware business owned by Johnny’s father used to function, which was made into something completely different thanks to the genius of his son long after. Today, that place contains several of the most invaluable objects in the history of salsa and whose relationship with some of the greatest figures of the genre is legendary.

Link to the official website of the Spaha Salsa gallery: spahasalsagallery.com

By: Johnny Cruz correspondent of International Salsa Magazine in New York City, New York

Imágenes Latinas, the new album by Spanish Harlem Orchestra

New album by Spanish Harlem Orchestra

The three-time Grammy winner Spanish Harlem Orchestra has an undeniable impact on the perception of the public towards music in general and this is no coincidence, as the work done its members has an unsurpassed quality.

These salsa veterans have always been characterized by looking for a raw and organic sound based on the past, something that does not prevent them from being focused on the future. On each album, they are very conscious that their main goal is to keep good music alive.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra members

How this started

Once again, the salsa orchestra shows what they are really made of in their new album Imágenes Latinas, which will surely be a hit with the band’s fans. The record label in charge of releasing this recording is Ovation Records, whose owner is Oscar Hernández, pianist, composer and founder of SHO.

It is very interesting to note that Imágenes Latinas is the result of a funding model driven by the group’s fans in exchange an advance copy of the album and even a type of executive producer credit. The release show took place on May 20 at DROM, New York. There are multiple images from the show on the group’s official social media accounts, whose members thanked those present for their support.

Oscar Hernández commented that his mission and vision is to represent the history and legacy of this music, of which he feels very lucky to be part of. He also pointed out that his commitment to the music will never end and that the group explores new dimensions without deviating from its core belief. What Hernández means is that the concept and sounds are the same, but the arrangements and shows always seek to innovate one way or another.

The new album by Spanish Harlem Orchestra Imágenes Latinas

Inspiration

The title is inspired by group Conjunto Libre, which has always been one of the main souces of inspiration for SHO. The song Imágenes Latinas was one of Conjunto Libre’s most important pieces throughout their career and talked about the evolution of the Latin American diaspora in history. SHO seeks to give a touch of modernity to the song and introduce some contemporary arrangements while respecting its original essence.

A noteworthy aspect of Imágenes Latinas is that the group travels through various moods and styles, showing the vast experience of all its musicians in each piece. A great example of this is Mi Amor Sincero, which starts with the typical sounds of the bolero until becoming a joyful cha-cha that surprises anyone who will listen. These sorts of transitions from one style to the other can be found throughout the work and its brilliant interpretations.

The album is a true reflection of SHO’s career, which is still seen as one of the leading salsa ensembles even after all these years. The quality of their work has not decreased in the least, quite the opposite. Its members continue to risk breaking ground and experiment with the novelty of music without losing focus of who they are.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra performing on stage

The Salsera Fiesta Returns To Rome

The wait is over and Fiesta opens its doors with a new season of Latin concerts during the summer

Festival Fiesta has been the point of reference in Italy for Latin American concerts and events for 27 years.

Since 1995 the Fiesta club has been the point of reference for Latin American culture in Italy during summer nights in Rome.

Fiesta is located in the Rosati Tourist Park (Parco Rosati -Eur) and has an area of ​​5,000 square meters with a capacity of 3,500 people. Its distribution consists of an outdoor music room equipped with a stage with a led wall for live music and two dance rooms for different musical styles (Salsa, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Bachata, Rumba, Merengue, Timba, reggae, and reggaeton).

“The objective of this festival is to build a permanent cultural bridge between Italy and Latin American citizens living in Rome, promoting the value of integration between peoples and respecting different identities.” Fragment extracted from the website. https://fiestafestival.it/

In this regard, the artistic director Mansur Naziri expressed the following: “Over the years I have witnessed several changes in the audience of Fiesta. Now, we have reached the new generations, those the children of immigrants who were born in Italy feel Italian but still keep their traditions alive, even through music. Next to them are the Italians who dancing and listening to Latin songs have also learned a little Spanish, giving life to a beautiful cultural fusion…”

The most representative Salsa artists who have come to this evocative stage of the Eternal City have been Celia Cruz, Los Van Van, Rubén Blades, Gilberto Santarosa, Tito Puente, Oscar D’ León, and Marc Anthony, among many others.

This year the club with its Fiesta festival will continue to offer the best of the Latin music scene from the traditional to the most current. Here are the Salsa artists who will be performing in the cool of Rome’s nights from June to August.

PUPY Y LOS QUE SON SON

Pupy was the pianist in the Revé Orchestra

The Cuban traditional music orchestra created and directed by the pianist, composer, and director César Pedroso Fernández better known as “Pupy” will be performing on Wednesday, June 1st, and tickets don’t exceed €17.

Pupy is recognized for being one of the most important figures in Timba and traditional Cuban music. He participated in two emblematic orchestras during his career: Orquesta Revé and Los Van Van. In this last-mentioned band, he was one of the founders along with his partner and friend Juan Formell.

