Versión en español AQUI

Exclusive Interview with 
Oscar D' León

By

In 1995 when I arrived in Miami, I was speaking with a Cuban friend of mine and I asked him who his favorite Cuban salsa artist was. He replied, “Oscar D’León.” My eyes popped open and I looked at him with surprise, thinking that he was nuts or perhaps didn't realize that el León de la Salsa is venezuelan ...but he explained to me that there is no better sonero in the world than Oscar D’León, and the the Cubans consider him to be one of their own!

Seeing as how Oscar is in Miami in preparation to be the King of the Carnaval de la Calle Ocho 2003, I had the opportunity to speak with him and get to know a little bit about the person behind that public image.

Jacira: How was it that you became so influenced by Cuban music?

Oscar: Ever since I was a child I listened to it. When my mother would get up to begin the daily chores, I would say in bed with my father and listen to Beny Moré, the Sonora Matancera, the Septeto Nacional, the Septeto Habanero.

Jacira: For those people who have never seen you in concert, I can tell them that I've seen you 5 or 6 times, and you always have this phenomenal energy! It is one song, after another, after another, non-stop! Where do you get so much energy?

Oscar: I take care of myself, eat right and sleep a lot, and of course, I go to the gym. I spend a couple of hours there every day.

Jacira: Recently there was a controversy between you, El Canario, and Cándido Fabré. Both you and El Canario had hits with songs by Cándido, but apparently someone didn't want him to participate in the RMM CD entitled, "Combinación Perfecta."
Cándido responded with a song called, "No te mueras soneros” wherein he says that Ralph Mercado made a mistake for not including him on the CD and he challenged both El Canario and you to a "duel" between soneros. ¿What happened?

Oscar: I am unaware of this incident. I don't believe in competition between colleagues.
(His Manager, Osvaldo Ponte, answers further: "This was a move by Ralph Mercado. Oscar D'León didn't know anything. Just like any record producer, he tried to make a compilation CD to promote songs that deserve more public exposure, but it was not his intention to cause problems between artists. It was a misunderstanding.")

Jacira: Given the economic situation in Venezuela, and in the world in general, are people still supporting salsa?

Oscar: Yes, they are. You have to give the public what it wants. There is always support, in all of the different genres.

Jacira: How do you keep busy?

Oscar: I'm going to begin to learn to play piano and do arrangements. I do arrangements on stage, but by ear. There is a man who writes down everything I hum, but I would like to learn to write it myself. I would also like to learn to manage a sound studio, one of the new computerized ones. I'm not up to date! Everything today is computerized and anyone can have a recording studio in their home. I think there are more recording studios in South Florida than in any other part of the world!

Jacira: Who are your favorite composers?

Oscar: There are so many today, including unknown composers. On my new CD we have some songs by a composer I met here in Miami by chance. Her name is Sara Caballero and she is Colombian.

Jacira: Speaking of Colombia, I heard that on December 28th, 2002, you were in Cali and you asked to visit a home for the "Desplazados" (those people who lose everything due to the arrival of the Guerilla forces). Tell us about what that was like, please.

Oscar: Well, we went to the home for the Desplazados. Before going, we purchased a television set as a gift, and it was really nice because as it turns out, the one they had no longer worked. These people need help. They do not receive any sort of assistance from the government, they have lost everything, the live in horrible conditions, everyone practically piled on top of each other. We went to give them a word of hope, to let them know that there are people who care about them, help them in some little way. All artists should support them.

Jacira: Any thoughts on the emerging salsa artists today? Is there anyone you like?

Oscar: Cheyenne has a new song out, I think it is called, "Si tu te vas", by Franco de Vita. I really like that song. There is no singer who goes out of fashion. They just need to record and record and someday they will have a hit.

Jacira: Any comments regarding salsa radio stations?

Oscar: In today's world, everything happens so fast - there are so many new artists that the radio stations are bombarded with productions. They have to play what the public is asking for.

Jacira: Do you listen to any contemporary Cuban music?

Oscar: No, mostly I listen to the stuff from the 40's and before. The contemporary songs are lacking literary wealth. They have great interpretive quality, but the authors have lost their touch.

Jacira: You travel almost constantly. When do you rehearse and where?

Oscar: My group is in Venezuela right now, so we haven't rehearsed lately. The real work is in the rehearsals. We know each other so well by now that I can pull off a new arrangement on stage.

Jacira: What are your plans for the future?

Oscar: We'll be going on tour, like we have for the past 17 years. What we do is have a fixed schedule with free dates in between to vary our daily grind. We begin the year with a tour of the United States, then half way through the year we go to Europe and Mexico, and at the end of the year we are back in the United States again. In between we go to festivals in Europe and Asia, wherever they ask for us!

Jacira: If a CD is like a baby that you bring into the world, then this new CD of yours, "Infinito" is a baby with multiple personalities! Among the songs I hear are boleros, salsas and other styles that have a little reggae flavor, some calipso, but all of them very danceable. Tell us more about this new project.

