Fania Records celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1994. For this grand occasion, Jerry
Masucci was able to reactivate his musical monster, the legendary Fania All Stars, after
nearly five years of official inactivity. In June, the All Stars set off on an Anniversary Tour
with three concerts in San Juan, New York and Miami. All three concerts were filmed and
recorded, but the original get together concert in Puerto Rico was the one officially released
in 1995 on both CD/cassette and limited edition VHS versions.

For these concert series, Masucci was able to reunite most of its key members, including
the original Fania Six rhythm section (Johnny Pacheco, Ray Barretto, Bobby Valentín, Roberto
Roena, Papo Lucca, and Nicky Marrero), Larry Harlow (returning to the lineup after more
than ten years), Yomo Toro, Pupi Legarreta, and singers Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Pete
El Conde Rodríguez, Ismael Miranda, Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Quintana, and Santos
Colón. Founding members Héctor Bomberito Zarzuela and Reynaldo Jorge were also on
board for this tour, heading a powerful brass section with the legendary Juancito Torres and
his protégé Ito Torres on trumpets and long-time members Leopoldo Pineda and Lewis Kahn.
As special guests, Fania recruited the inimitable Eddie Palmieri for the San Juan and New
York concerts, while the Miami concert was augmented with the performances of the King
himself, Tito Puente, and powerhouse drummer, percussionist, pop diva Sheila E. Another
Fania icon, legendary trombonist, singer Willie Colón, joined the band for the New York gig.

Local disc jockey Nestor Galán opens this album introducing the orchestra, later joined by
the official emcees for the tour: master dancer Aníbal Vázquez and, returning officially to the
lineup, the one and only Izzy Sanabria, who also does the artwork and photo montage for
this release. A stunning ten-minute version of Ray Barretto’s megahit “Quítate La Máscara” with Adalberto on vocals starts the fireworks, with the master conguero himself soloing and
singing at the same time. Palmieri’s medley “Puerto Rico/Adoración” is next, introduced by
an a-capella solo by Yomo Toro on cuatro and featuring Quintana’s powerful voice. From
Pacheco’s own repertoire,“Azuquita Mami” is next, a vehicle for El Conde’s prowess as
a singer and dancer, featuring a generously long piano statement by Papo Lucca. Ismael
Miranda, a man whose voice continuously defies age, brings his own “Borinquen Tiene
Montuno”, this time with former boss Harlow on the piano spot and Pupi on violin.

Side B begins with Cheo Feliciano revisiting an old tune from his late 1960’s repertoire
with Palmieri, “Busca Lo Tuyo”, with the madman himself back on piano. Finally, the queen
herself, Celia Cruz, enters the stage with a new tune written for the occasion,“Bombelé”. It’s
on this track where Pacheco’s flute finally takes the spotlight for the first time that night. But
the night was far from over: an unprecedented three-piano summit between Palmieri, Lucca,
and Harlow was the climax for this concert. Building from individual piano solos (Palmieri
brings for the occasion a sketch of what later would become his Latin jazz song Doña Teresa)
and going through an improvised guajira, the band leaps into an anthological version of
“Vámonos Pa’l Monte”, with Quintana back on board and all three pianists trading bars.
Marrero, who rose to the occasion that night as the self-proclaimed Fania All Stars’ time clock,
finally gets a chance to stretch out here as well. But yet another climactic moment brings the
show to a memorable closing as the All Stars reunite on stage for a heartfelt tribute to another
fellow member, Héctor Lavoe, as this concert series coincided with the first anniversary of his
decease. Relive and enjoy!
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