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Déjalo, the latest track by Pedro Conga y su Orquesta Internacional

The song -composed by Pablito Ruiz- is catchy and brings us the essential style of the orchestra with the renewed touch added by singer Pedro Blasini.

Pedro Conga y su Orquesta Internacional

Within the first 16 seconds, Rafael ‘Bodo’ Torres on piano and Pedro Perez on bass create a lively and energetic musical introduction, perfectly arranged by Roberto Perez.

Twenty seconds after the melody starts, Pedro Blasini’s voice enters accompanied by the timbales in a hushed tone.

Through this recording, Pedro Blasini establishes himself as the lead vocalist of the International Orchestra of his uncle, the notable percussionist: Pedro Conga.

The arrangement combines musical intricacy with the required flexibility to captivate listeners searching for love dramas in the salsa de golpe scene. And when it comes to beats and cuts, within the first ten seconds of the opening minute, Jan Duclerc’s unique trumpet cut fuses seamlessly with Pedro Conga’s tumbadora, creating the perfect harmony to complement the lead vocal.

At the 1:30 mark, José Joel Díaz introduces his timbal cymbal with subtlety, underlining the prominence of the conga. Raúl Díaz’s bongó delivers consistent accompaniment, providing a masterclass in both rhythm section perfection and percussion timing.

From the 1:40 mark onwards, the harmonies of Charlie Cruz, Nino Segarra, Alejandro Villegas, and Blasini himself shine.

At minute 2:34, “Bodo’s” piano collaborates with Pedro Perez’s bass to demonstrate their musical partnership, resulting in exceptional musical performances.

The vocalist harmonizes well with the tumbadora, as the drumbeat establishes its presence from the very first minute and gradually intensifies until, during the lead-up to the third minute of the song, the coordination between the lead’s tumbadora and Héctor Morales’s trombone unequivocally proves that (as they say in Puerto Rico) “there is no one for anyone.”

It is clear that there are no bounds to the experience and innovation behind the musical production led by Julio “Gunda” Merced, Rafael “Bodo” Torres, and Santo Santiago.

Pedro Conga, a Puerto Rican musician, displays his exceptional talent through his music.

He was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico. He explains that he received the pseudonym “Conga” during the years he spent accompanying Justo Betancour. Betancour bestowed the name upon him due to his prodigious talent on the congas. Pedro “Conga” subsequently established himself as a master, doing invaluable work in fostering the growth of SALSA. His orchestra was privileged to welcome vocalists of the highest caliber, including:

He carried out this mission with unmatched finesse and superior quality.

Anthony Cruz, Tito Rojas (“El Gallo de la Salsa”), Ismael Ruiz (“Maelo”), Rafy Cruz, and Edgardo Diaz.

Among his songs are “Pienso en ti,” “Tú me niegas tanto amor,” “No te quites la ropa,” “Quiero volver,” “Te quiero amor,” and “Si supiras,” among others that have become salsa classics.

The productions he created with his orchestra achieved great success not just in Puerto Rico, but also in the United States, Europe, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Peru.

Furthermore, he has received international acclaim for his productions due to the versatility and freshness showcased in each album.

Pedro Conga is renowned in the music industry for his ability to blend rhythm, flavor, and emotion into a single composition.

Also Read: Ray Barretto Giant Force y A Conguero’s Conguero

Yani Borrell ”El Elegante de La Salsa”

How Yani became the artist he is now

We were fortunate to speak with the Cuban singer based in Canada, Yani Borrell, who has been kind enough to spare us a few minutes of his busy schedule to reveal unpublished details of his beginnings in music, departure from Cuba, arrival in Canada, current projects, among other things.

Then these were the most important issues that came up in the conversation we had with the artist for a little over half an hour.

Cuban singer Yani — This is Yani Borrell, a famous Cuban singer based in Canada

Grupo Constitución

Yani joined Grupo Constitución being just a 17-year-old. In his native city of Camagüey, there was a small square where concerts were held and Grupo Constitución used to rehearse there. One day, the young man was going through the place and was struck by what the musicians were doing at that moment.

Suddenly, the musical director asked the vocalist to make a little more complex melody, but failed. However, Yani perceived the sound and reproduced it with his lips loudly. That got the music director’s attention so much that he asked the young man to come over and show the singer what he had done.

When he repeated it, the musical director of the group was so fascinated that he asked her to join them. This is how Yani began to study music to a more professional level and to hold the necessary auditions to be able to belong to an orchestra in Cuba (this was a mandatory requirement in the country to belong to a musical group).

