Now to Japan:

We left JFK at NorthWest Airlines in the afternoon...all the musicains arrived on time except Ismael Miranda who's flight was cancelled on American  from Puerto Rico to NY earlier in the morning.  He called and would make the same flight the next day and arrive just about when we would be going to our first concert in Tokyo.   I left his first class ticket with the NW representative at JFK.  Nicky looked in good shape and he knows he's being watched very closely and the only reason he is with us is that he was being billed in the advertizing.  Yomo is still very ill and could not make the trip and Pete
Conde dropped out also close to the departing date.  This is our 6th time in a row going to JAPAN. 

We arrived after a 13 hour flight.  All members were sitting apart and really did not have anyone to talk to during the 13 hours.  We were greeted by Mariko, a representative of M&I company LTD of Tokyo who promotes the Caribbean Carnival each year; This is the 9th year.   Before we had played in jazz venues all small jazz clubs but in this trip there are three concerts in medium size venues.   Also the japanese economy has been hit and their stock market and economy has suffered greatly in the last few months.  The yen was 142 to the dollar where as last year it was 90.  We were picked up in a great bus and a van for our bags and equipment.  Mariko speaks perfect English as did her assistants.  We drove for 2 hours to our hotel; The Tokyo Hilton from Narita airport  The Hilton is in the Shinjuku-ku section of Tokyo..Very convinient to all interesting things.

Our first day was to rest and get used to the change of 13 hours ahead..it was now 30th and we have to play at the Club Quattro in Shibuya in 14 hrs.  The club was a small studio 54, with a capacity of 900.  It had a great compact stage with the best in audio and lights and teckies.   All of our percussion needs were supplied by the Latin Percussion reps in Tokyo and I thank Martin Cohen and Steve Negosian for the great job they did for us.....Nicky for instance, used LP timbales, timbalitios, snare drum, bass drum, 2 cymbals, and all cowbells etc etc etc with 3 congas, bongos, bell stands, and 2 chequeres and maracas...all for being an endorser of the LP products and is given as a courtesy to its endorsers all over the world.  After a long sound check, we stayed at the club had a snack and changed clothes and gave interviews to the Japanese press and chatted with friends. I was biting the little nails I have left in that Miranda had not landed yet...Finally, a call from the airplort that he arrived as was on his way to the club.  We stalled so the club would get full and give Miranda some more time.   Wendy and her friends from previous years were all in the audience.  Finally, we went on and the Legends did some of the best playing they have in the last few months.   After about an hour I saw Ismaels face pop out from behind the curtains and I was relieved.  The Salsa fans in Japan were waiting for him; it was a long overdue performance.   He gave a great performance and had the  Japanese eating out of his hands.   We did a 2 hr and 15 minute show, with 2 encores and all were very satisfied and happy.   After the show I received flowers and gifts from Salsa fans.  So we retired early.

August 1st was a show in an ampitheater of about 5000 capacity near the Emperor's Palace called the Hibiya outdoor theater at 7pm in the Chiyoda-ku section of Tokyo.  There were two other Japanese Latin music groups with us on the show.  One group called TheTokyo Mambomania Band, was a large 16 member Machito style big band , which opened the show with a bang.  Next was a 7 member Diamantes with the exciting Alberto Shiroma and his great spanish vocals, kind of a Santana type of Latin Rock group who's music all of the fans knew every lyric too and all of their hand movements.  Finally the Legends came and brought the house down.  The stage was the same stage that the Fania All Stars played over  20 years ago on their only trip to Japan.  We called up all the musicians from both bands to join us in a descarga for the finale and then pulled up several great
dancers on stage to close the show....What a Night...mucho press and photos....Since we finished early most to the legends went to Salsa sudada a salsa club in Ropongi -ku section of Tokyo and hung for a few hours.

August 2nd is a travel day to Osaka but, we had the morning off to shop and buy all the electronics we could carry.  Digital cameras, mini-disc recorders, DJ equipment and Wendy and Chembo's daughter went for Komono's and fabrics and laquer plates and kitchen stuff.....We went to the section where all the young punkers shop.   I bought stage clothes with lotts of glitz and played all the video games I could.  Then it was off to the national airport for our flight to Osaka...My friend Paul Fleisher and wife Junko have a small hotel and Italian Resturant in Osaka, and invited the whole band for lunch.  We ate chicken wings, sushi, 3 different kinds of Pasta along with saki, beer and soft drinks.  He cooked the whole day for 13 of us and then we went  out for the evening boogying around Osaka.   Paul is a great saxaphone player I permitted him to play with us last time in Osaka
for we did not bring a Baritone sax that trip.  Vincent was now here and I asked paul to do his special type of playing during one of the descargas; He agreed. 

Now Showtime at the Kintetsu Gekijyo, a theater in the Kentetsu complex in Osaka with a 1800 capacity on a Monday evenning. The salsa crowd was small, only half full, so I told everyone to move foward and be close to us...the show was outstanding, with Paul coming out on a Unicycle in tuxedo and top hat and tails playing all kinds of horns.  Ismael and Adalberto foolling around with him and all having a great time.   At the end Ismael and I pulled up 3 couples to the stage to dance and they tore the house down.  A great time was had by all.  We retired after a brief party to say goodby to our great sound and stage crew who drove back to tokyo and we had to be up at 5:30am to catch our flights to Tokyo and New York. 

Ismael, Pablo, and, Guagua had to continue on to Miami and Puerto Rico after the 20 hours of Osaka/Tokyo/NY...All in all it was a wonderful successful trip and everyone knew it was the reverse of the European part........We arrived back a little tired but satisfied beyond belief.