In light of the recent release of the fabulous compilation Ismael Rivera, Maelo – A Man and His Music, we dug up this terrific rendition of El Negro Bembón interpreted by a trio of salsa greats: Victor Manuelle, Tony Vega and Michael Stuart. It’s a very well done production, set in a nightclub and enhanced by fully-fashioned salsa dancers. A great song, great version, great dancing. Turn it up, and enjoy.
And, here’s a 1959 version with Maelo performing with Cortijo y Su Combo in the film Maruja…
Writer and filmmaker Mathew Ramirez Warren has almost completed his extraordinary documentary of the Boogaloo movement in New York City in the ’60s and ’70s. Below you will find a trailer video, as well as a way to help support the completion of the project. Show your support and keep the flame burning. Beep beep, ahhh, beep beep…
The Film
From 1965 to 1970, musicians in New York City fused English and Spanish lyrics with Afro-Cuban, jazz, rock and R&B rhythms and melodies to create Latin boogaloo. It was a period of revolution and social awakening and young Latinos in search of their identity, growing up in neighborhoods like East Harlem and the South Bronx, adopted Latin boogaloo as their soundtrack.
This audience, once on the verge of leaving Latin music behind, now came to appreciate it. With the emergence of salsa, another New York creation, some say the Latin boogaloo was killed off, not by the fans, but by industry politics. We Like It Like That explores this fascinating, though often overlooked, bridge in Latin music history, seeking to understand its context in the story of Latinos in America and its continued influence around the world today.
Featuring original interviews with Joe Bataan, Johnny Colon, Ricardo Ray, Jimmy Sabater (of the Joe Cuba Sextet), Joey Pastrana, Larry Harlow, Harvey Averne, Angel Lebron (of the Lebron Brothers), Benny Bonilla (of the the Pete Rodriguez band), Felipe Luciano, Aurora Flores, Sandra Maria Esteves, Alex Masucci, Oliver Wang, Juan Flores, Bobby Sanabria, Bobbito Garcia and others.
Status
A work in progress cut of the film premiered in New York City at Central Park Summer Stage on August 10th, alongside an amazing concert with Mr. Boogaloo Blues, Johnny Colon and the king of Latin soul, Joe Bataan.
We filmed the event and plan to include footage from what turned out to be a truly special and historic night in the final version of the film. Read more about the event at the Summer Stage Website and watch Johnny and Joe discuss their music and promote the event, along with DJ Turmix on the ABC7 show Tiempo.
Where Will the Funds Go?
The funds from this campaign will see us through the final edit of the film and help us buy the rights to more of the archival footage needed to complete and officially release the film.
Because We Like It Like That is a music documentary, we are also in the process of securing rights to the songs that we highlight in the film. If we raise any money over our funding level we will put it towards buying song rights.
Why Kickstarter?
We have finished about 3/4 of the film! It has taken almost two years to get to this point, but we are thankful to be here. However, making a documentary is only half the work. Releasing the film is the other half. Through Kickstarter we hope to raise enough funds to put us well on our way towards completing the film for submission to major film festivals, PBS, a possible theatrical release and a successful DVD release. Our reason for making this film has been to inform the public about this incredible period in New York City and Latin music history, and to put a spotlight on the music of these phenomenal artists, whose musical contributions have been overlooked for too long.
Mathew Ramirez Warren
New York, NY
Writer and filmmaker, Mathew Ramirez Warren is a native of New York City. He received an M.A. from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and has been a regular contributor to the New York Times and Wax Poetics Magazine. In 2007, he began exploring documentary filmmaking, and in addition to his work in print, he has produced numerous videos for NYTimes.com and WaxPoetics.com. Since beginning work on his upcoming feature length documentary on the Latin boogaloo era, "We Like It Like That," Mathew has come to be viewed as an expert in the field and has written the liner notes on several album re-issues for Fania Records. He continues to live in New York City and has established his own production company, Muddy Science.
Colombia’s DJ El Chino, compiler of the popular Salsa Word Series albums, has taken on a new role… that of digital distributor. The entrepreneurial disk jockey (Luis Felipe Valero) has begun to digitally represent some excellent salsa bands that might not have otherwise had the exposure they deserve. El Chino’s catalog starts with three titles: Venezuelas Nico Monterola y Su Orquesta RenovacionMi Creación, Colombia’s El Clan De Eskina’s Salsa Para Bailar y Escuchar, and, also from Colombia, the self-titled Calibre Orquesta. Each one of these titles is a salsa gem.
