The Legend of Roberto Roena: Part 1
Posted on 24. Jan, 2010 by Hector Aviles in Blog
I had the fortune to witness the peak years of legendary Puerto Rican bongo player Roberto Roena. One of my highlights was a concert Roena played at our High School, where the theme was Roberto Roena’s history. He played songs from his first Apollo Sound album through his latest, which at the time I believe was “La 8va Maravilla”. The Apollo Sound was at its peak, and Roena drove in on one of those long Cadillacs.
Just this past weekend, Roberto Roena was honored, along fellow Puerto Rican musician Luis “Perico” Ortiz, in the “Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian” in Puerto Rico, which is one of the main cultural celebrations held in Puerto Rico. The honor coincided with Roena’s 70th birthday, which provides a great milestone to look back at the career of a Puerto Rican musical legend.
Roberto Roena was a highly influential figure in Salsa music. The skinny kid that started his career as a prolific dancer, became the bongo player of one of the most prominent bands of the time in Puerto Rico despite the fact he hardly knew how to play the instrument, revolutionized the choreograph movements singers do at in front of Salsa bands, and lead one of the hottest groups during the peak of Salsa during the 70’s and 80’s.
From Cortijo’s Combo to Salsa Legend
I remember being in my grandmother’s house as a pre-schooler and watching with her the “Show de las 12” where El Gran Combo performed. I was mesmerized by the music and the dance routines Pellin Rodriguez, Andy Montañez, and Roberto Roena performed.
Although this is about the time period I first saw them, Roena had been choreagraphing dances for some before that with Cortijo y su Combo. Roena caught the eye of Cortijo with his dancing, and Cortijo decided to add him to his Combo and make him a percussionist.
Roberto Roena’s Brief History
I would take me many blogs for me to describe Roberto Roena’s musical career, so consider this a quick summary. When in 1962 Rafael Ithier decided to leave Cortijo’s band and form his own Combo, some of Coritjo’s musicians went with him to form El Gran Combo. Roberto Roena was one of them, and with Pellin and Andy, began to do a different kind of choreography dancing in front. It became such a hit, that it became part of the DNA of El Gran Combo. So much that when in 1969 Roberto Roena left El Gran Combo to form his Apollo Sound, Ithier not only hired a replacement bongo player (Baby Serrano), but also a replacement choreographer (Mike Ramos).
The first Roberto Roena y su Apollo Sound record
In 1969 Roena took off with his Apollo Sound (name coined for the coincidence of the Apollo 11 launch the day of their 1st rehearsal). I had a high school friend that would jokingly call them the A-“pollo” Sound, using the Spanish double-L sound rather than the English single “L” sound. Roena teamed with Puerto Rican great trumpet player and eventual band leader Elias Lopez, to form the band, with Elias Lopés in charge of the musical aspects of the band, and Roena the leadership and showmanship. His dancing showmanship with his brother as a kid was what got him the gig with Cortijo, and it was what help make El Gran Combo distinctive, so he planned to use this inherit ability of his to leap the Apollo Sound over the other bands of the time. Piro Mantilla was his first lead singer, and with him he had his first hits in “Tu Loco Loco y Yo Tranquilo”, “El Escapulario”, and Bobby Capó’s “Soñando con Puerto Rico”. From there, Roena and his Apollo Sound kept getting better.
Colored hair and the use of “go-go” girl dancers where just a few of Roena’s showmanship ideas. Elias Lopés kept improving the sound of the Apollo with each recording. By the time they reached the Apollo Sound 6 album, Elias Lopés, who had left the band by the 4th album, but continued as main arranger, was joined by Luis “Perico” Ortiz and trombonist “Gunda” Merced, who joined the band for the 5th album, as arrangers. The Apollo Sound 6 album catapulted the band to super-stardom status, helping Salsa reach it peak in those years.
Part 2: My Favorite Roberto Roena
I realize that I may get carried away while writing about my Roberto Roena’s favorites. So I’ll make that the focus of Part 2 of this topic on the legend of Roberto Roena.
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