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Search Results for: salsa

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery and its role towards salsa

Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery and Latin music

The Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery 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 with Viti Ruíz
Johnny Cruz while receiving Franklin Ruiz’s jacket from Viti Ruíz, his brother

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.   

Instruments donated by La Sonora Ponceña
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

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Willie Morales The Salsa Pilot Taking off with force… New, Tasty and Danceable Salsa!

The Salsa Pilot Willie Morales, “Vivencias mi Misión”

Is his second and most recent musical production after debuting with Desafiando la Gravedad, el Piloto returns with more power and an original sound that bets on the style of Salsa de la Vieja Guardia or Gorda in the same way of interpreting a Son Montuno, a Guaracha, a Bolero or El Mambo and surrounds us with a voice of the original Sonero.

The main theme and title track of the production “Vivencias mi Misión” features an excellent Congas solo by veteran Puerto Rican percussionist Paoli Mejías and the Vázquez brothers (Víctor and Toñito) on Trombones.

Willie Morales El Piloto de la Salsa ¡Despegando con fuerza... Salsa Nueva, Sabrosa y Bailable!
El Piloto de la Salsa Willie Morales, “Vivencias mi Misión”.

 William Morales Echeverría, better known as Willie Morales. Born in East Chicago, Indiana on December 1st. Son of Puerto Rican parents from the town of Añasco.

From a very young age, the inclination towards music was apparent, inspired by his brother Jose Rodolfo Morales (Rudy) who sang with various musical groups in the city of Chicago.

Willie developed in choirs of different schools in the city of Chicago where he demonstrated his vocal range where he performed all voices from soprano to baritone.

At the age of 13, after his parents’ retirement, he took up residence in Añasco, Puerto Rico on Nicolás Soto Ramos Street, better known as La Gallera.

Willie performed in choirs of different schools in the city of Chicago where he demonstrated his vocal range from soprano to baritone.
Taking off with force… New, Tasty and Danceable Salsa! The Salsa Pilot Willie Morales

It was here where his passion for Salsa grew and he had gatherings in the neighborhood with family and childhood friends where we spent hours in street rumbones.

He attended the Escuela Libre de Música de Mayagüez, where he took piano lessons with Luciano Quiñones, and also participated in the school’s band as a singer. He sang with several musical groups in the area such as Polanco, Nelson (Ruido), and La Dictadora, which belonged to Willie Sotelo, the current pianist of the Gran Combo.

His favorite singers are Cheo Feliciano, Marvin Santiago, Ismael Miranda, his relative among others. During this trajectory, he began another passion in his life, aviation.

His desire to be a pilot grew with the same intensity he felt to be a singer, as time went by, he took the path of aviation where he has been flying around the world for more than 30 years. He never stopped singing, bringing joy to co-workers, neighbors and the general public.

Bringing music and joy in every corner, in every place, dancing and singing even in the airplane.

Always with the hope that in the future he could realize his dream of making his own musical production. After such a long wait, he got the opportunity to do what he loves so much in life, taking both careers hand in hand, singing and defying gravity, two dreams come true.

Here is Willie Morales, El Piloto de la Salsa! As his friends called him.

Familia… ¡Recién salido del horno! Ya está disponible

Family…

Just out of the oven!

Now available for sale by PayPal, Zelle or money order. Bufete de Salsa, features 12 tracks, Pa’ Gozá!!!! Each unit has a cost of $16.00 includes shipping (USA) with tracking number. Autographed if you wish!

“YOUR SUPPORT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE MAKING MUSIC FOR THE SALSA PEOPLE”.

Contact: Willie Morales II or call 832-515-3522

Por: Erika Muñoz 

La Mulata Rumbera

Erika Muñoz 

“Se Armó la Rumba en México”

Corresponsal de International Salsa Magazine

Article of Interest: Fabián Rosales Araos Chilean singer-songwriter, native of the city of Valparaíso

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Wherever a musician lives, Salsa Superior will arrive.

