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Willie Rosario | |
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| Birth name | Fernando Luis Rosario Marín |
| Also known as | "Mr. Afinque" |
| Born | May 6, 1924 |
| Origin | Coamo, Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Salsa |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer and bandleader of salsa music |
| Instrument(s) | timbales |
Willie Rosario (born May 6, 1924), [1] is a musician, composer and bandleader of salsa music. He is also known as Mr. Afinque. [2]
Rosario (birth name: Fernando Luis Rosario Marín [lower-alpha 1] ) was born and raised in Coamo, Puerto Rico, [3] into a poor, but hard working family. His parents realized that as a child Willie was musically inclined and had him take guitar lessons at the age of six. [3] He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. His mother also had him take saxophone classes; [3] however, what he really was interested in was the conga. In 1946, he formed a band called Coamex but, a year later when he was 17 years old, his family moved to New York City, United States. [3] The family rented an apartment in a Manhattan community known as Spanish Harlem.
Rosario came into contact and played the conga for various orchestras. After he graduated from high school, he continued his education and studied journalism and public relations. [3] On one occasion Rosario visited the Palladium Ballroom in New York, where Tito Puente was playing the timbales. [3] This was the beginning of his love affair with that instrument. He was 22 years old when he took classes with percussionist Henry Adler.
In 1959, Rosario organized his first band and played for three years in the Club Caborrojeño in New York. [3] When not playing, he worked as a disc jockey for WADO, a Spanish speaking radio station in New York.
In 1962, he signed with the Alegre Records label and traveled and performed with his band in Venezuela, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Curaçao, U.S. Virgin Islands and all over the United States. In the 1980s he opened the Tropicana Club in Puerto Rico, in association with fellow Puerto Rican musician Bobby Valentín.
| External audio | |
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 You may listen to Willie Rosario's "Callejero" on YouTube. |
Among his best-known compositions and arrangements are "De Barrio Obrero a la Quince" ("De Barrio Obrero a la Quince" was written by Trinidad Clemente), "El Timbal de Carlitos", "Mi Amigo el Payaso" ("My Friend the Clown") with lyrics by Luis Antonio Ruiz, "El Revendón", "Lluvia" ("Rain"), "Cuando No Hay Cariño" ("When There's No Love"). Plus, he also composed the following jazz tunes "Flip, Flop", "Stop and Go" and "My Favorite Thing".
Rosario also produced the following songs with the participation of Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tony Vega, Papo Lucca and Bobby Valentín; "Latin Jazz Go-Go-Go", "El Bravo soy Yo" ("I'm the Tough Guy"), "Too Too Much" and "Willie Rosario y su Ritmo".
Among the awards and recognitions bestowed upon Rosario are a nomination in 1987 for a Grammy Award for his song "Nueva Cosecha" ("New Harvest"), various gold and platinum Records, the Agüeybaná de Oro Award, ACE, Diplo and Paoli Awards. In 2000, the Puerto Rican Senate paid tribute to Rosario in recognition of his 40 years in the field of music. In 2002, he was inducted into The International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
Rosario's last production was "La Banda Que Deleita". He continues to play many venues all around Puerto Rico, including the prestigious Puerto Rican World Salsa Congress and many times at "Dia Nacional de la Salsa" or the National Salsa Day in Puerto Rico. He has also played minor venues, such as Shots Bar & Grill in the Isla Verde Mall in late October 2006. Since his October 2006 performance, Willie Rosario and his band also performed for the Puerto Rican Medical Doctors' Association of El Paso (Texas) Gala in December 2007.
Salsa music is a style of Latin American music, combining elements of Cuban, Puerto Rican, and American influences. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montuno and son cubano, with elements of guaracha, cha-cha-chá, danzón, descarga, bolero, guajira, rumba, mambo, jazz, funk, R&B, rock, bomba, and plena. All of these elements are adapted to fit the basic Son montuno template when performed within the context of salsa.
Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban son with salsa, American R&B/Funk and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass drum, which is not used in salsa bands. Timba and salsa use the same tempo range and they both use the standard conga marcha. Almost all timba bands have a trap drummer. Timbas also often break the basic tenets of arranging the music in-clave. Timba is considered to be a highly aggressive type of music, with rhythm and "swing" taking precedence over melody and lyricism. Associated with timba is a radically sexual and provocative dance style known as despelote. It is a dynamic evolution of salsa, full of improvisation and Afro Cuban heritage, based on son, Rumba and mambo, taking inspiration from Latin jazz, and is highly percussive with complex sections. Timba is more flexible than salsa and includes a more diverse range of styles. Timba incorporates heavy percussion and rhythms which originally came from the barrios of Cuba.
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Rafael Antonio Cortijo was a Puerto Rican musician, orchestra leader, composer and percussion instrument craftsman.
Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Latin jazz. His first hit, "El Watusi", was recorded by his Charanga Moderna in 1962, becoming the most successful pachanga song in the United States. In the late 1960s, Barretto became one of the leading exponents of boogaloo and what would later be known as salsa. Nonetheless, many of Barretto's recordings would remain rooted in more traditional genres such as son cubano. A master of the descarga, Barretto was a long-time member of the Fania All-Stars. His success continued into the 1970s with songs such as "Cocinando" and "Indestructible". His last album for Fania Records, Soy dichoso, was released in 1990. He then formed the New World Spirit jazz ensemble and continued to tour and record until his death in 2006. He is the father of American vocalist and saxophonist Chris Barretto, best known for his work with Periphery and Monuments.
Roberto Roena Vázquez was a Puerto Rican salsa music percussionist, orchestra leader, and dancer. Roena was one of the original members of Cortijo y su combo and later with El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. He later became the leader of his own band, "Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound", widely considered one of the best Latin salsa bands in Puerto Rico. Roena had also been a long-time member of the Fania All Stars, a salsa supergroup that has enjoyed worldwide success since the 1970s.
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Ismael Rivera a.k.a. "Maelo", was a Puerto Rican composer and salsa singer.
Ismael Miranda, also known as El Niño Bonito de la Salsa is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter.
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José Mangual Jr. is an American Salsa percussionist of Puerto Rican Descent, singer and composer best known for his recordings with Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe during the 1960s and 1970s salsa boom in New York.
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