Our Latin Thing – Part 2: The Salsa Boom: The Reality

Returning to the neighborhood and understanding the previous phenomena in broad strokes, we can now locate ourselves temporally and musically in the 1970s. However, there is another important aspect to address. The All Stars of Alegre Records were inspired by jazz jam sessions and Cuban descarga (jam sessions). But since we are in the “capital of the world,” it had to have a showbiz character. Let’s stop and focus on the case of the Alegre All Stars. This group of artists from Al Santiago’s label achieved a special sound for this decade, marked by two predominant rhythms: pachanga and boogaloo. But this wasn’t what they played. The studio sessions were recorded as they came, with the voices of the producers included, mistakes, stray comments, and perhaps that is the factor that enriches these productions, setting aside their wonderful music.

It is these noises (which would normally be suppressed in final recordings) that give the music its live and interesting profile. The first LP opens with an original track, “¡Vaya riesgo comercial!” (“What a commercial risk!”) — something that fearful programmers would say in the presence of Charlie Palmieri’s “Camina y Ven.” Following this, there’s an unforgettable classic from the charanga and Cuban jazzband orchestras, composed by Bebo Valdés and titled “Rareza del Siglo.” With these two initial examples, we realize that this group of first-line musicians was heading in a very different direction than the prevailing trends. This makes their work even more valuable.

This work by the Alegre All Stars, which consists of five fundamental albums (“The Alegre All Stars” 1961, “El Manicero” 1964, “Way Out” 1965, “Lost and Found” 1966, and “Perdido” 1977), is a testament to what an organic session means, with high doses of talent, proper handling of original key tracks (whether original or covers), and the demonstration of a high level of creativity in improvisation. It is a key document for understanding what came next. Even though it is a studio material, it has the richness of live execution, with mistakes (if any in musical terms) that add naturalness. The ‘all stars’ consisted of orchestra leaders and artists who were already becoming legends in the Latin music scene, and it breaks the paradigm of the prevailing boogaloo and pachanga trends, offering continuity.

This example of a live session was taken as a model of what could be done to promote talents within each record label. Tico Records would follow suit by releasing the three “Descargas” albums of 1966, recorded at the Village Gate in New York. The key difference is that we are facing a jam session, as in the previous example, but in concert, and this last factor would set the trend for future productions, where improvised sessions would be recorded with musicians from a specific label and additional collaborations. In this case, Charlie Palmieri (who had been the leader in the Alegre All Stars recordings) came from the B.G. label.

Fania Funché

Johnny Pacheco decided to break away from Alegre Records, partly due to disagreements with Al Santiago and partly due to his growing desire to create his own record label. He teamed up with lawyer Jerry Massucci to form a partnership that proved effective both in strategy and economically. As a personal touch and a dose of originality, Pacheco released the first LP of the Fania label with serial number 325, which represents his birthday (March 25). From this number onwards, the series of records continued with 326, 327, 328, and so on. The first album was called “Cañonazo,” marking the sound shift Pacheco made to differentiate this stage from his previous work at Alegre. The idea was to leave behind the sound he was known for in those years and take elements from Cuba’s sound orchestras and jazz bands, so his band sounded like the Sonora Matancera, Chappottín y sus Estrellas, Conjunto Casino, or Orquesta Riverside.

Under serial number 328, the album “Pacheco, his flute and his Latin Jam” was released, reviving the spirit of live sessions recorded in block as with the Alegre All Stars. The sound didn’t match his new “tumbao” but was closer to the New York descarga sound, with robust trombones and percussion. This was the first glimpse of what would come later. Fania Records began to grow exponentially, and by 1968, it had enough talent to form a top-notch all-star group, with some artists moving from other labels to join their ranks, bringing a new sound from the combination of their talent.

