Marcus Persiani - Featured Artist

     Marcus Persiani at The Chicago Fest - (C) 1980s

    Marcus Persiani on the Grand Piano

    Marcus Persiani CD - Uptown Suite

    Marcus Persaini (C) 1980s

Imagine yourself caught up in the swing of the salsa band. The fast paced music brings everyone to their feet. Soneros tell their story through their song and the horn section responds with jazzy rifts. Suddenly the tune quiets down as the percussion section continues marking time. The piano solo begins. At first, he leads you through the swing of the tune and then the journey begins. Before you know it you are being led through a mixture of traditional Cuban and Jazz rifts so mesmerizing you don’t want it to stop. The pianist, Marcus Persiani, without saying a word just made his presence known. This is a flashback of the days in Chicago when live salsa dominated the Latin Club scene. We often wonder where these stars are today. Here’s the update:

As previously mentioned in this blog, Marcus Persiani first came to the Chicago Latin scene during the early 1980s when he came to sit in at the rehearsal of a then popular Latin Band (La Sonora Tropical) in Chicago. At the time, Marcus Persiani was finishing up his studies at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago and was already an accomplished jazz musician. The band, who like many others utilized various pianists based on availability, was quick to offer Persiani the steady job after hearing the strong jazz influence in his solos. Before time, Marcus Persiani mastered the Cuban Mambo and Son Montuno styles that are part of his playing arsenal today and became one of the best Salsa pianists in Chicago. As we mentioned before, there were many musicians who played an important role in the development of Chicago Salsa. The list would not be accurate if Marcus Persiani was not included. As with many accomplished musicians, steady work is key to survival and as the Salsa scene began to decline so did job opportunities. Marcus Persiani, as did many others, eventually moved on to New York where he continues to mark his influence in the jazz scene today. He has established himself as a master jazz and Latin musician in New York City. There is no reason to question his success for salsa still runs through his veins. Good Luck Marcus.

Marcus Persiani has recently released his new CD,”Uptown Suite.” Follow Marcus Persiani on his Facebook page. Go to the attached link.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/marcuspersiani

Salsa in Chicago.....You've gotta love it!

….The lights were dim, the candles on the small tables gave the club a romantic setting. As the couples arrive they greet each other. They are regulars dressed to the nines in an atmosphere filled with cigarette smoke and perfume. The orchestra takes their position on stage and at the hour the timbal sticks begin the count. 1…2…1,2,3,4. Bam! The horns blare and the music begins. On cue, couples take over the dance floor and show off their styles with precision. Couples twirl and the most skilled take center position on the dance floor claiming dominance. Through the mambos and the son montunos the congas carry the beat with the horns blaring in support. Salsa! You gotta love it. It’s not a fad. It’s a lifestyle.

Today's Featured Artist - Latin Percussionist Ray Soto

    Ray Soto (congas) At Humbolt Park - Chicago

    Ray Soto with Los Consules

     Ray Soto circa 1970s

Percussionist Ray Soto has been playing the Latin circuit in Chicago for many years. He is renowned in the Salsa and Latin Jazz scene and continues to entertain us with his smooth style and arsenal of Latin rhythms.  Puerto Rican percussionist Ray Soto grew up in the streets of the Windy City. He began his musical career as a guitar player, occasionally hitting the skins. He was the son of a Record Store Owner that catered to the Latin American community. Working the store on occasion helped him appreciate all different types of rhythms. He originally played guitar in a Spanish trio then played in a rock group until salsa started to become popular after his return from Puerto Rico. He eventually switched to percussion and there found his niche. Ray was a collector of old Latin albums and amassed quite a collection of hard to get early albums of Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri, The Allegre All Stars, and countless pioneers of early salsa. Listening to these albums helped bring out the natural swing in him that lies at the core of all Latin percussionists.

Ray Soto has played with many established Latin Bands in Chicago. Among them were, La Sonora Tropical, Los Casiques, Los Consules, The Mambo All Stars, and countless others. Over the years, Ray Soto has served as a mentor to many youths who want to learn and experience Latin Music. Today, Ray Soto assists Chicago’s Quatro Ensemble, a youth orchestra that consists totally of quarto players. In the Chicago music scene Ray Soto is someone you should know.

Ray Soto is featured on the album entitled, “Los Consules” (1977)

Chicago International Salsa Congress - 2011

This past Saturday (February 19,2011) I had the good fortune to attend the 10th Anniversary of the Chicago International Salsa Congress at the Westin O'Hare hotel. The salsa dancing and bands were outstanding to say the least. If you never attended before, this is a must. The Salsa Congress hosts a weekend of non-stop salsa. Every year the attraction seems to get bigger and the dancers get better. This Saturday Sammy Garcia Y El Sabor De Puerto Rico were the evening's headliners.They were spectacular.The Chicago Mambo All-Stars also played the event.   If you haven't checked them out you need to do so. If I were asked to rate this event, I would definitely give it 5 stars. Don't miss the next one.http://www.chicagosalsacongress.com/index.php

