The
Fania All-Stars was an illustrious and widely
distinguished musical ensemble established in 1968 by composer
Johnny Pacheco as a showcase for the
leading musicians and singers of the record label
Fania Records, the leading
salsa record company of the time.
History
In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by
Jerry Masucci, an Italian-American lawyer with
a love for Latin melodies, and Johnny Pacheco, a talented composer
and bandleader born in the Dominican Republic. Jerry Masucci later
bought out his partner Johnny Pacheco from Fania Entertainment
Group Ltd. and was sole owner for many years until his death in
December 1997.
Throughout the early years, Fania used to distribute its records to
music aficionados around New York City, even going as far as
selling their products out of the trunks of cars. But eventually
good word-of-mouth and immense success from Johnny Pacheco's
Cañonaso recording would lead the label to develop its
roster. Masucci and Pacheco, now executive negotiator and musical
director, respectively, began acquiring fresh and creative NYC
artists like Bobby Valentín, Larry Harlow and Ray Barreto.
Similar to Pacheco, most of these new talents were residents of the
city's barrios and boroughs, that had moved to the city from their
homelands and brought their music along. Thus, Fania and it's
All-Stars were results of this era of musical renaissance and
understanding among the countless cultures of NYC. They created
tunes using a variety of genres available in this melting pot,
including those of
salsa,
boogalu,
Cuban Jazz and
Latin R&B.
The All-Stars
In 1968, with
Fania Records garnering
more acclaim and a troupe of emerging artists, Jerry Masucci and
Johnny Pacheco decided to create an ensemble of the most well-known
and innovative Fania artists, a continuously-revolving line-up of
entertainers known as the
Fania All-Stars.
During the 1970s, the star-studded group became renowned worldwide
for their spectacular one-of-a-kind musical performances. Because
of this, it is no surprise that their music was primarily captured
and lives on today through a series of best-selling live
recordings.
Among the most treasured of these recordings is the legendary
arrangement "Fania All Stars: Live At The Cheetah, Volumes 1 and
2." The set, recorded in 1971 and produced a year later by Fania's
own keyboard player Larry Harlow, exhibits the entire All-Star
family performing before a capacity audience in New York's Cheetah
Lounge. The volumes went on to become the biggest-selling Latin
albums ever produced by one group from one concert. To this day,
they are is still considered by many as the essence of Latin
music.
Following sell-out concerts in Puerto Rico, Chicago and Panama, the
All-Stars embarked on their first appearance at New York's Yankee
Stadium on August 24th, 1973. The Stars performed before an
unprecedented crowd of 63,000 spectators in a concert that
highlighted the talents of Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Larry
Harlow, Johnny Pacheco, Roberto Roena, Bobby Valentín, and Jorge
Santana (younger brother of Carlos Santana), among others. In the
days leading up to the concert, it was anticipated that the event
would revolutionize the music business similar to how the Beatles
did in the early 1960s. In fact, when the All-Stars returned to
Yankee Stadium in 1975, they became ingrained in history. This
time, the highlighted acts included
Celia
Cruz, Hector Lavoe, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Justo
Betancourt, Ismael Quintana, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Bobby Cruz
and Santos Colón. That year, "Live at Yankee Stadium" was included
in the second set of 50 recordings in the
List of recordings preserved in the United States National
Recording Registry, solidifying the All-Stars as "culturally,
historically, and aesthetically significant."
Just a few
months before, in 1974, the All Stars had performed in Zaire
, Africa, at
the 80,000-seat Stadu du Hai in Kinshasa. This unforgettable
spectacle was captured on film by Gast and released as "Live In
Africa" ("Salsa Madness" in the UK). This Zairean appearance
occurred along with James Brown and others at a music festival held
in conjunction with the
Mohammed
Ali/
George Foreman heavyweight title fight. Footage of the
performance was also included in the 2008 documentary "
Soul Power".
In an attempt to attain a wider market for salsa, Fania made a deal
with
Columbia Records in the US for
a series of crossover albums by the All Stars. The first project
was the lukewarm "Delicate & Jumpy" (1976), in which Steve
Winwood united with the All Stars' Pacheco, Valentin, Barreto and
Roena. It was also in 1976 that the Fania All Stars made their sole
UK appearance. They produced a memorable sell-out concert at
London’s Lyceum Ballroom, with Steve Winwood guesting.
In 1978 the All-Stars released "Live," a fully-blown version of the
band recorded in concert at New York's Madison Square Garden in
September of that year.
In 1979,
Fania All-Stars travelled to Havana
, Cuba
, to
participate in the historic Havana Jam
festival that took place between 2-4 March, alongside Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Stills, the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the Trio of Doom, Billy
Swan, Bonnie Bramlett, Mike Finnegan, Weather Report, and Billy Joel, plus an array of Cuban artists such
as Irakere, Pacho
Alonso, Tata Güines and
Orquesta Aragón. Their
performance is captured on
Ernesto Juan Castellanos's
documentary
Havana Jam '79.
