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(b 22 Oct. '50,
Manhattan, NYC, of Puerto Rican parentage) Salsa bandleader, pianist,
percussionist, producer, arranger, composer, label boss. Started
studying violin and orchestration at high school '65; soon switched
to trumpet; played conga in street rumbones (rumba percussion and
vocal jam sessions); did amateur gigs. Became disillusioned with
school; joined US Army '69-71; taught himself piano by copying
Charlie and Eddie Palmieri and Richie Ray; learnt to read music
while serving in Korea; after discharge married Korean girlfriend
Myong '71. Returned to NYC, there organised short lived Orquesta
Cuda; changed to conga and founded band La Nueva Comparsa; switched
back to piano and formed Conjunto Salsa '73 (with lineup of two
trombones, trumpet and Latin rhythm section), making album debut
with Salsa Boricua on SMC. "The album was recorded on a hot summer
day in June 1974 in Gabriel Oller's studio in Queens, off Woodhaven
Boulevard," recalls Wayne. "It was about 90 degrees outside and at
least 10 degrees hotter in the studio with only fans to cool us off.
The band had just finished playing four gigs and hadn't had any
sleep. We started at 9:00 a.m., but were gung ho and eager to
record!"
Besides producing and co-arranging, he wrote most of La Salsa del
Conjunto Salsa con Wayne Gorbea '78 on Disco International incl. the
dark, brooding "Los Rumberos"; the lineup comprised two trombones,
one trumpet and rhythm. Follow-up on that label La Salsa y Charanga
c '79 introduced a charanga flavour by adding flute and violin to
two trombones, trumpet and rhythm. Issued 12 inch single "Ariñañara"
(composed by Chano Pozo)/ "The Night Is Still Young" '80, his first
release on his own Wayne Go label. Dedicated Sigan Bailando '86 on
Wayne Go to Myong; future Libre member and Los Soneros del Barrio
co-leader Frankie Vázquez provided lead vocals and played güiro.
Album incl. a remake of Justi Barreto's composition "Lo Que Dice
Justi" (previously recorded on Salsa Boricua ), arr. by Wayne's
longtime collaborator: arranger, composer, percussionist and coro
singer Ramón "Ray" Rosado (b 26 Nov. '51, NYC, of Puerto Rican
Parentage). "I was travelling once with Grupo Niche from Colombia,"
recalls Frankie. "When their vocalist Charlie Cardona found out I
was the singer on Sigan Bailando , he sang the whole of 'Lo Que Dice
Justi.' all the soneos and everything. My hairs were sticking out,
because I couldn't believe that this kid knew all the song. The
timbalero came up to me and tells me: 'You know that it is like an
icon in Colombia. All the bands that start. 'Lo Que Dice Justi' is a
song that they all study. It's like what you have in New York: 'Bilongo.'
For us it's 'Lo Que Dice Justi' in Colombia. All those young
trombone bands, they're doing that tune. You can't find a band that
doesn't do that tune." (excerpt from Frankly Frankie, The Reluctant
Sonero Del Barrio by John Child and David Barton, Descarga website,
26 Dec. '99)
Conjunto Salsa's mus. dir. and bassist Harry Justiniano departed '87
(also taking along his brother, conguero Angel Justiniano, and
Vásquez) to become mus. dir. of the Bronx-based charanga Charanson
led by pianist/ prod./ composer Héctor Serrano. For the next couple
of years mus. dir. duties were shared by trombonist/ arrangers Dave
Chamberlain and Rick Davies (b 9 Mar. '51, Albuquerque, New Mexico;
a Gorbea sideman since '85; became full-fledged mus. dir. '89
following Chamberlain's move to Cruz Control; leader of Jazzismo and
college professor). Gorbea opted for a three trombone frontline for
Conjunto Salsa on El Condimento '88 on Martínez Records; Orlando
Avilés sang lead vocals, played güiro and wrote three tunes incl.
the title track (Avilés had contributed compositions to Gorbea's
earlier albums and sang on Salsa Boricua ). One of the album's
highlights was Chamberlain's tough and funky arrangement of the '48
Arsenio Rodríguez classic "Tumba Palo Cucuye."
