Hector Lavoe
De Ti Depende
Known sarcastically as “the King of Punctuality,” for his innate inability to arrive to his shows on time, the Puerto Rican’s affable nature earned him the adoration of music lovers, who crammed into performance halls throughout the Spanish-speaking world. I heard LaVoe tell his public many times, after arriving late to one of his own shows, “I’m not late – you’re all early.” Never once was I surprised to see the demanding salsa public continue to laugh at his antics, time and time again, and go on as though nothing had happened. Although the young LaVoe sang with many orchestras after arriving in New York, his career truly took off when he began singing with Willie Colón, known back then as “El Malo.” The youngsters took on the role of musical gangsters, and with their clothing and charismatic performances, were able to gain enormous popularity throughout the Spanish-speaking world. They were the “bad boys” of salsa, and undoubtedly unique, accompanied by an orchestra of the highest quality, including musicians such as Milton Cordona and “Professor” Joe Torres. After huge successes like “Che Che Colé,” “Barrunto,” “Todo tiene su final,” “Abuelita,” “Ausencia,” “Calle Luna, Calle Sol,” “Lola,” and many others, Willie Colón knew that musically, he and Héctor LaVoe had nothing left to prove. The young stars’ immediate success and the challenges that a life of stardom presented led Colón to contemplate new musical avenues. These did not include Héctor LaVoe. Suddenly, and for the very first time, Héctor was faced with the task of proving himself as an artist in his own right and with his own orchestra. LaVoe wasn’t too sure about this new stage of his career. These new responsibilities – being in charge of personnel and leading his own musical group– were unfamiliar to him. For a fun-loving, inveterate party-goer like Héctor, this new role made him anxious. However, his friend Willie Colón had not abandoned him. Colón remained at LaVoe’s side throughout the production of his new album, facilitating the difficult transition for the singer. The resulting album became an undisputed salsa classic. On the album, Héctor LaVoe demonstrates his talent not only for Afro-Caribbean rhythms, but for bolero themes, with his rendition of “De ti depende,” penned by the well-loved boricua composer Miguel Angel Amadeo, based in the Bronx, New York. It is also the title track of the extended album. Catalino “Tite” Curet Alonso’s number, “Periódico de ayer,” a well known classic that is still famous today, became a widespread success, making radio play lists across the world and becoming a favorite of the salsa genre. “Vamos a reír un poco,” by Perucho Torcat, gave LaVoe the opportunity to showcase his talents as a first-rate sonero. This number has been celebrated by salsa musicians past and present, and will certainly continue to be a favorite among future salsa generations. In “Hacha y machete,” LaVoe addresses his relationship with Willie Colón, singing, “lo nuestro no fue un golpe de suerte, somos hacha y machete, y esa es la verdad.” LaVoe acknowledges in the song that the stage of his career alongside his good friend had reached its end, but recognizes that their partnership was unique in the musical world. “Hacha y machete” was, without a doubt, Héctor and Willie. The guaracha number “Mentira” rounds out the index of hits from this album. The rights to this Cuban song were held exclusively by the Fania label, as was the custom of those times, and brings a fabulous sound to the performance by “The Singer of All Singers.” “Consejo de oro,” by Arquimedes Arcidiacono, and “Tanto como ayer,” “Derechos reservados,” and “Felices horas” by Luis A. Pérez, finish up this extended album. In “De ti depende,” the Singer of All Singers, Héctor LaVoe, demonstrates for the first time his ability to step out as the leader of his own orchestra, seizing the moment in order to establish his position as the favorite among all Fania soneros. The album you now hold in your hands caused a sensation in 1976. All these years later, it will still bring you back to the thrill of that historical moment, proving that the classic can survive the musical whims of any era. Fabulous then, fabulous now. Enjoy. Personnel: Hector Lavoe – Lead Vocals & Maracas Jose Mangual Jr. – Bongos, Percussion & Chorus Milton Cardona – Conga, Percussion & Chorus Joe “Professor” Torres – Piano Angel “Papo” Vazquez – Trombone