Caribbean News from Cayman-Island.org

Aventura

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:39:55 -0600

Aventura are bachata's first boy band. This renegade group of Dominican American teenagers toured relentlessly through the 1990s, trying to gain acceptance for their unconventional mix of bachata, hip-hop and R&B. By the time 2002's We Broke the Rules was released, it was clear that their transgressions would set new standards. "Obsession" became a huge hit, and the group continued to experiment with bachata's boundaries. Bilingual Love and Hate (2007) found them moving into urban-music territory, incorporating elements of hip-hop and R&B into a mix of tropical styles. Released in 2006 and 2007, respectively, K.O.B. Live and Kings of Bachata - Sold Out at Madison Square Garden showcased their growing stage prowess as well as their burgeoning Rolodex, thanks to cameos from Don Omar and Hector Acosta. Reggaeton beats and appearances by Akon, Wyclef Jean and Ludacris expanded Aventura's range on 2009's The Last, but they never abandoned their bachata roots. - Sarah Bardeen

Marc Anthony

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:39:53 -0600

If Ricky Martin is the Latin crossover star that wears tight leather and does Pepsi ads, Marc Anthony is the one wearing the black silk and smoking a cigarette. Anthony established himself in the '90s as a contemporary Salsa superstar, and more recently, his English crossover recordings have expanded his overall audience. Universally respected for his clear and emotional singing style, he's always brought integrity to his music whether singing a shamelessly revealing romantic ballad or cutting loose with some hot Salsa. He's a "NuyoRican" (Puerto Rican from New York City) whose English vocals display no accent. Now visible as a film actor as well, Anthony exudes a cool downtown New York persona, and his mix of contemporary dance ballads and salsa works easily in his hands. - Robert Leaver

Tito Puente

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:22:47 -0600

Most of the rock generation is familiar with Tito Puente through Santana's cover of "Oye Como Va" and his appearance in The Mambo Kings. By venturing closer to the source, they will discover what Latin jazz fans have known for years: Puente's intoxicating mix of Big Band jazz and Latin music creates Mambo madness at its finest. Tito Puente is credited with fusing Cuban charangas with Big Band swing and Bop. Puente always had one eye on dance fans and indeed, his music puts the ghost of St. Vitus in your body. But his other eye was planted on jazz fans -- he loved arranging for composers such as Horace Silver and his soulmate Dizzy Gillespie. There are many similarities between Puente and Diz's various big bands -- chief among them the spirit of global brotherhood that they celebrate. But Tito Puente never let his jazz side distract from his music's mass popularity; when the Big Band era was long gone, Puente not only kept his band together but saw it thrive. With more than a hundred albums to his credit, at least one or two should be a part of every collection. - Nick Dedina

Celia Cruz

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:56:36 -0600

As Salsa's greatest icon, Cruz garnered all sorts of respect, from a Smithsonian lifetime achievement award to her own street in Miami, to the title "The Queen of Salsa." Her singing is deep and soulful, with expressive improvisations influenced by her Cuban upbringing. You're expected to dance to her music, with its jumping piano chords twinkling over tight conga rhythms, spicy percussion, blazing horn sections, and, atop it all, Cruz's searing vocals. Cream-of-the-crop Afro-Cuban ensembles such as the Fania All-Stars, Willie Colon, Ray Barreto, Johnny Pacheco and Tito Puente always had to work with Cruz. Her popularity reached its peak with the movie Mambo Kings. Cruz died in 2003.

Hector Lavoe

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:17:51 -0600

He started out as a skinny 17-year-old from Puerto Rico on the streets of New York, hungry and ready to sing. He ended both a celebrity and a broken man, wasted by a long struggle with drug abuse, personal tragedies and AIDS. Born Hector Juan Perez in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1946, Lavoe pursued singing as a kid, gigging with a 10-piece band by the time he was 14 years old. Against his father's wishes, he moved to New York, where he met Johnny Pacheco of Fania Records. Pacheco introduced Lavoe to Willie Colon, and the two recorded more than 10 groundbreaking albums over eight years. Lavoe's erratic behavior and drug use forced Colon to dissolve the band in 1974, but Lavoe continued recording and packing stadiums in Latin America for the next decade. But he wasn't able to kick his heroin habit and he contracted HIV as a result, and in 1987 his 17-year-old son, Hector Jr., was accidentally killed. Five years after a suicide attempt, Lavoe succumbed to AIDS in 1993. The public outpouring of grief was vast: Lavoe's voice had been as fine as a reed pen, and his knack for phrasing incomparable. He has been called a "singer's singer," but he was also known for his kindness and wit. - Sarah Bardeen

