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Incredible conversation with Luis Medina

Good afternoon, everyone. We are here with broadcaster, DJ and event producer Luis Medina. Mr. Medina, how are you today?  

I am well and ready to talk to you right now.

Mr. Medina, you have a very long career as a radio presenter. You got started in this business in 1974. What led you to spend so much time in your career on the radio? 

In 1971 I was studying architecture at San Francisco State University, but in 1974 I changed my major to broadcasting and communications in the Department of Radio and Television. When I was a kid, I was always fascinated by broadcasters on TV with their microphones. My parents gave me a toy microphone, and I always imagined I was broadcasting. At the time I was accepted in the broadcasting program, I already loved salsa because my cousin  Stella played popular music for me since I was about 8 years old. I loved all kinds of music. At home, we always had the radio on, and my parents always listened to tropical music, which was very common at that time.

In 1974 my cousin Eduardo invited me to go to a radio station called KBRG to visit some friends who had a program called Venezuela Suya. In another studio in the station, there was a radio producer named Arturito Santiago, who was the master of ceremonies for the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico when they did dances in San Francisco hotels. When I saw him doing his job, I was intrigued. Two months later, my cousin called to tell me that he’d gotten involved in a community radio station called KPOO San Francisco and asked me if I wanted to help him with the show. I brought a stack of LPs, and we did the show from midnight until 6 am. I went a few times to help, but I could not maintain that pace because I was still in college.

A few months later, he called me to tell me that he had a show from 3pm to 6pm on Sundays. He told me he was talking to other people I knew in order to do the show together. I got a segment of 45 minutes to an hour to do whatever I wanted, so I decided to start programming salsa. I helped produce several programs until I had my own show. In 1979, while I had a four-hour show on Saturdays on KPOO, KBRG’s program director, Al Carlos Hernandez, called me. KBRG was a powerful FM station at that time. That gave me the opportunity to do a commercial show.

I am part Venezuelan and part Mexican, but I grew up in the United States. I spoke Spanish perfectly until I was five years old, but when I started school, I just wanted to speak English in school and at home. When I turned 18, I decided to get my culture back and relearn to speak Spanish again. However, I’m wasn’t completely fluent in Spanish because I have to translate mentally from English. I explained the situation to Al Carlos, and he told me that he did not care. That’s how I became the first radio announcer to do salsa programming in English on a Spanish-speaking station. The program was called Sabor Caliente and it lasted about a year and a half, until they let me go due to philosophical differences. After that, I did specials in KPFA, until Víctor Castro, who produced the program Ahora, invited me to alternate weeks with him. I produced salsa shows on KPFA from 1983 to 1995.

What Medina has to say about all his combined activities

How do you balance your radio activities and event production and your job as a DJ?  

When I was a student at San Francisco State University, I became co-director of the university’s productions to present musical acts. From 1974 to 1976 I presented acts from various genres such as rock, R&B, and jazz, among others. I also presented some salsa and Latin jazz shows, including Pete and Sheila Escovedo, who were part of Roger Glenn’s band, Benny Velarde and others. I became friends with Pete and Sheila before Sheila became Sheila E and I also worked with Pete’s brother, Coke Escovedo in the 70s.

Then I met Roberto Hernandez, who had an organization that helped produced the first major street fairs in the San Francisco Mission district together with a coalition of community agencies. I got involved with the fairs, which presented the famous singer Joe Bataan among others. It was the era of Latin rock, but salsa was also booming. I was part of the renaissance of salsa music that occurred on the radio, but I also had the opportunity to play an influential role in the community in the Mission. In 1977, the Mission Cultural Center opened in a furniture store ran by artists that were organizing it. I became part of the music committee and we presented performances and salsa groups that were growing in fame at that time. I was involved on the activities of the center until the 1980s, when some of us created a production group called CMP (Cultural Music Productions). During the 80s we did a series of dances, in which I worked as master of ceremonies. I already had experience as master of ceremonies because when I was at KBRG, they gave me the opportunity to introduce some great shows with Celia Cruz, La Sonora Matancera, Oscar D’ León, Cal Tjader and La Orquesta Broadway. I was also master of ceremonies for Brazilian carnivals for about five years. With CMP I was involved in dances with Willie Colón, Bobby Valentín, Oscar D’ León, and boxing champion Roberto Durán (who at the time wanted to be a salsa singer).

