Luis Perico Ortiz “Tiempo de Amar” Review

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“Tiempo de Amar ” is the most recent recording by Luis “Perico” Ortiz and features several stars of popular music.

All proceeds from the CD sales will be donated to the Fundación de Niños San Jorge.

Rubén Blades, Andy Montañez, José Nogueras, Danny Rivera, Alex D’Castro, Ismael Miranda, Victoria Sanabria, Giovanni Hidalgo, Juan José Hernández, Prodigio Claudio, and the Ernesto Ramos Antonini Symphony Orchestra are just some of the artists who contributed their art to“Tiempo de Amar“.

Luis “Perico” Ortiz told me that there were also many other artists who heard about the project and offered to participate, such as Cheo Feliciano, Oscar D’Leon, and Victor Manuelle, but for various reasons, they weren’t able to participate.

I had the pleasure of talking with the popular Puerto Rican trumpeter, arranger, composer, producer, businessman, and educator about this ambitious musical project, which he considers the most complex of his 50+ years in music. There is so much interesting information that Luis “Perico” Ortiz kindly offered us, that I am going to limit myself to reviewing “Tiempo de Amar” in this blog, and to go more into the creation and evolution of this project in the next blog.

Luis Esteban Ortiz Ruiz, artistically known as “Perico”, describes in this audio segment of our interview, where the name“Tiempo de Amar” comes from for this project.

 

“Tiempo de Amar“includes 11 songs, consisting of 4 Salsas, 2 Latin Jazz, 1 Symphonic Popular, 1 Latin Semi-Classical, 1 Dance (piano solo by a 14-year-old!), 1 Tropical Folklorico (with a cuatro solo by an 11-year-old) and 1 Tropical Urbano, which is a fine name for a rumba, which can never be missing in Luis “Perico” Ortiz’s musical productions.

The Music in“Tiempo de Amar“

Music and Arrangements – let’s start with the obvious. The compositions and arrangements on“Tiempo de Amar” are top-notch. In all the musical genres represented, the musical quality is such that it is enjoyable no matter the genre or the performer.

The songs are composed by José Nogueras, Victoria Sanabria, Juan José Hernández, and Luis “Perico” Ortiz himself. The lyrics of the 4 Salsa songs are all positive messages which encourage us to improve ourselves and succeed. The truth is that after talking for a while with the maestro Luis “Perico” Ortiz, one is impregnated with that positivism with which he infects you during the conversation.

Perico”‘s arrangements are excellent as we are accustomed to, and bear that unequaled stamp of a beautiful harmony of winds and percussion where his trumpet stands out. Also worth mentioning is the arrangement by maestro Luis García in“La Alegría“.

Performances and Musical Execution – there is a lot to be said here not only for the quality of the performances but also for the selections and combinations of the artists. All the singers are on point with their voices, and the combinations of singers in the Salsa songs are interesting.

Listen to the maestro Luis “Perico” Ortiz explain in this audio segment how he went about the process of selecting and combining the range of artists that participated in“Tiempo de Amar“. While at it, he tells us an interesting anecdote about the early career of José Nogueras and another one explaining why Víctor Manuelle could not participate in the album.

 

I especially love the combination of Jose Nogueras with Danny Rivera; Danny for his formidable voice combined with the simpler voice of Jose Nogueras, but Jose has more of a small-town flavor and his usual coqui“siempre” sound. I also really liked the combination of troubadour Victoria Sanabria and salsa singer Ismael Miranda, two strong voices with very compatible styles.

Opportunity for Young Talent – a nice thing about“Tiempo de Amar” is that it gives young talent a chance to shine. As maestro Luis “Perico” Ortiz told us in our conversation, “I am a product of that opportunity for young talent.

 

For me it was a surprise to learn that the Danza”Amor Eterno” played solo on piano, is performed by Rolando A. Alejandro Llantín, a boy who is only 14 years old. And the performance of the cuatro in “Feeling the Cuatro“, which is a composition of the famed virtuoso cuatro player Prodigio Claudio, is by Wilfredo de Jesús, a self-taught 11-year-old boy who has Prodigio as his musical godfather. What irony or coincidence! Maybe that’s why he’s suddenly baptized as “Prodigio Claudio”.Prodigito“! It reminds me of when Giovanni Hidalgo used to be calledMañenguito” for being the son of “Mañengue“, the conguero who became famous with the orchestra of Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz.

Musical Variety – the musical variety is what distinguishes “Tiempo de Amar“. In the first 4 songs Salsa is interchanged with Latin Jazz, to then give way to Symphonic music and Dance, followed by 2 Salsas and the other genres in the last 3 songs. “Tiempo de Amar” kept me interested in the music from beginning to end.

Promotional Video for “Tiempo de Amar”

Enjoy this video which gives you a taste of what “Tiempo de Amar” includes:

An Excellent“Tiempo de Amar“.

 

My recommendation is to help the San Jorge Children’s Foundation, which is dedicated to helping children in Puerto Rico who suffer from cancer, with the purchase of this excellent album.

If“Tiempo de Amar” had been called something else, as “Perico” was going to do before deciding to turn this into a philanthropic project, I would still recommend you to buy the album for its musical quality. Adding the fact that the funds from the CD go to help children suffering from cancer, it is necessary to do our bit and join this cause!

Being at Christmas time, it is even more evident to help the Fundación de Niños San Jorge, because my friends, it is“Time to Love“!

…and it’s also time for you to share this blog with your friends and in your social networks so that they can encourage and help us to make this project a success!