Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents two Latin music greats, José Alberto “El Canario,” and Andy Montañéz, “El Godfather de la Salsa” on Saturday, July 9 at 8:00 p.m.
The event is produced by Lehman Center in collaboration with Los Canarios and West Side Beat Productions.
Alberto is one of the most successful and respected artists on the salsa music scene, celebrating his 35th anniversary. Montañéz, is the former lead singer of the legendary El Gran Combo.
Also performing will be Master Isidro Infante, Alfredo De La Fé, Luisito Quintero and Dance-On-2 Dance Company for one exciting evening of music.
“We’re proud to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Jose Alberto El Canario’s amazing career right here in El Condado De La Salsa and to have this Lehman Center concert be a focal point of the first-ever Bronx Salsa Fest,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who is having the Bronx Tourism Council produce a borough-wide tribute to salsa music the weekend of July 8-10.
“In his classic hit, Andy Montanez sings about “Un Verano En Nueva York,” and this year, more than ever, a summer in New York wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Bronx,” said Diaz.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, N.Y. 10468.
Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway.
José Alberto is nicknamed El Canario (The Canary) because of his exquisite voice and amazing ability to use his highly melodious whistling skills as a soloing instrument.
He is one of the most successful and respected artists on the salsa music scene with a recording history spanning 35 years and 19 solo albums. Alberto formed his own group in 1983 and recorded three albums on the Sono Max label titled Típicamente (1984), Canta Canario (1985) and Latino Style (1986).
In 1987 Alberto became the first artist to record for the newly formed RMM label and had an international smash-hit in 1988 with Sueño contigo. His glittering follow-up Mis amores (1989) was also a chart topper.
In 1994 he recorded De pueblo y con clase and, On Time (1995) features a duet with the undisputed Queen of Salsa, the immortal Celia Cruz, with whom he frequently toured. Alberto’s 1997’s Tributo a Machito features guest GRAMMY winners Tito Puente and Dave Valentín.
Montañéz was the first-born of 17 children in the Tras Talleres area of Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He gained international popularity during his 15-year tenure as lead vocalist of the legendary salsa group El Gran Combo, producing 37 albums that included such hit songs as “Hojas blancas” (White Leaves), “Un verano en NY” (Summer in NY), “El barbero loco” (The Crazy Barber), “Julia” and “Vagabundo.”
He is one of the pioneers of the genre called Salsatón, a blend of Salsa and Reggaetón, and collaborated with such rappers as Daddy Yankee and Julio Voltio.
Isidro Infante, born in Puerto Rico, is a world-renowned pianist, composer, and arranger. After taking private piano classes, Isidro Infante studied at the local Conservatory of Music, getting a master’s degree in composition and arranging at Philadelphia’s Temple University in the late ‘70s.
Alfredo De La Fé is a Cuban-born and New York-based violinist who lived in Colombia for more than 16 years and is responsible for transforming the violin into an important sound in Salsa and Latin music. The first solo violinist to perform with a Salsa orchestra, De La Fé has toured the world more than 30 times, appearing in concerts and participating in more than 100 albums.
Luisito Quintero was born in Caracas, Venezuela where his musical influences began. Cultural vibes of Afro-Venezuelan rhythm surrounded him at home where his father was a respected percussionist in his native country that tutored and encouraged Luisito on timbales through his adolescent years.