International Salsa Magazine and its Miami Correspondent Diana Marie present Richard Román one of the most recognized and respected announcers of Salsa Dura on On-Line Radio in Miami.

His name is Ricardo Román Zapata; he has 40 years as a show promoter, 26 years as producer and host of his Superior Salsa Program in Miami.

As a promoter began in a series of events in Ventanilla Beach in 1981, his activities were known in Lima and Callao, so much so that Dr. Luis Delgado Aparicio came to my place in Ventanilla and made a program of Maestra Vida in which he gave me a plaque with the logo of Channel 9 Television and the name of Dr. Delgado Aparicio. Delgado Aparicio in 1984, in the years 1986 and 1988 I organized the First and Second Festival of Salsa Playa de Ventanilla where Orchestras of Lia and Callao participated with unpublished songs in lyrics and music.

Richard Román says Wherever a Musician Lives, Salsa Superior arrives
Richard Román says Wherever a Musician Lives, Salsa Superior arrives

The winner in 1986 was Carlos Orozco y La Fragua with the theme “ESTAS LLORANDO” of the authorship of Carlos Orozco in tribute to Chabuca Granda, in 1988 the winner was El Combo Espectáculo Creación with the song “CONVERSEMOS” by Ricky Tosso, in homage to the problem of the Petisos (street children), in 1995 I started the Salsa Superior Program in Ventanilla Estéreo FM.

Wherever a Musician Lives, Salsa Superior will Arrive
His name is Ricardo Román Zapata

In 1997 I moved to Radio Pirata FM del Callao, in 2007 we started transmitting via www. radiosalsasuperior.com to date, in 2015 we started the delivery of plaques of recognition to musicians, composers and personalities of music in Peru, United States, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba, Panama and our motto is “WHERE A MUSICIAN LIVES THERE WILL COME SALSA SUPERIOR”, The particularity of the plates is that in all this our National Flag, highlighting our beloved country and its people.

The District of Ventanilla

It is one of the seven districts that make up the constitutional province of Callao in Peru. It is the largest of them and the second in population.

It has gone through a process of economic, social, cultural, political, and urban changes, mostly unplanned, presenting itself as a district with a mostly poor population, territorially disjointed, disorderly, with worrying levels of environmental pollution and that has grown at rates that have exceeded the capacity of local management.

Ventanilla
The District of Ventanilla
It is one of the seven districts that make up the constitutional province of Callao in Peru.

Chimpùn Callao

Callao is a port city located in the constitutional province of Callao, in central-western Peru and in turn on the central coast of the Peruvian coast and in the central-western part of South America. It has the Pacific Ocean to the west and 15 kilometers to the east the Historic Center of Lima.

Most of its territory extends in a wide bay protected by the islands of San Lorenzo, El Frontón, Cavinzas, and the Redondo islet, south of the mouth of the Rímac River, but also reaches the northernmost part of the bay of Lima.

Both bays are separated by a peninsula known as La Punta. It covers an area of 148.57 km², including 17.63 km² of islands. It is located 5 meters above sea level.

Since colonial times, the port of Callao has been the largest seaport, the most important in Peru, and one of the most important in America.

ERMOZO BALENARIO LA PUNTA CALLAO – LIMA
Chipum Callao
Callao is a port city located in the constitutional province of Callao, in central-western Peru.

Today it is the main port of the country and the Jorge Chávez International Airport, making it the main gateway to Peru. These in turn are the ‘natural’ port and airport of the city of Lima.

In terms of population, Callao is the third-largest city in the country, with more than 1 million inhabitants (only behind Lima and Arequipa).

It has a floating population of approximately 500,000 inhabitants who visit daily for family, tourist, educational and business reasons, among others. Callao has always had the privilege of receiving military visitors, especially sailors, merchants, immigrants, tourists, and other types of social currents.