After attracting the attention of other groups due to his talent, Yani was contacted by a more renowned orchestra, Yani decided to leave Grupo Constitución and go with his new companions to seize this new opportunity that life had to offer.

Making music in Cuba

We know that the political and economic situation in Cuba has been complicated for some decades, so we wanted to know how Yani lived these years in his native country while devoting himself to music.

That’s when he started telling us that he had to live through the terrible Special Period, one of the worst crises experienced by the island, so logically he did not have the necessary resources to devote himself fully to his passion and put aside any other job at that time.

Yani on stage — Yani Borrell performing on stage

This is because Yani thought that being in a mildly famous orchestra would bring him the benefits he was looking for, but unfortunately, it was not so. Rather, he was really struck with the difficult reality that sometimes performances and concerts were paid several months later.

Yani and many of his colleagues had to borrow in order to survive and wait for the pay day to settle the debts with those same people. This situation persisted for quite some time until he could work for an orchestra established for tourism, with which payments were a little more regular.

However, she had to make a living doing other activities outside the world of the arts. In his case, Yani was self-employed and even had a small mobile coffee shop where he sold sandwiches. At the same time, he studied music and worked with some orchestras, since it was impossible to live only from music.

The first level orchestras that toured internationally always pursued better financial compensation for their musicians, but salaries were still insufficient to alleviate the crisis experienced in Cuba.

Moving to Canada, Toronto

The process to live Cuba and move to Canada was extremely hard. Yani had already toured the North American country for some time, in fact, he was in about 25 Canadian cities during his tours, so he already knew the territory quite well.

Before the second tour he would do in that country with his orchestra of the day, the artist was very clear that he was going to ”defect from Cuba” (that is how the act of leaving the country at the first opportunity is called in Cuba).

While it is true that his standard of living had improved considerably with this international orchestra, this did not offer the stability he wanted, so he resigned from the group, decided to stay and live permanently in Canada and start a new life.

Today, he is completely satisfied with the results of his decisions and knows very well that he has done the right things for his career and his life in general.

Yani on radio — Yani Borrell during a radio interview

Adaptation to the Toronto music scene

One of the hardest decisions was already made, but there were still some challenges to overcome. He had to face language and cultural barriers in order to stand ut and make a place in the city’s Latin music scene.

At the same time, he worked in factories and even start his own business. He says there were times when he did not even sleep because he played with several local orchestras at the same time, so dividing his time between each of them was a titanic task. However, all the effort paid off.

After being with one of the most renowned orchestras in the area, Yani realized it was time to create his own project, which he called Yani Borrell & The Clave Kings.

After all this, he began to be prompted by a group of people who wanted to help him and pushed him to keep growing, thanks to which he released his first solo album in 2013.

C.W. Entertainment

The artist management company C.W. Entertainment was very important in Yoni’s growth as an artist, because at one point it joined forces with the artist and boosted his career to such an extent that this team made him one of the most important salsa artists of the time in Canada. So much was the support that it was this label that filmed his first two music videos.

Although he no longer works with that company for a year and a half, Yani assures that he still has an excellent relationship with its team and thanks these people for everything they have done for him.

Today, the Cuban already has his own record label and is entirely independent in this aspect.

Yani Borrell receiving recognition at the Caribbean Music and Entertainment Awards

El Elegante de La Salsa (The Elegance of Salsa)

One of the names by which Yani Borrell has been known throughout his career is ”El Elegante de La Salsa” due to his style when singing in this genre and the use of formal wear in concerts.

Regarding the story of how the nickname came about, it was precisely a social communicator who was very well liked in the city of Toronto, constantly interviewed the Cuban singer and started refering to him as ”the heartthrob”.

However, this journalist was the host of the concert in which Yani released his album and referred to him as ”El Galán de La Salsa” (The Salsa Heartthrob) at the moment of presenting him to the public.

From there, the public started refering to him as ”el galán” and ”el elegante”, which led one of his managers to tell him to start calling himself ”El Elegante de La Salsa”.

Future performances

Recently the nominees for the Latino de Oro Music Award have been announced, among which Yoni Borrell appears as one of the nominees for the ”Impact Singer with International Projection” category.

This was news that Yoni received with great pleasure due to so many years of effort to lift his artistic career. This and each one of the recognitions that the artist has received throughout his career has made him feel very proud and sure that he is on the right path.

He also revealed for the first time that he will be one of the artists invited to perform on stage that day to animate the event in the city of León, Spain.

To end the conversation, Yoni finished giving a message to Cuban musicians in which he said that they should always focus on discipline, which he defined as ”the mother of perfection”. He also invited these same young people not to despair and to be constant, since this career is an endurance race, not a marathon.