Performance review: Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra / Our Latin Thing
THE SPOT by Heineken/Remezcla | July 28, 2011 | Openhouse Gallery (Soho NY)
If you were lucky enough to have attended last night’s show by the WSO, you were privy to an amazing session. The well-rehearsed band was spot on, performing superb, in-the-pocket, arrangements by bandleader and timbalero Gianni Mano. Lead singer Solange Prat was stellar, balancing fire and poise with apparent ease. Her pleasure was contagious, pulling the packed crowd into her space. Visually the band was smart, donning stylized retro attire. Prat’s synergy with bongocero Geraldo Flores was an added plus, with Flores rising to court the hip-swaying singer as they both gave in to the power of the rumba.
The sound was mixed perfectly, with each note well defined and significant. The words could be heard and understood, the trombonist’s moñas and the conguero’s slap all clearly appreciated. I wish I could say the same for the second band, the Fania All Star cover band called Our Latin Thing. Was there a sound engineer available for them? Every instrument and mike seemed to be set at painfully loud levels, with virtually no separation of instrumentation or vocals, making very difficult to appreciate what they were doing. A shame, as it is possible these guys are great, too. I look forward to reviewing them at another venue in the future.
One of Latin music’s heroes, the great Colombian salsa singer Joe Arroyo, died today at a hospital in Barranquilla, apparently of multiple organ failure.
Born in 1955 in the Caribbean city of Cartagena, Arroyo signed with the legendary record label Discos Fuentes in the early ’70s, and fronted now legendary bands like Fruko y Sus Teso and The Latin Brothers. Arroyo was known to incorporate many pan Caribbean and African styles in addition to the native Colombian rhythms. He even claimed to invent his own style called “Joe-son,” a cumbia-salsa hybrid.
One of his most well known songs is “Rebelión,” about an African couple brought by Spanish slave traders to Latin America, is included in many Arroyo compilations such as Grandes Exitos pictured further down below.
Un matrimonio africano, esclavos de
un espanol, el les daba muy mal trato
y a su negra le pego
Y fue alli, se revelo el negro guapo, tomo
venganza por su amor y aun se escucha
en la verja, no le pegue a mi negra
No le pegue a la negra
No le pegue a la negra
It was posthumously announced that Arroyo would be one of the recipients of the Latin Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. It’s no secret that Joe Arroyo was one of my personal heroes, and songs like La Noche will always find a place on my ultimate playlist. We’ll miss you Joe.
Our friend Gianni Mano, the force behind the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra, recently stopped by elWatusi central and and chatted about his influences, his time at the University of Miami, his prior group (Radio Mundial) and his vision for the WSO. Williamsburg, for those of you who don’t know, is the part of Brooklyn, NY, that’s closest to Manhattan. It’s a hotspot… a hub for artists, musicians, hipsters, bars and clubs. It used to be affordable. But I digress. Gianni, who stopped by on his way to play percussion for a band at an orthodox Jewish wedding (how cool is that) was telling me about an upcoming WSO gig on July 28th sponsored by Heineken. It’s a double bill that also features Our Latin Thing — a Fania All Stars cover band. It should will prove to be a totally fun event. Oh… and it’s FREE. So, if you are in town, check out the show, say hi to Gianni, and tell him elWatusi sent ya.
The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra is unlike any band you’ve heard before, a traditional 11-piece Latin band which plays dynamic, thrilling arrangements of indie rock tunes. With an ever-evolving set list that includes songs by Yeaseayer, Japanther, Animal Collective, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio, The Mars Volta, Arcade Fire, and many more, the WSO will make a salsa-believer out of you! Lead by percussionist/arranger Gianni Mano, (from the Brooklyn Latin-funk legends Radio Mundial), the WSO contains some of the best young players on the scene including a full compliment of horns and percussion. With the attitude of a rock band, and the grooves of classic New York salsa, not to mention a brand new album, we hope the WSO is here to stay. Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra’s Album
Percussionist and band leader Steve Kroon will be interviewed Tuesday, July 5th, on Andy Harlow’s Fusion Latina on WDNA-FM 88.9 in Miami and at www.wdna.org on the web. Steve will talk about his terrific new album Without a Doubt / Sin Duda. The interview should begin just after the 9pm news. Tune in.
