LEHMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS presents
THE REUNION:
JOSE ALBERTO “EL CANARIO”
TRAE LA TÍPICA‘73
Featuring original stars JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ, SONNY BRAVO,
ALFREDO DE LA FÉ, TITO ALLEN, CAMILO AZUQUITA and MORE!
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is proud present for the first time at La Casa de la Salsa The Reunion: JOSE ALBERTO “EL CANARIO’ with the original stars of LA TÍPICA’73, JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ, SONNY BRAVO, ALFREDO DE LA FÉ, TITO ALLEN, CAMILO AZUQUITA, and More on Saturday, October 25th, 2014 at 8pm. The concert will also feature a special presentation of Jose Alberto’s new album Romantico y Rumbero. Produced by Lehman Center and José Raposo.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for THE REUNION: JOSE ALBERTO “EL CANARIO’ TRAE LA TÍPICA’73 on Saturday, October 25th, 2014 at 8pm are $50, $45, and $30 and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10am–5pm, and beginning at 12 noon on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low-cost on-site parking available for $5.
JOSE ALBERTO “EL CANARIO” is nicknamed El Canario (The Canary) because of his exquisite voice and amazing ability to use his highly melodious whistling skills as a soloing instrument. Born in 1958, he is one of the most successful and respected artists on the salsa music scene with a recording history spanning 39 years and 23 solo albums. Beginning in the early ‘70s, he started singing with several New York City orchestras, receiving international attention in 1977 as the lead vocalist of the ground-breaking ensemble TÍPICA’73 on recordings that include Salsa Encendida (1978),Charangueando con La Típica’73 (1980) and Into the 80s (1981). After being featured as a vocalist on Louie Ramirez’ 1982 production Noche Caliente, the first album to give popular Spanish ballads an uptempo treatment, Jose Alberto became a major Latin star. Forming his own group in 1983, he recorded three albums on the Sono Max label titledTípicamente (1984), Canta Canario (1985) and Latino Style (1986). He had an international smash-hit album in 1988 withSueño Contigo and followed up a year later with Mis Amores, also a chart topper. In the 90s, Alberto recorded several hit recordings including Dance with Me (1991) produced by GRAMMY winner Sergio George in the (then) new Salsa Romántica style, followed by Llegó la Hora (1992) with the world-wide hit tracks “Nada se Compara Contigo” and “Discúlpeme Señora.” In 1994 he recorded De Pueblo y Con Clase and in ’95, the album On Time, notably featuring a duet with the undisputed Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz, with whom he frequently toured. His 1997 Tributo a Machito featured guest GRAMMY winners Tito Puente and Dave Valentín. Recent recordings include the GRAMMY nominated Original(2011) and Intimamente Salsero Live (2012). As a featured vocalist he won a 2013 Latin GRAMMY Award on Sergio George Presents Salsa Giants.
TÍPICA’73 was a popular New York Cuban charanga and salsa dura orchestra in the 1970s and early 1980s known for their experimental style of combining conjunto percussive instruments (congos, timbales and bongos) with a horn section and for being the first US-based Latin orchestra to record in Cuba. The band evolved from a series of Monday night jam sessions at the NYC Latin music club Vinny’s led by JOHNNY “DANDY” RODRIGUEZ, JR., the bongo player for Ray Barretto’s band. The original “jam band” included four of his Barretto band members. When their then unnamed band was signed by the Inca /Fania label in 1973, they all left their respective orchestras to form Típica’73, the term típica referring to the “typical” configuration of a Cuban charanga with violin. Their self-titled debut album was an instant success and is still one of the best selling albums in Fania’s catalog. Their next album, also called Típica’73, saw the formal addition of master tres player Nelson Gonzalez to the group and featured the hit “Amalia Batista”.
