Improvisation in Salsa Part 2: Today’s Best “Soneros”
I established in Part 1 of this blog series that improvisation in Salsa is dying. I also mentioned a few of the best “soneros” that have passed away. Here in Part 2 I’ll cover some of the best “soneros” still left today in Salsa.
My Top 3 “Soneros” in Salsa Today
Gilberto Santa Rosa: “El Caballero de la Salsa”
In my opinion, the best “sonero” in Salsa today is Gilberto Santa Rosa. Yes, he tends to play Salsa that is not “classic” or Salsa Dura, but he comes from that school. And in that school, he was the best student.
Since he began his musical career, Gilberto Santa Rosa has cultivated the art of improvisation. He did it with the orchestras of maestros Mario Ortiz, Tommy Olivencia, and Willie Rosario.
Gilbertito knows that good improvising is about staying with the theme of the song, and rhyming with the chorus. You can also rhyme with your own “soneos”, even if they don’t rhyme with the chorus, as far as there’s a connection between them as well as with the topic of the song.
Santa Rosa is a master of all of this. He can easily go back and grab “soneos” of old classic Salsa songs and bring them to a different one he’s singing because its relevant to the topic. To do that, you have to have an encyclopedic mind as well as a keen sense of clave to bring a “soneo” from another song, into a different song and still make it work.
His long improvisation rant on his hit song “Perdoname” is well known. Although it’s also well known that he uses some “prepared phrases” within that improvisational rant that he can recurr to in different moments.
Below, is a great video clip of Gilberto Santa Rosa singing in one of those “Dia Nacioanal de la Zalsa” in Puerto Rico. The event orchestra is assembled and directed by the veteran maestro Luis Garcia. But watch how after a few “soneos” Garcia turn to look at Gilberto for a sing to bring in the “mambo”.
This is at the point where most singers go to the mambo so that they don’t have to repeat “soneos”. The amazing thing is how long the maestro Luis Garcia has to wait after that. Gilberto continues to improvise “soneos” to almost the amazement of everyone, including Garcia. Enough said!
Oscar D’Leon: “El Sonero del Mundo”
The great Venezuelan “Sonero del Mundo” (Son singer of the world) is a master at improvisation. Like most singers today, he tends not to use this skill as often as he once did. There are some songs where he prefers to stick to the recorded “soneos” (like “Mata Siguaraya”), and others where he improvises freely what comes to his mind.
In his recordings, it’s sometimes evident he improvises during the recording. His sense of clave is outstanding. Of course, it must be when he can play the bass and sing or dance at the same time.
Here’s one instance that got my attention. In the video below, Oscar D’Leon is singing in a live outdoors event when he notices there are people throwing cans in the crowd. He immediately starts to call out the people to stop throwing things. But the beauty of it all is how he delivers the message without missing a beat and making it rhyme with the chorus.
Check it out. He starts warning about it in the first “soneo”, and then goes more into it at about 2:40 into the video. Oh, and although Oscar is a superb dancer on stage, watch him try to keep up with his son (in the purple jacket).
Herman Olivera: “El Sonero del Siglo 21”
Herman has demonstrated time and again that he can sing and improvise as long as they let him. “El Sonero del Siglo 21” (the Son singer from the 21st century) comes from Manny Oquendo’s Conjunto Libre band. He became the main singer for Eddie Palmieri and remains as such to this day. Herman is not one of those singers looking for the mambo to come. He could keep improvising all night. And Herman Olivera can improvise by rhyming and keeping within the song’s theme.
For that, I have to add him to the top 3 “soneros” in Salsa today.
Today’s “Soneros”: Honorable Mentions for Improvisation
Cano Estremera, Victor Manuelle, and Charlie Aponte deserve honorable mentions in this category of improvisation in Salsa.
Cano Estremera
Carlos “Cano” Estremera is a natural improviser. Cano has great creativity when it comes to singing. He calls himself the “Dueño del Soneo” (Owner of the “Soneo”). I have to admit that he is a great at improvising, and has an amazing sense of the clave.
That said, there are two things about Cano that I don’t like. First, a quarter of his improvisations are pure rambling nonsense. The second is that half of his “soneos” tend to be either insults or macho sexist things that are disgusting to listen. That’s why they kicked him out of Colombia as “persona non-grata”. He has earned many haters from what where previously his fans.
But his talent for improvising is undeniable. And as such, I give him an honorable mention.
As a final note I’ll add that Cano should probably be in the top 3. But the “low-life” (in Puerto Rico we call it “cafre”) choice of his “soneos” don’t make him deserve to be among the top improvisers. If he chose to make clean “soneos”, he would certainly be among the top 3.
Victor Manuelle
Victor Manuelle is an idol in Salsa Romantica or Pop Salsa. This is the type of Salsa that least uses improvisation. But again, that is by choice. Victor Manuelle can improvise with the best of them. I’ve seen him go head-to-head with Gilberto Santa Rosa, and although Santa Rosa always comes on top, Victor Manuelle shows he can improvise with anyone.
I’ve heard he used to sing “seis” folk music from Puerto Rico. This music has a thing called “pie forzado” in which you have to improvise in “decima” and end with the line of the “pie forzado”.
Making good rhymes in “decima” pattern is not easy. Improvising them, is admirable! Now that is improvising at the Major League level! If Victor Manuelle used to do this, I really don’t know. What I do know is that when he wants, he can be as good a “sonero” as any.
Charlie Aponte
With El Gran Combo, there are instances when the singers will need to go beyond the recorded “soneos” simply because Rafael Ithier may not call in the “mambo” soon enough. Ithier, like many of the old Salsa band director that are not singers (Palmieri, Barretto, Willie Colon, Bobby Valentin, Willie Rosario, Tommy Olivencia, Roberto Roena…the list is endless) tended to extended the song during live presentations. This meant they could play less songs in the time allocated for their band.
Many of the singers in El Gran Combo chose to repeat (or recycle) the same recorded “soneos” over and over until the “mambo” came in. Of all the singers in El Gran Combo, the one who would do this the least (not that he didn’t do it) was Charlie Aponte.
Charlie was the one singer that would come up with new “soneos” during live presentations. Maybe he thought of them ahead of time. That’s a trick Gilbertito uses. But I’ve seen him still come up with new “soneos” on the spot. I know because they are things that are happening at the very event where he is singing.
I think Charlie is a resourceful “sonero” with a great sense of clave and love for the art of singing Salsa.
Women “Soneras”
Last but not least, I do want to mention my favorite “soneras”; Choco Orta and Yolanda Rivera
Choco Orta used to do great signing ever since she entered the Salsa scene with the Salsa Fever band. In live performances, Choco demonstrated a good ability to improvise new “soneos”. Like Gilberto Santa Rosa, Choco is an intelligent singer. She has a keen awareness of clave as she is also a percussionist (she plays the congas).
Yolanda Rivera is another great “sonera”. Some people dislike her nasal voice, but Yolanda is an old school Salsera. Since her day in La Terrifica, Yolanda demonstrated she can sing and improvise. Not necessarily the greatest improviser, but she can do the job.
Improvisation in Salsa: Part 3
In Part 3 I’ll write about instrumental improvisation within the Salsa bands. I guess you can call this, instrumental solos. With Salsa Romantica and Pop Salsa, the instrumentalist now play a secondary (almost insignificant) role in Salsa music.
If you listen to Salsa Dura, some solos by instrumentalist, the them percussionist, piano, or winds, was common. It was much less common to hear a bass solo, but there were a few of them also.
I’ll write about this in Part 3.