Happy Father’s Day to all of you current and future dads. Here’s a short Dad-Dedicated Playlist, a nice mix of salsa, danzon, soul, jazz, cumbia and timba. A little bit of everything, ’cause your dad’s a complex guy. Enjoy
Panamanian-born sonero Gabino Pampini began singing at the age of seven, performing waltzes and rancheras at school. He worked with the groups Mozambique, Cofradía and Roberto y su Zafra and made his recording debut in 1966 with El Combo Impacto, with whom he had the hit "La Luna Y El Toro". He relocated to Costa Rica, where he joined the group Caribú, and travelled to the US with them. There the Colombian timbalero Alex Léon (a member of the Miami-based Orquesta Inmensidad before launching his bandleading career in 1984 with the notable Aquí De Nuevo on Race Records) recommended Pampini to the extraordinary Colombian pianist, arranger, composer and flautist Hernán Gutiérrez, who played and arranged for Fruko y sus Tesosin the 1970s.
Pampini took up residence in Miami, where he sang lead vocals on half of Gutiérrez’s YAhora…La Tremenda Salsa De Hernán Gutiérrez y su Orquesta (Common Cause Records, 1980) and shared lead vocals with Cuban Israel "Kantor" Sardiñas (1949-2006) and Colombian Oscar Alberto Abueta on Gutiérrez’s 1984 classic Con Sacrificio on Martínez Records, definitely one of the most outstanding salsa albums of the 1980s. Gutiérrez died soon after his masterpiece, but Pampini perpetuated his original sound as a solo artist backed by his group Fuerza Noble, co-led by bassist, arranger and composer Ricardo Lance (from Barranquilla, Colombia), and made three albums with them on Mercy Records in Miami between 1987 and 1988, all titled Fuerza Noble. The Fuerza Noble album trilogy spawned a series of notable hits in Colombia: "A Nuestro Modo" from volume one, "Cuerpo de Guitarra" and the bolero "Ilusión" from volume two, and "Gotitas de Dolor" and "Me Cai de la Nube" from the third album.
In 1990 his patronage by Colombia’s salsa audience was consolidated there and in Colombian enclaves abroad with the monster hit "Mi Vecina", a track he recorded in Colombia as a guest on Frivolo (Codiscos, 1989) by Grupo Galé (led by percussionist, arranger, composer, singer and producer Diego Galé). Also in 1990 Pampini made Las Aventuras Musicales de…Gabino Pampini on TH-Rodvenin Miami. The essential 2-disc set 20 Exitos de Gabino Pampini (DM Productions, 2001) compiles his hits with El Combo Impacto and Grupo Galé, together with tracks from both Hernán Gutiérrez albums, his trio of Fuerza Noble releases (including most of the aforementioned hits) and Las Aventuras Musicales. He made Colombia his home, taking up residence in Cali. In 1992 he recorded Con Mas Fuerza in Bogotá for Colombian BMG / RCA.
Five years later, Gabino resurfaced as a house singer with the Fuentes label, contributing lead vocals to albums by La Sabrosura, The Latin Brothers and La Sonora Carruseles in 1997 and ‘98. He resumed his solo recording career with Fuentes in 1998 with Gabino Pampini En Blanco, a homage to the Venezuelan sextet Los Blanco, followed by 1999’s A Lo Billo’s in tribute to Venezuela’s legendary Billo’s Caracas Boys, both co-produced by Diego Galé. These two porro / paseaíto / cumbia oriented projects wasted Gabino’s forte for straight-ahead salsa. However Fuentes made amends with the excellent and highly recommended El Sonero: Mis Problemas (2000), allowing him to co-produce, co-arrange and contribute eight of his own compositions to the project.
In 1998 Fuentes compiled the Pampini sung tracks from the 1997 La Sabrosura and Latin Brothers albums together with remakes of his earlier Colombian hits with Fuerza Noble and Grupo Galé on the recommended Vuelva La Salsa. In 1999 and 2000 he contributed lead vocals to further Fuentes productions by The Latin Brothers, La Sonora Carruseles and Fruko y sus Tesos. The 2000 Fuentes anthology Greatest Hits / Grandes Exitos collects cuts from Vuelva La Salsa, En Blanco, two tracks he recorded with La Sonora Carruseles in 1998 and one track from La Nueva Sonora Matancera’s La Nueva Sonora Matancera Con La Chola Zenide (Fuentes / Paramusica, 1999). Pampini’s relationship with Fuentes became strained and he left the label after his 2001 solo project Havana Nights.
