» Listen to SPANISH HARLEM on Batanga's SALSA station » Subscribe to Club Batanga to watch videos and more!

by Justin Feinstein

Thirty years ago, the Spanish Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan produced a sound that would have a profound influence on the music of this country and the rest of the world. In the mid 70s a new musical style was being forged, building on the collaborations between bebop and mambo musicians of previous decades.

Un Gran Día en el Barrio (Ropeadope Records), The Spanish Harlem Orchestra’s debut album, pays homage to the neighborhood, the music and the musicians. If you’ve been disappointed with recent “watered down” salsa albums, or just long for that classic sound, you need look no further. This thirteen-piece band has the dynamic capability of a symphony orchestra and the intimacy of a small jazz combo. Like much of the classic salsa dura, Un Gran Día en el Barrio is no-nonsense, straight ahead dance music, free of any artificial glitz or glamour. Lush horn arrangements float over the driving rhythms of timbales, conga and bongo, augmented by a team of three vocalists, creating an irresistible and time-tested musical formula. The music has an insistency that is instantly recognizable. Whether you’re a salsero or a first time listener, you’ll be dancing in no time. The album cooks from the opening track, “Mama Guela”, featuring guest vocalist and legendary sonero Jimmy Sabater.

World-renowned pianist and musical director, Oscar Hernández, has put together what is truly an all-star band. It’s members have performed and recorded with Ray Barretto, Hector Lavoe, Rubén Blades, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Manny Oquendo, Mongo Santamaria, Eddie Palmieri and Oscar D’ León; virtually all of the salsa greats. Oscar Hernández talks about the album, the music and the business.

Whose idea was it to put the project together?

The original idea belonged to Aaron Levinson, the producer of the record. He talked to me about putting this record together a couple of years before it actually happened, and I told him, “Yeah, that’s right up my alley, something I’d love to do.” And he would call me from time to time until finally it came to pass that it was going to happen. And I said, “Great, O.K. … Let’s talk about implementing everything, in terms of songs and the arrangers and the people who are going to play on the record.”

It got nominated for a Grammy, so it all worked out, right?

Yeah, it got nominated for a Grammy and two Billboard Awards, so we did really well.

It says on the packaging, “Spanish Harlem’s answer to the Buena Vista Social Club”, and it seems that there is some truth in that, because many people don’t realize the history that Spanish Harlem played in salsa music.

Well, we got a lot of flak for that statement, because people didn’t understand. Even for me, I thought it was kind of not right that they marketed it that way. But the truth of the matter is, you could make the analogy that Buena Vista Social Club reflects a music of a certain place and a certain time, and the same thing is true with Spanish Harlem. So in that sense, the themes kind of correlate and I can see how that analogy can be made. But the actual music is so very different. And the type of players, you know, I mean those guys… are a whole lot older than us! (laughing)

And they’re playing son, it’s different. But it’s a beautiful album in its own right.

Yeah, without a doubt.

I don’t see why anyone would give anybody any flak over that.

Well, I mean some people kind of took offense. But they didn’t really understand it, and I’m just saying, ‘Well look, I think it was more of a marketing tool on the company’s behalf.’ But I could see why they wanted to market it that way. They wanted to capitalize. And for me, you know what, if it brings our project to light in people’s eyes, then so be it. I mean, we’re really excellent musicians, I’ve been doing this for thirty years. I don’t have to apologize for anything I’ve done. I think what I do, I do really well, and if it brings people around to recognize what we’re trying to do, then, great. Whatever it takes at this point. Because I’ve done a lot of great records that went by the wayside and that never got the recognition or the just due that they deserved because they didn’t get the publicity they deserved. They didn’t come to light, or they didn’t get any major promotion. So, at this point in my career, however it gets done is fine by me.

Looking at the musical history of the players involved in this project, it’s amazing. These guys have played with every big name in salsa I can think of.

Exactly, these are all veteran musicians. They are the top, first-call studio musicians in New York. We work together all the time. We cross paths. We’re colleagues and friends. It was a no-brainer for me to call the guys that I did, to do this record.

You guys must have seen music change quite a bit over the last thirty years.

Yeah, actually it has changed a lot. A lot of things, they kind of dawn on you, I mean you take all these things for granted sometimes, and you realize now that all those years were the good old days.

» Join Club Batanga
» Let us know what you think