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Search Results for: salsa in venezuela

Venezuelan businesswoman Joanna Torres is an example to follow

There are many Venezuelans who, due to the economic and political crisis that has affected their country in recent years, have had to set off for new horizons and leave their homeland to look for a better future for themselves and their family. Such is the case of the businesswoman and founder of Arepas Latin Cuisine Joanna Torres, with whom we had the pleasure of conversing with recently. 

This talented young woman has a fascinating history of success and is a true inspiration to any Latino wanting to open paths in the United States or anywhere else in the world. That is why, from International Salsa Magazine, we decided to contact her and share her journey in the land of opportunities.  

Businesswoman Joanna Torres
Venezuelan businesswoman and founder of Arepas Latin Cuisine Joanna Torres

Arrival in San Jose   

The first American city where Joanna arrived was Miami and her goal was to do a master’s degree, since she had studied her undergraduate career in Venezuela. Once there, she realized that she had a lot of trouble learning to speak English and there were few opportunities to practice it, since all with whom she interacted with spoke Spanish. 

It was then when a friend suggested the idea of moving with her to the city of San Jose, where it would make it easier for her to learn the language and spend time with people who spoke it all the time.  

How Joanna began to conceive the idea of becoming a businesswoman 

Two years after Joanna arrived in San Jose, she began working in a clinic and, together with her experience in administration and accounting, she learned everything she could about medical coding and the way medical procedures were coded. This gave her enough experience to dare to open his own medical consulting firm which has more than 22 years of operation and a total of 150 employees in Venezuela. 

The entire staff of the consulting firm residing in the South American country speaks English and takes care of serving all customers in the United States. Joanna even took it upon herself to provide her workers with their own fiber optic internet by contacting some telecommunications engineers, since this service in Venezuela is extremely poor. 

Since the medical consulting firm gave her the necessary experience as a businesswoman, she decided to expand into another area she was very passionate about: cooking. Joanna had been wanting to start a food truck in parallel to her current company for some time and saw the opportunity to do so through a friend and former college classmate who owned restaurants and food businesses. She proposed to Joanna to buy one of her restaurants and partner with her, which she finally accepted and that is how the first Arepa Latin Cuisine restaurant was born.   

Joanna and her team
Joanna Torres and part of her team in San Jose

Reducing failure possibilities for Arepas Latin Cuisine 

Joanna was aware that the possibilities of failure of her idea were high, but she told us that her extensive knowledge of finance was fundamental to overcome all obstacles. 

She was always clear that she had to look for ways to generate more income within the same company. That is why she and her staff have been responsible for providing lunch to employees from technology companies, making food for events such as birthdays or weddings, organizing pop-ups (temporary restaurants created to promote new menus and specific events) in order to innovate and always earn a stable income in the corporation. 

The businesswoman points out that she always tries to innovate, and with regard to this, she said ”I have invented some taco-arepas with which I use arepa flour to make the tacos and give them a different touch, so it would be a combination of both dishes. I always try to innovate and do different things to surprise people and keep them from getting bored”. 

”At the San Francisco headquarters, we have chosen the strong liquor license to start offering Venezuelan typical drinks and rum such as Diplomático or Ron Santa Teresa. We are also doing some remodeling in the place to make it much more pleasing to the eye” she continued. 

In addition, both the San Jose and San Francisco headquarters offer live music for diners to enjoy good Latin music while tasting their food. There is also a dance floor for those who wish to move to the rhythm of the orchestra of that day.   

Joana’s grandmother as an inspiration to create Arepas Latin Cuisine 

After taking the required steps, the first Arepas Latin Cuisine restaurant headquarters were opened in October 2021, but it was not easy. This was an effort made over many years in which Joanna did her best to be able to reach that point. 

The beginning of everything was her grandmother, with whom the Venezuelan learned everything she knows about cooking. She was a cook, a cooking teacher and taught cookery courses and workshops to support her 12 children because she was widowed at a very young age. Joanna tells us that, at that time, she and her children made ground corn arepas to sell to markets and restaurants. 

All this made her an inspiration to Joanna and led her to learn to cook since she was just nine. As a child, she knew that cooking would be important in her life. 

Lots of secrets that Joanna learned from her, such as the way in which the dough has to be kneaded, the difference between making homemade arepas and arepas to sell, the amounts of ingredients to be used, the way to prepare the fillings for the dishes, among other things.   

