Dominican Salseros- Where Are They?

I would like to learn more about Henry Garcia. What are the songs he sings -- because there are several Cuco Valoy salsas that I like, and I wonder if it is Henry Garcia I am listening to. The CD I lifted them from had no credits, so I am clueless as to personnel on these cuts. Also does he have any albums of his own?

Well, as I have stated elsewhere, one significant strand in 60s and 70s salsa was initiated by Dominican Johnny Pacheco, who, with Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez (who died last year) created the first "official" salsa album, El Ca?onazo, and launched Fania Records with Jerry Masucci -- a man, it must be said, who did not act fairly by his proteg?s, ripping them all off and eventually getting into a legal wrangle with salsero-turned-lawyer Ruben Blades! Pacheco also noted the talent behind Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe and set to work polishing their sound and promoting their music. If you listen to their first album, "El Malo," which musically is pretty . . . let's say "raw," .... you will see that they benefitted enormously from Pacheco's help thereafter, and of course Willie Colon was very much like Pacheco, a man of many talents, and a great producer, so he went on to champion other new talent and create his own brand of salsa that was at times quite eclectic (lots of Brazilian influences for example).

Pacheco also turned out some of Celiz Cruz's best work -- their two albums together are filled with classics -- Quimbara, Sopa de Botella, Dime si Llegu? a Tiempo, El Mulo, on and on.

With El Conde, Pacheco turned out at least four stellar albums: El Ca?onazo, Los Compadres, Tres de Caf? y Dos de Az?car, and La Perfecta Combinaci?n. Together they promoted a salsa that hewed to the Cuban traditions, reinterpreting some classic son, and foregrounded the honey like mellifluous voice of the great Conde. His voice was deep, mellow and enveloping. he forms a nice contrast to the equally important but very different voice embodied by Ismael Rivera, or Maelo as he is affectionately known, who started out with Cortijo in Puerto Rico and went on independently to make some of the most important salsa albums of the seventies, with plenty of good politically oriented lyrics (El Nazareno, Caras Lindas, etc). In general Pacheco and El Conde steered clear of overt political statements.

Pacheco was also an accomplished charanga flute player, and brought this skill to salsa. He was a virtuouso flautist.

Btw, Miguel, I did notice you listed La Selecta -- overlooked it previously. Great band, great salsa. meanwhile this should do to kick this thing off. I will come back with more on other Dominican salseros such as Rey Reyes.

Wow! Macocael, you do know a lot about salsa and good memory too!

miguel said:

One does not need to be a "fortune teller" to know that if you are a salsero in the DR, you will probably die of hunger. Singers like Rosendo and Jose Alberto only found fame outside of the DR since salseros are not supported by the MOST Dominicans.

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Well, while it is true that Jos? Alberto did find his fame as a salsero while living outside the DR, that is not why he originally left the DR. His family moved to PR when he was only seven, and then later to NYC, where he broke into the salsa scene.

By all accounts he was always fated to be a musician; as a kid he was crazy about singing and playing percussion on whatever was around. And despite being born Dominican, was always interested in pursuing salsa instead of merengue. "Ese ritmo' was in his blood.

It always seemed to me that Jos? Alberto never quite got the full respect as an artist he deserves from Dominicans in the DR. From Dominicans living in the US and elsewhere, maybe, but not at home. [I've been to club events in NYC and DC with his show, and the crowd always had a healthy Dominican contingent in the audience.] And he seems to be well-regarded elsewhere. I remember during a 2001 business trip being in Caracas and the excitement of people buying tickets to see him and Celia (they were touring the Caribbean rim together).

Juan Carlos, I grew up with it. Salsa, RocknRoll, and Motown/Stax were everywhere. While I dont listen to Rock too much anymore, the salsa and particularly the Stax version of R&B have stayed with me. But the real salseros can tell you exactly who plays on what song etc etc. I can always find those stats, but I dont have them at my fingertips.

A good place to look for such info is Descarga.com. They have everything on there: reviews of albums, interviews with everyone, even a glossary. Plus links. Very good source for salsa lovers. There is also a very good book on salsa (only in Spanish) which they hawk. You can learn all about how and why Salsa is different from Mambo -- which in many ways are similar, but there are key differences that mark the new direction that Salsa took.

Oh, and for those of you looking for hard to find albums, go to the salsa store on East 116th, exactly one block past the elevated train trestles, on the north side of the street once you cross --- hmmmm, lexington? The avenue after Park heading east. I cannot for the life of me remember its name, but it is a famous institution. The owner if I remember correctly is actually an Italian who bought the place a long time ago and continues to keep the tradition going. Alot of the old performers will stop in there from time to time too, so you might get to see a salsa celebrity.

I love merengue and bachata too, dont get me wrong,but salsa i like best. It satisfies on all levels, and I guess because it was in the air during my childhood it carries with it powerful feelings.