Oscar: "Infinito" should be on sale by February 4th. I am very happy with the production. When you go into the studio with a positive attitude, you can hear that in the recording. There is a song on there by Sara Caballero (see photo at right) called, "Tormenta", in addition to another song of hers. We also have songs by Jorge Luis Piloto, Franco de Vita, Enrique Barrios, a Venezuelan who lives in Tenerife, an original song of mine and the song that will be released as a promotional single, "Cómo olvidarte", by a Colombian composer. You may recognize a song that Celia Cruz recorded many years ago called, "La Mazucamba," which will also have a separate radio version made of it. The CD was recorded in Miami, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Jacira: And when you are not working, what do you like to do?

Oscar: I go to the gym, I go out to eat and I play golf. I like computers, the internet, but I need to catch up with technology ...I'm very behind ...I don't know how to manage a computer!

Jacira: If you had a car with a CD player with 6 CDs, Which ones would I find in there right now?

Oscar: Celia Cruz, the one that has "Besito de coco", Pacheco with "El tiempo ha pasado", "Champán" by Eddie Palmieri, Beny Moré, Celia y la Sonora Matancera, and the Orquesta Aragón.

Jacira: You have a very large and dispersed family and several of your children are musicians as well. What is your son, Yorman up to?

Oscar: Yorman is with me in the group. Jimmy is a singer and plays bass. Irosca plays piano and dances a bit of everything ...even arabic dancing (See the photo on the left). The littlest one, Adiaroz, is 10 years old and she already is showing signs of being artistic.

Jacira: And your wife? With so much traveling, when do you see her?

Oscar: I dream about her a lot! Before, she traveled with me, but with the twins, it is harder now.

Jacira: Lots of people dream of retirement. Are you going to retire?

Oscar: No! Not until the public makes me retire!

Jacira: The world music industry is suffering with the free MP3 files via internet and with piracy. Salsa, obviously has also been affected. What would you suggest?

Oscar: This affects everyone. Those who have the legal responsibility and ability to create laws must do so to act against piracy. What you cannot copy is the talent ...the voice, the timbre of the voice. Anyway, this won't stop until technology finds a way to control it.

Jacira: If you had not been a musician, what would you have liked to have been in your life?

Oscar: I really like baseball. Perhaps I would have gone into the major leagues. I don't think I would have studied ...I'm a poor student!

Jacira: Is there any goal you have not obtained yet?

Oscar: No, goals sort of appear by themselves. I would like to build a theme amusement park in Venezuela ...I've dreamed about that for a long time.

Jacira: Of all the concerts you've given in your lifetime, is there any that has been more important than the others, one that has impacted you more, and why?

Oscar: Yes, the concerts I gave in Cuba, in Varadero, Guantánamo and Santiago. They were special because of the way I was received - the sheer size of the crowd that attended. They are still talking about that, even though it happened many years ago.

Jacira: Will you return to Cuba some day?

Oscar: We are artists, not politicians, but as long as there is politics in the middle, I would have to say, no.

Jacira: And of all of your songs, which is your favorite (not necessarily the most popular).

Oscar: The one that the public asks for the most - "Llorarás".

Jacira: When are you going to give a concert here in Miami?

Oscar: During the upcoming Carnaval Miami there will be some shows. The idea of Carnaval Miami (also known as the Festival de la Calle Ocho) is to revive what they once had in Cuba. Little Havana manages to pull together over a million people, divide the street into 27 stages and attract world famous artists. I was King of the first Carnaval Miami 25 years ago, when there was barely one improvised stage. I am proud to see how it has grown and to be able to participate this year.

Jacira: What about other festivals?

Oscar: Ten years ago, we sponsored an international salsa festival in Margarita to promote Venezuelan salsa. We did not do it for the money. There were two other festivals in the Caribbean and we wanted to embrace Venezuelan salsa and promote it. Unfortunately, politics put an end to that. We spent three years with El Canario, Celia and even Cheo Feliciano came one year, among others.

Jacira: Do you have a message for the SalsaPower readers?

Oscar: Yes, that they should continue to support Latin music, not only salsa. There are so many genres of our music: Latin Rock, Vallenatos, Boleros and others. Of course, there is no reason to support bad music, but if it is good, we should support it. Buy CDs, go to concerts, because without that, the music will die.

I would also like to send a special message to Marcel Cros (Editorial Correspondent for SalsaPower in Caracas, Venezuela), my great friend and golf companion. Tell him that we always think about him no matter where we go in the world ...that he should take care of that noble heart of his that is so huge it no longer fits in his chest!

 

Read other SalsaPower interviews HERE !

 

 

Jacira Castro & Oscar D'León
January, 2003, Miami, FL

This page was last updated on/Esta página fue actualizada el día: 03-Jan-2008