News
Que Pasa Magazine - May 4, 2009
Rigo y su Obra Maestra "Latin Feeling"
Mix a tasty blend of rich rhythms to satisfy the dancers
If ever you could label a salsa album ‘easy listening,’ this album might qualify.
There’s enough spice on these numbers to heat-up the blood of salsa
aficionados but the album’s real strength is in the selection of approachable,
danceable tracks that will also appeal to a novice or more mainstream audience.
Percussionists Rigoberto Rodriguez and his Independent Record Label Obra Maestra Records, has released this perfect salsa album, Latin Jazz and Mambo
from Puerto Rico 9 tracks of irresistable salsa from Puerto Rico
The opening track, "Rumberos de Aqui" is heavy on hot, snarling trumpets, with
lyrics straight from the barrio. The band reprises the track at the close of the
album is dancing dynamite celebrating salsa's African roots.. "Reina De Mi
Corazon" drives me crazy and straight to the dance floor with rhythmic breaks
and masterful percussion.
For salsa fans that love Tito Puente’s music, there are two salsa tracks with
strong jazz influence (Bailando Mambo Elegante, and Rigo’s Mambo
This is a salsa album full of quality tracks ensuring that those in need of classic,
mambo and hard salsa experience will be well served.
Ronnie Raul
New CD Release on April - February 28, 2009
Many fans of Rigo y su Obra Maestra are waiting for a new release of Rigo. We have a good news. Rigo is finish his new proyect call "Latin Feeling" This CD will have everything. Mambo , Rumba, Hard Salsa, Latin Jazz , and Cha-Cha. Alert salseros.
Salsa History - January 20, 2009
Latin music on the island today is most widely represented by salsa, which in English means sauce. The music is of Afro-Caribbean, especially Cuban, origin and the term was probably coined first by Ricardo(Ritchie) Rey and Bobby Cruz.
Salsa appears to have arisen in El Barrio of New York City, where immigrants from the island settled. In the late 1960's, Cubans and Puerto Ricans invented the genre by combining rock music with Puerto Rican plena, Cuban son montuno with chachachá,mambo, rumba, cumbia and Latin jazz. The music was highly rhythmic and eminently danceable. Puerto Ricans in this first phase of salsa included Johnny Pacheco, Ricardo(Richie Rey)and Bobby Cruz Papo Lucca, Tommy Olivencia, Héctor Lavoe, Bobby Valentin, Luis "Perico" Ortiz and Tito Curet Alonso. Machito, Tito Rodriguez. Tito Puente. And others.
The 1980s saw the rise of the salsa romantica stars like Frankie Ruiz and Eddie Santiago softened salsa's beats and made it smooth and romantic.
New York remained salsa's capital for years, but San Juan is also a contender.
Tito Puente's is an extremely influential salsa musician, and is often regarded as the best of the field. He studied percussion at the Juilliard School of Music before he going on to form his own band, which first introduced its audiences to the salsa sound and beat. In many respects salsa is a catch word that covers all with a Latin beat and a big band sound.
As to instrumentation needs primarily a large battery of percussion instruments, like güiros, maracas, bongos, timbales, conga drums, claves and even a cowbell for the jÃbaro sound. Horns Piano and Bass plays a large part in creating the authentic salsa sound.
Historia de la Salsa(espanol) - January 10, 2009
El genero de musica mas difuso e influyente de Puerto Rico hoy en dia, es la salsa. El termino traducido al ingles como "sauce" para denotar musica que le da sabor y aviva la vida. Es un genero de musica complejo que se desarrollo de muchas raices a ser un producto unico de Puerto Rican.
Se puede decir que la salsa es sobre todo, un nombre comercial para la musica latina popular contemporanea que connota una impresion, que resume una variedad de estilos redefinidos y reinterpretados a sus raices. Abarca un amplio rango de los generos musicales, combinaciones instrumentales e influencias culturales, extendiendose del son montuno, de Cuba, de la bomba y de la plena, de Puerto Rican, del merengue dominicano, de la música ritual cubano de la Yoruba, del jazz "rhythm and blues" Afro-Americano.
En un momento durante los Ultimos años de los 60, la musica Afro-Caribeño se habia convertido en lo que se llama la salsa. Muchos interpretes no estaban de acuerdo con el uso de ese termino, creyendo que era un nombre comercial usado solamente para promover lo que habia sido simplemente musica de baile Afro-Caribeño, o la musica latina. Esta musica siempre se habÃia llamada por los nombres de los varios generos, por ejemplo: cha-cha-cha, mambo, guaguanco, son montuno, etc. En ultimo caso, finalmente tuvieron que aceptar que la la etiqueta, "salsa", ayudo mucho al desarrollo comercial de este genero de musica.
No ha habido acuerdo exacto en como el termino fue inventado, o por quien. El termino "salsa" ha sido atribuido frequentemente a un locutor de la radio venezolano por el nombre de Fidias Danilo. Se dice que al presentar interpretes de la musica con el preambulo: "A continuecion escucharemos la salsa de... ", y entonces anadiendo el nombre del proximo interprete. Mientras que esta es la mejor explicacion que se conoce, pocos han intentado investigar el asunto o aun descubrir porque han utilizado el termino "salsa" de esa manera.
El termino "salsa" se comenzo a circular en los ultimos años de los 60 para describir este genero unico, nacido de muchas influencias musicales, de distintas partes del mundo, pero con su locus en New York City. Muy bailable, los ritmos de la salsa son calientes, urbanos, sofisticados y apremiantes. Hoy en dia, el centro del mundo de la salsa ha cambiado de Nueva York a Puerto Rico. Estando Cali Colombia teniendo gran expocicion del genero.Hoy dia hay orquestas de salsa alrededor del mundo. desde Finlandia Japon Inglatera , Venezuela , Colombia , Holandia , Eslovaquia,USA, Obviamente Puerto Rico .
Puerto Rico Salsa Congress - January 4, 2007
Ely Irizarry president of the PR salsa congress call Rigo to let him know that Rigo y su Obra Maestra will be one of the bands that will perform at the congress this year .
West Coast Tour - November 10, 2006
Rigo y su Obra Maestra made a tour to USA West Coast Nov 1 to Nov 5 . The salseros there were great . "Thank to Dj Coqui ,the Dance instructor Jake the Photografer Medina, the Manager Russh and all the fans of the great place Club Cafe Cocomo" Rigo said . Also he wants to thanks to DJ Jose Ruiz and DJ Carlitos Way of Salsa y Sabor they are great.
Rigo y su Obra Maestra have been nominated on the JPfolk 2006 Music Awards - September 14, 2006
Rigo y su Obra Maestra have been nominee for the Just Plain Folks 2006 Music Awards on Salsa Album " Y Seguimos Bailando" also in two songs El Humilde and Carmelo y Doña Rosa in the salsa song awards. You can see all the nominees at
www.jpfolks.com