Elvis Crespo

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:17:01 -0600

With his long hair and boyish good looks, Elvis Crespo has captured the tropical music crown with his multiplatinum "Suavemente" (Smoothly) in 1998. A Nuyorican (Puerto Rican born in N.Y.C.) who chooses to sing Merengue (which originates from the Dominican Republic), Crespo represents the new urban Latino who has transformed a traditional folk rhythm into a new, hip style. As the lead singer of the teen group Grupo Mania, Crespo was a Latino pop star by age twenty-two. Several years later he ventured off on his own, just as the tropical music scene was achieving unprecedented crossover success. His smooth, natural voice lends itself well to his catchy original compositions. A constant presence on Spanish-language television (often performing before large crowds of ecstatic Latina girls) this Latin Elvis will continue to dance across the tropical charts. - Robert Leaver

Harry Belafonte

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:20:31 -0600

Harry Belafonte is not just the wide smile and pair of slim hips that seduced so many American women in the 1960s. A crack songwriter and singer who introduced Caribbean music to the United States, Belafonte is also an activist who has fought tirelessly for civil and human rights in the U.S. and around the world. He was instrumental in cracking the color barrier in the U.S., winning fame and fortune for his stage acting (including several Tony awards), his film work, an Emmy-winning television show, and a string of hit albums through the 1950s. Born to Caribbean-American parents, Belafonte spent part of his youth in Jamaica, where he was introduced to local songs like "Day-O." As his reputation grew, so did his interest in the folk music that brought him success. In 2001, Belafonte saw a long-time dream realized when Long Road to Freedom was released. It was a visionary collection of African-American music that spans everything from Yoruba chants and slave songs to early blues recordings by artists like Brownie McGhee. And Belafonte has become no less political with age; in recent years he has been a keynote speaker at peace rallies and other leftist gatherings. - Sarah Bardeen

Oscar D'Leon

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:35:39 -0600

Oscar D'Leon is one of the true giants in the history of Salsa. He earned the respect of the Latin music world in the 1970s as an orchestra leader while also playing bass and singing up-tempo versions of classic Son in a voice reminiscent of legendary Cuban singer Beny More. His performances in Cuba in the late '70s re-inspired musicians there to pursue the Son style, and although it brought with it a scolding from the Miami community, the Venezuelan performer nevertheless made his mark. Featuring a full horn section and his sons on chorus and percussion, his manic performance energy and ecstatically sustained falsetto continues to fill dancefloors worldwide, and his large body of recordings stands as a benchmark for quality Salsa. He's equally popular in Caracas, Havana, Miami, Paris and London -- all places he's spread his dance fever and left buckets of sweat. - Robert Leaver

Gloria Estefan

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:39:35 -0600

Initially considered a Latin version of Madonna, Gloria Estefan developed from a dance diva into a respected songstress. With her husband on keyboards and in the producer's seat, Estefan's band Miami Sound Machine evolved from a wedding band to a veritable hit machine in the 1980s, composing accessible dance tunes that fused Disco with Salsa. "Conga" and "Rhythm is Gonna Get You" were chart-topping dance anthems rooted in Afro-Cuban rhythms that foreshadowed the tropical music explosion. In 1993 she released a Spanish language record, "Mi Tierra (My Land)," which was a mix of nostalgic ballads and contemporary Salsa. Singing in her mother tongue, Estefan's voice reached a new level of sophistication and highlighted her formidable range. Featuring a guest appearance by Celia Cruz on "Alma Caribena (Latin Soul)" (2000), Estefan wholeheartedly embraces her Cuban heritage with superb arrangements. Gloria and her husband Emilio can be credited with putting Miami on the musical map and reconnecting across a great divide back to their motherland -- Cuba. - Robert Leaver

Buena Vista Social Club

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:11:32 -0600

Not actually a band proper but a confluence of veteran Cuban musicians brought together for a recording session by American guitarist Ry Cooder after a 1996 trip to Havana. The project became the surprise hit of 1997 when its resulting album, Buena Vista Social Club, wound up selling over five million copies, largely by word of mouth, and won a Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance. The Buena Vista Social Club did more internationally for Cuban music than decades of cultural exchanges ever could and simultaneously helped popularize the world music genre in the late-1990s.

