PMO Live & Free This Sat 9/24; Goodbye Marty Sheller

Pacific Mambo Orchestra will be performing at a free concert this coming Saturday, September 24th at 1 pm at Orange Memorial Park, 1 West Orange Avenue in South San Francisco. PMO is part of South San Francisco’s Concert In The Park Culture and Community Festival which also features The Stone City Band who used to be the late iconic Motown recording artist Rick James back up band. There will also be kids activities, booths, food and drinks available. This will be PMO‘s last SF Bay Area date until 2023 so check it out!

One of Latin music’s best arrangers, Marty Sheller passed away last week at the age of 83. Marty started his career as a trumpeter performing with such heavies as Bobby Porcelli, Louie Ramirez and Sabu Martinez. Marty performed on Mongo Santamaria’s iconic hit Watermelon Man back in 1962 after Mongo switched his band format from Charanga to a Latin Jazz sound featuring horns. He was Mongo’s musical director from 1962 to 1968 when he retired from playing trumpet due to embouchure problems.. Sheller continued to work with Mongo, produced his Grammy award winning Amanecer in 1977 and remained as an arranger, composer, conductor and friend until his death in 2003..

Sheller’s jazz flavored charts along with Louie Ramirez and Luis Cruz contributed to the success of Salsa music issued by Fania Records from the late 1960’s through the late 80’s. Sheller’s arrangements were in demand by such artists as Willie Colon, George Benson, Ruben Blades, David Byrne, The Fania All Stars, Giovanni Hidalgo, Sabu Martinez, Hector Lavoe, Arturo O’ Farrill, The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Charlie Palmieri and countless others. He contributed a great arrangement of “Estoy Como Nunca” for trombonist Doug Beavers on his 2017 recording “‘The Art Of The Arrangement“. Marty also recorded as a leader on two cds on his own PVR Records label. RIP Marty Sheller.