The violin has been transformed into an important sound of Salsa and Latin music by Cuba-born and Colombia-based violinist Alfredo De La Fe. The first solo violinist to perform with a Salsa orchestra, De La Fe has toured the world more than thirty times, appearing in concert and participating in more than one hundred albums by such top-ranked... [+] Read More

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Bassist and trumpeter Bobby Valentin contributed greatly to the Fania All-Stars during the '70s (he was their principle arranger) and recorded numerous solo albums during the period, moving from boogaloo and Latin soul into salsa as his career progressed. Born in Puerto Rico in 1941, Valentin was taught guitar by his father before he even... [+] Read More

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The bomba and plena traditions of Puerto Rico's slums were given respectability through the music of Rafael Cortijo (born Rafel Cortijo Verdejo). Inheriting his band, which he renamed Cortijo y su Combo, when bandleader Mario Roman retired in 1954, Cortijo went on to become one of the Caribbean's most successful artists of the 1950s and '60s.... [+] Read More

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Herbie Mann played a wide variety of music throughout his career. He became quite popular in the 1960s but in the '70s became so immersed in pop and various types of world music that he seemed lost to jazz. However, Mann never lost his ability to improvise creatively as his later recordings attest.

Herbie Mann began on clarinet when... [+] Read More

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A skill at improvisation is combined with a highly textured vocal tone by Venezuela-born Oscar d'León. A top-ranked performer in his homeland, d'León has continued to solidify his following throughout the world. A joy for entertaining has been a constant thread throughout d'León's career. In a 1996 interview with the Chicago Tribune, d'León... [+] Read More

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Universally known as the King of the Mambo, Pérez Prado was the single most important musician involved in the hugely popular Latin dance craze. Whether he actually created the rhythm is somewhat disputed, but it's abundantly clear that Prado developed it into a bright, swinging style with massive appeal for dancers of all backgrounds and... [+] Read More

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While Ray Barretto's congas have graced more recording sessions than virtually any other conguero of his time, he has also led some refreshingly progressive Latin jazz bands over the decades. His records often have a more tense, more adventurously eclectic edge than those of most conventional salsa groups, unafraid to use electronics and novel... [+] Read More

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Ray organized his octet in 1963. He was considered a virtuoso pianist, music arranger, and composer, whose band enjoyed tremendous drawing power and was among the best sellers in the '60s and '70s. ~ Max Salazar, All Music Guide

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By virtue of his warm, flamboyant stage manner, longevity, constant touring, and appearances in the mass media, Tito Puente is probably the most beloved symbol of Latin jazz. But more than that, Puente managed to keep his music remarkably fresh over the decades; as a timbales virtuoso, he combined mastery over every rhythmic nuance with... [+] Read More

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Trombone player, composer, and bandleader, Willie Colón was one of the pioneers of Latin American music. Despite initial criticism, Colón's album El Malo has become known as one of the first albums to feature the "New York Sound" that sparked a renewed interest in Latin music during the 1970s. Colón has been instrumental in the careers of such... [+] Read More

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