Cooder was invited to Havana by the British world music producer Nick Gold to a record African High-life musicians with a group of Cuban players. When the African musicians failed to get their visas, Cooder and Gold instead recorded an album of son — a polyrhythmic musical style long popular in Cuba — with veteran local musicians. After assembling the core group — musical director Juan de Marcos González, bassist Orlando "Cachaito" López, guitarist Eliades Ochoa, pianist Rubén González and singers Manuel "Puntillita" Licea and Compay Segundo — the recording session began at the Havana studio Egrem, an old RCA Records Studio with 1950s vintage equipment.

The album's fourteen tracks were recorded in six days. One of the songs, "Buena Vista Social Club," was written by Cachaíto's father about an old Havana gathering place. Cooder decided to name the group and album after the club. When Cooder returned to Havana two years later with his percussionist son, Joaquim, to record Ferrar for a solo album, director Wim Wenders followed them. His film, Buena Vista Social Club, is mix of footages from that trip and Buena Vista's live performances in New York City and Amsterdam. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Though several solo albums came out of the project, the renewed attention for the veteran Cuban musicians was short-lived. In 2003, Compay Segundo and Ruben González died at ages 95 and 84, respectively; Ferrer died at 78 in 2005. Despite their losses, the group continues to tour with a revolving line-up of musicians.

Wyclef Jean

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:03:50 -0600

More Bob Marley than Bambaataa, Haitian emcee/producer Wyclef Jean is hip-hop's most globally minded star. Jean shot to stardom in the mid-'90s as a key member of the immensely popular Fugees. Though that group only released two proper albums, and disbanded before following up the multi-platinum The Score, their footprint remains heavy on everything from boho rap to mainstream hip-hop. After their tumultuous dissolution, Wyclef released his solo debut The Carnival in 1997. Whether experimenting with Caribbean rhythms ("Guantanamera") or pop ballads ("Gone 'Till November"), the album was a celebration of eclecticism. His next four disks ranged from decent (2000's The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book) to great (04's Welcome To Haiti Creole 101), but they were always unpredictable and fun. In 2006, he had his biggest hit since the days of the Fugees when he produced Shakira's dancefloor anthem "Hips Don't Lie." He returned to the charts in 2007 with "Sweetest Girl," a smash featuring it-boyz Lil' Wayne and Akon. His sixth album, Carnival, Vol. 2, was released in December, 2007. - Sam Chennault

Gilberto Santa Rosa

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:57:48 -0600

Gilberto Santa Rosa became a salsero the old-fashioned way: he worked for it. Unlike younger crops of singers who are pretty faces first and singers second, Santa Rosa came on the scene in the 1970s. He climbed up through the ranks, putting in time with unknown orchestras and, when he was lucky, with bigger names like the Puerto Rico All-Stars, Tommy Olivencia and Willie Rosario. He released his first album with his own orchestra in 1986 but it wasn't until 1990 that Santa Rosa made a huge dent in the charts with Punto de Vista. The barnstorming hits "Vivir Sin Ella" and "Perdoname" established him, and his 1991 follow-up Perspectiva confirmed he wasn't a one-hit wonder. - Sarah Bardeen

India

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:57:12 -0600

She doesn't have a voice on the order of her hero, Celia Cruz, but India's passionate, emotive delivery has secured her a place in the salsa pantheon. She's toured and recorded with Eddie Palmieri, flirted with pop and even sung jazz standards on a 1996 release. - Sarah Bardeen

Frankie Ruiz

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:27:23 -0600

Although he was born in New Jersey, it wasn't until Frankie Ruiz moved to Puerto Rico that he was reborn as one of the 20th century's great salsa stars. After stints with Orquesta La Solucion and the Tommy Olivencia orchestra, Ruiz became one of the most sought-after solo salsa singers. He was a champion of salsa romantica, and brought that sensual style of music to a new generation of fans who were drawn by his undeniable talents and slender good looks. Unfortunately, the tempestuous Ruiz also romanced drugs, booze and violence; he was jailed in Texas for three years after assaulting a flight attendant. His addictions eventually killed him, and he died in 1998 of liver failure. A true original and towering talent, Ruiz has been sorely missed. - Sarah Bardeen

Orishas

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:09:13 -0500

A Cuban crew based in Paris, Orishas draw from their cultural heritage, infusing their hip-hop tracks with ample amounts of exotic percussion and Salsa-tinged rhythms. It's a unique and flavorful mix. Quality production and high-octane Spanish rhymes are in full effect, as evidenced on their albums A Lo Cubano and Emigrante. - Brolin Winning