Gorbea and Conjunto Salsa often performed live on Al Angeloro's WBAI
radio show Montuno (started '86; later evolved into his eclectic
world-beat show New York International broadcast on WBAI until '91);
Angeloro chose Gorbea to lead an on-air jam session in honour of the
recently deceased Charlie Palmieri Sept. '88, from which emerged a
stunning version of "Tumba Palo Cucuye" by the Wayne Gorbea
All-Stars, the most popular track chart-wise on the compilation The
Montuno Sessions - Live From Studio 'A' '95 on Mr Bongo, which also
incl. Charanson's "Descarga (Around Midnight)" of Dec. '87. Gorbea
made his UK debut guesting on claves and coro (chorus) with Libre
Mar. '92.
A successful once a week residency for two months at SoHo's González
y González club '96 inspired Gorbea to take his band, re-christened
Salsa Picante by Libre's leader Manny Oquendo and returning to a two
trombone/one trumpet combination, into the studio to make the solid
swinging Cogele El Gusto '97 on Wayne Go. Frank Otero (b 29 Apr.
'54, NYC, of Puerto Rican parentage) sang lead vocals, having
replaced Avilés a few years earlier. (Otero was lead singer on the
'70s album Andy Suárez And His Orchestra on J.R. Melody.) "Their
sound oozes with Bronx sassiness," wrote Libre's mus. dir. Andy
González. The album became an instant hit in UK Latin clubs.
Re-release on Shanachie in late '98 provided wider distribution. In
March '99 Wayne and Salsa Picante provided further testimony of
their UK popularity by completing a sellout national tour.
He followed-up on Shanachie with the cracking Saboreando '00,
described by UK deejay/ columnist Dave Hucker as "the first major
Latin release of the 21st century." It contains 10 tunes and every
cut swings incl. the sure fire dance floor filler "El Yoyo,"
previously done by Cortijo (incl. in Invites You To Dance/ Los
Invita A Bailar on Seeco), and an almost 10 minute killin' remake of
Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta's "Estamos Chao" (from Mozambique '65
on Tico). "Gorbea's piano solo on this track amply demonstrates why
he has developed into one of the finest piano soloists currently
performing in the Afro-Cuban/ salsa tradition. Eschewing the
technical glibness of many of his fellow keyboardists, Wayne goes
straight to the heart and swing of the matter," writes Salsa
Picante's mus. dir. and first trombonist Rick Davies. Another UK
tour is proposed for Oct. '00.
Wayne's recordings have involved regular sideman Rubén Borgas (b 4
Aug. '49, Puerto Rico) on timbales or bongo (he appears on the
reissue CD Exitos by Paul Ortiz y su Orquesta Son on Ghetto
Records); other notable contributors incl. trombonist/ arrangers
Ronnie Williams and Rubén Lebron and trumpeter/ arr. Junior Vega.
Personnel of Wayne Gorbea's Salsa Picante in 2000 incl. Otero,
vocals; Gorbea, piano/leader/coro; Richie Sanquintin (b 5 Aug. '55,
Dominican Republic), bass; Davies (mus. dir.) and Rafi Malkiel (b 14
Apr. '72, Jerusalem, Israel), trombones; Tomer Levy (b 21 Oct. '72,
Tel Aviv, Israel) and Mike Lewis, trumpets; Borgas, timbales; Juan
Rodríguez (b 2 Nov. '46, Puerto Rico), bongo/coro; Frank Reyes (b 16
Mar. '45, Puerto Rico), conga (he played on Ray Rodríguez y su
Orquesta c '70 on Cotique); and Rosado, güiro/coro.
WAYNE GORBEA'S SALSA PICANTE - PRAKATUN COGELE EL GUSTO OTRA VEZ (2006)
Hardcore salsa a dancers delight
Wayne Gorbea Leader, piano
Frankie Otero Lead vocals
Richie Sanguintin Bass
Tomer Levy Trumpet, musical director
Rafi Malkiel 1st trombone
Raul Navarette 2nd trombone
Frank Reyes Conga
Ruben Borgas Timbal
Juan Rodriguez Bongo
guest:
Luis Cruz Jr. Guiro, Clave, Maracas
Coro: Wayne Gorbea, Frankie Otero, Ruben Borgas, Juan Rodriguez, Ramon Rosado
Prakatun 5:16
La Muchachita 6:10
Pa' Puerto Rico 6:06
A Primera Vista 6:05
Ven Baila Conmigo 5:54
Cuando Camina Esa Mulata 7:37
DJ's Sabroso 6:21
Rhumbembe 6:23
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