Eventually I left CMP, and I was contacted by Roberto Hernandez, who offered me the position of entertainment director of his new organization, MECA. I accepted and started to help him program the schedule for events such as the San Francisco Carnival, and the 24 Street Fair. I worked with Roberto until 1994 and we presented Santana, Los Lobos, Eddie Palmieri, Luis Henrique, Willie Colón, Yomo Toro, Mighty Sparrow, The Neville Brothers, Shaggy, and many more. When Roberto Hernandez left the organization, I stayed for four more years and worked with Manny Oquendo and Libre, John Santos, Pete Escovedo and Pancho Quinto. In 1998, the president of the organization Patricia Aguayo and I had some problems, so we stopped working together.

A radio DJ and a party DJ are two completely different things. It took me a little while to adjust to being a live DJ. In the early 1990’s, the producers at the Alta Vista club hired me from time to time. Then, they moved to a ship called Alta Vista del Mar in Pier 3, and occasionally hired me as their DJ.

In 1994 I met a very ambitious young Venezuelan by the name of Adrian Goddard and started working with him at his club, 330 Ritch. It was a winning combination of Adrian’s talent as an event producer and my talent as a DJ and MC. I worked there for about nine very successful months, but then I had an opportunity with KPFA and I was forced to leave the club because the schedule conflicted. My priority was to produce my own salsa show (ironically, this program didn’t last long, but in 1997 they offered me the same slot, which would become the program Con Sabor, which I still produced today, 25 years later, at KPFA, on Saturdays from 9-11pm.)

A little later, Kimballs Carnaval hired me as a Latin House DJ, as this rhythm was very popular at that time. I wanted to please them, but it wasn’t a good fit. Eventually I was hired as a salsa DJ by the club Kimballs West. This opened other opportunities and I became the DJ in residence at the most prominent salsa clubs in San Francisco at the time, the legendary Jelly’s Cafe, where I DJ’d until it closed in 2010 and the popular Café Cócomo, which closed in 2014. I now DJ and MC primarily for special events and private parties.

Something very important in my story is that in 1997 I worked with Bill Martinez and Arturo Riera  and they both gave me the opportunity to be master of ceremonies for a very important series of concerts featuring Cuban musicians who were allowed into the States for the first time. I was the first master of ceremonies for a Los Van Van concert in San Francisco and I also represented my show and KPFA for their concert at Stern Grove in 2019. That was one of many times that I worked with that group.  I also was the MC   for Orquesta Aragon, Cubanismo, NG La Banda and other Cuban acts.

During the pandemic, I was offered a show with an online radio station called World Salsa Radio. I started the show Sabiduría con Tumbao on Wednesdays from 5 to 7 pm. What makes this show different from Con Sabor is that Sabiduría Con Tumbao is a conceptual program that focuses on certain musicians, musical themes and movements within salsa and Afro-Latin music. On the other hand, Con Sabor offers a broader perspective of salsa, Latin Jazz and música cubana from the classics to the latest.

Since the pandemic started, I produce all my radio shows at home. I managed to master the technology and built my own home studio. I am not afraid of technology or modern things. I go with the flow because I’ve learned that I should be at the forefront of technology and music. If I do not know something, I am going to research it right away. I keep an open mind and ears and I appreciate and listen to all kinds of music, something that was key when I was music director at KPFA from 2001 through 2014. In terms of my own programs, I really love salsa from the 70s, but I’m not stuck in any time period.

 

Who Ángel Meléndez is

Ángel Meléndez is a source of pride for Puerto Rico who lives in Chicago, United States, and has a bright musical career that has not gone unnoticed by great well-known people and record labels linked to Latin music. The producer, arranger, composer, music teacher and trombonist studied at VanderCook College of Music, where he gained most of the knowledge that would serve him to become the figure he is today.   