Joanna and her grandmother
Joanna Torres posing next to her grandmother, who sadly passed away on April 1, 2023

Reception to Venezuelan food in San Jose 

Joanna ensures that her recipes have been a boom in California, since there was no authentic Venezuelan food in San Jose, so her project was a pioneer in this area.   

The reception her food has got with Americans, Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese and many other nationalities has been truly amazing because dishes from Arepas Latin Cuisine, besides being extremely delicious, were something that has never been seen before.   

The taste for food at Arepas reached such a point that the restaurant provides lunch to more than 300 employees in several technology companies such as Netflix, Snapchat and Tinder. It is worth noting that workers who are benefited greatly appreciate being able to enjoy a rich and varied menu every day.   

The biggest challenges Joanna faces as a businesswoman  

One of the biggest challenges Joanna has faced is to find employees who know the Venezuelan and Colombian cuisine (there are also several Colombian dishes on the menu) as it should be. ”Finding cooks with great experience has been complicated, but with the arrival of Venezuelan and Colombian migrants in California, we have been able to find staff with knowledge in the culinary arena” said the businesswoman on this topic. 

For her, it is vitally important to employ people who are very clear about how to cook the main Colombian and Venezuelan dishes, so she takes this into account when recruiting her talents.   

In addition to that, Joanna also sells Venezuelan products and has a hard time finding them in San Jose, so she has to bring them directly from Florida in order to sell them in California.  

Joanna’s restaurant inside
That is what Arepas Latin Cuisine looks like on the inside

Advice for Latino migrants 

When Joanna was asked to give advice to future Latino migrants who wish to move to the United States, the first thing that she pointed out was that they must work very hard in that country to get ahead. In her particular case, she claims to have had three jobs at the same time, since she was alone in the United States and lived only from what she earned. 

She also added that ”you have to make sacrifices to succeed in life and always do things well according to the laws of the country that welcomes you. I think that there are many Venezuelans who confuse ‘native cunning’ (taking advantage or others and the economic, political and judicial system failures to do whatever you want without consequences) with intelligence, which makes them believe that they are above others and make serious mistakes. You have to do things well and eventually the much-desired success will come,” said Joanna on such an important issue. 

Read also: Young Puerto Rican singer Jeremy Bosch supports the Spanish Harlem Salsa Museum 

Salsarria Orchestra. Back to our Roots

Latinoamerica / Venezuela / Caracas

The Salsarria Orchestra was founded in Caracas on July 20, 2018 by its director, pianist, arranger Wilfredo Agustín Castro Sarmiento.

2do Festival de Dj`s Pto Cabello
2do Festival de Dj`s Pto Cabello

Salsarria Orchestra, in its beginnings, the orchestra performed at events in the capital city where it was widely accepted by the Caracas public.

Very important musicians of national and international stature have marched through the orchestra such as: Orlando Poleo (France), Orlando Watussi (Italy), Federico Betancourt, Luis Esteban Spain (El diablo del Son) among others.

The Salsarria orchestra has participated in important Latin music festivals such as the “Bicentennial Festival Suena Caracas” with a stage presentation.

Orquesta Salsarria - Pal Bailador
Orquesta Salsarria – Pal Bailador

In 2014 they recorded their first album entitled ¨De Vuelta aNuestras Raíces¨ having acceptance in the national and international salsa audience.

Its director and founder Wilfredo Castro is the composer and arranger of all the songs, I love you Caracas, Simply (international success), Las Leyendas, Carnival Comparsa for Caracas, Different Swing, That day you decide to return and in my neighborhood, and preparing his second record production.

Orquesta Salsarria
Orquesta Salsarria

Career and interesting facts about Venezuelan singer and musician Omar Ledezma Jr.

Venezuelan singer, percussionist and music teacher Omar Ledezma Jr. has already talked to us in the past and has revealed important details regarding his life and career, but this time, our editor Eduardo Guilarte has been in charge of interviewing him and revealing some unknown details about his different facets professionally and personally.  

Is such a pleasure to have the chance to talk to one of the most talented Latin musicians who currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and know so many things that the artist had not previously revealed.   

Venezuelan percussionist Omar Ledezma
This is Omar Ledezma Jr., Venezuelan singer, percussionist and music teacher

Omar Ledezma’s beginnings in music and childhood 

Omar Ledezma Jr. was born on February 17, 1972 in Caracas, Venezuela, and was raised in a very close family that gave him a lot of love and care since he was a child. Both the Ledezma and López families were very important in his growth, but it was from the Ledezma’s that he got his musical vein.   

