Even though she has been denied the exposure and recognition enjoyed by Cuban divas such as Celeste Mendoza, La Lupe and Celia Cruz, Puerto Rico’s Yolanda Rivera is one of the most versatile singers in Afro-Caribbean music. Rivera recorded with La Terrífica, but it was with La Sonora Ponceña that she produced her best work. In 1977, El Gigante Del …

A departure from the aggressive, hardcore violent brass moñas and phrases that marked La Sonora Ponceña’s early style when singers Luigi Texador and Tito Gomez fronted the band that began doing covers, Determination elevates Puerto Rico’s oldest working orchestra into a more musically diverse realm while still being danceable. Much like its cover illustration that features a knight in armor …

When Sonora Ponceña released Desde Puerto Rico A Nueva York in 1972, the orchestra, led by keyboardist Enrique “Papo” Lucca, had yet to develop the visionary aesthetic that characterized future Ponceña masterpieces like Conquista Musical (1976) and El Gigante Del Sur (1977). It was on those two records that Lucca began experimenting intensely with the sound of electronic keyboards, as …

It is unthinkable that the third album by one of the most beloved salsa outfits of all time would have been overlooked for so long. La Sonora Ponceña’s first two LPs, Hacheros Pa’ un Palo (1968) and Fuego en el 23 (1969), were bona fide hits and established a powerhouse sound based around the virtuosic piano of their leader Papo …

If you are already familiar with the magic of La Sonora Ponceña, then you know what this compilation has in store for you: over the span of 27 tracks, we have distilled the very essence of one of the jazziest, funkiest and most elegant orchestras ever to grace the landscape of Afro-Caribbean music. If, on the other hand, you are …

Angel Santos Vega (Santitos) Colón was born in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, in 1924, and raised in the city of Mayaguez where he began his singing career at age 16 when he joined the Frank Madera Orchestra. He subsequently honed his musical skills by working with local musicians like Lester Cole, El Trio Los Huastecos and well-known singer/bandleader Mon Rivera. …

THE LAST FIGHT WILLIE COLON / RUBEN BLADES During an interview conducted years ago for the excellent Descarga.com website, Rubén Blades was asked about which of the six albums that he had recorded with Willie Colón was closer to his heart. The Panamanian singer’s answer was quite eloquent: “I think all, actually, except for The Last Fight,” he said. This …

I remember just as if it was yesterday that the 8-track cartridge of Metiendo Mano (Fania 500) arrived at record stores before the single “Pablo Pueblo” was played on the radio. I bought my copy at Joyería Danilú in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico, for only $4.99. In 1977, I was one of the thousands of salseros who approached Colón’s new work …

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 …