Arabella la Sonera Mayor de Colombia in her Callejón on a Sunday in Barrio with Chico Matanza

Born on June 5th, Arabella, “La Sonera Mayor”, is from Bogota, Colombia.

Arabella With her first name “María Margarita Pinillos”, she is an excellent Salsa singer and composer who shined in the 70’s and 80’s with her record productions, whose consecration and fame, however, was not in her native country but in Venezuela.

His Caribbean music song that made him famous was “Callejón” and he stayed in Venezuela for a while.

In 1972 he settled in Venezuela, it was in this country where he managed to strengthen his career and achieve the great success he had, he recorded several albums in the company of great artists of the time. In 78 and 79 he formed a group called “Los Maraqueros”, with which he could freely make the music he really wanted to make, Cuban music of Trio Matamoros and Puerto Rico.

She felt great interest in music from a very early age, however she did not contemplate from that time to make professional music, it was until she was 13 years old that a friend enrolled her without prior consultation in a radio contest of the time called “Orquídea de Plata Phillips”.

But because she was not prepared she was disqualified, however as a result she was recommended to participate in the television contest “Michel Talento” the first contest for amateurs of Colombian television. From that contest she went on to be hired at the Tequendama Hotel, the most important hotel of the time, as the first woman to sing vallenatos at the Salón Monserrate with the company of accordionist Ángel Martínez.

Arabella la Sonera Mayor de Colombia in her Callejón on a Sunday in Barrio with Chico Matanza

Arabella’s name was born from the fact that they used to tell her that she resembled a model that visited Colombia who unfortunately committed suicide, her pianist suggested her to adopt that name as her artistic name and she accepted.

Considered for many years as the natural successor of Celia Cruz, and Celia said that Arabella was her successor due to her extraordinary vocal quality.

She settled in Caracas-Venezuela since 1982, obtaining success in Salsa thanks to the advice of the great announcer Phidias Danilo Escalona.

In her beginnings she formed her own group called “Los Maraqueros”, she also recorded with Pacho Galán and with “Los Hijos del Rey” of the Dominican Wilfrido Vargas in which she recorded 4 merengues in a trip she made to the Dominican Republic, Wilfrido himself located her to record with him and they were hits the theme Corazón, Corazón de Julio Iglesia.

Los Armónicos de Manolo Monterrey, Chucho Sanoja y su orquesta, Willy Pérez and with the Megatones de Lucho.

With the groups that accompanied him as a salsa soloist.

It is worth mentioning that the song “Mi Vida es Cantar” immortalized by Ursula Hilaria de la Caridad Cruz, “La Guarachera del Mundo”, the queen of salsa, was composed by Arabella, who gave it to the eternal Cuban and salsa luminary.

For a while she lived in Puerto Rico where she decided to become a musical show businesswoman, with this company she traveled to several Latin American countries with first class singers: Marvin Santiago, Oscar de Leon, Ismael Miranda, among others.

She finally announced her retirement from music after recording “La Musiquita” and “Yo te Vi”. After her retirement she moved to Miami, United States with her daughter, Margarita decided to dedicate herself to take care of her beloved daughter, her home and two cats and two dogs that are her favorites.

DISCOGRAPHY

– Más Allá Del Sabor (1990)

– Mi Son Es Un Misterio (1987)

– Puro Trópico (1987)

– La Musiquita (1987)

– Arabella (1985)

– Sabor Y Raza (1982)

– La Simpatiquisima (1980)

– Encontré Mi Amor (1979)

– Arabella (1978)

– Nelson Martinez y Arabella (1976)

– Nelson Martinez / Arabella Y Su Combo Tropical (1974)

SINGLES & EPs

– I Was Your Hunt (1990)

– Amiga La Vida / Sin Dejarte De Amar (1987)

– Mi Son Es Un Misterio / Mentiras (1986)

– Zape Pa’ Lla / Mentira (1986)

– Mentiras / Panamá (1985)

– Chico Matanza / Nu Sueño Mas (1982)

– Pal Campo/Mucho, Poquito, Nada (1978)

– Hija De Nadie (Flor Del Mal) / Arepas

– Domingo En El Barrio / Chico Matanza

– Mentiras / Espejismo

– Tómame Que Tómame / Con La Vara Que Midas (Take Me That Take Me / With The Rod That Midas)

Source:

William Aramburen Salsa Ephemeris

@arabellalasoneramayor

Also Read: Betsy Colombian Salsa, Bolero and Son Cubano Singer

José Madera Niño & his 3rd his World

Latin América / Venezuela / Caracas

José Madera Niño “The records and the radio were my first teachers”

Soon he will premiere his second production entitled Matices, with the promotional song Canta Sonero.