His mother and cousin José Vicente Rodríguez López decided to enroll him in the marching band at the Claret School, where he had his first contact with music by playing the snare drum, an instrument he was first assigned to play. It is also in the band where he started making friends with other teens who were already forming gaitas groups to compete in contests related to this traditional Venezuelan genre.   

When he turned 16, he began to participate in these gaitas inter-school competitions in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, he participated in his first big musical event at the nightclub Mata de Coco. Omar assures that this was the official start of his career in a more professional way. A few years later, going hand-in-hand with his father, he began to take a deeper interest in music as a profession and wanted to experiment with other genres such as Afro-Cuban music and Latin jazz.   

This path led him to join the orchestra La Charanga Clásica led by Mr. Frank Luzón. While playing there, he met several inspiration timbaleros such as Daniel Cádiz (from the Andy Durán Orchestra). 

In parallel with all of the above, Omar was admitted to study in law school at the Santa María University, so he shared his time between his university studies and his professional musical activities. In his spare time outside the university, he played Latin jazz and was formed as a percussionist with his orchestra.   

In 1995, Omar graduated as a lawyer as part of the class ”Honor a Venezuela” ranked in 12th place among his classmates. Although today he is not engage in law at all, he considers that having continued his studies was very important to him as a person because he would have a base on which to stand on in case his plans with music fell through.   

However, the artist never thought about practicing law, since he was very clear that it would be difficult to do so due to the legal situation in Venezuela, so he continued to focus on his great passion, which was music. Besides, after analyzing it, he decided that he did not have a natural talent for that career. 

In parallel, during those years as a law student, he made a trip to Cuba, which he claims changed his life completely. Some friends he made there, when seeing his skills as a musician, told him that he could be studying law, but that his life was and would be music forever.  

Omar graduating as a lawyer
Omar Ledezma Jr. graduating from Berkee College of Music

The United States and Berklee College of Music 

Just a few years after graduating, specifically in 1998, Omar made the decision to move to the United States looking for new opportunities and describes this trip as an exploring experience because many of his friends, orchestra fellows and acquaintances from the musical environment in general started taking new directions in the mid 90’s. The young man knew he wanted to do the same and chose the city of Boston to settle in at first.   

Although he finally moved to Boston in 1998, already in 1997, his mother gave him the idea of going to the United States with an open ticket so he could decide whether to stay permanently or return. In the end, he opted not to use the return ticket and stayed in Boston to try to enter any music school through a scholarship.   

After checking several options, he chose Berklee College of Music because it was the only college that allowed him to study composition and arranging as hand percussionist, so he auditioned to be admitted and was selected in the fall of 1999. He obtained a 70% scholarship, but he had to work hard to get the remaining 30%. In that sense, Omar assures that the same school helped him to obtain the corresponding permits to work legally in the country and thus be able to pay the percentage that is not covered by the scholarship. 

Omar also told us that it was his friend Gonzalo Grau who helped him do the demo with which he auditioned to enter Berklee and it was a song of his own titled ”Cacao”. Today, he assures that that recording gave him one of the greatest opportunities he has ever had in life, which was to study there. He spent a total of four years studying in that institution and graduated in 2003. 

During his undergraduate studies at Berklee, Omar had the option to study business and intellectual property and his lawyer’s training made it easier for him, but he defines himself as a ”natural born performer” and his life was the stage, so he did not see himself stuck in an office solving cases.   

One of the first jobs Omar had in Los Angeles was replacing the singer from Johnny Polanco’s prestigious orchestra and that one that helped him take that place was Ray Barreto’s flautist, the late Artie Webb. The concert was held at the Mayan.  

Omar playing the conga
Omar Ledezma Jr. playing the conga in a live performance

Family 

As to the family part, Omar told us that he had married his wife Jennifer Radakovich about seven or eight years ago, but they have no children for the moment. This is because they are still analyzing their opportunities to settle permanently in the state of California, so he assures us that they are still building their future as a couple and as a family. 

Jennifer’s family comes from Serbia and settled in Detroit, Michigan. They had to leave their country, which was then the former Yugoslavia because of the war that went on in the territory at the time. In fact, at a family reunion, his in-laws told him that his wife’s father arrived in the country on the boat anchored in Long Beach, California, The Queen Mary.  

