By the time the Orchestra Harlow released “El Judío Maravilloso” in 1975, Jewish American keyboardist, bandleader and arranger Larry Harlow was already recognized as one of the most original voices to come out of the ’70s New York salsa explosion. Harlow’s artistic identity was not only established by his jazzy piano style and the desire to merge the Afro-Cuban aesthetic …

He is one of the most criminally underrated artists in the landscape of Afro-Caribbean music. A musical genius and mercurial bandleader whom Tito Puente himself called el maestro – the master. Now, this volume in the La Herencia series allows us to rediscover and cherish the legacy of Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo. Everything about Machito was unique and different. He …

First time released in 4 years. This Mongo Santamaria classic is an evergreen and sounds even better remastered. A must-have for all fans of Tropical music. Musician Mongo Santamaría needs no introduction. He single handedly helped make the conga drum a part of the American psyche in the 1960’s with his hit recording of Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man. Born April …

Ramón “Mongo” Santamaria (b. Apr. 7, 1917 Havana, Cuba – d. Feb. 2003 Miami, Fl.) is certainly an iconic figure in the history of Afro-Cuban, jazz and folkloric music. His groups re-defined small group Latin jazz by expanding on the concepts laid down in the 1950’s by one of his former employers, Cal Tjader (b. July 16, 1925 St. Louis, …

An icon in the worlds of Afro-Cuban music, Jazz and Pop culture, Ramon Mongo Santamaria (b. April 7, 1917, d. Feb. 1, 2003) did more to popularize the conga drum than any other musician of his time. Born and raised in the rumba and West African- religious drenched Jesus Maria district of La Habana, Cuba, he came to prominence as …

If you look up the word “Brujería” in a Spanish/English dictionary the definition in English translates to witchcraft, sorcery and magic. Indeed, magic is the ideal word to describe the enchanting music of Markolino (Mark) Dimond. Just listen to his incredible solos on “Mi Irmita”, “Aguardiente”, “Tiene Sabor”, “Mariquita”, “Yo No Tengo Pena” and “El Barrio”. In the tune, “Tiene …

“Wow, Mark Dimond just out-Eddied Eddie!” said the former La Perfecta percussionist Manny Oquendo to bassist Andy Gonzalez after finishing a set at Brooklyn’s St. George Hotel. Pianist Mark “Markolino” Dimond was performing with Oquendo’s band, Libre, who had played along with a full plate of acts including Eddie Palmieri, who had opened the evening. Markolino, who lived on Ninetieth …

When Louie Ramirez signed his first contract with Fania Records in 1971, Fania President Jerry Masucci, who was also a lawyer, decided to release Louie’s first album using the pseudonym Ali Baba to avoid any possible legal repercussions from his previous recording commitment. Even before Salsa’s evolution began in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Louie Ramirez was at the …

Now into their fifth decade and considered icons in Colombia, the Lebrón Brothers are one of most original and distinctive sounding salsa bands to come out of New York. Between 1967 and 1982 they knocked-out 16 albums on the Cotique Records label founded in late 1965 by George Goldner (1918-1970). Originally organized in 1965 with the name Angel Lebrón and …

These Afro-Boricua brothers from Brooklyn boogalued their way into the salsa scene, breaking through to the other side with their hit Salsa y Control on their sixth recording for the Cotique label. This, their seventh LP (the third for Fania after they bought out the local label), produced five winners, among them “Dulzura,” “Solamente Tu,” “La Envidia Y La Tumba,” …

Criollo Lebron Brothers The Lebron Brothers celebrated their 40th anniversary in the business in 2006. Their career spans five decades of doing things uniquely and uncompromisingly in their way: making funky, gritty, streetwise and relentlessly swinging music that mixed Spanish lyrics, Latin tunes and English-language R&B/soul-oriented numbers. “Lebron Brothers are the only other band (besides Willie Colón) to arrive during …

When I decided to start my career as a bandleader, I hand-picked the musicians that I wanted to play with. I came up with a new sound that included a combination of trumpets and trombones, and then began writing a number of original songs and their respective arrangements. As lead vocalist for my new band, I chose Felo Brito. He …

Fifteen tracks of Larry Harlow’s greatest hits is like a schmeer of cream cheese on a Cuban sandwich, enough to let you know it’s there but not enough to quench the craving. During the heady days of the ‘60s & ‘70s when Harlow crossed cultures and immersed himself in Latin music, these tunes rocked the dance floors, rang out from …

When La Lupe arrived in New York City in 1962 at the age of 26, alone and broke, she was already a legend. The Cuban novelist Guillermo Cabrera Infante wrote that she was “a phenomenological phenomenon,” and Ernest Hemingway dubbed her the creator of the art of frenesi – of delirium and frenzy. Lupe Yoli Raymond was born in a …

The 1970s marked the beginning of an era of rapid change in America and its music. For Latinos, the genre now known as salsa was the sound that surfaced from the streets of Latin New York. Around the country, people were marching against the Vietnam War while New York was witnessing its first Women’s Strike for Equality down Fifth Avenue. …

Known as La Lupe or La Yiyiyi, Lupe Victoria Yolí Raymond was born on December 23, 1936, in the neighborhood of San Pedrito, in the Santiago de Cuba province. Her family was poor – her father, Tirso Yolí, worked at a Bacardi distillery. By 1955, her father had decided to move the family to Havana. At a young age, Lupe …

ANTHOLOGY Known as La Lupe or La Yiyiyi, Lupe Victoria Yolí Raymond was born on December 23, 1936, in the neighborhood of San Pedrito, in the Santiago de Cuba province. Her family was poor – her father, Tirso Yolí, worked at a Bacardi distillery. By 1955, her father had decided to move the family to Havana. At a young age, …

The most controversial singer in the history of Latin music was undoubtedly Lupe Victoria Yolí Raymond, better known by her stage name: La Lupe. The Santiago de Compostela native, possessed of a vibrant and powerful voice –not to mention a sensuality that exceeded her diminutive form– won the affection of the Spanish-speaking population, who voted her “The Queen of Latin …

“I think people like me,” the legendary La Lupe, one of the most electrifyingly memorable performers to ever blitz Planet Earth, once said in an interview, “because I do what they’d like to, but can’t get free enough to do.” True, some would say La Yi Yi Yi was free spirit incarnate; others would say she was simply possessed. Literally. …

La Lupe Puro Teatro – A Lady And Her Music Liner notes by Matt Rogers “I think people like me,” the legendary La Lupe told Look magazine in 1971, “because I do what they’d like to but can’t get free enough to do.” True, some would say La Yi Yi Yi—one of the most electrifying singers to ever blitz Planet …