That same year saw the release of "Crossover," the All-Stars' last
Columbia Records album, as well as "Havana Jam on Fania," which
came from a concert recorded in Havana on March 2nd.
The first signs of recession appeared in 1980, when Fania suffered
setbacks including an unsuccessful movie, tension from artists with
unpaid royalties, and failed distribution deals with Columbia and
Atlantic Records at boosting salsa into the mainstream US market.
In addition, the New York salsa scene, which had always been vital
to the success of the label, was gradually succumbing to the rise
of
merengue from Dominican Republic
and salsa romantica from Puerto Rico. As the decade ended, the
All-Stars recorded fewer albums together, and it was pretty visible
that the genre -- and the star-studded group that propelled it --
had reached the end of its golden age.
Legacy
Although the Fania-All Stars troupe eventually reached a low during
the late 1980s, many of the members continued to have individual
success in their solo careers.Most notably,
Hector Lavoe became an icon in the world of
salsa, as people became enchanted both by his music and his tragic
life story. In 2007, two films about Lavoe were released, including
one produced by actress
Jennifer
Lopez and salsa star
Marc
Anthony.
Celia Cruz continued making hits until her death in 2003. In fact,
Cruz gained popularity and renewed attention from younger
generations throughout the new millennium, and her last singles
became the biggest of her entire career. During these years, she
was the recipient of numerous
Grammy awards,
was invited to perform alongside
Aretha
Franklin at the 2001
VH1 Divas
concert, and just months before her passing,
Univision presented a special tribute concert
featuring over a dozen Latin music performers.
After her death in
New
Jersey
, her body was first laid in state in downtown
Miami
's Freedom Tower--where a quarter of a million
people paid their final respects--and was then returned to New York
City where tens of thousands of fans paid tribute to her in
St. Patrick's
Cathedral.
Willie Colon continued producing hits with
Ruben Blades and as a solo artist. His latest
album was released in 2007, and he currently works for Mayor
Michael Bloomberg of New York
City.
In 2008, Cheo Feliciano celebrated his 50 years in the music
industry by hosting a spectacular concert at Madison Square Garden,
where Mayor Bloomberg declared July 20th "Cheo Feliciano Day" in
New York.
Today, only a few of the original All-Stars remain alive, as many
have passed away in recent years. Nevertheless, their vigorous
legacy is one that will live on for many generations. Having sold
millions of records and fostered an enthusiastic following of fans
throughout the globe, the legendary Fania All-Stars continue to be
treasured and recognized as the quintessential Latin band of all
time. Already, their music has transcended newer and contemporary
genres like
bachata and
reggaeton. The music created by the All-Stars
continues to entertain old and young fans alike, and they are as
popular on the radio as they were back in the 70s. Interest in the
iconic group has not declined, as albums, concerts, films and
videos continue to be produced about the golden years of
salsa.
During their extended and illustrious history, the New York
City-based Fania All-Stars took their provocative and stirring
rhythms on a journey throughout the world, and left music lovers
enchanted with a remarkable collection of memorable performances
that will capture the hearts and souls of listeners for many
generations to come.
Discography
Studio Albums
- A Tribute to Tito Rodriguez (Fania, 1976)
- Delicate and Jumpy (Columbia, 1976)
- Rhythm Machine (Columbia, 1977)
- Spanish Fever (CBS, 1978)
- Cross Over (CBS, 1979)
- California Jam (Musica Latina, 1980)
- Commitment (FNA, 1980)
- Latin Connection (Fania, 1981)
- Social Change (Fania, 1981)
- Lo que pide la gente (StyllaPhone, 1984)
- Viva la charanga (Sterns, 1986)
- Bamboleo (Caliente, 1988)
- Latin Jazz Fusion (Charly, 1988)
- Guasasa (Fania, 1989)
- Bravo 97 (Sony International, 1997)
Live albums
- Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 1 (Fania,
1968)
- Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 2 (Fania,
1969)
- Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 1 (Fania,
1972)
- Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 2 (Fania,
1972)
- Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 2 (Fania,
1973)
- Latin-Soul-Rock (Fania, 1974)
- Fania All-Stars (Island, 1975)
- Live at Yankee Stadium, Vol. 1 (Fania,
1976)
- Live at Yankee Stadium, Vol. 2 (Fania,
1976)
- Live (Fania, 1978)
- Habana Jam (Fania, 1979)
- Fania All-Stars in Japan (Fania, 1986)
- Live in Africa (Fania, 1986)
DVDs
- Our Latin Thing
- Salsa (Fania, 1974)
- In Africa (Fania, 1993)
- Live (Fania, 1995)
References
External links
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