In 1968, Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz proved that lighting can indeed strike twice.
Volume II of "Jala, Jala Boogaloo” was just as successful as Volume I – so much so that it allowed the duo to leave the Alegre de Pancho Cristal label and sign a lucrative contract in 1969 with West Side Latino, the label that would release the band’s spectacular 1970 album, El Diferente.
Bobby Cruz was already an artist in his own right, neutralizing the influence of his mentor, Rafael Chivirico Dávila, the famous artist behind the LP Se Soltó, his debut with Morist Levy’s label Tico.
With Volume II of “Jala, Jala Boogaloo,” Bobby –a proud native of Hormigueros, a city in the southwest of Puerto Rico– proved that he was capable of moving prominently into the future, surviving the jala jala (the style created by Roberto Roena and the Gran Combo) and the boogaloo fever, whose indisputable champions were Pete Rodríguez and Johnny Colón.
His version of the guaguancó number "Las Caraqueñas," a tribute to the beauty of olive-skinned Venezuelan women, paved the way for his entry into the world of salsa in late 1970s.
His repertoire was diverse and varied enough to place him at the forefront of the most multifaceted vocalists of the Latin movement in the late 1960s.

Bobby Cruz’s popularity grew with his version of the ballad “Aquel Día,” a song with poetic undertones that reached enormous heights with vocals by Spaniard Raphael Martos. Later, Bobby would gain recognition as a crooner with his romantic ballads on the albums Canta Para Tí and Amor En La Escuela, both of which he recorded with Vaya Records.
However, in 1968, the industry grew tired of the jala jala, the boogaloo, and other Afro-Caribbean fusions, as evidenced by the style that the Reyes de la Salsa attempted to patent with its version of “Tin Marín,” the chorus of which inspired a well known children’s game of the time.
Just as in “Tin Marín,” the duo’s ability and genius to bring heat and flavor to arrangements with simple, frivolous lyrics is demonstrated in “Iqui Con Iqui,” the follow up to Jala Jala, structured in two movements with an emphasis on the second half of the boogaloo.
The greatest hit from Volume II of “Jala, Jala Boogaloo” was “Mr. Trumpet Man,” a song Richie and Bobby dedicated to their trumpet player, Adolphus Doc Cheatham, a jazz virtuoso who made a lasting impression on the band. There is no doubt that of the excellent trumpet players –such as Pedro Chaparro and Maelo Rodríguez– who passed through Los Durísimos, Doc was the best. In fact, he was the first jazz player who entered the salsa scene without losing his identity; he worked not only with Richie, but with Machito, Dámaso Pérez Prado, and many others.
Doc parted ways with Richie and Bobby when the pair decided to settle in San Juan. He was a musician trained in blues and bebop, both of which fascinated Richie. The symbiosis between the Brooklyn pianist and the Nashville trumpet player is evident on "Mr. Trumpet Man," an irresistible tour de force that toys with both boogaloo and jazz. Bobby scats, and Doc unleashes his onomatopoetic phrases on the trumpet in an energetic swing while the other band members feverishly repeat the chorus: We like the way he plays his trumpet.
Los Durísimos finalized the “Jala, Jala Boogaloo Vol II” album with “More Richie,” an exquisite number that showcases the jazz technique and know-how of salsa’s greatest pianist.

Credits

Ricardo Ray – Piano
Bobby Cruz – Vocals
Pedro Chaparro – Trumpet
Adolphus Doc Cheatham – Trumpet
Rusell S. Farnsworth – Bass
Mike Collazo – Timbal
Manuel González – Bongo
Joaquín Dillonis – Congo

Producer – Pancho Cristal
Original Liner Notes – Ralph Lew (English), Pancho Cristal (Spanish)


Written by Jaime Torres Torres
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