His hard work has allowed him to be nominated for the Best Tropical Music category at the Grammy Awards and the winner of the 2005 Annual Independent Music Awards thanks to the talent he displayed on his album Ángel Meléndez & the 911 Mambo Orchestra.   

Meléndez was great lick to collaborate with some of the greats of music such as Cheo Feliciano, Adalberto Santiago, Tito Puente, Tito Allen, Frankie Ruiz, Ismael Miranda, among many others. 

His most recent projects include the one he made with Gia Fu and Ralph Riley. Riley was in charge of the making of Big Band Maquina (album name) and was in charge of organizing the work of all the artists who lent their talent to carry out this ambitious project together with Meléndez and other producers. The album includes 11 tracks and a bonus track, as a result of the serious issue of fathering so many music professionals in a single project in the middle of the pandemic and from so many recording studios. 

We had the opportunity to talk to him to learn a little more about his career and what he is doing now. We hope everyone reading this pleasant talk will enjoy it. 

Interview 

Today we are pleased to welcome composer, arranger, instructor and trombonist Ángel Meléndez. Good afternoon, Mr. Meléndez, how are you today?  

I am doing very well, thank goodness. Although I am very cold here in Chicago, but it is not your fault (laugh). 

You once commented that you always liked the Big Band sound. How important is the number of musicians in an orchestra?  

When I was a kid, my family always organized parties and played the music of Machito, Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez and many others. So when I went to college, the jazz band director made me his manager. When I had it in front of me, I knew that was what I wanted to. I love it. That is why I say the more the better, but there are also groups like Joe Cuba Sextet that sound great with only six or seven members.   

You have been a music teacher for several decades. Do you think training other artists has influenced your style? Do you think that you have learned from your students? 

I have had many students who have become professional musicians and also learned a lot from them. In college I learned to play many instruments on a very basic level. One of the things I have learned from my students is that you can learn to play two, three or four instruments properly. I love the piano, I bought a Spanish guitar and am learning to play flamenco late in life. 

  

So you never stop learning and are always looking for new instruments and rhythms to add to your work 

Yes! Right now I am working on a project with Hong Kong producer Gia Fu and she is going to kill me because she does not want anyone to know yet (laugh). It’s called the Borinchino Project and includes Chinese songs in Latin rhythms. The first song is a bolero cha cha chá. 

What was the experience of working together with Gia Fu, Ralph Raley and the rest of the team of musicians with whom you made this album? Are you happy with the result?  

Of course we are! We were all pleased with the record. What happened was that I made a jingle called Lisa La Boricua for a dance academy called Lisa La Boricua in swing dancing about 20 or 25 years ago. In Germany, it was a hit for about 14 weeks. Gia is also a salsa DJ, she was doing some work in Switzerland when she heard that track which was like a jam session. She liked it so much that she thought about collaborating with me. After many months of looking for me, he found me. So my former timbalero is now music director of Victor Manuelle and knows the best musicians in Puerto Rico. When they called me and offered me to collaborate with them, they only wanted to make two songs. I told them if I said yes, we were going to get it right and go to Puerto Rico. Since we are in times of Covid-19, the best musicians are available. We went to Puerto Rico, made two songs and loved the result, so they said to make four more songs. The second time, Gia came from Hong Kong. She is like a painter who knows exactly what she wants. She already bears in mind the idea of how this will all turn out. She can be a bit stubborn, but, at the end of the day, everything always goes as she hopes. If she imagines a song with Tito Allen singing, she got it. 

Something that got our attention at International Salsa Magazine is the way you did this project. We know that you were conceiving everything from different countries and studios thanks to new technologies. How was the process of recording from several places as far apart? How do you feel about what you achieved?   

