Toy Story Cake Transfers

Al Santiago and incredible Alegre All Stars

Rare picture: At Santiago plays clarinet, flute and Willie Colon Kako trying to sleep. 1966

One of those fantastic characters that shaped the term salsa was · Alberto Al Santiago · . He was fortunate to be born into an environment-laced rhythms in English Harlem ... and a house that was filled with musicians todas las semanas del mundo.

Contagiado de ese espíritu, Al se inició primero como saxofonista y, luego, como director de la orquesta que había dejado su tío, a la que fue reemplazando poco a poco los músicos para renovarla y hacerla más acorde con lo que se estaba cocinando en el gueto latino durante los años 50. Con el rimbombante nombre de Chack-a-ñu-ñu Boys, la banda sudaba reminiscencias de Machito -a quien Al siempre admiró-, tocaba guarachas, mambos y boleros, y sonaba en fiestas y bodas del bajo Bronx. Su decisión de apartarse del negocio de las orquestas le sobrevino una noche que el trompetista regular no pudo asistir y envió como reemplazo a un colega amigo suyo... nada más y nada menos the huge Buck Clayton.

A Santiago hurt much understand that a musician of that caliber were to charge just $ 20 for the touch. As a detail, Eddie Palmieri, aged 14, was in charge of the piano (charging much less.)

act was not for her, she decided, and hung the baton.

Soon, Al borrows his family and rides a record store, Casalegre at the intersection of Prospect and Westchester Avenues in the Bronx. The success was immediate and soon became the musical reference in the area. This success motivated him to join the entrepreneur Ben Perlman founding in 1956 the legendary Alegre Recording Corporation, considered the Blue Note in Latin music of the era. In it, James is characterized by organizing recordings with upcoming dates, draft contracts and improvise at the last minute almost as much as the musicians he hired. If a disc was not money, not worried. After all, the store gave maximum profit and pleasure was to record the music he so adored.

With a small but qualified roster of musicians in four years released 44 singles 78 rpm, and ran radio promotions to strengthen the business of the shop. And vice versa.

hear the brass band in 1960 by Johnny Pacheco Triton and the club decided to record them. The result was the biggest selling Latin album to date: Pacheco y su Charanga, which helped strengthen the madness of the bands that dominated New York during the first half of the decade. A few months later discovered the mouth of the director · Charlie Palmieri · , Charanga Duboney that had lost the contract with United Artists Records was due to the exclusivity requested by Tito Rodríguez (poor Palmieri, with so little Luck always, in the future speak of that trance).
without thinking twice, Santiago was signed, confirming a friendship with this gesture was made inseparable.

As in the musical world of jealousy have been almost always at the surface, this friendship in the future would force the birth of Fania Records, which achieved a few years to engulf most of its competition in the city, among them Alegre , which was already under the umbrella of Branston Music and Tico Records.

The Alegre All Stars, volume 1

But let's not get ahead and the next step which gave Santiago, inspired by such legendary Cuban downloads recorded by the Panart , when the arrival of the Castros was imminent. These sessions had with a rhythm section so much weight and Safe genius, and are the crown jewels of Cuban music and Caribbean basin.

Al decided to make his own version, integrating in a jam session with the heads of the different bands that grouped under the awning of his label. Santiago himself once told that the disc you bought on a trip to Puerto Rico, and such was the impression that caused you decided to put it to her mother, who also raved in color. He then thought that if the boys in Cuba could do that, boys of New York also could do . Said and done
gathered for several days en los estudios Mastertone de la calle 42 West, a cerebros de la talla de Pacheco -en la flauta-, Charlie Palmieri -en el piano-, Bobby Rodríguez -en el bajo-, Barry Rogers -el mejor trombón que ha parido la salsa-, Chombo Silva -en el saxo tenor-, Francisco kako Bastar -en los timbales-, Marcelino Valdés -en las congas-, Julián Cabrera -en el güiro-,  Dioris Valladares -vocalista merenguero-, Yayo el Indio -vocal y percusión- y Rudy Calzado -vocal.

La primera hornada de esta agrupación -unidos algunos retazos gracias a la magia del ingeniero Roy Ramírez y las novedosas para ese entonces cintas magnéticas-, fue lanzada en 1961 con bombo y platillo: The Alegre All Stars. Y is a great album, very free, especially, which includes some footage of conversations in the studio, and false starts-which had previously seen only in the recordings of Miles Davis for the jazz label Prestige, "which managed to transmit that atmosphere with delicious melodies that touch on the go.

The album, which still is discontinued, but they get cd online store, starting with Oh, walk and see , a shock that marks the intentions of this meeting. It is far from Cuba, but also the flavor that West Indians and Nuyorican musicians that sound permeated Cuban, managing to flip like a sock in just a few years. Rogers highlights the trombone, virtuous always in an atmosphere in which the metal was still seen as secondary. It has shaped jazz and musical syncretism that lived in New York, plus the Cuban experience. In fact, the following year, Al Santiago mark this pattern of trombones in the orchestra of Mon Rivera ... and the rest is history and salsa.

The next song is Rarity century, a bolero, a strange letter that had already sung Celia Cruz with Sonora Matancera, and sounds great here, more uptempo though. And almost bolero-cha. Then another slow bolero, almost a Latin blues, I'm happy , where the voice of racing shoes the tessitura Chombo beautiful sax and piano great in the hands of Palmieri. I'm looking for Kako joke is on plan, and all musicians have their bit of glory and glorious solos are little Johnny, Bobby Chombo, Charlie, Barry and Kako. And then Rudy, and Yayo Dioris giving their own with their voices, in what is, in my opinion, the best theme of the production. Almond download is exquisite reinterpretation of the classic Cuban songbook, with a low-key and a trombone Bobby looms over all the musicians in the studio. Al carnival is a parade that begins with criticism an impertinent reporter did not want to leave the studio. The uproar that gives shape to a rumba step after phenomenal through free download with instruments such as those scoundrels heavy weapons. And close For you, a topic more guapachoso trombone and flute and piano and all that might sound in this wonderful session.

must be said that both virtuosity was not well received in the early 60's. The first jam sold less than ten thousand copies, and just paid the required investment and wages. Relatives of Al Santiago, when they heard, said no one would buy that craziness. But they bought it: musicians, managers bands in the city, thus giving rise to a trend that materialize later in the Stars Tico and the defining Fania All Stars.

Santiago, watching the future, inadvertently provided some sounds that were decanted to reach the top in the production of the 70's salsa.

Committed, yes, a serious error of assessment. And I return with it an idea sketched above left: Charlie and Johnny were good friends, played together in the 50's for several months until the different styles that they were forged forced the dissolution of the orchestra and I I'll take this and you with this musicians. It took forever, yes, much respect and esteem. As I said earlier, James was inseparable from Charlie ... and that was why he decided to name the Stars musical director. C uchillo for my own throat, he acknowledged later. The appointment, obviously did not like anything anything Pacheco-far more than it sold Palmieri, who declined to participate in the following discharges, recorded three more albums with Alegre and in 1964, clinched his contract with that label, you Jerry Masucci joined to found the ending Fania engulfed almost the entire competition. Alegre
Recording Corp. included.

I'm sorry I reviewed more than one disk is out of print. Yes, he who seeks finds it.