After 32 years of artistic career, on October 4th, 2001, he formed his band Pupy y Los Que Son Son. Its name derives from the recognition of “Son” as a musical genre where his roots come from, and the style of the band is the fusion of the different instrumental formats with the “Tumbao”.

HAVANA D’PRIMERA

Alexander Abreu spent his childhood in Cienfuegos city (Cuba), where he began playing the trumpet at ten years old.

The band of more than ten musicians created in 2008 and founded by the Cuban trumpeter, singer, and composer Alexander Abreu will take the Fiesta stage on Friday, June 3rd, and you can get the ticket for €30.

Alexander Abreu has become one of the most versatile and acclaimed Cuban musicians in Afro-Cuban music. “I have always seen Havana D’Primera with 15 people on stage, and everyone said that it was impossible, that it would be too expensive, too difficult to move… It is how we started: 14 or 15 of us and a lot of positive energy, now we are stronger than ever.” Abreu commented.

Havana D’Primera’s first album is Haciendo Historia released in 2009, followed by Cantor del Pueblo (2018), A Romper el Coco (2019), and Será que se acabó (2021).

LOS VAN VAN

Los Van Van was the first Cuban group to replace a solo singer with a vocal quartet.

The musical orchestra founded by Juan Formell in Havana (Cuba) in December 1969 will arrive on Saturday, August 6th. They will present their fusion of Cuban Son, Jazz, and Rock with the incorporation of percussion, trombones, keyboards, electronic violins, flutes, bass, and drums for a rhythmic and harmonic sound that complements the quartet of voices, and you can get tickets for a value of €30.

Prince Royce Returns To European Stages With Classic Tour

The young Bachata idol will celebrate more than a decade of experience with a series of concerts in the Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, and Switzerland

Royce recorded “My Angel” a single that was part of the soundtrack of the sequel Fast and Furious 7.

The internationally famous Latin superstar, Prince Royce, will tour Europe with five concerts called the Classic Tour in which he will perform his greatest hits and most recent singles in a unique and special environment celebrating his ten years of artistic career.

The tour will cover the five most important cities in Europe starting on June 6th at the Zénith multipurpose indoor stadium in Paris (France), he will go through Madrid (Spain) with Las Noches del Botánico on Friday, June 24th, after he will be in the city of Zurich (Switzerland) on June 25th, will continue at the Fiesta festival in Rome (Italy) on July 2nd, and of course, will end his visit to Europe by closing the Pal Mundo Latin-Caribbean Festival in The Hague (Netherlands) on July 3rd.

“EUROPE! See you this summer on the #PRClassicTour to sing all my classics. I’m crazy to see them again!” The singer of Dominican descent expressed this on May 4th through his Facebook account.

Tickets for the Classic Tour range from €40 to €100, and you can purchase them online through his official website. https://www.princeroyce.com/

The last stop to see Prince Royce in concert on the European continent will be at the Pal Mundo Festival in The Hague, a city located in the west of the Netherlands. Here, nature and the Latin world will come together for the first time in the huge urban park in the middle of the city, Zuiderpark, located at 2533 SP, Den Haag/The Hague.

Pal Mundo will take place during the first weekend of July, and it will have approximately 50,000 attendees from all over Europe who will enjoy urban and Afro-Caribbean music, dance to Latin rhythms, and broaden their culinary tastes with typical food of the South American and the Caribbean Islands.

Geoffrey Royce Rojas de León was born on May 11th, 1989, in the Bronx (New York).

Continuing in the same tone, Prince Royce, the artistic name of Geoffrey Royce Rojas, in the last decade has obtained almost 100 million followers on his social networks, 22 world hits on radio charts, 24 Billboard Awards, 20 Premios lo Nuestro, 19 Premios Juventud, 6 Latin AMAs, and 14 Latin Grammy® nominations.

In the last eight years, this 33-year-old artist has collaborated with Selena Gómez on the hit Already Missing You, Gerardo Ortiz (Moneda), Shakira (Deja Vu), Gente de Zona and Arturo Sandoval (Tumbao), Zendaya (X), Marc Anthony (Adicto), Thalia (You Lost My Love), Daddy Yankee (Come With Me), and more recently Natti Natasha (Antes Que Salga El Sol), Mau y Ricky (Doctor), and the single that trended on the global YouTube chart along with María Becerra released on March 4th, Te Espero.

This New Yorker artist has six studio albums: Prince Royce (2010), his debut album, with which he rocketed up the popularity list with songs like Stand By Me and Corazón Sin Cara. His next record production was Phase II (2012) and was followed by Soy El Mismo (2013), Double Vision (2015), Five (2017), and his last recording to date Alter Ego (2020). This sixth album released on February 7th contains two discs “Genesis” and “Enigma” for a total of 23 songs. The genres that you will find in this compilation discs are Salsa, Bachata, Latin Pop, Reggaeton, and Trap.

“I’m excited to share Classic Tour with all my fans, who have been there for me unconditionally since the beginning of my career”… I’m still here thanks to all of you, and this tour is for you. I am full of gratitude.” Prince Royce