Most of the recordings were made at Rolo Studios in Puerto Rico. The vocals for the two tracks recorded by Herman Olivera were created at Nino Cegarra’s studio, but vocals by Tito Allen were done in New York because he did not want to travel to Puerto Rico. That is why Ralph, Gia and I went to New York to record them there, but the base, percussion, brass and backing vocals were done at Rolo Studios.   

In addition, the pandemic made everything difficult, especially travel, how much do you think the pandemic has affected your work? Do you feel that things are coming back to normal? Is your work back to normal?  

It has made it impossible to go back to work. I had about three or four bookings, but everything got cancelled when the Covid pandemic was getting worse. As I told you, In part it was a blessing because no one was working. Luis Marín (Gilberto Santa Rosa’s piano player), bassist Pedro Pérez (he has worked in more than 500 recording productions), conguero Sammy García (musical director of Charlie Aponte), Pocorelli (musical director of Víctor Manuelle as I had said), Sammy Vélez (musical director of El Canario), Richie Bastar (El Gran Combo’s congocero) were available to work with us and that it was a blessing. 

Exactly. This whole situation has given you the opportunity to do other activities such as writing music, making new arrangements and many other things.  

That’s it. I put my students on an assignment and most of them paid no attention anyway. I gave them 10 or 15 minutes to practice while I sat at the piano and waited for them to tell me something. During that time, I used to write. As they say, everything happens for a reason. 

What plans do you have for 2022?  

There’s Borinchino, which is the project I am working on with Gia and Ralph wants to repeat what we already did in mambo. Right now I am writing two new musical productions with new songs. In the case of Borinchino, the album will include several Chinese songs with Latin genres such as salsa, bolero, merengue, cha cha chá, among others. In the case of the project with Ralph, it will be almost the same as we did with the previous album. 

This all means this partnership with Ralph and Gia will continue for an indefinite time? 

Of course it will! They are thrilled with me and I am thrilled with them. They are my family in Hong Kong. The two people I love most in Hong Kong. The only people I know there, but I still love them very much. 

What recommendations do you make to young people who want to do the same thing in the future? 

I would advise them to learn about their culture. Our music is incredible and has a very high level. We grew up with children’s songs like Cheki Morena, so a complicated rhythm is very easy for us. In contrast, Americans grow up listening to the A, B, C song. When kids from our Latin countries begin to learn music, it is much simpler for them to play things with complicated rhythms. What I would like to tell those who read this interview is that they have to learn about their culture and music.  

His life and career

Ernesto Tito Garcia is a Nicaraguan bandleader and timbalero who has been part of many musical groups that passed from romantic salsa to mambo and many other Latin genres.   

This astonishingly gifted artist has been playing professionally since the year 1971. A few years later, he formed his first orchestra called Ritmo 74, which was in charge of opening up for the biggest names in Latin music from back in the day. Both Ernesto and his fellow musicians were noted for their ages and the musical styles they used at the time. 

He experimented with Latin rock during his youth until he heard salsa for the first time and wanted to devote himself fully to that musical genre. After spending a long time playing romantic music, he decided to experiment with hard salsa and added his own style to the rhythms played by La Orquesta Internacional. 

Our conversation

We are very happy to get him in International Salsa Magazine today ready to go and talk a little about his life and musical career. 

My father signed me up for music lessons. I did not like them very much, but they kept me busy and interested me. Thanks to those lessons I took once a week, my ear opened wide and I learned to read music, which is a very rare thing for a timbalero. In 1969, I was 13 years old and my dad was paying for weekly accordion lessons and when Santana came out in my eighth grade, I heard my first timpani and knew it would be my instrument. That’s when I told my dad not to spend money because I wanted to play the timpani. He was a good man who died in my arms because of the same cancer I have today. 

On Broadway Street, San Francisco was where I began to learn how to play the timpani. My dad helped me buy my first timpani and I found a group that played Latin rock just like Santana, which gave me the opportunity to develop my technique. When I was in San Francisco, I did not hear much of salsa because it was more present in New York City, but my dad bought some records recommended by a friend containing the last of salsa. That was the first time I heard salsa and I was playing Latin rock with the group I already mentioned. When I heard that music, I met a girl who was interested in buying an electric piano that belonged to my girlfriend’s brother who was 15 years old at the time. From there, we formed our first orchestra in 1974, which we called Ritmo 74. When the music outside like Eddie Palmieri or Tito Puente came, people over 40 years old also came, but young people did not like it because the music was very regimented and had many pitoretas (wind musical instrument, also known as clarion). 

