The two-man band comprised of neo-boricua musician Willie Colón and Panamanian singer-songwriter Rubén Blades has undoubtedly been one of the most successful in the history of Afro-Caribbean music. The band’s hit album “Metiendo mano” contributed classics such as “Pablo Pueblo,” “La maleta,” and “Plantación adentro.” Later, the 1978 album “Siembra” held a long-standing record for the highest sales in the …

A tour de force, “Maestra Vida” deconstructs the salsa formula of the times, creating a smooth fusion of classical, Latin music and urban mood settings while keeping time to a clave structure. Lushly orchestrated and produced by Willie Colon who fuses and focuses on various Latin music genres including samba, bossa, plena, bomba and decimas along an Afro-Cuban matrix of …

Even a minor Rubén Blades record is worth treasuring. The man could sing the Yellow Pages for all we care – his voice is richly textured and infinitely soulful. Add to it the beauty of his self-penned melodies and the effortless poetry of his lyrics, and you have one of the greatest singer/songwriters that the Spanish speaking world has ever …

Willie Colón and Rubén Blades, the pioneers of what became known as “conscious salsa,” first encountered each other when Colón performed with his band in Blades’ native Panama in the late 1960’s. Blades resumed contact with Colón when he visited New York, courtesy of a cheap flight obtained from his brother who worked for an airline. During his stay there, …

This anthology captures the nascent career of Panamanian singer/songwriter Ruben Blades just as he is about to become a household name throughout barrios in the United States and Latin America. Although not yet a solo artist, Blades already sounds remarkably polished—which is why during the early 1970’s Louie Ramirez, the Fania All Stars, Ray Barretto, and of course, Willie Colón, …

This collection of classic tracks recorded by Rubén Blades for the Fania label includes some of the most exhilarating anthems in the history of salsa. Songs like “Pablo Pueblo,” “Tiburón” and the legendary “Pedro Navaja” are as fun and danceable as Afro-Caribbean music can be. But they also occupy a meaningful place within the development of this music: Blades’ songbook …

Roberto RoenaY Su ApolloSound 6 Roberto Roena By the time he released “Apollo Sound 6” in 1974, Puerto Rican bongosero Roberto Roena had blossomed as one of the most progressive bandleaders in the Afro-Caribbean genre. Roena has been criticized by many for his lack of formal musical training. Albums such as this one, however, suggest that having something to say …

ROBERTO ROENA Y SU APOLLO SOUND 3 ROBERTO ROENA There are no mega-hits in this tight little album of tasty Puerto Rican salsa. Apollo Sound 3 is devoid of radio smashes like “Cui Cui” or “El Que Se Fue” – the kind of tropical anthems that would eventually establish Roberto Roena as one of the key figures in the salsa …

Roberto Roena Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound 5 (Fania 443), Released 1973 Roberto Roena: Salsa Sophisticate One of salsa’s preeminent bandleaders for four decades and one of the genre’s premier bongo players, Roberto Roena Vázquez was born in the barrio of Dulces Labios in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, on January, 16 1940. Though he started as a dancer, and was …

QUÉ SUERTE HE TENIDO DE NACER ROBERTO ROENA This is one of Roberto Roena’s favorite albums. “Qué Suerte He Tenido De Nacer” is the eleventh recording of the Apollo Sound and on it, Robertito debutted as singer of the song “Sigo Buscando Un Amor” Nevertheless, after a decade of hits, “Qué Suerte He Tenido De Nacer” did not attain the …

The 15 tracks on this compilation leave no doubt about it: Roberto Roena is one of the most progressive bandleaders in the entire Afro-Caribbean genre. In the end, history vindicated him. Throughout the years, the Puerto Rican bongosero and bandleader has been criticized by many for his lack of formal musical training. At the end of the day, however, having …

Roberto Roena’s ability to rise to the top was reaffirmed in 1978, with the release of “El Progreso.” Between the band’s founding in 1970 and 1977, the Apollo Sound was home to soneros such as Piro Mantilla, Tito Cruz, Sammy González, and Papo Sánchez. On the 10th anniversary of the band’s creation –and at the apex of its popularity– singer …

Roberto Roena is probably the most famous bongo player in salsa. He has released many records as a leader of his own group, the Apollo Sound, and has been an integral part of the Fania All Stars since Jerry Masucci asked him to join the orchestra in 1971. Cuts such as “Cui Cui” and “Coco Seco” ensure that he will …

The story of Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz can be easily divided into two chapters: before and after their conversion to Christianity. The duo’s discography could easily yield two separate CDs in the La Herencia series. If their sessions for the Alegre, Tico and Vaya labels are a treasure trove of salsa gems, the albums that they recorded following 1975 …

The year was 1970. A group of friends and I were preparing the final dance for my class’ high-school graduation ceremony at the Academia Santa Mónica de Santurce, scheduled to take place in May 1971. It was a time when the boricua dancer was considered conservative if he liked salsa, and go-go if he liked the various North American musical …

El Bestial Sonido is the best album in the catalogue of music by Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz. It is a must-have for fans of Los Durísimos. Most would agree that in its early New York days, the orchestra saw some of the finest musicians of salsa and jazz. Trumpeters Adolphus Doc Cheatham and Pedro Chapparo, and timbal player Mike …

By the time they released “Back To Back” in 1982, the dynamic Nuyorican duo of keyboardist Richie Ray and vocalist Bobby Cruz were fully devoted to the dissemination of Christianity through the feverish beat of Afro-Cuban music. The combination of upfront religious messages with salsa is not exactly something you encounter every day. Add to it the classical influence in …

“Giant Force” is the follow-up release to the critically acclaimed comeback album, Rican/Struction. While the former recording’s personnel was wide-ranging, by this recording Ray Barretto was fronting a steady working band. As per timbalero, Ralph Irizarry, by the time the band got around to recording this album it was a tight unit. More than a year had passed since the …

Unlike most anthologies out there, Energy To Burn has no filler material to offer. The term “filler” is used within the recording industry to mean those subpar tracks that are used to complete an album. Energy To Burn, on the other hand, includes some of the best material that Ray Barretto recorded for the Fania label over the span of …