Btw, for those of you residing down here in St Domingo, have any of you had a chance to watch Etiqueta Tropical (is that the right title, now I am blanking out on it) sunday nites on TV? This is just a great show!!! They feature all the old salseros and present clips of live performances, mostly from TV it seems. Last night they had a very young Ruben Blades performing as back up to Ray Barretto (who died last week so everyone is playing his music on their programs). There he was sounding out the clave and singing beautifully. What a wonderful show.

KeithR I agree El Canario never seems to have much of a following here, but I used to see him perform at Dominican clubs on upper b'way, and among that crowd he was popular.

Well, when I feel like it I will return with somethng on Rey Reyes.

Jos? Alberto is a good salsero-

Let's face it there are not many Dominican salseros thus the reason why there is not as much talk about salsa on DR1 I suppose. As well most people don't know the fine details of the genre. Only truly followers and connoisseurs go beyond just dancing to a certain type of music.

Just a brief comment about Jos? Alberto. I agree with the others he does not have as much popularity in the DR and basically all his recognition has come outside of the DR specifically in NYC. It could be because he grew up in PR and we all know where PR ranks in the salsa world. It could also be that people who don't know much about salsa consider him a Puerto Rican salsero. I personally only like a few of the Dominican ones and Jos? Alberto is definitely tops on my list although he has slowed down almost to a complete halt I always had a high regard for his music. Raulin Rosendo's older music is good but in my opinion he is struggling to keep his career afloat. However, some of his salsa definitely can fit in the 'brava' category.


-LDG.

Edited to respond- Glad to hear it was a joke. With you it's always hard to tell!

I always forget to include Raulin in these discussions, basically because I dont think much of him. Sorry Raulin. His album salsa solamente salsa will be forever remembered for the excellent rendition of La Rebelion, along with Barranquillero Arrebatao, Mi Peque?a Nathalie, and Margarita. Pretty good string for one album. But after that, nothing. Plus his singing became even more mannered and indulgent. Angel Canales has a similar style but he keeps it within limit (check out "Lejos de Ti"). I dont know what happened to Raulin, drugs? Too much high life? He looked it, last I saw him. Anyway, he belongs in the pantheon, but maybe not so high up.

Now let's consider some of the odd moments in which salsa makes its appearance in Dominican music: JLG's "Razones" --not the ballad from the Romantic album but the song from Ojal? que Llueve Caf?. A rare appearance,but this can be expected from an eclectic musician like JLG ( I think "Los Pajaritos" is a Cha Cha). Excellent song. However, I was wondering if anyone knew of any other such unexpected diversions from an artist's metier? Johnny Ventura, maybe? I know he released Bugalu/boogaloo albums when it was the rage back in the early 60s. I am going to look around for other instances.

macocael,

I thought I would have nothing to contribute to this thread but
several years ago I was working as a temp in a warehouse. I had
"Razones" on repeat and listened to it 31 straight times. It is possibly my favorite JLG 4.40 song.

JD

macocael said:

Btw, for those of you residing down here in St Domingo, have any of you had a chance to watch Etiqueta Tropical (is that the right title, now I am blanking out on it) sunday nites on TV? This is just a great show!!! They feature all the old salseros and present clips of live performances, mostly from TV it seems. Last night they had a very young Ruben Blades performing as back up to Ray Barretto (who died last week so everyone is playing his music on their programs). There he was sounding out the clave and singing beautifully. What a wonderful show.

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I used to work in Telemax (small defunct cable channel) and Antena Latina, which is Channel 7 down there, and for about 2 years did some video editing for Eugenio Perez, the producer and host of the show. He is a veritable encyclopedia of salsa knowledge and will quote just about any song from any salsa artist, ever. He also co-owns 104.5 on the FM dial, where they play salsa all day and from a variety of artists. He used to be in charge of the Accounting section for Mercasid when it was "La Manicera" and worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in the DR, while heading up Sony Republica Dominicana as well. Why do you think Marc Anthony became so popular in the DR when he came out? Partly due to the dilligent marketing efforts of Eugenio. Stingy SOB (wouldn't even buy the editing crew pizza the one time we asked him after a 7 hour editing session) but overall, a good guy and very knowledgeable in salsa.

Hey Jersey Devil, I hear you. It really is a great song! But practically everything JLG touches turns to gold. Alot of people dont like the religious turn his music has taken, but you know Avispas was a hit, and I love Para Ti -- what a rocking merengue. And why shouldnt one's religious beliefs serve as a valid theme for merengue or any other genre? Maelo's El Nazareno is a powerful song, still a favorite in the campo where I spend my time.

Wow, Jon S. thanks for all that info. I was wondering about who he was. He certainly makes quite an impression on the Telly, though his Spanish for me is sometimes hard to understand, because he tends to mumble a bit, or maybe it is the sound set up they have in the studio. Anyway, that was great info. I am going to check out the radio station as well. I usually listen to La Salsera, which depending on the time of day you tune in, features some great old salsa. But variety is good. I wouldnt mind meeting Eugenio one day.

macocael said:

Wow, Jon S. thanks for all that info. I was wondering about who he was. He certainly makes quite an impression on the Telly, though his Spanish for me is sometimes hard to understand, because he tends to mumble a bit, or maybe it is the sound set up they have in the studio. Anyway, that was great info. I am going to check out the radio station as well. I usually listen to La Salsera, which depending on the time of day you tune in, features some great old salsa. But variety is good. I wouldnt mind meeting Eugenio one day.

