Alegre All-Stars: 40 Years from Carnegie Concert

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I recently noticed that the album “Alegre All-Stars: Live at Carnegie Hall” is celebrating 40 years since its recording.

Recorded in May 1974 in one of the most prestigious music venues of New York and the world, the album made history with the assortment of artists that crossed the Carnegie Hall stage that night.

Rare Latin Music Show at Carnegie Hall

Although I was still young, I don’t remember many Latin music recordings that took place at Carnegie Hall by the 1970s. Yes, there were some, but few and apart.

So the fact that this Salsa concert was recorded there was history in itself and demonstrated the force Salsa music had taken by the mid-’70s.

Salsa Music Stars on a Great Concert

The show and recording success was guaranteed by the quality of the artists in the concert.

The 8 songs of the Alegre All Stars "Live at Carnegie Hall" concert grasp lots of the history of the Salsa movement of the 1970's.
The 8 songs of the Alegre All-Stars “Live at Carnegie Hall” concert grasp lots of the history of the Salsa movement of the 1970s.

Tito Puente and his magnificent orchestra were probably the main act, as he reunited with Vicentico Valdes and La Lupe.

Charlie Palmieri was also a big star, having Vitin Aviles in the singing part. “El Sonero Mayor” Isamel Rivera with Los Cachimbos, and Joe Cuba and his Sextet were also part of this concert.

You could hear that the audience was extremely excited during the concert, and the record finished with 9 songs. Ismael Rivera debuted a brand new song, as he said in the concert, so he asked the audience to wish him luck with “Sale el Sol (Dormir Contigo)” by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Bobby Capó.

Where is the Rest of the Recorded Music?

The album has 3 songs with Tito Puente, 2 with Charlie Palmieri, and one with the rest. So where is the rest of the recorded music?

I don’t think that Al Santiago (founder and producer of the Alegre All-Stars) would bring Ismael Rivera and Joe Cuba to sing just one song! And Charlie Palmieri to play just 2 songs, and Tito Puente just 3 songs? I believe there’s got to be more music recorded from this concert and hope the new owners of FANIA records or someone else brings this music out for us to enjoy!

Alegre All-Stars Live Recording was not as good as Today

Al Santiago, the founder and producer of the Alegre All Stars preferred "live" recordings in order to capture the energy Salsa music produces in the audience.
Al Santiago, the founder, and producer of the Alegre All-Stars preferred “live” recordings in order to capture the energy Salsa music produces in the audience.

Back in the 70s “live” recordings meant that you should expect a lesser degree of recording quality than in a studio album. For Salseros, if you listen to recordings like Fania All-Stars at the Cheetah (recorded in 1971) and “Live at Yankee Stadium” (recorded in 1973) you can tell the recordings, despite their studio re-mastering and editions, were still sub-par in sound quality.

This Alegre All-Stars recording is just the same, with lackluster sound quality (in today’s standard). Compare that to Sergio George’s “Salsa Giants Live” (recorded in 2012) and the difference in sound quality is night and day.

A Salsa Music Collector’s Gem

The Alegre All-Stars “Live at Carnegie Hall” is a classic Salsa album that should be in every Salsa music collector’s library. It has a collection of artists and music that you will just get from this recording and is one of the first times a Salsa event makes it to the stage of the Carnegie Hall.

Song” La Cosa Alegre “Live at Carnegie Hall

Here the last song of the album, in which the musicians of the Alegre All-Stars are highlighted.

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