Gracias, Juan Formell!
Juan Formell has been a major musical presence in my mind lately since his untimely passing on May 1st. As the brainchild of Los Van Van since the beginning, he created a fresh irresistible dance hit sound whose lyrics were as relevant as the daily newspaper in Cuba. Formell’s genius was in the fact that he connected with the youth as well as every day people for more than four decades. Los Van Van always had strong personnel but had a dynamic core of Cesar “Pupy” Pedroso, Jose Luis Quintana “Changuito” along with Formell created Songo, a world wide sensation in the 1980’s. Los Van Van represented Cuba in the same iconic relevance as international giants such as El Gran Combo from Puerto Rico, Oscar D’Leon from Venezuela and the New York based Eddie Palmieri. I had the honor of introducing Los Van Van for their first San Francisco Bay Area show in 1997 at Maritime Hall and DJ’ing with them at Bimbo’s 365. The first tour was featuring the electric vocal powerhouse trio of Pedrito Calvo, Mayito Rivera and Roberto “Roberton” Hernandez – what a great night! Los Van Van would bring the house down every time that I saw them..the last time was during a multi night stand at Yoshi’s in San Francisco. I remember interviewing Juan Formell during that first tour to S.F. He was very generous with his time although he was a bit tired from his trip but that didn’t stop him from expressing strong opinions on Hip Hop to his role as a Cuban ambassador of good will. I have given my own tribute to Formell on my Con Sabor program lately. It gave me the chance to break out my old Cuban vinyl and play classics from different eras of Van Van’s development. Listening to these old classics and the Van Van cds of the last 2 decades gave me another chance to appreciate this monster of a band. To its leader, bassist, composer, arranger and visionary…..Gracias,...
Read MoreCheo Feliciano R.I.P.
It was sad to hear about the passing of one of the greatest singers in Latin music to come from Puerto Rico, Jose “Cheo” Feliciano. Cheo epitomized the great Salsa soneros and boleristas of his generation. A voice whose tone was so distinctive that it was easily recognizable from the crowd of great vocalists. Cheo had an illustrious solo career as well as many great associations with such groups and musicians as the Joe Cuba Sextet, the Alegre All Stars, Cesta All Stars, the Fania All Stars (he was in their lineup of singers for more than 40 years), RMM’s Combinacion Perfecta, Eddie Palmieri and most recently Ruben Blades (who cited Cheo as a major influence). On stage, Cheo was a charismatic showman who connected with the audience whether he was passionately improvising on an explosive Salsa song or whether he was melting hearts as he effortlessly crooned a beautiful bolero. His presence was felt by legions of old and new fans since his career spanned over five decades. He was an artist who was still very active up until the time of his death as he was part of this year’s grammy nominated Sergio George “Salsa Giants” project and was still was performing with The Fania All Stars on their recent reunion concerts. As sad as it is to lose an icon as Cheo Feliciano, we are still fortunate to have the recordings of his signature songs such as “Anacaona’, “A Las Seis”, “El Raton”, “Canta”, “Sali Porque Sali” and countless others to remind us of his greatness. Adios, Cheo…Sentimiento Tu y gracias por su...
Read MoreSad Week-Armando Peraza R.I.P.
This week has ben filled with the sad news of the deaths of several monumental figures in music. Among them was the passing of extraordinary percussion master Armando Peraza. I wanted to share a few thoughts about Armando Peraza. He was one of the most important percussionists who has ever performed and recorded in Latin music. His influence and history encompasses over seven decades! From performing in Cuba with such groups as Conjunto Rumbavana early in his career, his associations have included collaborations with Tito Puente, George Shearing, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria and Carlos Santana to name a few! I had the good fortune to interview Perraza a few years back. Peraza was an engaging interview..quite a colorful character who was very animated and loved to talk during the time that we shared together. I broadcasted that interview later that same weekend as his tribute continued at Yoshis in Oakland. On the bandstand, Armando was on fire with his unique technique of playing bongos and congas that evening. Always the consummate professional, he made it look easy as he combined grace, power, passion and precision in his explosive solos. Peraza was a renaissance man who was just as comfortable playing rock and funk as he was playing jazz and rumba. He played on countless recording sessions but ironically only made one recording “Wild Thing” under his own name in 1968. Peraza wasn’t that interested in being a leader of his own band but loved to make music well past his 80’s. He was in semi retirement from performing at the time of his death. Que Viva Armando...
Read MoreTomatito
The great Spanish flamenco guitarist Tomatito brought his excellent ensemble to SF’s Palace Of Fine Arts. Tomatito (Jose Fernandez Torres), considered by many as the heir apparent to the late Paco De Lucia, made a strong case for himself with a beautiful show which showcased his flawless virtuosity. His attack and command of the guitar was brilliant as he took the audience on a musical journey shifting moods from traditional bulerias to jazz. He was the epitome of cool as he sat with the guitar on his lap, legs crossed and playing what seemed like endless streams of notes. He was supported by his excellent ensemble which was made up of young budding guitarists El Cristi and Jose del Tomate, a duo of astonishing vocalists Kiki Cortinas and Simon Roman, the dynamic featured dancer Paloma Fantova and tasteful percussionist Moises Santiago. The sold out crowd was treated to flamenco at it’s best with a well paced show featuring this stellar ensemble playing the music of Tomatito. It was also a dazzling feast for the eyes when Paloma was featured on a dance solo during the closing song framed by Tomatito’s guitar. Her feet were a blur displaying incredible speed while her facial expressions and graceful hand movements showed her powerful attitude and passion. This was Tomatito’s first visit to the SF Bay Area and the enthusiastic crowd responded with standing ovations. It was a show to remember. Originally posted on March 18,...
Read MoreMike Bloomfield-One of my guitar heroes rediscovered
There has been a lot of attention is finally being focused on the under appreciated guitar phenomenon Michael Bloomfield who died way too young at age 37 by drug overdose in 1981. Bloomfield whose brilliant long fiery fluid solos were an essential part of recordings by Bob Dylan, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Electric Flag and his collaborations with keyboardist/vocalist Al Kooper, never got his due until now. The release of a new 3 cd, 1 dvd box set “From His Head To His Heart To His Hands” curated by old friend Kooper is changing all of that by pointing attention to his short prolific career. Bloomfield who shared friendships and stages with Chicago’s blues greats such as Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf was a stunning guitarist in person. I had the luck in my teenage years to see Bloomfield perform live several times in different settings with The Electric Flag and the Bloomfield-Nafatlin Band. I also saw him play at one of my last Mission High School assemblies! I was always struck by his fiery virtuosity, intensity and brilliant fluid technique that he displayed on his trademark Les Paul standard guitar. He was simply one of the finest blues guitar stylists I’ve ever seen! Now the world is catching up and giving respect to one of the 1960’s-70’s all time guitar heroes…about time!! Originally posted on March 8,...
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