Richard Roman
.Jimmy Delgado, Heriberto Rios, Mauricio Smith Jr, Luis J Cruz, Jorge Leureyro, Roberto Rodriguez Jr.. Luis Mangual, Clara Colon, José Luis Mangual Jr., Leopoldo Pineda, Lewis Kahn, Bomberito Zarzuela, Richard Roman de Salsa Superior y Nicolas Condor

Salsa Superior Radio (Live)

Facebook: Richard Roman

Article of Interest: Ralph Irrizary, a well-known percussionist, is considered one of the most “Swing” timbaleros in the world.

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Meet the director of the Academia Salsa Tepic – Mexico.

The history of Salsa Tepic :

Rafael Reyes is a Cuban who was dedicated to being a coach of Greco-Roman wrestling and Olympic Wrestling in Cuba and had the opportunity to work in Mexico in this profession during the time that his contract imposed, during this time he made the decision to live there , being his current stay in Nayarit, Mexico.

Thanks to personal motivation and the support of his students, he created and founded the Salsa Tepic Academy 6 years ago, he tells us that before founding his academy he gave dance classes at the Bar Juanes located at Rafael Buelna 86, Fray Junípero Serra, 63169 Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico; For him this was a hobby that he enjoyed very much and when he stopped working there, many of his students advised him to open a dance academy and that is how it came about.

Salsa Tepic Academy - Logo
Salsa Tepic Logo – Dance Academy

 

Practica de Salsa - Salsa Tepic
Estudiantes practicando pasos de baile en Salsa Tepic

Estudiantes de la Academia Salsa Tepic
Photo of the Salsa Tepic Academy students

Son Cubano and Salsa Cubana are the genres that he likes the most, he mentions that each genre has an identification in each country and in Cuba he tells us that it is very lively and dynamic which can make different fusions such as Timba ( is the fusion of several Afro-Cuban rhythms)… giving this musical genre a lot of motivation, differentiating it from linear salsa, Salsa Neoyorquina and Salsa en Dos, but be careful, you have to know the differences between traditional Timba and Cuban Timba. and very broad cultural.Being Cuban, he tells us that music is in the blood of most Cubans, especially Afro-Caribbean music, and to top it off his parents enjoyed dancing so he spontaneously inherited this passion for dance from a very young age, and He perfected his native dance techniques in workshops with various teachers.

Rafael Reyes is also in charge of organizing the Salsa talent festivals in Nayarit, they have invited Guadalajara, Guaraguato, Puerto Bayarta, among others with new talents so that they have something more than just academic learning but a new experience through participation. and competition between the different students of each city, showing all their abilities on stage; In total, it has had 5 Salsa talent festivals, which one can find out when the next one will take place through the Salsa Tepic Facebook page.

Also the students of the Salsa Tepic academy have participated in other events such as the one that happened a few weeks ago at the Bar Tango Milonga, another event they participated was the Puerto Bayarta festival, and in other places.

The dance classes at the Salsa Tepic Academy are currently active, of course with the protection measures for the covid-19, they began to work from 7 – 10 am and from 5 to 10 pm Mexico time; There they teach Cuban Salsa, Bachata, Son Cubano, Rumba, Merengue, Cumbia, Cha Cha Cha, among other rhythms, so if you are interested in learning to dance from scratch or continue with the experience you have in order to be able to defend yourself during a social, competitions, parties and / or meetings, and at the same time that the students learn to identify the type of music that they dance respecting their respective times.

https://fb.watch/6q7Gdt89if/

And he leaves us the following message for all his readers, current and future students “Whatever happens, they dance, never stop, dance is very healthy, it takes away stress, it is motivational, it makes you more sociable and above all it is something that everyone likes when one learns … that they take off the taboo or the fear of saying I don’t like dancing because of any circumstance ”

For more information and the schedule of activities:

The Spaha Salsa Gallery and The Johnny Cruz Show to the order of salsa

Spaha Salsa Gallery

Latino culture has found a large number of icons and places that have shown how wonderful it is and how proud we must be of being born in this land full of colors and talent for export. One of those incredible places is the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery, which is a cultural institution in which the inhabitants of East Harlem, New York, have the opportunity to learn all about salsa and its unusual roots. To that end, visitors can enjoy a great deal of material, information, resources, and many learning initiatives that will blow everyone’s mind.

