A Night Of Rhumba In The Bronx
by Nestor Louis
A Night Of Rhumba In The Bronx
by Nestor Louis
September 13, 1999 was a lazy Monday afternoon. You know, one of those Mondays that you just don’t feel like doing anything during work, or after. Know what I mean? As it turns out, the good old Editor, George Rivera, calls me up. "What are you doing later?" "Ah, nothing much," I was thinking of just going straight home and relaxing. "Oh, ok. I was going to tell you about a party you might be interested in checking out. Gungie’s Club Rhumba is opening tonight. Wanna go?" So, we get there right, and as usual the front of the club, like most New York clubs, leaves much to be desired. However, the professional and courteous Prestige Productions’ staff, led by Public Relations Director, Virginia Rivera, as usual, made it all worthwhile. Not only was the staff out to make everyone comfortable, Club Rhumba itself was nothing less than spectacular! It’s like night and day. As an able dancer, the first thing I noticed was the dance floor. Folks, it’s huge! More importantly, there are no annoying tables or columns to cramp your style. The place was comfortably filled with the faithful followers that John "Gungie" Rivera and Prestige Productions have managed to attract, as well as lots of well wishers. Some of the celebrity well wishers included the owner of Club Monaco and Latin Quarter, Jose Rosado, New York radio personalities Paquito Navarro & J.I. Starr, Music Choice Director of Programming, Pablo Diaz, Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, Miles Peña, and Kevin Ceballos. Those in attendance were treated to performances by Prestigio Recording Artists George Lamond, Grupo 9.11 (Nueve Once), and Frase Klave. Club Rhumba, located on the corner of East Tremont and Webster, in "el condado de la Salsa," is sure to become the epicenter of the Bronx’s nightlife.
Jimmy Bosch’s CD release party
was held this past Thursday, September 23rd, at Club New York . Nice little spot
if you ask me. Every now and then I need to take a break from Latin Quarter and
the Copa. Nili Belkins, of Ryko Latino, brought together an all-star ensemble of
top notch marketing coordinators that include Jessie Lema, formerly with WEA
Latina and Sir George, Blanca Lasalle and Diana Benitez of Creative Link, and
Constanza Garcia of Music Marketing to organize this huge event. All their
promoting efforts proved to be a major success and a magnet for the most thought
provoking music journalists and music connoisseurs in the industry. Peter
Watrous, of The New York Times, Eddie Rodriguez, Vice President of Sales for
MIDEM, Mercedes Perez-Glass, of the legendary Ansonia Records label, Vicente
Barriero owner of the industry’s landmark Casa Latina, "Subway"
Harry Sepulveda, Jose Alberto "El Canario", Ruben Blades,
"Super Agent" Richie Bonilla, Willie Moreno, Lou Perez, "El
Vaquero Rumbero," Ned Sublette, songwriter/lyricist Aquilino "Junior"
Zuñiga, and of course our own Editor-In-Chief, George Rivera were amongst the
excited crowd cheering for Jimmy in anticipation of his performance.
At
around 8 o’clock, Jimmy Bosch and his band, made up of many powerful musicians
took center stage. Opening with "La Cacharra", Alfredo Valdes,
Jr. allowed the arranger of the song to take a solo. That was none other than
Ricky Gonzalez on piano. With Herman Olivera and Frankie Vazquez on vocals,
Jimmy Bosch showcased three monster cuts from his latest musical offering titled
SALSA DURA. The audience seemed to be spell bound from the awesome swing
Jimmy generated with each moña he created. Surprised I wasn’t, after all
Jimmy is the undisputed moñero. If this display of talent is indicative of what
Jimmy Bosch’s SALSA DURA is, then the folks at Ryko Latino should
easily be on their way to yet another top seller.