Louie Ramírez (1938-1993), who led his own band, composed, arranged and played timbales, vibraphone and keyboards, was probably the most sought after and prolific arranger and producer during New York salsa’s ’70s boom years – rightly described as "El Genio de la Salsa" (The Genius of Salsa) and the Quincy Jones of salsa. He made his pro debut in 1956 on vibes with Joe Loco’s quintet (Louie was the cousin of Loco’s wife), remaining until ‘59; he also played with the Vicentico Valdés band during the mid-’50s. Louie’s early credits included Pacheco y su Charanga’s 1960 smash hit "El Güiro De Macorina", which he co-wrote and arranged, Sabú Martínez’ Latin jazz classic Jazz Espagnole (Alegre, 1960), on which he played timbales and wrote some of the arrangements, and the early ’60s La Playa Sextet hit "Pachanga Con La Playa" from their album La Playa Sextet Vol. 11 on the Mardi Gras label. His band leading debut Introducing Louie Ramírez (Remo, 1964) was followed by Good News in 1965 on the new Fania label and Latin Au Go Go (Atco, 1965). He led a group called Conjunto Chango and played vibes on Vibes Galore (Alegre, circa 1966). In The Heart Of Spanish Harlem (Mercury, circa 1967) was meant to cash in on the boogaloo and Latin soul fad, as was 1968’s Ali Baba ‘68 back on Fania. From late ‘68 to ‘70 he teamed up with ex-Ray Barretto singer Pete Bonet to co-led the resident 12-piece band at NYC’s famed Corso club. The duo made the LPs The Odds Are On (Swinger, circa 1969) and Pete & Louie / The Beautiful People (Fania, 1971).

Ray de la Paz unwisely split in 1987, and fronted session men on the lacklustre Estoy Como Nunca on BC Records (reissued on Caimán in ‘98) with Infante. Ramírez continued with Louie Ramírez y Super Banda (Faisán, 1987), with lead vocalists Tony Vega and Jorge Maldonado; then a couple of undistinguished LPs: El Genio (L & T Records, 1989) and Louie Ramírez y sus Amigos (1990) on the new Cache label founded by Alex Masucci (brother of Fania boss Jerry Masucci). He returned to Latin jazz for the award-winning The King Of Latin Vibes (Sugar Records, 1991). He reunited with de la Paz on Otra Noche Caliente (RMM, 1992) and managed to recreate most of their earlier magic. After two heart attacks and a cerebral haemorrhage, Ramírez ignored medical advise to quit performing in 1992; while driving along Junction Boulevard in Queens, NYC, Louie pulled over and suffered a third fatal heart attack in June 1993. The project he and de la Paz had been working on was released under de la Paz’s name as Preparate Bailador (RMM) in late 1993.
- John Child

Louie Ramirez discography

For three decades, New York-based Conjunto Clásico have more or less managed to keep the Arsenio Rodríguez conjunto format of trumpets (three in their case), conga, bongo, maracas, güiro (scraper), bass, piano, tres guitar and voices, sounding modern and fresh. The original nucleus of the band was executive producer, coro singer and percussionist Raymond Castro and composer, producer, coro singer and percussionist Ramón Rodríguez. Between 1979 and 1992 Clásico released 12 albums on their own Lo Mejor Records label. After the band’s 1986 LP, lead singer and founder member Tito Nieves left to go solo. Ex-Grupo Fascinación lead vocalist Johnny Rivera replaced Nieves on Clásico’s 1988 and 1989 albums before departing to launch a solo career. Beginning in 1988, Ramón Rodríguez started releasing his own projects. 1990 saw the marriage of Clásico with the fine voice of Rafael de Jesús on Ray Castro presenta Conjunto Clásico con Rafael de Jesús – Sensaciones, one of their best albums. José Febles replaced Rodríguez as producer and wrote all the charts. However, Ramón performed on the album and penned five tracks. Febles contributed arrangements to all Clásico’s previous releases and was musical director on their 1979 and 1980 LPs. de Jesús remained for one more album, 1992’s Tus Dulces Labios, before departing in 1993. Febles again produced and wrote over half the arrangements. Ramón’s only contribution was coro vocals and percussion. Ex-Johnny Ray vocalist Carlos Torres filled-in as lead singer, then de Jesús briefly rejoined in ‘94-5 before having a runaway success with his solo album A Mi Puerto Rico (Copa, 1995). Castro and Rodríguez produced albums by other artists on their Lo Mejor label between 1981 and 1984, including José Bello, Tito Allen, Daniel Santos, Cesar Nicolas y su Orquesta "Show" and Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez. Castro continued to record with Clásico without Rodríguez for Ralph Mercado’s RMM label (1995) and RC Entertainment (1997). In 2003 Nieves reunited with Castro and Rodríguez to celebrate Clásico’s 25th anniversary with Tito Nieves Canta Con El Conjunto Clásico: 25 Aniversario Recuerdos (Wea Caribe). Rodríguez returned to Clásico three years later to participate in their productions for Universal / Machete and Codiscos, both with lead singer Héctor Luis. In 2010, Castro and veteran bandleader and percussionist Julio Castro co-produced and performed on La Gitana: Julio Castro And Ray Castro Presenta Nayibe (Budda Bear West Side Records) by the young Colombian female singer Nayibe La Gitana.
- John Child