Pacific Mambo Orchestra 

Omar Ledezma started his journey with Pacific Mambo Orquesta practically since its foundation in October 2010, when he started playing at Café Cocomo. Santana’s timbalero Karl Perazzo, who was already included in the lineup of the venue, proposed him to go to this place to play as a percussionist on Monday nights. The problem was that there was no money to pay him for the moment. 

That’s when the directors of Pacific Mambo, Christian Tumalan and Steffen Kuehn, proposed to the owners of Cafe Cocomo to give them some space to have band practice. These Monday meetings ended up being paid rehearsals open to the public in exchange for 10 dollars a night. This lasted some years in which the 20 members of the orchestra were in charge of developing much of the repertoire that has made them famous internationally. 

About this time, Omar said that, on several occasions, he and his orchestra fellows sat down to talk about the continuity of the band owing to the lack of money. The wonderful thing is that everyone always voted in favor of their stay in the group despite the adversities. According to the Venezuelan musician, it was this hunger and desire to succeed that made the orchestra what it is today.   

Omar, Eric, Karl, and Edgardo
Omar Ledezma Jr., percussionist Eric Rangel, music producer Karl Perazzo, and bandleader Edgardo Cambon

These efforts worked and Pacific Mambo Orquestra managed to win their first and only Grammy so far in 2014. That year began with the orchestra’s appearance in one of the main banners of the iTunes page for a little over a week, which gave them a lot of popularity at that time and was not common for Latin artists and groups. 

That same year, the group began touring with Tito Puente Jr. in August and were so successful that Omar and five other members of the group decided to begin campaigning for that year’s Grammys via e-mails to all the members of the jury promoting their latest album. Then, on tour, they received the news of their nomination (the second of Omar’s career), but they did not think they would win. 

Much to the surprise of Omar, in January 2014, he received word that Pacific Mambo Orquesta won its first Grammy in the category of Latin Tropical Album of the Year. This event changed the lives of everyone in the group to the extent that large media outlets started looking at them. One of them was world-famous Billboard magazine, which published a piece talking about the band and its talents. 

It is important to stress that, although it was an experience the musician will never forget in his life, he is aware that this is in the past and has to look ahead and focus on his future successes. At this moment, Omar and his companions are focused on making up for time lost during the pandemic and performing all the activities that confinement prevented them from doing. 

Read also: Arranger, composer and pianist Carlos Ordiano 

Orquesta la Identidad is one of the most nationally and internationally recognized groups in the salsa genre

Winner Identidad Orchestra on several occasions of the Cali fair disc with songs such as MUJERES in 1987, QUIÉREME in 1991 and COMO YO TE AME, the most played song at a historical level in the different Latin FM stereo stations in 2003.

ORQUESTA LA IDENTIDAD
ORQUESTA LA IDENTIDAD

Among other works of recognition such as: LAS COSAS SON COMO SON, TU DESDÉN, GOLPE DE GRACIA, SI ELLA VOLVIERA, DESENGAÑOS, among others.

This group was founded by the Colombian composer and musician Carlos Enrique Navia in 1981 in the capital of salsa in the city of Cali – Colombia, which came to fame in 1987.

Following the release of his first album entitled LA IDENTIDAD, under the Codiscos label, musical production that includes the works, LAS COSAS SON COMO SON, Y ME QUIERES, PARA QUERERTE, CADA CUAL, POR SU LADO, LA FUMA, GENTE CORRIENTE, BRABAJE and MUJERES.

Work that was awarded as the official album of the Cali Fair and gave him the opportunity to make his first international tour of the United States, visiting the states of Florida, New York, California, Texas, Illinois, among others.

This group had a very important boom in Colombia and the whole world for being elected revelation orchestra of the year and gave him the participation in the most important events and fairs throughout the Colombian territory.

Thanks to the success and recognition, the orchestra recorded its second album called LA MÚSICA in 1989, album that expanded its audience in other countries such as: Mexico, Venezuela and Ecuador with the works TU DESDÉN, AMOR ETERNO, TE QUIERO TANTO, LA MÚSICA, SON SABORIONDO, SENTIMIENTOS POR TI and BOMBA NAVIDEÑA, work that occupied the first places in the FM radio stations, preselected as Cali’s fair disc and elected the second most important song of the fair.

Orquesta la Identidad is one of the most nationally and internationally recognized groups in the salsa genre
Orquesta la Identidad is one of the most nationally and internationally recognized groups in the salsa genre

Identidad Orchestra in 1990 the orchestra recorded its third album entitled UN TOQUE DE MISTERIO, album produced by the renowned Venezuelan musician Cesar Monges “Albondiga” who has participated in countless productions of artists and orchestras of international recognition in the salsa genre.