The group’s third album La Candela (1975) established Típica’73 as one of the driving forces in salsa music and is often referred to as a masterpiece. Beginning in the mid-‘70s, band members would step away to form their own orchestras or pursue solo careers and their spots would be quickly filled with more great talent. Rumba Caliente, was released in 1976, aided by young Cuban violinist ALFREDO DE LA FÉ and lead vocalist TITO ALLEN. The LP ushered in a “new sound” that showcased how the band could easily move between charanga and conjunto formats, creating the hits “Pare Cochero,” “Sonaremos el Tambor” and “Guaguanco de los Violentos.” When Tito Allen left a year later to go solo, veteran soloist CAMILO AZUQUITA filled his spot. The group’s fifth release, The Two Sides of Típica‘73, is widely considered to be their most musically experimental as it utilized styles such as salsa, charanga, bolero, songo and Latin jazz. In 1977 JOSE ALBERTO “EL CANARIO” joined the band as lead vocalist and Salsa Encendida (1978) was released in the same style. 1979 saw the release of the historic LP Típica’73 en Cuba – Intercambio Cultural that was recorded at EGREM studios in Havana, Cuba. The first album ever recorded in Cuba by an American Latin band, it also features legendary Cuban guest musicians and a strong influence of the (then) new Cuban songbook. After several more albums, Típica’73 disbanded in 1983.
JOHNNY “DANDY” RODRIGUEZ, Jr., the son of Latin percussionist Johnny “La Vaca” Rodriguez, was born in 1945 in New York City. At age 17 he joined Tito Puente’s Orchestra as bongocero and also played with Tito Rodriguez from 1965 to 1968 and Ray Barretto from 1970 to 1972. When his salsa “jam band” was formalized as Típica’73, he resigned his other positions to be the band’s leader until 1975 and remained with the group as bongocero until 1983. In the 70’s and 80’s he was also the conguero for the Fania All-Stars, bongocero for Tito Puente until Tito’s death in 2000, founded the Latin Giants Orchestra with other Puente band players in 2001 and is currently active with the Mambo Legends Orchestra.
SONNY BRAVO is a Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz pianist and arranger that was born of Cuban descent in 1936 in Harlem in New York City and was raised in Miami, Florida. He was musically influenced at a young age by his father Santiago “Elio” Osácar, who was the bassist for the Conjunto Caney. A founding and long time member of Típica’73, he has also recorded and performed with Tito Puente, José Fajardo, Many Campo and Bobby Paunetto. In 1975, he took over as Típica’73’s band leader until they disbanded in 1983.
ALFREDO DE LA FÉ is a classically trained violinist that was born in Havana, Cuba in 1954. A child protégé, he was classically trained at Havana’s Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, the Warsaw Conservatory (Poland) and in New York, at Julliard. At the young age of 12 he became a professional musician, switching from classical to salsa when he joined José Fajardo’s Orchestra. In 1972 he joined Eddie Palmieri’s Orchestra for a few years before leaving to play with Carlos Santana. In 1976, he contributed to Típica’73’s album Rumba Caliente, and formally joined the band in 1977; playing onIntercambio Cultural (1979) and Charangueando con La Tipica 73 (1980). De La Fé launched a successful solo career in 1979 and continues to record with salsa greats such as Tito Puento, the Fania All-Stars and Jose Alberto.
TITO ALLEN, known as “El Eleganta de la Salsa’ (The Elegant One of Salsa) because of his smooth voice and singing style, is from Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1972 to work in a quartet with Eddie Martínez. He joined Ray Barretto’s band in 1973 as the lead singer on the album Indestructible. In 1976 he joined Típica’73 as lead vocalist onRumba Caliente but left a year later to pursue a successful solo career with time out to record with the Puerto Rico All Stars and Tito Puente among others.
CAMILO AZUQUITA, the Panamanian sonero, was born in 1945. A veteran vocalist with bands like Corjito, Kako and Louis Ramirez, Azuquita sang with Típica’73 from 1976 to 1978, recording the hit songs “La Bojita de Abuelito,” “Tumba Tumbador” and “Xiomara” on the album Tipicamente and the duo track “Somos Dos (Con La Mayor Elegancia)” onSalsa Encendida with Jose Alberto. In 1979 he moved to Paris where he continued to record and perform with great success and is credited with being a driving force behind the Parisian salsa movement.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. The 2014-2015 season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and through corporations, foundations and private donations.
