Photo courtesy of salsachicago.com
During the 1970s and 1980s, Chicago was blessed to have an abundance of salsa bands. This was possible due to the many salsa musicians that were part of the salsa scene during those days. Among the musicians paying his dues was a talented timbalero named, Raul “Timbal.” I remember Raul from his early days when he was the regular timbalero for La Confidencia, one of the more popular salsa bands at the time. He was a man of little words. His message came from his playing. Raul is an expert Latin Percussionist who can solo with the best of them. I recently ran into Raul again. I was at a banquet where his new band, Salsa Chicago Mambo Jazz Orchestra, was playing. Raul played the audience well. He interacted with them and spiced it up with his snappy cuts and solos. Raul started his musical career many years ago while in High School. He played for the High School Steel Band and eventually formed his first band, La Libertad Latina. He later became the timbalero for a new group formed by popular singer, Mike Maldonado. The name of the group was "Nova." Raul’s talent and showmanship eventually caught the eye of Richard (Richie) Straka, the leader of La Confidencia, who quickly hired him as his regular timbalero when Nova broke up. I was glad to see that Raul “Timbal” is still around during a time when so many have moved on. In Chicago’s salsa history, Feliz Raul “Timbal” is someone you should know. To learn more about Raul “Timbal,” go to the attached link.
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