About the time Willie Colón came out was when the orchestra started getting big because we were the young people of salsa. I was 16 or 17 years old, while the oldest member was 26 or 27 years old. We had agents who gave us the opportunity to open up for the biggest names in New York like Eddie Palmieri and Willie Colón. At that time, we were the only orchestra of our generation with that kind of playing. We were growing up, but the thing is that I liked education and for whatever reason, I found that I made good grades.   

As our fame grew here in the Bay Area, I had to devote much time to rehearsals, learn new songs, among other things. That’s why my grades started to fall and I was about to graduate from high school. The last two years were the most important ones at school, so I realized I would not be able to do both at the same time. So I decided to quit music and knew the only way in which I could do it was to sell my timpani, so I went to a store and they gave me $60 for them. 

I got my grades up, was admitted by San Francisco State University and the first year was amazing, but I met other Latino students who also played music. They began renting a room right there on campus to rehearse, so I did not have to go somewhere else. It was there that we founded La Orquesta Salsa Caliente and as soon as we got to be known, people liked us. About two or three years later, my grades started to fall again, so I quit music again. I graduated from College and was admitted to the school of optometry in 1985 or 1986. Thanks to that diploma I started working with a very skilled Salvadoran doctor. He was a surgeon and ophthalmologist. When I formed my own orchestra, I had two very simple rules for the members. The first was that when we played, we could not take any kind of drugs or alcohol, while the second was that we had to always wear a suit and a tie, that’s what no other youth orchestra did.   

Do you think that the style of mambo that your orchestra plays is what makes it unique or are there other elements that stand out? 

First of all, when I formed the orchestra, romantic salsa was in vogue just like its exponents included Eddie Santiago, Tony Vega and many more. The problem was that the music was boring because the arrangements were very simple. In 1996 or 1997 was when I heard Tito Puente with his orchestra playing mambo and that is what gave me the idea to do the same with four or five pitoretas. That’s when I lost several musicians and singers because they wanted to sing romantic salsa, but I was tired of that. 

So, we started playing what I called hard salsa, which had mambo arrangements and singers who knew how to perform it. That combination pushed us on a new level. Those who wanted to sing romantic salsa formed their own orchestra. Julio Bravo was one of my favorite artists and I helped him with some musicians. There was also my comadre Denis Corrales, who formed her women’s orchestra. The orchestra looked very good with all the girls, but it was not what dancers were looking for. There is also the case of Venezuelan Eduardo Herrera whose voice was incredible and he also grew up with salsa music, but he did not know how to sing hard salsa. 

Do you think having musicians from so many different countries has to do with the final product you present to the public?  

This did not have a lot of influence on our music. Back then, our orchestra was called Salsa Dulce. When my agent retired, I got stuck with the orchestra. He wanted the orchestra to have my name in its title but did not want it to be too obvious, for example, Los Titanes de La Salsa Con Tito García or El Gran Combo Con Rafael Ithier. Regarding nationalities, the singer was Venezuelan, the bass player was French, the pianist was Peruvian, the conguero was Puerto Rican, the saxophonist was Irish and the trombonist was American as was the trumpet player. It was the reason why my agent suggested me to call it Tito García Y Su Orquesta La Internacional. I liked how it sounded so much that I called the group that.  

What are your future projects? 

I can mention an album dedicated to Tito Puente and am going to record it between San Francisco and Nicaragua. The problem is that his family has the rights to all his music and I do not know if they give me permission to do it. I hope they are not going to charge me a lot for those rights. Of course, we are going to make money with the project, but costs are much more comfortable and negotiable in Nicaragua. That is one of the reasons why I want to do it there.