Details of Spanish Harlem Orchestra and the Ticket Luck value
Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Established by Aaron Levinson and Oscar Hernandez, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra is a Latin dance music orchestra based in the United States. They released their first album in October 2002 and frequently go on world tours.
Since their launch in 2000, the Spanish Harlem orchestra (SHO) has set the highest standard in the field of modern Latin music. Oscar Hernandez, a world famous pianist, arranger and producer, is the director of the SHO.
The thirteen members all famous group has re launched the traditional resonance of New York Salsa to fans all over the world. The Orchestras 2004 Grammy award-winning album Across 110th St and their 2002 Grammy nominated debut, un gran Dia En El Barrio were followed by their third album; United We Swing.
On this album, United We Swing, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra maintains the same classic-meets-contemporary music but with stimulating novelty. Nine of the tracks are new pieces of music which are embedded in exceptional uniqueness. The group has stuck to the musical heritage of El Barrio, an energetic Eastside community in New York City which is located to the south of 125th St - this is where Boogaloo, Latin Soul, and Salsa originated.
Oscar says Our music style is the original sound of New York old school Salsa dura (heavy salsa) that was played in the early years by our pioneers, He further goes on to say That sound has been lost and we want to keep it alive while educating the new generations (and music lovers in general) on the true musical roots of our culture. Oscar adds, weve brought back the essence of what makes this music great and are keeping the salsa spirit alive in our recordings and shows.
One knows he will be acoustically delighted from the opening horns of SHO intro. The composition is cheerful and also includes the introduction of the band members and introduction of the show by Oscar. Oscar and Gil Lopez co wrote Lleg? La Orquesta (The Orchestra Has Arrived). This creates a ballroom scenario which delights the listeners and wants to make them dance.
Oscar says I have a lot of colleagues who helped me on this album and who I feel have their finger on the pulse of what this music should be. The arrangers include Sonny Bravo, Gil Lopez, Angel Fernandez, Jose Febles and myself.
SHO pays homage to the legacy of Manhattans Palladium Ballroom, the home of the mambo, with En El Tiempo Del Palladium (In The Times of The Palladium). This accommodated mambo dancers and included the bands of the BIG-3: Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machito.
The Willie T?rres tune, Se Forma La Rumba (The Rumba Has Begun) was arranged by Tipica 73 icon,Sonny Bravo. Oscar directed S?cala Bailar (Take Her Dancing) and heads into the classic 1970s Fania-era hit, Ahora S? (Nows The Time).
Que Bonito (How Lovely) and Salsa Pal Bailador (Salsa For Dancers) are meant to gratify the salsa lovers. ). The Joe Cuba cha-cha-cha, Mujer Divina (Divine Lady), is executed in doo-wop three-part vocal harmony. Keeping a strong pace, Soy Candela (I Am Fire) culminates into a sizzling Plena Con Sabor (Tasty Plena). Composed as a tribute to his father, Emilio Hernandaz, Oscar composes a piece Danzon For My Father which was originally recorded by Dave Valentin.
Rounding off the finale with a surprise is the best way to end a concert and this is exactly what Oscar and SHO do with special guest, Paul Simon. Late In The Evening/Tarde En La Noche is a re make of a top ten hit of Simons from his album One trick Pony in 1980. Oscar and Simon collaborated on the formers Broadway musical, Cape man, with Simon singing the classical parts.
Oscar is quoted as having said, I was talking to Paul and asked him if he would want to be a guest on our album. No sooner had the words come out of my mouth and he said, Id love to. What are you thinking about? I was floored and completely honored. Paul Simon doesnt just record with anybody.
The first verse that he sings accapella is distinctively different. He told me to leave it like that because he didnt want it to sound like the original. Its more like a dream years later. The combination is really cool. I was going to do it with the original horn lines but in this case I took it to the realm of what we are all about.
SHO re vitalized the classic 1970 NYC music with a solid as a rock point of view with their 2002 debut album, Un Gran Dia En El Barrio. With singers such as Frankie Vasquez, Herman Olivera, Ray De La Paz and special guest Jimmy Sabater, featured on the album, the songs were sizzling hot and included hits such as Tito Rodriguezs Mama Guela, Willie Colons La Banda, and others.
This album launched the band and got them a 2003 Grammy nomination for Best Salsa Album and a Latin Billboard Award for Salsa Album of the Best New group of the year.
On their second album in 2004, Across 110th St, the SHO success was amplified a hundred times more by the thunderous trombones of Jimmy Bosch and Dan Reagan, singers Marco Bermudez, Willie Torres, Ray De La Paz and special guest Ruben Blades, who Hernandez was employed by in the 1990s as his music director. It was a smashing album and won them their first Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Salsa Album.
Now, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra has been placed on one of the highest pedestals by United We Swing and pays it respect to a neighborhood romanticized in Westside Story by Leonard Bernstein and A Rose in a Spanish Harlem by Ben E. King.
El Barrio has been described as a hard incubator in Piri Thomas book Down These Mean Streets since in the middle of social dejection it has given people a unique Carribean musical mixture.
Oscar winds up by saying Im from the Bronx, but if youre a Latino in NYC you always have a connection to Spanish Harlem. Its a place where a lot of stuff has happened that for me is kind of a microcosm for Latin New York. As a community it is an important part of the fabric that makes up the city, and were compelled to share the power of the music and culture with the world.
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