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Harlow's Fall Schedule Looks Very Tight!
New York - The doors at the Madison Square Gardens opened at 8:00 p.m. House music, mostly RMM products played through the PA system. There was much anticipation in the air as the 18,000 fans looked for their seats.
The stage was huge: four levels high and about 50 ft across with black and white
curtains as backdrop and two huge TV screens on each side of the stage held high in the
air. The sound system was the best possible. Marc Faron and wife Nancy Kassim are the best
stage managers in the concert business and have been doing the Fania and RMM shows for
years. Jon Fausty, one of the best Latin sound engineers, was doing the house PA. Rolando
was on the stage monitors, making sure the musicians could hear themselves as they wished.
The pyro/explosives were in place and all waited for the show to start.
New things were supposed to take place such as Domingo Quinones' tribute to Hector Lavoe, Junior Gonzalez with Larry Harlow (replacing a missing Ismael Miranda), Ruben Blades in a duet with Willie Colon for the first time in 15 years. The great Celia Cruz and Oscar D'Leon joining La Fania.
Everyone waited. The air was full of excitement... The time had come, Oscar D'Leon opened the show with a very large orchestra and did not disappoint us. He is a true showman and a great sonero. Oscar held the crowd in the palm of his hand and his 40 minutes on stage set the tone for what was to follow.
The videos being shown during the set changes were very well done and time passed quickly until Izzy Sanabria started with his SALLLLLLL-SAAAAAAAA chants to warm up the crowd. The time was here. The members of La Fania were introduced one by one. First, the brass, then Yomo, Nicky, Harlow, the singers, then Bobby Valentin, Papo, Roena and Pacheco. With everyone together on stage a video "homenaje" to Jerry Masuccicame was played on the screens -- the band watched for five minutes. Then the introduction: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the greatest Latin band in the world the Fania All Stars!" and with that the fireworks literally started with explosions and sparklers going off and the first chord to "Descarga Fania." Adalberto Santiago sang lead with Barretto and Nicky took percussion solos. Next was the Cuban song "Sandunguera" from the last Fania CD Bravo with Adalberto vocalizing and Pupi Legaretta soloing along. Adalberto and Ray Brarretto did their famous duet on "Quitate La Mascara" as the crowd started to warm up.
Next on the block was Ismael Quintana, a true gentleman, looking good in his new suit and tie. His rendition of "Piano Man" with Papo Luccas' scalding piano solo picked everyone up a notch. Then the classics "Puerto Rico" and "Adoracion" with a Roena solo and the dancers moving beautifully to a choreographed rendition. Then appeared Larry Harlow, in a bright green sequence jacket with a long green feather boa, to entertain the crowds with a smoking piano solo on "La Cartera" for the first time performed by La Fania with Junior Gonzalez , who originally recorded it with Harlow in 1973. Pupi performed a wonderful violin solo. The dancers again delighted us with a wonderful rendition of the classic tune by Arsenio Rodriguez.
Next up was Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, of course, doing "Catalina la O". Seems he never gets a chance to do something different. Domingo Quinones appeared just after Pete, his hair dyed blond, sounding just like "El Cantante de Los Cantantes:" Hector Lavoe. Domingo sang a medley of Hector's songs which he is performing in his star role in the off Broadway show "Who Killed Hector Lavoe". Some of the songs included "Rey de la Puntulidad", " El Cantante" and "El Periodico de Ayer." He sang with a confidence he has never shown before. Then entered "El Malo," the man who the Daily News says will run against Hillary: Willie Colon who joined Doming for some duets of "Que bien te ves" and "Che Che Cole." Domingo then left the stage and Willie continued with "Gitana" and "El Gran Varon," two of his huge "exitos" of the past.
Now entered Ruben Blades, with "Juan Pachanga" and "Sin tu Cariħo." He is one of the best singers of the Salsa era and we should all be so lucky to hear him more often but he is very busy with his Hollywood projects. Willie returned to the stage to join Ruben while the dancers did another wonderful rendition of "Pedro Navaja." For this song, Willie actually played the trombone.
The crooner appeared next, Cheo Feliciano doing "Busca lo Tuyo" and the all-too-famous "Anacaona" with a torrid Larry Harlow piano solo. La Reina, Celia Cruz, came next in her silver gown and hat-hair piece. She sang "Carnaval" a new song with the All Stars and of course "Quimbara" which set the crowd on its feet once again.
Now all the singers returned to the stage along with Oscar and Domingo, Junior, Willie and Ruben for the finals of "Quitate Tu." Yomo did his thing, Luis Perico Ortiz steamed a solo on "Coro Miyare" and "Ponte Duro" with Roberto Roena, and his dancers paid a tribute to Anibal Vasquez. The show lasted until almost 1:00 a.m. Ralph Mercado had to pay a huge sum of money for overtime in the Gardens but he did not care as the 18,000 colocos went home full of joy and happiness to have witnessed THE SHOW OF THE MILENIUM, SALSA CLASSICA.
Larry Harlow's Latin Legends Band is the leading worldwide Latin music band ready perform the very best of classical salsa to audiences around the globe. We have a long history of producing quality Latin music commonly known as Salsa..
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