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Comment on Lewis Kahn a Blue Collar Salsa Music Man by Single Serve Coffee Makers

Single Serve Coffee Makers — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:11:10 +0000

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Comment on Salsa Music Best All-Time “Coristas”: Part 1 by Hector Aviles

Hector Aviles — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:48:34 +0000

Both Chino and you make good points. In my opinion, I would not compare Salsa to Cuban music simply because they are no the same nor intended to be. It’s an evolution of music.

With time music in all genres evolves. Artists live a different set of experiences that influence them. Society goes thru changes, and the social changes and different experiences drive a need for different music, even or hopefully based on our roots.

Salsa was born thru the circumstances of the Latino population living in New York. But a parallel evolution was happening in Puerto Rico, where the Cortijo Combo, with their bomba and plena focus gave way to El Gran Combo, Roena’s Apollo Sound, and many others. Same in Venezuela and other places.

Cuba has evolved its own music, in most cases trying to keep the it’s roots still in the new sound.

Venezuelan writer Cesar Miguel Rondon did a great job explaining this evolution in his book “Salsa”.

Comment on Salsa Music Best All-Time “Coristas”: Part 1 by Antigonum Cajan

Antigonum Cajan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:39:28 +0000

What can I say, write, oriental friend? What those musicians whose parents arrived NY in the Coamo did was some sort of sampling.

Yours truly does not speak/talk about Cuban sound, that stretches it too much.The Cuban embargo, made it possible.

Granted shingaling/bugaloo were not totally in this bag, but in the other, the soul brothers enclave people with those mentioned identify with, also sampling their speech, dress and body language.

If you add high hats to a guajira and a little beat, sound in the bass, you could transform it into a bugaloo.

Salsa pioneers?What the hell could that be? The term useless/full or not is arbitrary. Created by those migrants in NY, at some time known as spiks.

To put things in perspective, if you add the best bands, conjuntos, combos, composers, musicians, interpreters, lyricists, not from NY, but Puerto Rico, Cuba had much more variety for its size in terms of geography and population. Simple math.

I tell you more, when I listen to Victoria, Mayari, vs Portabales, Guaracheros de Oriente to name two from each country I believe they are both excellent.

Except with very few exceptions, Fania, watered down the whole, even if exposition to the genre was greater than any other period, allowing those who later accepted they were exploited their 15 minutes of notoriety.

While Cuba kept developing beat and sound structures with some I hate Irakere like, or Van Van those I love, Puerto Rico only produced for a very short while Batacumbele the greatest since and totally forgotten without air play.

I am not an authority on this subject, but I do my homework. At sixty of age, critical at birth, I find any nationalism, false pretenses of superiority from any group, without any research, evidence, trivial. Even if a good keyboard exercise.

Comment on Salsa Music Best All-Time “Coristas”: Part 1 by Chino Rodriguez

Chino Rodriguez — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:23:56 +0000

Each time I hear someone say it’s the Cuban Sound that made it, well yes and NO !!! – See if it wasn’t for the bands of the late sixty and early seventy Barreto, Harlow, Tipica, Palmieri re-doing the songs of the Cuban Masters in New York – you would not have the Salsa sound of Today. The New York sound was a mix of NY bebop Jazz, with Boogaloo, and Dew wop, and of course Big Band influx which turned that Mambo into a progression we all love to hear. So please give credit to the New York Bands the Pioneers of Salsa because with out them we would still be listening to Mambo, Guaguanco and Pachanga….

Comment on Choco Orta’s “Choco Swing” Salsa CD Review by Antigonum Cajan

Antigonum Cajan — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:28:35 +0000

I do not buy records any more. Contrary to what you have stated, when I listen to anything I try to find the flaws. Then, it is good or not from my standards.

I remember when Willie Colon and Palmieri changed their flow while I was in college. I hated ‘La Justicia’ and I believe it was the record following Juana Penha, a long playing with a shitty cover by Izzy Zanabria in black and white.

I hated the sound in both records, even when some tunes
were acceptable.

As a critical person by nature, not n this field with your colors,
I declare that the vocation, good ears, demand sharing with others views, even if others disagree. That is the fun of being critical.

What is the point to be a critic and finding everyone complacent and friendly with one views? Criteria and arguments is what is needed.

Some times one is right, seldom is not.

Comment on Lewis Kahn a Blue Collar Salsa Music Man by Hector Aviles

Hector Aviles — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:38:49 +0000

Hi Bob,
You can probably connect with Lewis Kahn by requesting to be his friend in Facebook. I’m glad that Latino Music Cafe can serve as a link to an old friendship.

If you can’t find Lewis in Facebook pls let me know, as I’m friends with him. The man is a gentleman and a scholar! I have the utmost respect for him as a musician and as a person.

Best,

Hector

Comment on Lewis Kahn a Blue Collar Salsa Music Man by Bob Byer

Bob Byer — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 07:14:32 +0000

I first met Lewis when I was playing trombone with the All-City High School Orchestra around 1960 or 61. Jerry Hyman was another student in the section. I went to Music and Art HS and graduated in 1963. I also played with Larry Larlow and Joey Pastrana and Peter Terrace back in the day. I knew Hector LaVoe and Willie Colon when I played with them before Hector became famous. I knew Hector when we both played in a group called “La New Yorker” started by its bass player Carlos Avila. I hope Lewis has a chance to get back to me some day. I’m also on facebook. Thanks. Bob Byer

Comment on Salsa Music Best All-Time “Coristas”: Part 1 by Antigonum Cajan

Antigonum Cajan — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:37:34 +0000

Glad to come back.

I have a particular dislike for Johny Pacheco, and many nasal voices, Ismael Miranda for example.

I always wondered why at a younger age I was never into Gran Combo and Poncenha.. Listening to Son de Cuba, a radio show in WRTU-FM it clicked.

While listening the original recording of Fuego en el 23, de Arsenio Rodriguez , I realized Barreto, Harlow, Tipica, Palmieri were copy cats of the Cuban beat, with new arrangements, thanks to the embargo.

The mystery solved. I am hooked on the Cuban sound. It does not matter if it is small or big bands.

Do you remember Jose Cheo Diaz, from WKCR? I used to listen his salsa show on Fridays.

This is a great site…Good luck in your future projects.

Comment on Salsa Music Best All-Time “Coristas”: Part 2 by Hector Aviles

Hector Aviles — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:42:05 +0000

Amigo Cajan – on the point that Adalbarto Santiago can’t improvise, I have to say that many well known singers can’t or won’t do it either. Ismael Miranda, Tito Nieves, Luis Enrique…the list is long. It’s almost (and as I have mentioned in previous blogs) as if improvisation is a lost art. That said, and in Adalberto’s case in particular, that does not take away of him being, in my opinion, one of the best coristas of all-time. You don’t need to improvise while doing coros. Nor, as I made the case, you don’t even need to be a good singer (Johnny Pacheco or Ramon Rodriguez).

Good discussion

Comment on Salsa Music Best All-Time “Coristas”: Part 2 by Hector Aviles

Hector Aviles — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:35:01 +0000

Dear Cajan,
I do keep the scope narrow on purpose as what I’m writing is a blog rather than a big article. You also make a good point about Fania’s monopoly (did Ruben Blades bring this up enough?) and about other great bands outside the Fania label. El Gran Combo, which I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, is one of them. The “corista” of the 2000′s that I’m about to highlight in Part 3 of the series, is another example.

I’m glad you are reading the blog, and thanks for your comments!!! Stay tuned as I resume my CD reviews in video.

Hector