Desde Japon...La Salsa
by
Takesh i"Goooza!!" Inoue



LA SALSA CON SWING SE GOZA…

The best-known song of La Orquesta de la Luz is “Salsa Caliente del Japon”, the first track on their very first album. In 1990, with this song, they would appeared on the world Salsa scene, and within a few months there would be no one that wouldn’t know them. Gen Ogimi is the composer of the song and one of the founders of the orchestra. But he didn't get to enjoy the success that the rest of the group would enjoy for about five years. He felt that the orchestra was not his. You may think he’s a naive guy, but he wouldn’t sell-out to the commercial ways of the major record labels. He dropped out from the orchestra after a short time. He stayed in New York working in the Tito Nieves’ orchestra as the conga player. He would study on-the-job at the nightclubs with the Latino musicians. With the experience, he returned to Japan in 1996.

Salsa Swingoza is Ogimi's new project. It was organized in 1997. This summer he was back with their first album SWING PA' GOZAR. In this album you get to experience what he wanted to do ten years ago. He is a 70's salsa freak of such groups like La Sonora Ponceña, Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Willie Colon, and Ruben Blades. Here, with their three-trombone sound, you can listen to the tributes to these great artists of that era. Salsa Swingoza has two Peruvian singers, Pablo "Luky" Castillo, and Joseito, who live in Japan. On this project you can hear how these two singers revere Ismael Rivera and Hector Lavoe; however, this is not a rehash of old salsa tunes, these two singers breathe a breath of fresh air into the repertoire and display a keen sense of what’s happening musically today. Yes, Salsa was born in the late of 60's. She is about thirty years old. But don't forget that Salsa is evolving everyday. In 80's, the prosperous Japanese economy was attracting large numbers of Peruvian, and other South America immigrants. This is a memory of an encounter. So, whenever and wherever the cultures meet each other there appears la Salsa. Ogimi said "if I had not met him, I wouldn't have ever started the band." “Luky” Castillo is a fanatic of Ismael Rivera, and of classic salsa. Actually he reminds me of them, but not only them. You’ll also hear in his voice the voices of his compatriot Melcochita and the Panamanian singer Gabino Pampini. He sings 70's trombanga style salsa, as well as descarga, but how he fascinates one when he sings Salsa Romantica! So, through the 90's Salsa has accumulated new stratums. In this album you can hear that the compressed stratums are erupting. In a place far from New York a new brand of salsa has been bred. Recuerden, Salsa nace cada dia y se escribe su historia cada dia.

Until the next time…Sayonara!