A creator, a great human being, this is José Madera Niño, this Colombian-Venezuelan musician, self-taught, percussionist, composer and plastic artist; who after participating in different groups decides to form his own Orchestra, José Madera Niño & 3er Mundo, assures that his passion for music began when he was very young, following the example of his father, uncle and his older brothers, defines his songs as “simple and diaphanous”. He confesses that our salsa genre, “needs to feed on new things, unpublished songs, in short, proposals, and that the music lover is the one who decides if it is good or not”; As the chorus of one of their songs says, let them be the ones to speak and express their emotions.

His first record production De amor, desamor y rumba, contains 8 songs, of which 6 are his own, with the participation of leading Venezuelan musicians; in this work he presents us with an innovative style, where he sings to love, to spite and invites us to dance to the rhythm of the conga that is in fashion. In each composition, everyday life is reflected, the adventures and misadventures that music lovers make their own, a work made of guava trees and poetic joys.

Soon he will launch his second record production with a very striking name; Nuances, something that in his words “makes him very happy”, where there is no doubt, his gift as an artist will be present and a motley of musicians with a great career who will put the final touch on his new production.

How did you start in music?

“I remember that at the age of seven, I was drawing a lot, on paper, on the walls and on whatever came my way. My older brothers already showed an interest in music, so instruments began to arrive at the house. While I drew they practiced and when they went to school I took possession of a drum and a radio, I tried to accompany all the rhythms I heard on the stations”.

Was your training professional or are you a self-taught musician?

“Autodidact. I entered the school of plastic arts, to study drawing and painting, at the age of fourteen. There I saw nine subjects, also I started at the high school where I saw nine more subjects, so there was no space to study music. I listened to a lot, yes. Records and the radio were my first teachers”.

Tell us about your experience with Orlando Poleo?

“In a self-taught way, almost without realizing it, I began to play with different groups and orchestras, I was already in trouble, so on the fly, I decided to take theory and solfeggio classes at the headquarters of the Musical Association. On a Caracas night I was playing with La Orquesta Ideal and there I met Williams Hernández -Percussionist and manufacturer of Latin percussion instruments-. It was he who recommended that I attend the workshop in Sarria where the teacher Orlando Poleo taught. The experience there at the beginning was a bit traumatic because although I already had time playing congas, I didn’t have the ideal technique. I had to get rid of what I learned on my own and put new ways into practice. It was not easy but I am very grateful to have passed through the school of Grand Master Poleo”.

Where does your musical vein and passion for painting come from?

“My father was a bolero singer back in his native Colombia, my uncle was a guitarist. That’s where the taste for music comes from.”

What motivated you to make your first production, in a market so Competitive and often poorly supported by the media?

“I was motivated by a passion for music and by that need to contribute at least one point of view, a way of doing things. For example, I think that this genre that we love, called Salsa, needs to feed on new things, unpublished songs, in short, proposals and that it is the music lover who decides if it is good or not”.

What is the reason for the name of the group; 3rd world?

“That’s where we are, that’s where we come from. This is how they classified the countries of our region and we assumed them without complexes or pride. I think it’s just a title that doesn’t detract from our ability to do great things. Baptizing the band with that name was an act of rebellion, it shows a little that despite many limitations we are capable of making quality music”.

Why the name De Amor, Desamor y Rumba?

“There were many hours of recording, then editing, then came the art of the album and when we were already finalizing details, a doubt assailed me, I thought: Isn’t the selection going to be very rockolera? I started to review the production and I realized that it was balanced. We sing to spiteful love and I think it’s very danceable. From there the title was born: “Of love, lack of love and rumba”.

What inspired you to write 6 songs of your first production?

“The need to do unpublished things, on the other hand I didn’t know so many composers who wanted to risk their songs in a novel production. The language of my songs is simple and diaphanous”.

Which of the themes do you identify with, and why?

I like them all.

How would you define the 3rd world style and how do you get there?

“It’s just Salsa, without a “surname”, as it was before. It’s not erotic Salsa or hard Salsa or Nothing Salsa… Just dance music”.

Any relationship with the percussionist José Madera -the one from Tito Puente-?

“Only immense admiration for his work and the fact that like him I play percussion and have the same first and last name.”

Have you ever been interested in another musical style?

“I listen to almost everything and in my career I have had the opportunity to play other popular music rhythms such as merengue, cumbia, vallenato.”

An artist you admire?

“There are many whom I admire, it would be unfair to name just one.”

