Salsa Pa' Ti

Johnny Colon : Merecumbe
taken from the album "Johnny Colon's Disco Hits" on Cotique (1976)
originally released on the album "Hot! Hot! Hot!" on Cotique (1972)

Raphy Leavitt : Fiesta En Mi Corazon
taken from the album "Con Sabor A Tierra Adentro" on Borinquen (1977)

I get a big kick out of re-examining my old musical predilections and aversions. Like, when I was 14 I used to listen to Santana's Greatest Hits every night to put me to sleep- no joke. I ain't gonna hate on Santana, but what the hell was I thinking?!? I can't hear any of those songs now without getting a mental wiff of Tommy Hilfiger cologne or picturing my homemade bamboo bong that I stashed in the corner of my closet. On the other hand, I can readily recall a time (of deep-rooted ignorance) when I thought of "salsa" music as cheesy, over-the-top, horn blast, bongo crash decadence. How wrong I was! Things changed for me by the time I was 17 and had a chance to see (in one unfogettable night) Cachao, Eddie Palmieri, and Tito Puente (during the last year of his life) all sharing the stage in a beautiful San Francisco ballroom- professional salseros swinging all around me. My eyes began to open, and thankfully, they have continued to search and uncover on a daily basis thanks to experiences like that night- Maria, donde estas? haHA

But anyways, where I was going with all that is just to say that nowadays I'm a full-blown Salsa JUNKIE. I love the real deal, la verdad, and I get to see on a regular basis how well these tunes still work on discerning dancefloors. Turn up the bass when bumping these joints, es bueno para tu salud. I'm not really gonna go into bio business right now, but peep here for info on Johnny (who I've blogged before) and check this for more on Raphy.