Two years later Pampini issued the disappointing Cruzando Fronteras (Fonocaribe, 2003) recorded in Spain. In 2007 he returned to Fuentes for Salsa Romántica A Mi Manera. In addition to receiving honours in Perú, Panamá and Colombia, he won Best Salsa Vocalist 1989 in Tenerife, Spain. He has also participated in the Festival of Orchestras at Barranquilla Carnival on a number of occasions. – John Child
Dimensión Latina were Venezuela’s premier band at the height of salsa’s popularity in the country during the ’70s. Originally formed in the early ’70s, a band bearing their name still exists in the 21st century. (Ownership of the name "Dimensión Latina" has been the subject of a legal battle.) They began as a sextet performing in a beer hall called La Distinción in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. After a couple of changes of pianist, the personnel that appeared on their eponymous 1973 debut album for TH (Top Hits) were: future superstar Oscar D’León, lead vocals, bass, composer and arranger; César Monge "Albóndiga", trombone, arranger, composer and coro; José Antonio "Rojita" Rojas, trombone and coro; Jesús "Chuíto" Narváez (1950-2006), piano; Elio Pacheco, conga; José "Joseíto" Rodríguez, timbales and composer. The band added a second lead singer, bolero specialist Wladimir Lozano, on their third release En La Dimensión Latina (1974). A third trombone, played by Carlos Guerra Jr., was added on Dimensión Latina ‘76 / Salsa Brava (1975). Oscar left in 1976 to front his own band, La Salsa Mayor, and Monge took on the mantle of musical director. Gustavo Carmona filled the bassist slot. Veteran singer, Argenis Carruyo, was brought in as co-lead vocalist just for Dimensión Latina 77 (Internaciónal) (1976).
In 1977, the band pulled off a considerable coup when they managed to lure Andy Montañez away from El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico with a juicy contract. For the previous 15 years, Andy had been one of Latin music’s most popular singers. He made his recording debut with them on Los Generales de la Salsa (a.k.a. Presentanda: Andy Montañez, 1977). Sharing lead vocals with Montañez and Lozano on this album was ex-Los Satélites member, Rodrigo Mendoza, who possesses a powerful voice with a high-pitched timbre. The same trio of lead singers appeared on Dimensión Latina 78 / 780 Kilos de Salsa (1977).
Wladimir departed in 1977 and teamed up with D’León to record the double album Oscar D’León y su Salsa Mayor con Wladimir (1978); then led and recorded with his own short-lived band, La Constelación, and recorded with La Crítica. Conga player Elio Pacheco also left in ‘77 to form the charanga La Magnifica and later directed La Mafia Latina. In 1979, pianist Jesús "Chuíto" Narváez and Mendoza left to form the band La Amistad, which included flautist Naty and Puerto Rican co-lead vocalist Tito Gómez. Chuíto and Mendoza recorded four La Amistad albums together on Velvet in 1979 and 1980. Between 1979 and 1981, Argenis Carruyo returned to replace Mendoza and Colombian-born Samuel Del Real took over on piano. In November 1980, Oscar D’León reunited with Dimensión Latina for Dos Colosos En Concierto, recorded in concert at the Poliedro Stadium in Caracas. Andy went solo in 1980. Del Real formed his own band and recorded two albums in Venezuela in 1983 and ‘84 before relocating to the USA in 1985.
Chuíto, Pacheco and Wladimir re-grouped for Dimensión Latina’s Producto de Exportación on Guantanamera Records in 1984. From the mid-’80s into the ’90s, César Monge worked as a freelance arranger, musical director, session musician and producer on the Colombian salsa scene with a list of bands and artists that included Grupo Niche, Joe Arroyo, Los Niches, La Octava Dimensión, Formula 8, La Identidad, Grupo Galé and Kike Harvey. Before returning to Venezuela, he arranged for Colombian musical theatre. He also organised his own group, La Pandilla, with whom he has recorded César "Albóndiga" Monge y La Pandilla (Codiscos, 1990) and Historia Paralelas (Cacao Musica, 2009), the latter featuring Rodrigo Mendoza.
The only ’70s members present in the 1990 version of Dimensión Latina were Mendoza, Wladimir and timbales player José "Joseíto" Rodríguez, who had assumed the role of musical director. The band’s most recent release, 2008’s Asociación Músical – 36 Años De Salsa Pura (ACA / LPG), included founder members Joseíto as producer, musical director, arranger and timbalero and José "Rojita" Rojas as general director and coro vocalist. – John Child
If you were lucky enough to have attended last night’s show by the 
The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra is unlike any band you’ve heard before, a traditional 11-piece Latin band which plays dynamic, thrilling arrangements of indie rock tunes. With an ever-evolving set list that includes songs by Yeaseayer, Japanther, Animal Collective, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio, The Mars Volta, Arcade Fire, and many more, the WSO will make a salsa-believer out of you! Lead by percussionist/arranger Gianni Mano, (from the Brooklyn Latin-funk legends Radio Mundial), the WSO contains some of the best young players on the scene including a full compliment of horns and percussion. With the attitude of a rock band, and the grooves of classic New York salsa, not to mention a brand new album, we hope the WSO is here to stay.