Ray Feliciano – Trumpet Santi “Choflomo” Gonzalez – Bass Yomo Toro – Tres Guitar Willie Colon – Chorus Ruben Blades – Chorus Arrangements by: Willie Colon – Vamos A Reir Un Poco, Periodico De Ayer & Mentira Louie Ramirez – Consejo de Oro Louis “Perico” Ortiz – Tanto Como Ayer & Felices Horas Jose Febles – De Ti Depende Edwin Rodriguez – Hacha Y Machete Recorded at Bell Sound Studios Engineered by: Jon Fausty Original Cover & Liner Photos by: Lee Marshall Original Album Design by: Ron Levine Produced by: Willie Colon Executive Producer: Jerry Masucci Written by Juan Moreno Velázquez Reconocido sarcásticamente como “el rey de la puntualidad”, por su innata habilidad de nunca llegar a tiempo a sus compromisos, el carácter afable del ponceño le ganó un lugar de preferencia entre todos los melómanos que, consistentemente, abarrotaban sus presentaciones en todos los países de la cuenca de habla hispana. Fueron muchas las veces que vi a LaVoe decirle a su público, luego de haber llegado tarde a una presentación, “no es que yo haya llegado tarde, es que ustedes llegan temprano”. Nunca me sorprendía ver que una y otra vez el exigente público salsero se riera ante las ocurrencias del cantante y continuaba disfrutando como si nada hubiera ocurrido. Aunque a su llegada a Nueva York, el joven LaVoe cantó con varias orquestas, su carrera realmente comenzó al lado de Willie Colón, en aquellos tiempos conocido como “el Malo”. Los jóvenes comenzaron a presentarse en el rol de gángsteres musicales y con su manera de vestir y sus carismáticas presentaciones lograron alcanzar amplia popularidad en todos los países de habla hispana. Eran los chicos malos de la salsa, e indudablemente dos jóvenes de singular, acompañados por un buen calibre musical que incluía entre otros a Milton Cardona y al “profesor” Joe Torres. Luego de grandes éxitos como Che Che Colé, Barrunto, Todo tiene su final, Abuelita, Ausencia, Calle Luna, Calle Sol, Lola, y muchos otros, no quedaban muchas fronteras en la mente de Willie Colón que pudiera sobrepasar junto a Héctor LaVoe. El inmediato éxito de los jovenzuelos y los retos que la vida como artistas ponía frente a ambos, hizo que Colón comenzara a pensar en nuevos caminos musicales. Estos horizontes no incluían a Héctor LaVoe. De súbito, le tocó a Héctor, por primera vez, hacerse valer como artista al frente de su propia orquesta. LaVoe no estaba seguro en la toma de este nuevo paso en su carrera. Las nuevas responsabilidades de hacerse cargo del personal y ser también el líder de su propia agrupación musical eran pasos a los que el cantante no estaba acostumbrado. Estos nuevos caminos, totalmente ajenos a su personalidad bullanguera eran, para un fiestero empedernido como Héctor, una faena que no le daba ningún tipo de seguridad. Su amigo, Willie Colón, sin embargo, no lo abandonó y se mantuvo junto a LaVoe durante todo el camino como productor del disco, facilitando la difícil transición para el cantante. El producto se convirtió en un indiscutible clásico de la tradición musical salsera. En esta producción, Héctor LaVoe demuestra su calidad como intérprete de los ritmos afroantillanos, pero también su talento como bolerista al interpretar el tema del querido compositor boricua, radicado en Nueva York, Miguel Angel Amadeo, “De ti depende”, que es el tema que le da nombre al disco de larga duración. El tema de Catalino “Tite” Curet Alonso, “Periódico de ayer”, un afamado clásico que se ha mantenido vigente hasta el presente, se convirtió en un éxito radial, viajando el mundo entero y de paso convirtiéndose en un favorito de la afición salsera. “Vamos a reír un poco”, de Perucho Torcat, es un tema que permite a LaVoe demostrar sus destrezas como sonero de primera categoría. Su habilidad en hilvanar su retórica musical en este tema también da por sentado su inmensa calidad en el soneo. Este tema ha sido reconocido por los salseros de ayer y de hoy, y seguramente seguirá como favorito entre las futuras generaciones de salseros. En “Hacha y machete” LaVoe canta a su relación con Willie Colón, entonando “lo nuestro no fue un golpe de suerte, somos hacha y machete, y esa es la verdad”. LaVoe reconoce con este tema que su carrera al lado de su gran amigo había llegado a su final, pero reconocía que esa unión era una de privilegio en el plano musical. “Hacha y machete” eran, sin duda, Héctor y Willie. La guaracha “Mentira” completa el elenco de éxitos que abundaron dentro de esta