After a long tour in the United States, the orchestra arrives in Colombia to record their fourth album entitled SALSA CON ENERGÍA, a product produced in the studios of Grupo Niche.

This production included songs such as: LA RETIRADA, ESE SOY YO, BOROJO, AGITACIÓN, SI ELLA VOLVIERA, LLEGASTE A MI VIDA, DESENGAÑOS and COMO YO TE AMÉ, one of the hits of preference of our listeners, occupying the first places and beating the record of the most played song in all salsa genre stations in Colombia, United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Spain, Italy and many more countries.

ORQUESTA LA IDENTIDAD is an orchestra that has been characterized by its perseverance.

Identidad Orchestra in 1992 they recorded their fifth album titled PROFESIÓN SALSA and ended their relationship with the record label Codiscos to start their independence as a brand under the direction of composer, singer and founder Carlos Enrique Navia to produce their works as an independent record label.

Orquesta la Identidad is one of the most nationally
Orquesta la Identidad is one of the most nationally

This album included songs such as: GOLPE DE GRACIA, PECADORA, COCTEL DE AMOR, SI YO PUDIERA, SEÑORA CALI, MUJER AMADA, TE PILLÉ, NO IMPORTA, among others. This product was widely distributed in countries such as Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, United States, among others.

As a record label Identidad Producciones, ORQUESTA LA IDENTIDAD has recorded albums such as A TIEMPO, a production that has captivated the salsa public with songs like: CUANDO EL AMOR SE ACABA, MI NIÑA, LA ESQUINA DEL MOVIMIENTO, LE CANTO AL PACÍFICO, TE QUIERO Y TE AMO, TU DESDÉN, LA FUMA and singles such as: POR SIEMPRE ELLA, FRACASO, DICIEMBRE EN CALI, SON PA EL BAILADOR, COLOMBIA REAL, A MI PADRE, BENDICIÓN DE MADRE, MI GUAGUANCÓ, HOMENAJE A LA SONORA MATANCERA, GUAYAQUIL among others.

Works that are played on Latin radio stations and massively on digital platforms. Orquesta LA IDENTIDAD is a group that has participated in important Latin music events such as: SEBASTIÁN DE BELALCÁZAR awards on two occasions and nominated for best salsa genre orchestra, event organized by FALCON MANAGEMENT BOOKING & ENTERTAINMENT, INDEPENDENCE FESTIVAL OF GUAYAQUIL – ECUADOR, INDEPENDENCE FESTIVALS OF COLOMBIA IN THE UNITED STATES, WORLD SALSA FESTIVAL, BILLBOARD LATIN MUSIC, FESTIVAL OF ORCHESTRAS IN COLOMBIA AND FAIRS THROUGHOUT THE COLOMBIAN TERRITORY.

ORQUESTA LA IDENTIDAD is currently preparing the celebration of 40 years of artistic career, an album that will include the greatest hits such as MUJERES, QUIÉREME, GOLPE DE GRACIA, MUJER AMADA, LAS COSAS SON COMO COMO SON, TU DESDÉN, UN TOQUE DE MISTERIO, COMO YO TE AMÉ and DESENGAÑOS, which will have collaborations with national and international artists of recognition in the salsa genre and is preparing to make its next international tour of the United States year 2024.

CONTACT Carlos Enrique Navia General Manager Contact: 310 822 8068 – 317 642 1031 Email: [email protected]

ORQUESTA LA IDENTIDAD

Also Read: Colombia’s legendary Grupo Niche and its founder Jairo Varela

Musical history of Roosevelt Cordova ”El Presidente de La Salsa”

Just as the case of Cuba and Puerto Rico, Peru has also given birth to many salsa exponents worthy of being highlighted and one of them is the talented Roosevelt Cordova, artistically known as ”El Presidente de La Salsa”. 

The sonero has a very interesting career behind him, so we decided to contact him and know a little more about his personal and professional life. Roosevelt responded by thanking us for the opportunity and finally, we were able to agree on a day and time to talk about issues of interest around his figure.  

Roosevelt El Presidente de La Salsa
This is Roosevelt Cordova ”El Presidente de La Salsa”

His taste in music since he was a child 

As has happened with many other salseros, Roosevelt also fell in love with music when still a child, but without knowing at the time that this is what he would dedicate his life to later. 