Conjunto Clasico discography

Puerto Rican-born Tito Rodríguez (1923-1973) was "equally talented as an uptempo improvising sonero and a romantic singer." "At its peak, the Rodríguez band’s blend of Cuban-oriented numbers and tight, solo-filled instrumentals equalled any of his rivals," wrote John Storm Roberts in The Latin Tinge, 1979. At 16 he played maracas and sang second voice with Cuarteto Mayari before relocating to New York’s East Harlem to live with his older brother Johnny (1912-1997, a popular vocalist and composer), who had moved there in 1935. Between circa 1940 and 1942, Tito worked with Cuarteto Caney, Enric Madriguera and Xavier Cugat (replacing Miguelito Valdés as a singer and percussionist); then a spell in the US Army was followed by work with Noro Morales and Eddie LaBarron. In 1946 Cuban pianist and composer José Curbelo recruited Rodríguez and Tito Puente (on timbales) to his band, which became an "incubator" for the future New York mambo sound. While still with Curbelo, Tito sessioned with Chano Pozo, Arsenio Rodríguez and Machito’s Orchestra for Gabriel Oller’s Coda label in Feburary 1947. Fired by Curbelo due to a misunderstanding in 1947, Tito briefly led a quintet, then formed his own trumpet-led Mambo Devils in mid-1948 (one of NYC’s first conjuntos) and made eight numbers for Oller’s SMC label. He signed with Tico Records in 1949, but Oller protested against the continued use of the name Mambo Devils, so Tito briefly named his group Los Lobos del Mambo (Mambo Wolves) before saxes and trombones were added to create a big band (simply called "his Orchestra’), which he led until 1965. Tracks he recorded between 1949 and 1951 from Vol’s. One, Two, Four, Five and Six of his Mambos series of 10 inch LPs on Tico were compiled on the Tumbao CDs Mambo Mona and Mambo Gee Gee in 1992. In pursuit of the crossover market, he switched to RCA from 1953 to ‘56, recording with big band, conjunto and charanga line-ups (three volumes of The Best Of Tito Rodríguez & His Orchestra were issued in RCA’s Tropical Series in ‘92-4). On his return to Tico from 1956 to ‘58, he issued Wa-Pa-Cha (1956), Latin Jewels (circa 1957) and Señor Tito Rodríguez (1958). He also recorded with La Playa Sextet for the Mardi Gras label; tracks are compiled on Tito Dice…Separala Tambien! (Alegre, circa 1971).

