Sonora Ponceña has dedicated their music to salsa lovers for more than 50 years. At the time this album was produced, the band was halfway through their musical career, but their exhilarating lyrics and magnificent tone were at their height.

Among the singers of the revered orchestra, the veteran Luigi Texidor was always considered a favorite, and for many years his powerful voice distinguished the orchestra’s sound. On this album, we can enjoy the singer’s sound at his moment of glory. Performing a song directed primarily at the Jivaro Boricua and their traditions, the singer throws himself at salsa in a piece that is an undisputed classic of the glorious age of salsa in the 1970s.

“Ñañara Cai” is an ingenious song in which Texidor’s talent penetrates the subject matter, creating a magnificent dance number that is still one of the most frequently played in boricua clubs and almost certainly throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The humorous lyrics include a description of “una vieja sin dientes que le daba dentera, a un cojo que en pista y campo era un general,” backed by the refrain, “Ñañara cai coso.” This song demonstrates the Ponce native’s talent for integrating himself in his favorite musical rhythms, a talent which ultimately earned the band the nickname “The Dancer’s Orchestra.”

Another classic, “Bomba Carambomba,” is similar in concept, but based on the Puerto Rican Bomba style, with arrangements that indisputably demonstrate Sonora Ponceña’s modern sound. The Bomba, a musical genre that was developed over a hundred years ago and is rooted in boricua musical history, is performed in a new style by Luigi Texidor, in a magnificent interpretation of the tricky theme. “Bomba caram bom caram bomba” is a refrain that will definitely make you move your feet to the conga. This is another number that definitely established the dancer as a favorite in the world of salsa.

“Pollera colorá,” “El tiempo,” and “Pío pío” were numbers that also became an integral part of salsa mysticism from the very moment they were released. Everyone remembers the incidents Texidor recounts in the playful “Pío Pío”: “cultivo mafafos, cultivo gigantes y tengo lechones que parecen elefantes,” backed by the refrain, “con el pío, pío, pío, con el pío de los pollitos y el zum zum de los mosquitos no se puede descansar.” This has become more than a salsa favorite: it is part of the village folklore of the Island of Enchantment, where there are very few who do not know the picaresque and lively number.

To sum up, this album is a collection of hits by “The Dancer’s Orchestra.” Sonora Ponceña is another classic band that deserves a place in your record collection.

With the musical union that has always characterized this orchestra –the leadership of Don Quique Lucca, the extraordinary piano skills of Papo Lucca, and the powerful voice of Luigi Texidor– this album is pure joy, for its time, and for all time.

Sonora Ponceña’s “Conquista Musical” is just that: a musical conquest. The revered orchestra spread their musical wings and gave their faithful dancing public a treasure trove of hits that have proven they deserve the attention of salsa lovers, even decades after their release.

This is the mark of a true classic. Listen to this album, and you will understand why fans say, “La Ponceña has sung to the world. Now it’s the dancer’s turn...”

Credits:

Personnel:

Enrique “Quique” Lucca: Leader
Papo Lucca: Piano & Synthesizer
Cuchy Castro: Trumpet
Tony (Cordobes) Rodriguez: Trumpet
Delfin Perez: Trumpet
Johnny Rivero: Conga
Angel L. Hernandez: Paila & Bongo
Edgardo Morales: Timbales
Tato Santaella: Bass
Yomo Toro: Cuatro
Ismael Quintana: Percussion

Lead Vocals: Miguelito Ortiz, Luigi Texidor
Coro: Hector Lavoe, Ruben Blades, Tito Allen, Ray de La Paz (courtesy of TR Records)

Recorded at: Good Vibrations Sounds Studios, NY
Mixed: Bell Sound Studios, NY
Engineered by: John Fausty
Art & Design by: Ron Levine
Special thanks to Louie Ramirez and Luis (Perico) Ortiz for their help

Arranged and Conducted by: Papo Lucca
Musical Director: Luis (Perico) Ortiz
Recording Director: Quique Lucca
Produced by: Papo Lucca & Louie Ramírez


Written by Juan Moreno Velásquez
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