"Salsa" Remakes Exposed

Charlie Palmieri - La Hija De Lola [originally composed by Raul Marrero]

La Sonora Matancera - La Hija de Lola [one of many cover versions by this band]
 
Rafael Hernandez - Cumbanchero

Miguelito Valdes - Cumbanchero
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To be fair, Rafael composed this song specifically with Miguelito in mind. Nevertheless, its a song composed by a non-Cuban, interpreted by an Afro-Cuban.
 
Richie Blondet said:
I had been "pestering" local public radio DJs in NYC to go the following route because I thought it would be more enlightening and is an angle not touched upon by anyone, but there was always reluctance or they just didn't want to deviate from their agenda.

It was the theme of this topic, but in Reverse...
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Indeed it is an interesting angle to explore.

Rafael Hernandez' Buche y Pluma as recorded by Trio Matamoros (and later many many others) is another example of this.
As is Rafael Hernandez' Cachita as recorded by Lecuona Cuban Boys (Ernesto Lecuona) and others.

The venezuelan classic joropo 'Alma Llanera' has been recorded by numerous cuban (f.ex. Peruchin) and non-cuban artists.
Conjunto Los Latinos recording Maquinolandera and the classic cumbia La Piragua.

Sierra Maestra recording Juana Peña could also be mentioned.
 
Richie Blondet said:
I had been "pestering" local public radio DJs in NYC to go the following route because I thought it would be more enlightening and is an angle not touched upon by anyone, but there was always reluctance or they just didn't want to deviate from their agenda.

It was the theme of this topic, but in Reverse...

Cortijo y su Combo [1957]


Roberto Faz y su Conjunto [1959]
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The point of this thread was not to feature any remakes...But "Salsa" remakes of older tunes (originals not necessarily of Cuban songs, but from any genre or country. The remake however should be "Salsa" - and that means by any definition post 70's music).

I find it interesting how your subverted that by adding a Cuban Guaracha remake from the 50's. Hence these Cuban remakes are not "Salsa", unless of course now you define Guaracha and Son Montuno as being in fact the same and indistinguishable from "Salsa"...

Shall we stay on topic?
 
Since the Roberto Faz cover version sounds very like Salsa (no matter how one defines "Salsa"), it's really not very far off topic.

This thread has potential to be a nice non-partisan thread of Salsa (and Salsa-related) cover versions - why insist on maintaining a strictly narrow focus, Myst?
 
ok, I've got a couple. So, Ilan Chester is a Venezuelan singer-songwriter and probably one of my favorite artists. Venezuelan pop in the 80s was pretty top notch.
evidently, Sergio George heard something in it, and made Marc Anthony record it for his first album, deemed a classic by many NYC salsa fans.

Yordano is another Venezuelan singer-songwriter who has flirted with son throughout his career while mantaining a street tough cred, recently he was diagnosed with cancer and there's been a couple benefits to pay for his treatment (I should also mention there's a medicine crisis in the country and lots of medications aren't available. He had to fly to Colombia to get treated, for instance. And this is a guy who's pretty well off, imagine how it goes for the average citizen).
Anyway, Adalberto Alvarez covered it with the great Hector Valentin, el Valiente, formely with Reve.
 
Guaco's Si No Estas Conmigo. Not really salsa.
Gilberto's version. Different title, same song. Gets the ersatz spanish treatment. Salseros, stop putting spanish guitar in your songs. It sucks. Also, I don't know why often, when covering a song, the remaker changes the name. Are they hoping to, like, fool people and make the original untraceable? Maybe they just don't like the title. I know Willie Rosario has a song that's named Si No Estas Conmigo and he was hoping to avoid confusion, probably.

Van Van's Corazon. Written by Samuel. Lele sounds weird here. I don't really like how he sounds in Chapeando. His voice sounds too processed and affected. Maybe it's a postproduction technique because all the vocals in that album sound like that as well.
Gilberto's version. Absolutely destroying it beyond recognition. GSR is not a stranger to Van Van covers, he also did Hasta Las Cuantas, with better results
 
Las Caraqueñas is a son by José Quintero. His son, Frank would go to become a brilliant Berklee educated drummer, and would also be a part of the 80's Venezuelan pop boom, often playing drums with Ilan and making very good vocal jazz fusion albums, and then turning onto the New Wave train with Police inspired pop.

Ricardo Ray covered it in Jala Jala Vol 2

Not to be outdone, Guaco then remade it in their 1993 masterpiece, Triceratops. Turn of the century versions would see this song expanded with solos and extra coros. Timberos should note the Klimax reference "Las Habaneras son perfectas".

Ok, I should stop. I don't want to spam. sorry for posting so much in advance.
 
jcarru said:
Las Caraqueñas is a son by José Quintero. His son, Frank would go to become a brilliant Berklee educated drummer, and would also be a part of the 80's Venezuelan pop boom, often playing drums with Ilan and making very good vocal jazz fusion albums, and then turning onto the New Wave train with Police inspired pop.

Ricardo Ray covered it in Jala Jala Vol 2

Not to be outdone, Guaco then remade it in their 1993 masterpiece, Triceratops. Turn of the century versions would see this song expanded with solos and extra coros. Timberos should note the Klimax reference "Las Habaneras son perfectas".

Ok, I should stop. I don't want to spam. sorry for posting so much in advance.
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Thanks for going the extra mile and offering some background info and sharing your perspective on these the songs.
 
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