Your top 3 salsa/mambo/Latin music artists

An impossible question to answer, as one can answer this many times, each time one can give different, but valid answers.

This time I will go with: Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Angel Canales

You know, maybe we should be asked for our top 20?

That way I could include La Conspiracion, Willie Rosario, Fruko, La Sonora Ponceña, Bobby Valentin, Roberto Roena, Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco, Hector Lavoe, Tommy Olivencia and the like...... ;)
 
Yea this is one of those questions where you have to avoid thinking about the musical contributions of the artists and also forget about how famous the artist. You have to go with the guys who just move you.

1- Frankie Ruiz - What can I say ? Frankie Ruiz was the first Salsa singer that I was able to listen to various albums and songs of his and hence was able to apreciate his style and singing ability.He also sang both salsa gorda and salsa romantica. "El Papa de La Salsa" , I love him.

2- Hector Lavoe - Need I say more?

3- Willie Rosario - I was happy to see so many people post Willie Rosario in their top 3. He's labeled the "King of Rythm" for a reason. You'll be hard pressed to find a single bad album from this man. His music just does it for me.
 
Brilliant, thanks so much for all your responses. Even those who broke the '3 only' rule.

There's still plenty of regulars who haven't posted yet - keep 'em coming, please.
 
So difficult to answer... I'd have to go with:
1. Ray Rodriguez
2. Eddie Palmieri
3. Ismael Rivera

Based on these artists producing a bunch of great albums - quality and quantity!
 
Mr.Afinque said:
3- Willie Rosario - I was happy to see so many people post Willie Rosario in their top 3. He's labeled the "King of Rythm" for a reason. You'll be hard pressed to find a single bad album from this man. His music just does it for me.
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Also known as Mr. Afinque, for good reason.
 
I would say that Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmeri, and Tito Puente are the most popular on this board. What are your favorite albums by these artists? For me (and only me!!), these guys are great because of their latin jazz contributions...thus I choose:

Barretto: My Summertime (has the most beautiful version ever of Gershwin's
Summertime)
Palmeri: Super-Impostion (Chocolate Ice Cream grooves so beautifully)
Puente: I can't choose. There are so many possibilities. I love Special Delivery.
 
tocatimba said:
I would say that Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmeri, and Tito Puente are the most popular on this board. What are your favorite albums by these artists?
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Ray Barretto: Time Was - Time Is
Eddie Palmieri - The White Album
Tito Puente - Mambo Birdland
 
DJ Yuca said:
There's still plenty of regulars who haven't posted yet - keep 'em coming, please.
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I don´t think that everyone will answer your question, because as you may remember from another thread, there are people here who "love" salsa and are extremely "passionate" about it, to the point of chasing salsa congresses all over the planet, and for years, at that, but for some mysterious reason they just can't remember those damned names of artists and songs....:eek: :doh: :mrgreen:
 
groovetpt said:
Ray Barretto: Time Was - Time Is
Eddie Palmieri - The White Album
Tito Puente - Mambo Birdland
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Nice choices. I don't have Mambo Birdland. I'll have to get it. I see on Amazon that it is a live album which explains maybe why I didn't buy it. I have so many times been disappointed with them (mistakes, crowd noise, bad sound, etc.)

I think that the musical categories were maybe too broad in this thread. Latin musicians? What about Flamenco music (Camarón, Paco y Tomatito) for instance. I replied based on thinking which three artists do I most like dancing (casino) to. If I was thinking of sitting in front of my stereo with a nice glass of Matusalem, then I'm (frequently) going to put on Latin Jazz...then I would have been thinking of (in addition to those mentioned) Chucho and Bebo Valdez, Cachao, Machito and Graciela, Mario Bauza, Michel Camilo, Chano Dominguez, Jerry Gonzalez, Conrad Herwig, etc etc etc etc and many many others that I don't particularly think of dancing to.......
 
I deliberately made the music category open so if someone loves certain Latin music artists that are not particularly suitable for dancing, they can still include them. If you want to give us a new top 3 you can, as long as you stop at 3.

And who's next?
 
DJ Ara said:
I don´t think that everyone will answer your question, because as you may remember from another thread, there are people here who "love" salsa and are extremely "passionate" about it, to the point of chasing salsa congresses all over the planet, and for years, at that, but for some mysterious reason they just can't remember those damned names of artists and songs....:eek: :doh: :mrgreen:
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Lol......+1
 
Can I give a new top 3 based on slightly different criteria?
1. Javier Vazquez
2. Hector Rivera
3. Alfredo Linares
Everything these guys wrote, arranged, or produced was gold.
 
So difficult! But here's my personal take...

1. Ray Perez
2. Tito Puente
3. Johnny Ventura (has mambo/guaguanco gems buried in his albums!)
 
Of all time? Dammit. I will make it conditional though -- mine will all be Cuban as that's my area of expertise and extra-Cuba is well represented already in this post.

Los Van Van
Conjunto Rumbavana
Pablo Milanes -- yes he's nueva trova but a hefty portion of his oeuvre is son. And he nails it.

Honorable Mentions -- Issac and Manolito. These guys at their peaks put out some of the best Cuban music ever. The only reason they aren't above is because of how prolific the others are.

Any group with Pancho Amat in it. Doesn't really count as a group since Pancho is one guy and has played in multiple groups. But the periods those groups have had him in it have been great.
 
Man between this thread and the other one, I'm realizing how overrated Hector Lavoe is! :)

But that's another thread. Someone start it. Haha.
 
DJ Yuca said:
Oh please.
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I think people need to differentiate between how much they like someone (i.e. how entertaining they are or their charisma) and if they're in a "best" category. Nothing about Hector Lavoe is "the best." He's an average singer. If that. But he had a hell of a lot of charisma in his voice and connected on a deep level with the people.
 
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