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Yep, that's Eugenio for ya............I got to meet Johnny Pacheco, one of the guys from Puerto Rican Power and a few other people whose names I can't remember thru Eugenio.

In My Book Salsa Was Originated In Cuba Perfected Bt Puerto Ricans The Dominicans To Me Have The Best Latin Music Which Is Meregue And Bachata Music.anyway That Is My Opinion Dominicans Should Be Proud Of It. I Personally Hate Salsa Music I Mean You Go To Any Latin Club Here Or In The States When They Put On A Mambo Meregue Song The Dance Floor Gets Packed As To Salsa Very Borrrring To Listen And To Dance To. Any Way That Is My Opinion And I Am Entitle To It Weather You Like Or Not.

yankee said:

In My Book Salsa Was Originated In Cuba Perfected Bt Puerto Ricans The Dominicans To Me Have The Best Latin Music Which Is Meregue And Bachata Music.anyway That Is My Opinion Dominicans Should Be Proud Of It. I Personally Hate Salsa Music I Mean You Go To Any Latin Club Here Or In The States When They Put On A Mambo Meregue Song The Dance Floor Gets Packed As To Salsa Very Borrrring To Listen And To Dance To. Any Way That Is My Opinion And I Am Entitle To It Weather You Like Or Not.

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First and foremost, to make a statement there is no need to capitalize the First Letter Of Every Word. Capisce??? Second, we are fine with you not liking salsa, but no need for the aggressive tone. Something tells me you've been reading the forums for a while and saw all the sarcastic answers given here and thought you should be ready by firing first ......salsa is not boring, the problem that someone like you has with it is that it is not musica plebe and I don't mean that in a bad way, but you and I know what happens when you put on some mambo merengue in the clubs with Amarfis or Aguakate or Oro Solido. The girls back it on up. Now, I definitely don't mind hearing and dancing to that but not all damn night long.

Salsa is classier and I like the dancing better. With a merengue mambo, you kinda stand there unless you got a little tigueraje and you spin the girl around like 20 times (which I do from time to time).........

Einllo

I just bought Angel Romero aka EINLLO's new CD, Eternamente. He's half Dominican, half Puertorican from NYC and used to be back up singer for Miles Pe?a and La India. Great first CD of a great singer. He's style is a bit commercial, puertorican style, but includes a number of great uptempo salsas.

You guys forget another dominican salsero, 'el mismo' Michel, Michel Batista, who has got some great salsa tunes.

Salsaludos,
Bartolomeo

Bartolomeo67 said:

I just bought Angel Romero aka EINLLO's new CD, Eternamente. He's half Dominican, half Puertorican from NYC and used to be back up singer for Miles Pe?a and La India. Great first CD of a great singer. He's style is a bit commercial, puertorican style, but includes a number of great uptempo salsas.

You guys forget another dominican salsero, 'el mismo' Michel, Michel Batista, who has got some great salsa tunes.

Salsaludos,
Bartolomeo

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Michel isn't Dominican, he's Haitian but grew up in one of the Dominican campos. The bastard is loud, pretty good singer, speaks about 7 different languages but is a bit abrasive to folks. But good singer, at least I think so.......

Thanks Jon S for saying what I refrained from saying. What rot. Anyway, I spent the day doing a lot of research on the clave and salsa dance styles and will soon post the results either here or on a new thread. It will make for interesting reading. For some comments on the Eddie Torres dance style and the whole confusion over On One and On Two, catch the last few posts of the following thread:

http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?p=375219#post375219

Actually, once you read my summary of the whole clave element of salsa, you will plainly see why salsa is superior to these other genres, more "elegant" as you put it Jon. I will say, however, that old merengue occasionally got pretty syncopated too. What ruined all this music, including salsa in its pretty boy phase (whcih may be what Yankee is referring to, and to be fair I dont like the stuff much either), was disco. An insistent, oversimplified beat that allows two-left-feet types to writhe as though they were in fact dancing. Reggaeton, for example. I can listen to dame la gasolina, or Rakatak, maybe once, and that is all i want to hear.

I am also a big salsa fan and agree with most that has been said here. I'd like to add another Dominican salsero to the roster. I'm not sure where he is now a days but he had some pretty good songs back in 98 - 99. His name is Dominic. He had a song called Niegalo Todo and a remake of Cristian Castro's Lloran Las Rosas playing back in those days. I went to one of his shows and he showed a lot of potential.

Forgot to say. There is also a singer by the name of Manole. He is the originator of a song Raulin has in the Raulin en Venezuela album called La Reina. Manole had a couple of good salsas. This was about 4 to 5 years ago.