A lot of salsa lovers don't know that Héctor Lavoe
lived in Cali. I arrived in 1982 to play in Juanchito which is like
the crib of salsa in Colombia. Back then, in the glorious years
of salsa, there was a club named Juan Pachanga,
owned by Larry Landa, who was one of the people
in charge of spreading salsa in Colombia. He was the first to bring
the Fania All Stars to that country and had a great
love for this music.
A few
months after I arrived, Larry contracted Héctor Lavoe
to sing at his club and he also fell in love with Cali and ended
up staying in the city for about six months.
We
lived togather and it was there that I had the opportunity to get
to know someone who I consider one of the best singers that salsa
has ever had. I had played and recorded with him on various previous
ocasions, and we always got along great, but I had not had the chance
to get to know him up close.
Héctor
was a person full of conflicts and suffering, but he only had happiness
to give to his public, and because of this, he was always considered
the People's Singer.
Now,
twenty years later, ABB Productions organized this
great event with two purposes: One, to pay tribute to this great
artist and the other to try to keep salsa alive in the Branch Office
of Heaven, as they call Cali.
I personally
think this is very important. Many times while I am on tour in different
countries, people come up to me and tell me, "I'm going to
Cali." And when I ask them why, they answer, "Hey brother,
that's the World Salsa capital!" That gives me reason to believe
that people don't go to Cali to see monuments or churches, but rather
they go there to see salsa, which is its main source of tourism.
For that reason, they should not let it die.
It
was a very well organized event and more than a concert, it was
a show with fashions alluding to the styles of the 80s and its salsa
movement. This part of the event was the responsability of the designer,
Marcela Garrido and Colombia's top models. The
best salsa dance schools in the city gave a great performance together
with Sandra Hurtado, the 17 year old dancer who
surprised everyone in Puerto Rico at the World Salsa Congress. There
was a script that told a story of Lavoe's time in Cali and of course,
the interpretation of the songs that made him popular in Colombia
and the world.
I was
accompanied on this occastion by Ray Sepúlveda,
one of the best singers in salsa today, and whose idol was Héctor
Lavoe, and Little Johnny Rivero, the legendary
percussionist who is known for his participation with the Sonora
Ponceña as well as the Wilson Viveros Orquestra,
with some of the best musicians from Colombia.
I was
impressed to see that Cali still shows a great love for this salsa
that made us all vibrate in the 70s and 80s, while in New York where
it was born, it is almost dead. I was happy to see young kids, 15
or 16 years old, singing along with Hector's songs, as if it had
just been released on the market.
I want
to congratulate Andrea
Buenaventura and her team, the people from Rucafé
(PowerPartners with SalsaPower), in charge of the production, Patricia
Delgado who made it possible for us to be there and Humberto
Valverde, a great writer who has taken it upon himself
to document the history of Salsa in Colombia. Congratulations to
Cali for this great event and for the world renowned Feria de Cali,
that is just around the corner and promises to be the best ever
this year!
Don't
miss it! Join me there!
--Alfredo
De La Fé
Miami, Florida, 30 de noviembre, 2003