From Fania, the following musicians performed at the small Red Garter club: Ray Barretto, Joe Bataan, Willie Colón, Larry Harlow, Monguito Quián, Johnny Pacheco, Bobby Quesada, Louie Ramírez, Ralph Robles, Monguito Santamaría, and Bobby Valentín. As part of the show, from the Vaya Records label, there were Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Ricardo Ray, and Jimmy Sabater. Other musicians from the orchestras of these leaders completed the staff, such as soul singer La La, Héctor Lavoe, Ray Maldonado, Ralph Marzan, Ismael Miranda, Pete El Conde Rodríguez, Bobby Rodríguez, José Rodrigues, Barry Rogers, and Adalberto Santiago. The session was recorded by Richard Alderson under Pacheco’s supervision, and the cover photos were taken by Leon Gast, who would later play a pivotal role in the future.

Our Latin Thing

After the recital at the Red Garter, several Fania All Stars members would not continue in this selection or would work alternately on additional projects from the same label. In August 1971, Fania All Stars returned, recharged with new members who would form part of the official lineup in later years and at key moments that would fortunately be recorded for posterity. The venue was the Cheetah club, located at 52nd Street and 8th Avenue in New York, and its owner was Ralph Mercado. That night marked the first time that Salsa would be recognized, and this, beyond simply the revelation, sparked other events that would go down in history — and perhaps, it was that night that would become the greatest for this musical concept.

The concert was met with great enthusiasm from the crowd that packed the Cheetah’s venue. The now more established orchestra leaders would go on to form part of the instrumental set of the band. Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco, Roberto Roena, and Bobby Valentín already had solid projects with their orchestras. The singers for this evening were also deeply rooted in the audience, including Santos Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Ismael Miranda, Pete ‘El Conde’ Rodríguez, and Adalberto Santiago, who defined the 

vocal sound in the bands they worked with. The trombones featured session musicians with great talent, such as Barry Rogers and Roberto Rodríguez, and the trumpets included Larry Spencer, Héctor ‘Bomberito’ Zarzuela, and Roberto Rodríguez. The timbalero was Orestes Vilató, and the cuatrista was Yomo Toro. As a bonus, guests from the Vaya label included Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz and José ‘Cheo’ Feliciano.

The music that night was filled with electricity and energy. It was the Latino expression on stage. Everything socially happening in New York converged that night, August 26, 1971. Songs like “Ahora Vengo Yo,” “Estrellas de Fania,” “Qué Barbaridad,” “Ponte Duro,” “Macho Cimarrón,” “Descarga Fania,” “Anacaona,” “Quítate tú,” and the opening and closing tracks in the style of Cuban orchestras would forever remain in the heart of the urban salsa fan. And they stayed in various ways. The material captured that night gave rise to two live albums from the Fania All Stars at the Cheetah, but there was more. Remember the photographer Leon Gast from the previous paragraphs? Well, he was also a videographer and filmmaker and captured several moments of the concert, merging those scenes with shots of the streets of the Bronx, loose footage of the musicians in the avenues, interactions with the public, and unwittingly created the ultimate Salsa film: Our Latin Thing. In it, the life of Hispanics in the world’s most complex city was reflected. It showed our joyful way of expressing ourselves. It featured those who would go on to become our musical idols. And like any good movie, it also had a soundtrack, different audio from the concert tracks, incidental music, sounds from the scenes, and other sonic elements.

While the concert opened the door for performances on other stages, even massive ones due to the ambition of Pacheco and Massucci, such as the Yankee Stadium (which was ultimately canceled due to disturbances at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum), the visit to Africa with its own story, Japan, San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1973, the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, Cuba, the free performance at the Modelo Prison in Bogotá in August 1980, the televised concert in Venezuela in the 1980s, the Hiram Bithorn Stadium show on June 11, 1994, for the label’s 30th anniversary, and the one in Cali, Colombia four years later, under a heavy downpour at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium, as well as the massive performances in Bogotá and Medellín on several occasions, to cite the Colombian case only, the film caused other effects in reaffirming the Salsa concept among fans, making it the most representative sound for Latinos worldwide.