When an inspired musical idea becomes financially successful, a number of imitators undoubtedly follow with their personal version. In some cases, this next generation of musicians creates a cheap copycat version, wishing to benefit from their predecessors’ artistic insight. Their purely financial goals blind them to the original intent behind the musical movement; in other words, their product lacks the soul and passion behind the original creation. Some resultant groups share a similar musical vision as their more successful counterparts; they just need some momentum to bring their idea to fruition. When these groups move their idea to reality, the authenticity of their approach becomes glaringly evident and their music shines with creativity. In many ways, they meet the artistry of their predecessors, and in other ways, they significantly overtake it.

Salsa ruled the Latin music airwaves during the 1970s, and the American public saw the Fania All-Stars, as well as its individual members, leading the musical movement; the view held by Cuban musicians was a different story. Most Cuban musicians, both those on the island and in exile, saw salsa as an extension of the son - a simple rehash of the original ideas they innovated years earlier. Politics kept Cuban recordings away from the American public, so never having heard traditional son recordings, Fania’s salsa sounded new to America. Poor distribution had even kept many Cubans from hearing their own musicians, and salsa began to capture their ears. Parisian based record producer Raoul Diomandé saw the irony in this phenomenon, and negotiated the creation of an all-star group with EGREM, the government-led Cuban record label. EGREM placed trombonist and staff writer Juan Pablo Torres in charge of the session, and under Torres’ guidance, Estrellas de Areito was born.

The World Circuit/Nonesuch release Los Heroes pulls the best of the 1979 Estrellas de Areito recording session into a 2-CD set, brimming with several generations of Cuba’s best musicians. Conguero Tata Güines brings his characteristically inspired improvisational skills to “Guaguancó A Todos Los Barríos,” providing a varied tumbao and tasteful solo. A young Paquito D’Rivera delivers his enthusiastic combination of rhythmic syncopation and jazz melodicism on “U-LA-LA,” giving way to a traditional yet aggressive solo from violinist Enrique Jorrín. El Niño Rivera adds distortion to his tres sound, providing an extra punch to his already polyrhythmic solo approach on “Que Traigan El Guaguancó.” Arturo Sandoval’s brilliant tone and consistent high notes breathe new life into “Guajira Guántamera,” provoking energetic vocals from Teresa García Caturla. Pianist Rubén González performs an elegant improvisation on “Mi Amanecer Campesino,” building momentum into a trombone solo from Torres. Each extended track provides a bright picture of a multi-generational descarga that celebrated the music’s rich history.

While the Fania All-Stars persevered to become a musical legacy, Estrellas de Areito existed as a short musical beacon, a singular moment that served as a Latin Jazz milestone. The session was broken into five vinyl releases that held minimal liner notes, musician listings, or artwork. EGREM placed the recordings on a low priority level, so the albums faced limited promotion and distribution - a small percentage of the Cuban population heard the recordings and almost no one in the United States knew the albums existed. Through Diomandé’s efforts, the Estrellas de Areito found success in Venezuela; he distributed the albums prominently and they reached the top of Venezuelan charts. A small version of the Estrellas de Areito toured Venezuela briefly, but their success did not guarantee future endeavors. EGREM saw more profitable ventures ahead, and dispersed the musicians into their separate groups. Despite their short existence, Estrellas de Areito left an undeniable mark upon the Latin Jazz world, establishing themselves as innovators, not imitators, with the historical roots and musical abilities to back their claims.