What inspires you to write a song about love or heartbreak?

“Both, in addition to the simple, everyday things.”

Define yourself in one sentence?

Creator

How does the soul see through painting or music?

The soul sees and manifests itself in the purest and most honest way through art. Call it painting, music or another related manifestation.

Tell us about your 2nd production, who participates in it?

This is something that makes me very happy because we are giving the last brushstrokes, soon, very soon my dear friends will know about this work. There are many guests.

Why nuances?

Precisely because of the variety of its guests.

The void left by Felix ”Pupi” Legarreta

Pupi’s life

Cuba has given the world a large number of artists who have left the name of the country very high, so it is always a good moment to talk about them. Such is the case of arranger, composer, singer and musician Felix ”Pupi” Legarreta, who sadly left this world last month.

Given that this great exponent of Cuban music and the charanga genre is no longer with us, we think it is a great opportunity to remember a little of his career and all the way to becoming the great artist he was.

Pupi playing the violin — Pupi Legarreta playing the violin on stage

Pupi’s childhood

Felix Legarreta was born in 1940 in the city of Cienfuegos, Cuba, and from the very early age, his father nicknamed him ”pupi”, as he would be called for the rest of his artistic life. ‘’Puppy in Spanish means ”cachorro” (a very young dog), so this pronunciation was very interesting to Americans.

Around this same time, Pupi was not really interested in music as a profession, as his thing was carpentry at the time. However, he began being affected by severe asthma attacks due to the dust used in his daily work, so it was recommended to his father to take him away and make him dedicate himself to something else that would not damage his health.

This is how the young boy decided to become a barber and met a friend with whom he started taking music lessons, which could be considered as the first contact he would have with music.

The first instrument Pupi played was the violin. He admits it was not easy to learn how to play it, but with effort and dedication, he managed to become really good at music. However, he was faced with another challenge that would complicate the realization of his new dream: lack of money.

Like the majority of families in Cuba at that time, Pupi’s was also going through a complex economic situation, so buying everything he needed for his musical training was very difficult. However, it did not stop his father from getting down to work and raising the money necessary to buy his son his first violin.

In a 2010 interview, Pupi revealed that it took his father more than two years to raise 60 pesos to buy a used violin at a pawn shop, as it was the only way he could afford the instrument for the young boy.

Pupi playing a flute — Pupi Legarreta playing a flute in a studio

Formal beginnings in music

When he decided to travel to Havana, he was given the opportunity to play Orquesta Sensación, with which he earned about eight pesos a month to cover some of his basic expenses. It was very difficult for him to live with that little, but music helped him to support himself.

However, little by little he worked his way up and earned the respect of his fellow musicians, who consider him for their own projects.

In 1959, music also allowed him to travel to the United States, specifically to the state of California, but it would not be too long before he decided to try his luck in New York. Once there, he collaborated with artists such as Mongo Santamaría, Charlie Palmieri, Johnny Pacheco, Machito, Tito Puente and many more.

Fania All Stars

In 1964, he started collaborating with the Fania All Stars, which had more than 24 instruments, including trumpets, pianos, basses, singers and more. Pupi was so shocked that he could not refuse to work with the world-famous orchestra, as this number of musicians was something he had never seen before.

In total, he recorded between five to seven albums with La Fania on which Pupi was taken into account when issuing opinions about his work. If the artist considered something was not quite right and wanted to change it, the orchestra did whatever was necessary to satisfy him with the results of the recordings.

The only criticism that the Cuban issued towards the orchestra is regarding the excessive focus on the Puerto Rican market, in fact, the vast majority of musicians were Puerto Rican. This caused them to neglect other markets that may be useful for Fania. However, this does not exclude all the positive things that came for those involved during the time this union lasted.

When his time in the orchestra ended, he was working for an electricity company in New Jersey, but his family was in Philadelphia, so he decided to move permanently to this city, where he remained till the day he died.

Album cover for Pupi — Album cover for ”Pupi Legarreta Y Su Charanga”

Death

In the afternoon of July 3, 2023, Félix ”Pupi” Legarreta’s relatives issued a statement giving the deplorable news of the artist’s death the day before at the age of 83.

His daughter Frances Legarreta posted the following on her social networks on the already mentioned day: “I announce with great sadness the death of my father, Pupi Legarreta, on July 2, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife Frances, his son Michael, his grandchildren, great-grandchildren and his daughter Otie in Puerto Rico”.

In addition to the above, he revealed that his father expressed his desire to be cremated and not to be veiled in a memorial service. She also asked that her entire family’s privacy to be respected in view of the pain that its members were going through.