producción discográfica. Un tema cubano que, como era la costumbre en aquellos tiempos, fue utilizado en la Fania bajo derechos reservados, sonó fabuloso dentro del marco interpretativo de “El Cantante de los cantantes”. Los temas Consejo de oro de Arquímedes Arcidiacono, Tanto como ayer, Derechos reservados, y Felices horas de Luis A. Pérez, completan la selección de temas en esta producción de larga duración. En “De ti depende” el cantante favorito de los cantantes, Héctor LaVoe demuestra por primera vez su capacidad para salir como líder de su propia orquesta, aprovechando el momento para hacer clara su posición como el favorito entre todos los soneros de la Fania. Este disco que tiene ahora entre sus manos causó sensación en 1976. Hoy, muchos años después, la producción lo hará disfrutar de aquél momento histórico dentro de un marco que demostrará que lo clásico sobrevive los designios musicales de cualquier época. Lo bueno de ayer sigue siendo bueno hoy, disfrútelo. Personnel: Hector Lavoe – Lider Vocal & Maracas Jose Mangual Jr. – Bongos, Percusión & Coro Milton Cardona – Conga, Percusión & Coro Joe “Professor” Torres – Piano Angel “Papo” Vazquez – Trombon Ray Feliciano – Trompeta Santi “Choflomo” Gonzalez – Bajo Yomo Toro – Tres Willie Colon – Coro Ruben Blades – Coro Arreglos por: Willie Colon – Vamos A Reir Un Poco, Periodico De Ayer & Mentira Louie Ramirez – Consejo de Oro Louis “Perico” Ortiz – Tanto Como Ayer & Felices Horas Jose Febles – De Ti Depende Edwin Rodriguez – Hacha Y Machete Grabado en Bell Sound Studios Ingeniero: Jon Fausty Caratula & Fotos: Lee Marshall Diseño de la caratula del LP Original: Ron Levine Producido por: Willie Colon Productor ejecutivo: Jerry Masucci Escrito por Juan Moreno Velázquez
Hammock House: Santiago Sessions
$5.99
Fania is pleased to announce the release of HAMMOCK HOUSE: SANTIAGO SESSIONS on August 25, the newest installment in their highly-regarded “Hammock House” remix series, produced and mixed by internationally renowned LA-based producer and DJ, Jose Marquez. The iconic entertainment brand, which has evolved from a legendary NYC-based music label to an innovative and digitally-driven global music, entertainment and lifestyle company, is known worldwide for their work with influential DJs, and one of the best examples is their highly-regarded ‘Hammock House’ series.
Stemming from an idea that originated at the Manana Festival in Santiago de Cuba two years ago, Marquez fuses his love for dynamic Afro-Cuban and Caribbean flavors on SANTIAGO SESSIONS with classic Fania tracks from icons such as Hector Lavoe, Ray Barretto, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. Standout tracks include “Aguanile,” the iconic song from Fania legends Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe which first appeared on the album El Juicio in 1972, for which Marquez enlisted noted musicians Bobby Wilmore and Lazaro Galarraga, who specialize in Afro-Cuban percussion, to perform on congas and bata drums. Another showstopper on the release is “Herencia Africana,” which was composed by Javier Vazquez and recorded by the legendary Celia Cruz and Sonora Matancera on the album Feliz Encuentro, released in 1982. In the song, Cruz talks about her African Heritage/influence, so Marquez brought in US-based musicians originally from Mali to perform and emphasize the African elements of the song, using a djembe instead of congas and a Balafon which is a traditional African version of a marimba/xylophone.
Fania launched the groundbreaking ‘Hammock House’ series in 2011 with the release of its first acclaimed compilation from the celebrated producer/DJ Joe Claussell entitled ‘Hammock House Africa Caribe.’ With each thematic installment, Fania has teamed up with innovative DJ/producers such as Louie Vega, Toy Selectah and The Whiskey Barons, providing them with access to Fania's treasure vaults and the original multitrack master tapes from recordings by classic artists to create fresh takes on Fania’s musical legacy to introduce to new generations of fans.
Music Credits:
1. Celia Cruz - Un Bembe Pa Yemaya (Jose Marquez Remix)
Congas: Bobby Wilmore, Lazaro Galarraga
Bata Drums: Bobby Wilmore, Lazaro Galarraga
2. Ray Barretto - Indestructible (Jose Marquez Remix)
Piano: Claudio Passavanti
Bass: Claudio Passavanti
Congas: Ismel Wignall
Saxophone: Elias Perez
$4.99
Hammock House Myrtle & Wyckoff
$4.99
$9.99
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