Salsa music is as much based on percusion, rhythm, winds, as it is on the singer and the chorus. And as there were specialist for every instrument, there were those who had a special gift to do “coro”. Some “coristas” happened to be good singers; others were not even singers. Here are some of the [...]
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With Tim Tebow’s football season now over, perhaps we can persuade him to switch his attention to Latin Music. Perhaps Latin music doesn’t need to be “saved”, but I can think of 2 ways in which Tim Tebow could spray his Mile-High magic dust to give us a hand in Latin music, and perhaps we [...]
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Latin Jazz had a fabulous 2011! There were so many good releases that I may need more than one blog to talk about all of them. Once again, I list them in no particular order, so let’s get right to it. Latin Jazz 2011 Highlights: Bobby Sanabria & The Manhattan School of Music: “Tito Puente [...]
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Legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval begins 2012 as busy as he was in 2011, taking his Los Angeles based band to Seattle next week for 4 nights at the Jazz Alley. The multi-award winner of several Grammys, Latin Grammys, Billboard Awards, and even an Emmy, returns to Seattle to perform some new material as well [...]
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This week marked the 89th birthday of Puerto Rican Latin music legend Tito Rodriguez. When I remember the Salsa and Bolero master, I think as much of his silky voice as of his ability as an entertainer. Salsa star Gilberto Santa Rosa regards Tito Rodriguez as one of his Latin music models, and I assume [...]
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I’ll share my viewpoint on which were the highs and lows in Salsa music during 2011. The lists below are in no particular order of importance. I’ll keep it short, so let’s get right to it… Salsa Music 2011Highs: Salsa Dura is Alive and Well: 2011continued to see great releases of Salsa Dura, a clear [...]
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I’m not that big on New Year’s resolutions as I believe on continuous improvement, not in once a year improvements. But it’s a good time to reflect on the last year and apply lessons learnt. In 2011 I change jobs. After 15 years in Microsoft, I now work for an Austrian manufacturer with US operations [...]
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“Soy y Seré” is the 18th recording of veteran Nicaraguan singer Luis Enrique. After the huge success of Luis Enrique’s 2009 comeback album “Ciclos”, “Soy y Seré” was the widely anticipated follow-up. “El Principe” of the “Salsa Romantica” released a romantic album that leans more towards Latin pop. The contrast between the two albums is [...]
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I gave up on Grammy awards or Latin Grammys being a fair competition of the best music a long time ago. They clearly aren’t. Yet, as I watched the 2011 Latin Grammys, I could only watch in attonishment some of the Latin Grammys awarded last week. Did reggaeton group Calle 13 deserve 9 Latin Gammys? [...]