In 1960 Tito signed to United Artists on the basis that he would be the only Latin bandleader to record for the company. His first album on the label, Live At The Palladium (including Eddie Palmieri on piano), was made at the famed NYC ballroom, where he was regular resident between 1949 and 1964 (Returns To The Palladium – Live! ‘61, his third UA album, was even better). In 1962 Tito had three massive hits in a row: "Vuela La Paloma" (from West Side Beat), "Cuando, Cuando" (from Back Home In Puerto Rico), and "Cara De Payaso" (from Tito Rodríguez’ Hits). Tito and his band recorded Back Home In Puerto Rico during a two-week stay on the island in June 1962. His return was marked by official government receptions and heavy media coverage. In 1963 he issued the Latin jazz set Live At Birdland, featuring Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Bobby Brookmeyer and Clark Terry. The same year Tito had a monster hit of over one and a half million sales with the smoochy string-laden bolero "Inolvidable" (penned by Cuban bandleader and pianist Julio Gutiérrez, 1919-1990), contained on From Tito Rodríguez With Love. He followed this with a series of soft romantic bolero albums, interspersed with uptempo collections like Tito Tito Tito (1964), on which sideman Israel "Cachao" López’s championing of Latin jam sessions was spotlighted on the opening track "Descarga Cachao". Bad deals and financial friction with musicians caused him to disband; he returned to Puerto Rico in 1966 where he starred in his own TV series, featuring guests like Sarah Vaughan, Sammy Davis Jr, Shirley Bassey and Tony Bennett. In the late ’60s he relocated to Miami. His albums of that period included the swinging Estoy Como Nunca (UA Latino, 1968) with big band line-up of four trumpets, four trombones, five reeds and five-piece rhythm section including future Libre leader Manny Oquendo. In 1971 he founded his own TR Records label. His second album for the imprint, Palladium Memories, was a best seller. He teamed up with Louie Ramírez for the 1972 follow-up Algo Nuevo. Tito’s 25th Anniversary Performance (1973), made in a Peruvian nightclub, was released a month before his death, sparking conjecture that he’d meant it as a farewell. His last appearance was with the Machito band at Madison Square Garden on 2 February 1973, 26 days before he died of leukaemia.
- John Child

Tito Rodriguez discography

Co-founded in 1962 by the Cuban flautist, musical director, arranger, composer and producer Eddy Zervigón (pictured here) and Cuban singer Roberto Torres, Orquesta Broadway has proved to be one of New York’s longest surviving charangas. Eddy boarded in the same East Harlem building as Torres; rehearsals took place in Eddy’s small room; following disagreements over a name, they finally settled for "Orquesta Broadway" (suggested by a promoter because most members resided near the avenue). Notable early members included Eddy’s twin brother Rudy (violin) and his younger brother Kelvin (who initially played güiro, then switched to piano), brothers Ira Herscher (piano, arranger and composer; with the band ‘62-’70, plus several stints with them during the ’70s) and David Herscher (bass, arranger and composer; with the band ‘62-9, returned briefly in the mid-’70s), and Abraham Norman (violinist from ‘63 to the late ’70s). Broadway made their debut with Dengue (1964) on the Gema label, which contained the hit cha cha "Como Camina Maria", arranged by Ira. Their series of albums on the Musicor label between 1965 and 1968 helped consolidate their popularity as one of New York’s top ten bands. Their 1972 LP Como Me Gusta, the first of two albums on All-Art, contained the hit "Pa’ Africa", inspired by a forthcoming trip to Africa. They visited the Ivory Coast and Paris in 1973 and Senegal in 1974.

Broadway signed to Harvey Averne’s Coco Records and released four albums on the label between 1975 and 1981. Their second Coco release, Pasaporte (1976), produced by revered trombonist Barry Rogers, enhanced their popularity. By 1977 they were the city’s busiest band, playing 15 dances a week; five dances on Saturday. 1978’s New York City Salsa, produced by Ira, added the trumpet of Cuban, Roberto Rodríguez (died: 1988) to the line-up. Between 1980 and 1981, Eddy, Rudy, Kelvin and other band members appeared on a number of albums produced by Torres for his SAR and allied Guajiro and Neon labels, including: Roberto Torres Presenta: Ritmo de Estrellas (1980); Charanga Colonial (1981); and SAR All Stars Recorded Live in Club Ochentas (two volumes, 1981). In 1982 they released Orquesta Broadway Loves New York on their own B’way Records label and were the winning band at the Festival de Orquestas in Cali, Colombia. Although their recorded output fell-off in the remainder of the ’80s and ’90s (only releasing Ahora Es Cuando Eh! in ‘87 on Mambo, back to an un-augmented format), they made radio broadcasts and gigged consistently. They made their album comeback in 2003 with 40th Anniversary (Flauta, 2003). Mike Collazo, timbalero with Broadway for 15 years, passed away in 2010.
- John Child

Orquesta Broadway discography