Salsa Music for Mexico
Posted on 08. Sep, 2010 by Hector Aviles in Blog
Many Salsa artists have dedicated songs to Mexico. As a mayor force and an important musical mecca for Latin music, Mexico is an important stage every artist wants to visit. As we celebrate Mexico’s independence in September, I’m reflecting on some Salsa songs which pay tribute to the country of the Aztecs and Mayas.
I got to learn some classical Mexican songs through Salsa music. I know, that is pathetic, but I hardly listened to anything else in my youth years. One that comes readily to mind is Willie Rosario’s rendition of the Mexican classic “Ojala Que Te Vaya Bonito”. This was one of 3 strong songs from the Maestro Rosario’s album “From the Depth of My Brain”, released in 1978. The late Junior Toledo was Willie Rosario’s singer at the time, and did another excellent performance in the Salsa version of this Mexican classic.
Another great Salsa song dedicated to Mexico is El Gran Combo’s “Conozca a Mexico”, included in the album “En Las Vegas” also released in 1978. This is a great song, with a strong “montuno” which makes moves your feet. The Salsa song lyrics mention many of Mexico’s cities, and is a much better song than their previous tribute to Mexico, “Homenaje a Mexico” recorded in their previous album “International” (1977). Also around this time, Cheo Feliciano recorded a tribute to Mexico with a song that was a potpourri of Mexican classics. Cheo recorded the song “Mosaico a Mexico” in the 1977 album “Mi Tierra y Yo”
During the “Salsa Romantica” boom many Salsa artists recorded songs made popular by Mexican ballad singers, like Frankie Ruiz’s popular “Tu Con El”, previously made famous by the great Mexican singer Jose Jose.
Tito Nieves Dos Canciones Clasicas de Marco Antonio Solis
But if we think of more recent times, Tito Puente recorded a tribute song to Mexico in his very last recording, “Obra Maestra” (2000), in which he collaborated with Eddie Palmieri and a list of some of the best Salsa singers. The song “Mariachi Medley; Cielito Linda/La Negra” was performed brillinatly by Oscar D’ Leon and included a Mariachi playing alongside Tito Puente’s orchestra. Also the great Salsa singer Tito Nieves recorded a Salsa album of songs from Marco Antonio Solis, titled “Canciones Clasicas de Marco Antonio Solis” released in 2007.
Mexico has a great cultural heritage and is one of the most important Latin American stages for any artist. Mexico still has great potential for Salsa, as I would estimate that a small fraction of the population actually follows Salsa music. Yet, because of Mexico’s huge population, a tiny fraction means a lot of Salseros in raw numbers. Salsa artists like Oscar D’Leon, Gilberto Santa Rosa, El Gran Combo, and Grupo Niche have been cultivating a Mexican following for years. Puerto Rican singer Olga Tañon worked with the ex-Buki Marco Antonio Solis, who produced for her a couple of ballad album as part of Olga’s strategy to penetrate the Mexican market. The strategy worked at least partially, as Olga Tañon has become a popular artist in Mexico.
And yet, Mexico still offers Salsa artists and record labels a market with a lot of growth potential.
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