latin music

In 1993 and was able to enjoy the only time I saw Alberto Cortez and Facundo Cabral perform live. It so happened to be part of the tour they were doing which was recorded and launch the following year as "Lo Cortez No Quita lo Cabral".…

The Cuban güiro, the Dominican güira, and the Puerto Rican güícharo are all part of the same family of percussion instruments. Although simple instruments, they are all vital to the sound of Latin music. In this 4-part series, we’ll…

It’s no secret music stores are disappearing, and the passing of Don Rafael Viera seems to add another nail to the coffin. Don Rafael Viera started Viera Discos, one of the iconic music stores in Santurce, Puerto Rico. During the 70’s…

This month we commemorate the birthday of Latin music great Tito Rodriguez by remembering his time with José Curbelo. Tito would’ve been 96 years old this January. Sang with Bandleader José Curbelo After serving in the US Army during…

Legendary maestro Eddie Palmieri has delivered his second Salsa album of 2018 with “Mi Luz Mayor”. That’s after a Salsa recording hiatus of 15 years. His previous Salsa recording was “Ritmo Caliente”, which was a hybrid of…

Like most years, I like to take a moment to honor some of the artists that contributed to Latin music and departed in 2018. I listed some of them below: 1. Roberto Anglero (May): although Anglero was a percussionist and singer, I…

Since I was 12 years old, Willie Colon's "Asalto Navideño" was the 1st album I played to celebrate the arrival of the Christmas season. "Asalto Navideño": My Favorite Christmas Classic Since then, "Asalto Navideño" became my way…

Casa Amadeo is a piece of Latino music history as the oldest Latino music store in New York City. Actually, it's listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The owner is Puerto Rican Mike Amadeo. You might have heard his name in…

Salsa survived the Rock and Disco boom of the '80s by evolving into a more orchestrated, softer, and therefore more mainstream type of music. Salsa Romántica was the next step in that softness trend. However, for Salsa to survive through…