The purpose of this wonderful space is to gather as much knowledge as possible about salsa and all the artists who have been responsible for bringing this musical genre to every corner of the planet. That is why its owners have been in charge of offering the most inclusive and diverse gallery to prove everything Hispanic talent has to offer. The institution provides a wide range of possibilities for those who want to learn more about the most well-known Latin music genre in history, and art is the tool used for this purpose.

Jonny Cruz and instruments
Johnny Cruz with some donated instruments at the Spaha Salsa Gallery

What the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery is looking for

One of the major aims of the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery is awakening the interest of the inhabitants of Harlem and the surrounding neighborhoods towards the musical styles that have inspired the five continents to dance. This is how this space became a valuable resource for many other public and private institutions, which have used the museum to foster greater interest in their own activities. This is because many of the tourists visiting New York know that it was in that city in which the biggest salsa movement in history took place, so they are particularly interested in going to places where they can learn about how salsa came about and what its roots are. That is when institutions such as the Spanish Harlem Salsa Gallery make an appearance and offer to answer any question on the matter.

Johnny Cruz next to Boris Calderón
Johnny Cruz Cruz next to musicologist and broadcaster Boris Calderón

Johnny Cruz, a noted musician and record producer, has made this place a true sanctuary for Latin music lovers and all that emerges from it. The museum, which was once a hardware store owned by his father, contains some of the most valuable objects in the history of salsa and that have a very special relationship with some of the greatest figures of the genre, such as Héctor Lavoe’s favorite guitar or José Mangual Jr’s bongos. This collection of objects has been made in order to preserve the legacy of the greatest exponents of the salsa genre in New York for people to remember who they were and what they contributed to Latino culture in spite of the years. Something very interesting to relate is that many of these instruments have been donated by artists, family members, or institutions that want the names of their owners to continue to sound as loud as possible.

Undoubtedly, Cruz and his greatest contributors in this noble work have ensured that locals and foreigners see the gallery as a space for recreation and learning in which they can learn about the origins of salsa and go back to the glory days with many of the greatest musicians in history.

The Johnny Cruz Show

In addition to the salsa museum, there is another space where Latin music artists will always feel at home. We are talking about the Johnny Cruz Show, which has a very interesting schedule and shows how wonderful our culture is.

The show is celebrating 25 years on the air and will be co-hosted by animator and show biz reporter Maribel Santos, who will definitely give a very special touch to this great celebration, which makes Johnny too happy. So many years on the air are the reward of the effort made to offer the best salsa content that the public deserves.

Johnny Cruz next to Maribel Santos
Poster announcing The Johnny Cruz Show with Maribel Santos

This show is one of the best options that salsa lovers have to know everything related to its best exponents and the latest news on these issues. The cool thing about this is there are many platforms through which those interested can enjoy the talent of Johnny Cruz as host and interviewer, so it will not be difficult to find each of the editions of this great program. In addition, all five counties in New York City can watch the show on cable television.

If case of not living in New York, you can tune into the show on its social media tools. For the time being, The Johnny Cruz Show is available on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. It can also be watched on Salsa Gallery Radio live at the Live 365 station and the possibility of putting it onto podcast platforms in the future is under evaluation.

A poster with Johnny Cruz and David Marin
A poster announcing The Johnny Cruz Show with David Marin El Chapin y Felix Villalobos Music Man

Link to the Spaha Salsa Gallery’s official website: spahasalsagallery.com

 

By: Johnny Cruz correspondent of International Salsa magazine in New York city, New York

 

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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.