"If you loved the music of Buena Vista Social Club, You will definitely enjoy The Arsenio Rodriguez Project" -Tom Schnabel, KCRW - Los Angeles
LAS ESTRELLAS DE ARSENIO, is an All-Star ensemble of today’s top NYC, LA and SF musicians, who came together for the first time in 2011, to pay tribute to Arsenio Rodriguez, the Father of Salsa, on his 100th anniversary.
ARSENIO RODRIGUEZ, a descendent of enslaved Congolese, was born on August 30, 1911, in Matanzas, Cuba. Arsenio was blinded by a horse’s kick at age 7, which earned him the nickname "El Ciego Maravilloso" (The Marvelous Blind One.) Rodriguez was a prolific composer and arranger, who wrote and recorded nearly a thousand songs; many of them major salsa hits even today. ...
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"If you loved the music of Buena Vista Social Club, You will definitely enjoy The Arsenio Rodriguez Project" -Tom Schnabel, KCRW - Los Angeles
LAS ESTRELLAS DE ARSENIO, is an All-Star ensemble of today’s top NYC, LA and SF musicians, who came together for the first time in 2011, to pay tribute to Arsenio Rodriguez, the Father of Salsa, on his 100th anniversary.
ARSENIO RODRIGUEZ, a descendent of enslaved Congolese, was born on August 30, 1911, in Matanzas, Cuba. Arsenio was blinded by a horse’s kick at age 7, which earned him the nickname "El Ciego Maravilloso" (The Marvelous Blind One.) Rodriguez was a prolific composer and arranger, who wrote and recorded nearly a thousand songs; many of them major salsa hits even today.
Considered by many to be the creator of the “Mambo”, he was also the architect of the “Conjunto.” The Conjunto is a revolutionary format that introduces the conga drum, a taboo at the time, because of its African origins. As composer, tresero, percussionist and bandleader, Arsenio’s innovations paved the way for what would eventually morph into “SALSA,” as we know it today. He lived to be one of the most important figures in the history of Afro-Cuban music.
JOSE MANGUAL JR., is a “Nuyorican” percussionist, vocalist, arranger, and songwriter and band leader, born January 1948, in Spanish Harlem, NY, the son of the innovative and pioneering bongo player Jose Mangual Sr., of the legendary MACHITO AND HIS AFROCUBANS ORCHESTRA. By the age of fifteen, José Mangual Jr. was already playing in local groups in New York, showcasing his talent as a percussionist, and vocalist with Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon’s orchestra. His skills as a percussionist and musical director were sought out by the likes of Juan Luis Guerra, Ruben Blades, Hector Lavoe, Herb Alpert, Dizzy Gillespie, David Byrne, Celia Cruz, Mario Bauza, and Mongo Santamaria, among others.
NELSON GONZALEZ, born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, is distinguished for his mastery of the Cuban Tres guitar. This traditional instrument is indispensable to the interpretation of 'Son', the most popular form of Cuban dance music. His love of Afro-Caribbean music developed at an early age and was nurtured in New York City, where he immigrated in the early 1970’s. Essential to Nelson Gonzalez’ development was musicologist Rene Lopez, who taught Nelson the fundamentals and history of Cuban music.
The genius of Arsenio Rodriguez and 'El Nino’ Rivera, and the 'Descarga' of Israel Lopez Cachao, strongly influenced Nelson's music style and skill in incorporating the Tres into the rhythm and the beat of the drums.
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