For all you latin music fans...

...how exciting is this? New music never before heard from the giants of latin music recorded during the prime of their recording careers!!!


Salsa Salvage-article written by Maria Vega NY Daily News 8/06/08



Two never-released songs by the revered Celia Cruz?

A full recording of a live concert by the original Fania All-Stars in Cali, Colombia?

Unpublished music from Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto and other legends of Latin music?

These are samples of what has been found so far in the Fania Records archives since 2005, when Emusica bought the fabled label and rescued thousands of original tapes from an upstate warehouse where they had been languishing for years.

The names on these tapes, according to Emusica CEO Giora Breil and other people familiar with the Fania treasure trove, are astonishing.

To read the rest of the article, click on this link-

http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2...neverreleased_fanias_golden_era_music_hi.html

Also, Tito Puentes' earliest recordings, dating back to 1949 and done for the "Tico" label will be released on CD...

http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2...early_tito_puente_music_recovered_in_4cd.html

Wilfrido Vargas is one of the artists named in the article as having songs in the vault that haven't been heard yet, so that is definitely awesome news for lovers of his music!!!

bachatony1 said:

Are they going to produce these songs on a CD?

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Emusica, the company that now owns the rights to the old Fania label is undertaking a massive project to get all of this music out there, remastered and on cd. I believe they have around 300 titles available since they began this project with much more to come.

bachatony1 said:

How can i get my hands on them? I love Fania!!! (Especially Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon)

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HAHAHA!!!!!!! The music is everywhere!!!! I live in New York City, so I am always popping into J&R Music World in Manhattan. But any big record store will have this music online-you don't even have to leave your house!!!

But I recommend J&R because they have the widest selection at the best prices I've seen, and they are always having sales.

As for Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe, name the one Christmas album you can play any time of the year-you guessed it, its' "Asalto Navide?o"!!!

bachatony1 said:

I just read the article, and Willie Colon sounds pretty upset about the news. I can see his point, but It's not that people want to contaminate his work or show any disrespect whatsoever, I think we are just hungry for more salsa vieja and would LOVE to hear more of them. If they found unfinished works by Michaelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci, wouldn't they show them? What do you guys think?

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Artists reissue albums all the time with extra bonus material that doesn't detract from the original release.

From that standpoint it shouldn't be a problem, but those three extra songs recovered from the "Siembra" album sessions will not be released as added material to that album, it will be part of a separate compilation.

So the original album will remain intact.

Also, Colon does not own the master tapes to the album, Emusica does. So as long as Emusica pays Colon the royalty fees he is due he has no legal leg to stand on as far as blocking the songs from being released.

But Colon has other issues which are affecting his attitude towards releasing this new material.

He has an ongoing court battle with Ruben Blades in Puerto Rico over a concert they did commemorating the 25th anniversary of the "Siembra" album that he was never paid for.

Colon is somehow claiming that Blades is the one who owes him his share of the money. So we'll see how that plays out. Right now I do believe they hate each other, so don't expect to see these two on stage together anytime soon.

This could not of come at a worse time. Right now Emusica is riding the crest of a gigantic wave with the release of this music and these two artists are some of the few left alive from that era that can still perform.

The money they would make on a world-wide tour would eclipse anything they have earned previously in their careers, but I guess they'd rather fight in court than be out there playing to their adoring fans.

30th Anniversary edition of "Siembra" just released...

This seminal album, originally released in 1978, has been re-released in a deluxe package and with extra songs, despite strong objections from Willie Colon.


1. Plastico
2. Buscando Guayaba
3. Pedro Navaja
4. Maria Lionza
5. Ojos
6. Dime
7. Simebra

Bonus Tracks-

8. Dime[Take 2]
9. Pedro Navaja[Take 2]
10. Ligia Elena[previously unreleased]
11. Plastico[Instrumental Edit]
12. Dime[Single Version]

Tito Puente releases...

Tito Puente-The Complete 78s Vol. 1 and Vol.2. Both volumes contain 2 CDs each of the original music Puente recorded for the small "Tico" label beginning in 1949.

Some of the musicians featured are Vicentino Valdes, Mongo Santamaria, Charlie Palmieri, Willie Bobo and Manny Oquendo.

Any fan of latin music will appreciate listening to the master at the very beginning of his recording career, which went on to span over 5 decades and cover over 100 albums.

But these recordings are truly special, as they were the very first he made and cemented his reputation as the undisputed King of latin jazz and mambo.

montreal said:

NICE!!!

The Salsa world needs a pick me up right now. This might just be what it needs to wake up all the young salseros out there. :bunny:

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Latin music covers so many types of different styles that it's not just about salsa. Its' also about the history and culture of latin people.

And for those who don't dance there is much to enjoy here. The musicians were the best that ever played, and to have this music reissued on cd is just incredible.

montreal said:

Thanks Berzin, I'm very aware but we are talking specifically about some of the originators of SALSA not other latin styles.... Montreal

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Yes, but remember that Tito Puente was mambo(way before salsa) and he never appreciated being lumped into the salsa category. Cats like Eddie Palmieri was doing latin jazz which he morphed into "salsa dura" and Willie Colon began with boogaloo.:cheeky:

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the categorization doesn't matter. Fania is making sure all of these great artists are being exposed to a brand new audience regardless of what style of latin music they played.

While we're at it, don't forget to pick up the newly released Buena Vista Social Club double CD "Live at Carnegie Hall". This is the one and only time this special group of musicians played together at the same venue. Absolutely amazing.