He always saw his family enjoying music at amateur level, which awakened in him a taste for this branch of art. However, his journey in this world did not begin with salsa, but with Peruvian waltzes and Creole music. It was not until he turned 17 that he became interested in salsa because an uncle of his signed him up for a contest called ”Buscando Un Sonero”, taking third place among 84 participants in total. 

Thanks to his performance in the contest, he was proposed to join the orchestra Camagüey, but his father refused because of all the excesses that an artist must face and he considered that his minor son was not ready for that. On the contrary, he preferred his son to be interested in other activities such as sports and leave music for later.  

In addition to this, the great references in which Roosevelt was inspired to follow his path have been El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Willie Rosario, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Héctor Lavoe, La Fania All Stars, among others.   

Roosevelt in Los Angeles 

It wasn’t until Roosevelt, at the age of 25, left for the United States that he could pursue his dreams and become the artist he dreamed he would be.   

He did not initially plan to devote himself to music, as he simply wanted to progress in life like any other immigrant, but it was not long before he decided to take the bully by the horns and return his great passion. It is then when he recorded an entire Peruvian Creole music album, but soon left this genre to return to recording salsa. 

This is how he began to seize every opportunity to participate in salsa orchestras to gain experience little by little.   

The first group he belonged to was La Sonora Santiaguera, which he joined in 1998, but from then on, there were many others with which Roosevelt learned much of what he knows today as an artist. 

Roosevelt in La Sonora and El Conjunto
Roosevelt Cordova belonged to La Sonora Santiaguera and Johnny Polanco Y Su Conjunto Amistad

One of the most important orchestras he belonged to was Johnny Polanco Y Su Conjunto Amistad. After all the experience gained so far, Roosevelt was encouraged to personally look for Johnny to talk to him at El Floridita, where El Conjunto Amistad performed weekly. 

The artist told the leader of the group he was a singer and wanted a chance in his group. After hearing him sing with his musicians that same night, Johnny invited him over to his home to give him a cassette with all the songs he had to learn to work formally with them. Two weeks later, he was already making his debut with Johnny and El Conjunto Amistad. His entry into the group coincided with the farewall of the lead singer, something that was just perfect for Roosevelt. 

Other groups 

After leaving El Conjunto Amistad, Roosevelt continued his career and joined Ángel Lebrón y Su Sabor Latino, with whom he recorded a full album. Some time later, he joined Guapacha Latin Jazz led by the Venezuelan Gil Tower, with whom the Peruvian has an excellent personal relationship, despite having separated professionally. 

In 2011, he became part of Conjunto Oye, which Roosevelt thinks is the best moment of his career because he was able to be himself within the orchestra and express his art with independence, something difficult in his previous groups. It was here that he had the growth he really needed to get ready and to take up greater challenges in the future.   

Solo career  

The information we found about his solo career revealed that Roosevelt went solo in 2019, but he corrected us by saying that, in reality, his first solo album ‘‘Un Nuevo Cantante” was recorded in 2018, which is when he really decided to open paths on his own. 

Although he says he is grateful to all the bands he has played in, he also adds that there comes a point in life where every artist wants to build his own path when he already fulfil the conditions for that. In his case, he already had experience in singing, composing and creating useful contacts, so he gave himself the opportunity to try. The best thing is that his wife supported him at all times and, today, she continues to be his rock in whatever he sets out to do.   

He also noted that he dreams of having his own orchestra someday and that it is important to have dreams in order to get where you want to be.  

Roosevelt singing
Roosevelt Cordova singing on stage

 

Roosevelt Cordova ”El Presidente de La Salsa”

When we wanted to know the origin of his artistic name, he laughingly told us that it is all abut his first name. Let us remember that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President of the United States and his last name coincides with the singer’s first name. 

When someone approached him to ask for a picture and asked his name, he said he had the same name as former U.S. President Roosevelt. Since this situation constantly repeated, his wife proposed him to use this to create a stage name for himself. That is how ”El Presidente de La Salsa” was born. 

Llegó La Navidad 

Currently, Roosevelt is currently promoting his new Christmas song ”Llegó La Navidad” of his own authorship. The idea of composing the song came from his wife and daughter, who insisted that it was time for him to release music written by himself.   

So, he started the writing with the chorus and, from there, continued with the rest of the song. This is a technique he uses regularly when composing, as he ensures that people always remember the chorus more than the rest of the lyrics, so he always strives to have a catchy chorus that stands out in the public’s mind. 

Read also: We bring trombonist Félix O. Rodriguez from Santurce to ISM 

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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.