For the funeral of Chivirico Dávila, which took place in the cemetery Villa Palmeras, in Santurce, steps away from the mausoleums of Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera, no government official or representative from the Puerto Rican music industry came to pay their condolences. Removed from the salsa scene in the Bronx, New York, we interviewed Chivirico for the newspaper El …

SENTIMIENTO, TU CHEO FELICIANO Puerto Rican born Jose Cheo Feliciano moved to New York City in 1952 to work as a percussionist. Upon the recommendation of Tito Rodriguez, Feliciano’s illustrious singing career started in the 1960’s with the Joe Cuba sextet and then later with the Alegre All Stars and Eddie Palmieri. In 1971, Feliciano signed a recording contract with …

Every single encounter with José “Cheo” Feliciano is an opportunity to remember that it is always possible to transform the world into a place where we can all live in peace and harmony. Cheo, no matter who you are, will shake your hand, look at you in the eyes with a smile in his face, listen to you respectfully, and …

The joy of Puerto Rican Christmas, with its cultural richness and the diversity of festive and gastronomic traditions, pulses to the utmost level of expression on this 10-songs-long historical album by Jose Cheo Feliciano, “Felicidades.” It’s an enormous pleasure to write, 33 years after its original release, about an album this humble collector and connoisseur considers one of the five …

Released in 1979, “Estampas” is considered among Cheo Feliciano fans as one of the most transcendental entries in the Puerto Rican singer’s discography. Interestingly, one of the album’s biggest fans is Cheo himself. It is my understanding that this is the most complete record that I have ever made, says Feliciano from his home in Puerto Rico. It is the …

The 70s were the most important decade in the history of the musical genre now known as salsa. One of the most popular artists in the history of salsa reemerged at the beginning of this decade: José “Cheo” Feliciano. “Cheo,” as he is lovingly known, was isolated from the disco scene while recovering from a drug addiction. Once recovered, he …

By the time he released The Heavyweight in 1978, bandleader and keyboardist extraordinaire Charlie Palmieri had already recorded his share of masterpieces for the Alegre label; albums such as El Gigante del Teclado, Vuelve El Gigante and Adelante, Gigante had established Charlie Palmieri’s band as one of the decade’s most elegant conjuntos. Propelled by the visionary keyboard artistry of Eddie …

Nine years senior to his famous brother Eddie Palmieri, Charlie was born of Puerto Rican parentage in New York on November 12th 1927. A child musical prodigy who could faultlessly copy a piece on the piano by ear, he began piano lessons at the age of six and later studied at the Juilliard School of Music. During the 1940s and …

Cuidado que llegaron los tiburones de la salsa moderna – careful, the sharks of modern salsa are here. This hilarious shout out launches the first collaboration between virtuoso Nuyorican keyboardist Charlie Palmieri and Panamanian sonero Miguel Angel Barcasnegras, aka Meñique, recorded for the Cotique label in 1977. At the time that he worked on this relatively obscure session, Palmieri had …

In interview after interview, keyboard wizard Eddie Palmieri has repeatedly stated that his older brother, Charlie, who passed away in 1988 at age 60, had mastered the piano better than he had. In reality, comparing Charlie and Eddie Palmieri is an exercise in futility. Both are thought of as phenomenally talented performers and bandleaders, whose lasting influence on the history …

What better title to describe a lady as classy as Celia. My dreams became reality when Celia and I recorded together for the first time. I was honored that she chose me. I never thought I would be that lucky again when we did “Tremendo Caché.” When it comes to my work, I have always been very demanding but yet …

Here is a special treat for all you Celia Cruz lovers. Celia, (aka “Queen of Salsa”, “La Guarachera de Cuba”, The Queen of Latin Music) in all her glory, performing with the world-renowned Johnny Pacheco in an exhilarating album that, until now, was not available to most of the general public. Never digitally. Celia Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba, …

“Celia y Johnny,” undoubtedly the most important album in Celia Cruz’s career, opened the doors of success for the famous Cuban singer with the force of a raging bull. The singer had been fighting to break out onto the salsa scene since her arrival to the United States in 1962. Her career had been lethargic during the era of the …

There is a misconception among casual lovers of Afro-Caribbean music according to which Cuba is the beginning and the end of the entire salsa genre. Whereas it is true that many of the song formats that make up the umbrella term of salsa are Cuban in origin (from the guaracha and the guaguancó to the mambo and the ubiquitous son) …