Musical Notation

by George Rivera


April 29, 2001 – I would like to start off this week by extending our congratulations to one of the most important cogs in the wheels of Latin music, be it Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Jazz, or plain old Pop. It doesn't matter if it's in the studio or at a live venue, sound engineer, Jon Fausty is simply the best there is. Having had the opportunity to work closely with Jon over the last few years, I have come to understand what making records is all about. It's just not about the music and musicians playing good, it's about those sounds sounding right as well. Just this past week Jon received his latest package from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The unexpected package contained not one, but two Grammys for this year's Best Salsa (Materpiece/Obra Maestra - Tito Puente & Eddie Palmieri) and Latin Jazz releases (Solo - Live In New York - Chucho Valdes). As if that were not enough, he also received a nomination for his work on George Benson's latest release, Absolute Benson. Since 1964 Jon has been creating masterpieces for many of the legendary figures in this music. As if that were not enough there is still lots more to come. Congrats Jon, you deserve it pal!

Some time during the month of May the latest release from Puerto Rican Power will hit the shelves of your favorite record stores. This is one you won't want to miss. This release is one that will surely please both the listener and dancer in you. The group is featuring two very good new voices (Carlos Edgardo Vega & Omar Rodriguez), along with Osvaldo Roman. There are nine tracks with lots of swing and surprises. The first single, "Me Tiene Loco", a composition from Miguel A. Diaz, one of the new up-and-coming composers, should be hitting the airwaves shortly. The single is a follow-up track to their previous monster hit "Tu Cariñito", which was also composed by Miguel A. Diaz. Look for this latest release, titled, "WIld WIld Salsa", to hit the stores sometime in the coming weeks.

On the Latin Jazz front, bassist, John Benitez, celebrated the release of his debut CD this past Thursday at The Jazz Gallery. The release, titled, "Descarga In New York", features John in a trio format, along with Dafnis Prieto (drums), Luis Perdomo (piano), Richie Flores (percussion), and the son of the legendary saxophonist, John Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane (sax). Sitting-in with John that night were Antonio Sanchez (drums), Roberto Quintero (percussion), Miguel Zenon (alto sax), and Alon Yavnai (piano). We'll be bringing you more information regarding John and this release, as well as an in-depth interview with the young extraordinary reedman, Miguel Zenon, in the near future. 

Hasta la proxima, ciao…


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