{"id":8628,"date":"2018-05-29T10:31:18","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T14:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latinomusiccafe.com\/?p=8628"},"modified":"2022-07-06T16:30:40","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T20:30:40","slug":"salsa-music-history-part-7-salsa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinomusiccafe.com\/2018\/05\/29\/salsa-music-history-part-7-salsa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Salsa Music History, Part 7: Salsa Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

With all things working against it, Salsa music in general, and Salsa Dura in particular, still had a healthy heartbeat.<\/p>\n

Salsa artists, particularly the old-school ones, were acclaimed in major U.S. cities where competition wasn’t as tough. Spain, France, and Germany still welcomed Salseros with open arms. And Central and South American cities like Panam\u00e1, Caracas, Lima, and Cali, became safe havens for Salseros.<\/p>\n

These sites validated to artists that Salsa was not dead! Not even close. These countries did embrace the Salsa Rom\u00e1ntica kings, princes, and queens. However, they also adored their old-school idols. They knew their history and repertoire as well as fans in San Juan, Miami, or New York.<\/p>\n

With this spark, the move to a return to Salsa Dura surged. Salseros started asking for heavier, more beefy music. Fans got tired of the \u201cSalsa Monga\u201d (soft Salsa), as they scornfully called \u201cSalsa Rom\u00e1ntica\u201d. Therefore, in the new millennium, the old became new again.<\/p>\n

Classic Salsa Veterans Reunite<\/h3>\n

Promoters started reuniting the old orchestra-singer duo. Barretto was doing gigs with Tito Allen and Adalberto Santiago. Similarly, Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz made such a huge comeback. They recorded one of their Live performances into a CD. Oscar D\u2019Le\u00f3n came out with a CD called \u201cFormula Original\u201d (original formula). For this recording, he retook his old \u201cSalsa Mayor\u201d band type of arrangements to infuse his dormant CD sales with new life.<\/p>\n

\"Ismael
Salsa artists from the golden age of Salsa began reuniting due to the high demand to see them perform old classics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ismael Quintana was just fine in retirement, so Eddie Palmieri<\/a> used his steady singer, Herman Olivera to record \u201cLa Perfecta II\u201d and \u201cEl Rumbero del Piano\u201d recreating some old classics. In the same way, Manny Oquendo came back with his Conjunto Libre before passing away this year.<\/p>\n

Raphy Leavitt increased his activity and recorded an excellent Live CD with La Selecta . Also, El Gran Como said, \u201cno mas<\/em>\u201d to the \u201censaladita light\u201d (light salad), because \u201carroz con habichuelas es lo que hay<\/em>\u201d (rice and bean is what we\u2019ve got), from the title song of their last CD.<\/p>\n

Events like “La Feria” in Cali, Colombia, and “El Dia Nacional de la Zalsa” in San Juan Puerto Rico continue to gain in popularity. They served as the main stages for old bands and the above-mentioned reunions.<\/p>\n

Here’s a video of a reunion of Luis “Perico” Ortiz and Rafael de Jesus in “El Dia Nacional de la Zalsa” in Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n