Recordando el club nocturno "Asi Es Colombia" y Los Consules

Yo recuerdo que durante los años 1970 había un club nocturno Colombiano llamado, "Asi Es Colombia" en la Avenida Lincoln en Chicago. La Orquesta de la casa en el club en ese tiempo se llamavan "Los Consules." Luis Giraldo, el saxofonista era el líder y entretenia mucha jente con su grupo durante aquellos años. Yo recuerdo que ellos producieron un álbum titulado, "Los Consules - Con La Musica Original De Luis Gabriel Giraldo." Una copia de la caratula del álbum esta atachada a este mensaje. ¿Recuerdan esta Orquesta? Encontré un vídeo en el Internet recientemente con la nueva banda de Luis Giraldo. Estoy contento saber que Luis G. Giraldo todavia nos sigue entreteniéndo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xER3vUxynms

La Sonora Tropical de Chicago

For those who want to learn a little more about this 1970s band from Chicago go to the attached link.La Sonora Tropical

La Salsa De Ayer en Chicago

¿Recuerda cuándo la música de salsa dominó Chicago en 1970as? En aquel tiempo todos los clubes Latinos tenían orquestas de salsa. En ese tiempo clubes populares como La Concha, El Tropical Magic, El Latin Village, El Nevada, El club Las Vegas, El Night Life y muchos otros presentavan bandas de salsa todo los fines de semana. La música era contagiosa y la atmósfera era muy animada. De vez en cuando los dueños de los clubes presentaban estrellas de nombres grandes  pero la mayoria de las veses presentavan orquestas de salsa locales. Estos tiempos son inolvidables. Todo el mundo hablaba de la salsa de Nueva York, pero muy pocos hablaban de la salsa en Chicago. ¿Tiene alguna historia que quieren compartir con nosotros sobre la salsa de Chicago? Por favor díganos sus memorias para que nosotros podemos revivir esos tiempos.

Vitin Santiago - A Chicago Latin Band Icon

    Vitin Santiago and his Orchestra

We recently posted a brief article on The Latin Village Night Club in Lincoln Park and its owner, "Vitin" Santiago. In a followup to that article we are sad to report that Vitin Santiago passed away on January 20th, 2011 in Chicago. Vitin suffered from diabetes and heart problems. He will truly be missed. Anyone who lived through the time when he ran the one of the hottest salsa clubs will remember Vitin as a true professional. There are many Vitin stories out there - all memorable. Feel free to post your memories of Vitin. A snapshot of Vitin and his life are available at the attached link. http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/3572878-418/santiago-puerto-chicago-music-latin.html

Dez Desormeaux - Featured Artist

Even though topics on this blog are dedicated to subjects concerning old school Chicago Salsa and salsa bands, it would be foolish not to wonder where these old Chicago salsa stars are today. To answer that, I did a little web surfing and was glad to find that Sax/ Flute player Chuck Dez Desormeaux, better known as simply "Dez," has established himself as one of the premier Latin/ Jazz sax and flute players in the city. "Dez", as you may recall from reading an earlier post was one of the originating members of the 1970s Sonora Tropical (Chicago). Even though Dez is currently known as a Jazz artist, salsa runs through his veins. He is remembered for his fiery sax solos at many salsa venues back in the day and there is no doubt that he still continues to mesmerize crowds with his sax work. I was glad to see that his success continues. The picture above features "Dez" doing a solo at one of the city's Chicago Fest venues during the early 80s with La Sonora Tropical. He is currently working with the Latin Jazz trio, the Mambo Zombies with another former Sonora Tropical member, drummer Luis "Prieto" Rosario. They can be seen at the Green Dolphin Jazz club at 2200 N. Ashland Avenue. They recently released a 3rd CD that is featured here. I checked it out and highly recommend it if you like Latin Jazz. Good Luck Dez!
http://www.anr-unlimited.com/site/artists/mambo_zombies/

Vic Parra / Mambo Express

In an earlier post Vic Parra was mentioned as being one of the pioneers of the Latin Scene during the 1970s. He was instrumental in moving salsa forward through his popular "Mambo Express" radio program. At the time, Vic Parra also had a popular Charanga band that had a respectable sound and played many of the clubs and jazz venues.  After writing that post I started to wonder what ever happened to Vic Parra and if he was still doing his thing. I was happy to find that Vic Parra is still doing the radio program and still has a band. If anyone wants to find out more Vic's website can be found at the following link: http://www.mamboexpress5.com/

Mambo Box, Cuban Music, Live Music, Illinois, Chicago: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The Latin Village Night Club in Lincoln Park

During the 1980s, Singer/ Musician Vitin Santiago opened the Latin Village Night Club on Lincoln Avenue. The club was one of many that offered live salsa from Thursdays through the weekend. In its heyday, the Latin Village was one of the most popular clubs in the Latin scene hosting an assortment of good salsa bands. Vitin Santiago, a former bandleader, would sing with the bands on occasion and would feature artists from New York, Puerto Rico and Cuba. His club was a class operation with a strict dress code. This was the kind of place to take your lady for wine, dance and romance. "Vitin," as they called him was strict but that was expected for this kind of place. The club had class. Those were the days. If anyone has any Latin Village memories, feel free to add a comment so we can relive the experience.