Gilberto Santa Rosa...Intenso
by
Nestor Louis


The Multi-national record labels - Sony, BMG, WEA, and Universal - dream of a day when tropical Latin music sells one million copies on a consistent basis. Generating those type of numbers by selling salsa and merengue is not impossible. Rubén Blades and Willie Colón exceeded that monumental task with their SIEMBRA recording more than 20 years ago, and in recent times, Marc Anthony, Olga Tañon, and DLG have met that one million mark with ease. But why so few? Why is it so difficult to break through that one million
bench mark? According to the Census Bureau, Latinos account for more than 10 percent of the United States' population of 284,776,297 and counting. The task should be relatively easy. "You have to change the attitudes in which this music is viewed. The attitudes have to change, from the public's point of view, as well as those from the musicians and labels. Every artist should be in the business of growing and not limiting an audience. This is the era of information, and the most effective and efficient way to get exposure for your art is to let people know you're out there via promotion - You cannot cut corners. We've come a long way from the days when our music was frowned upon as the music of the uncultured, but we have a long way to go," said
Gilberto Santa Rosa while in town promoting his latest recording for Sony Discos titled INTENSO, and his up coming August 11th concert at Madison Square Garden, alongside his protégé, Victor Manuelle.

Gilberto Santa Rosa, addressed by many in the media as Salsa Music's Gentleman, has had his share of gossip, intrusions, and accusations regarding his personal life without ever running away from addressing them. In fact, an influential communications conglomerate was forced to withdraw statements and apologize to Gilberto for promoting false rumors against his character. With regards to music, Gilberto is just as involved. "Salsa is not dead, what's dead is the approach you take in exposing the music. The cosmopolitan landscape is much more diverse. Latinos are all over the globe. Without making a joke about each country's situation, you're now finding Latinos in European mountains. It's just irritating to hear some of the masters in this thing we call salsa, preaching the notion that the music is dead, when the reality states otherwise."

Living in the microcosms that at times New York City seems to be, one can't help but to think that the music is indeed dying, if not dead already. There's really nothing new, nothing exciting out there that's making the people pack a venue. Ok, you had Rubén Blades sellout two nights at the Apollo in Harlem, and Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz, along with Sonora Ponceña pack Carnegie Hall. Does this mean that I should expect to see my favorite salsa artist in a plush environment like Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center? I mean, is this what's going on? The nightclub scene is virtually comatose. "In all honesty, we brought that upon ourselves. I'll tell you a story. Twenty years ago you had music around this city from Sunday to Sunday. I came to New York when I was 15 years old, and on any given day you had twenty bands playing here, twenty bands playing over there, twenty bands were playing every where. But you want to know something? They were the same twenty bands. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that to some degree, our booking habits killed the scene. Those concerts were successful because, well let me ask you, how often do you see Ruben in town? Or Richie and Bobby? Those venues were appropriate for what they had in mind, and for what they had to offer. It's one thing to do a dance, and another to do a show," explained Gilberto.

Can one argue that Gilberto Santa Rosa has become a Cantante De Cartel?

"I don't think so. I'm quite comfortable performing in Carnegie Hall, as in El Turi-Centro de Chitré in Panamá, and the Copacabana in New York. I'm the same Gilberto that goes out of his way to shake a hand, take a picture, dance in nightclubs, and mingle with the people that see me. It goes back to what we were discussing before, about the attitudes and things of that nature. However, If you don't watch yourself and the choices you make in your career, you can potentially end up giving the public a performance that's less than poor. I'm talking about, terrible sound system, staging,
lighting, I mean really. I want for the people who come to see my show, to get their money's worth because at the end of the show, they're not thinking ‘oh the promoter - what terrible job he did', they're  thinking ‘what's the matter with Gilberto? He was this or that'. I'll play everywhere and anywhere, as long as the venue and the people involved run a professional operation." A professional operation - nothing more, nothing less, is what's  expected from Gilberto Santa Rosa and Victor Manuelle on August 11th in Madision Square Garden. Dos Soneros Una Historia is the first time that the two superstars perform together in an exclusive fashion for their fan base. A fan base that bridges the generation gap that presently exists within their audience.

"I saw that movie, "Our Latin Thing", and I fell in love with that lifestyle. That was my era! It was Woodstock with salsa as the main soundtrack. The salsa world back then; with the people sporting their Afros, hanging out on the street, playing congas and dancing in the streets, among other things, was romanticized. The movie did not depict the beauty of the New York City skyline, but that of it's residents in their humble glory. That piqued my interest and drew me in. Ismael Rivera, Cheo Feliciano, Hector Lavoe, Ismael Miranda, Pete Conde. I lived that era understanding and identifying with
those guys. I became interested in the music and grew up a diehard salsero. I came to New York, and here I found out that Tito Rodriguez was a guarachero first! Due to listening to my mother's records, I thought that Tito Rodriguez was only a bolero singer. My point in telling you this story - how do you expect to gain an audience if you're not laying the proper bait? You got a whole bunch of youngsters re-discovering the guys that made it happen 30 years ago thanks to the talent that's around today. Victor is part of that talent. Give credit where credit is due. Marc Anthony and Huey
Dunbar have a great talent for singing. Both can sing salsa, pop ballads, or whatever the heck they want. And guess what? They do a great job at it. Many disapprove of what Sergio George has done for the genre. And although many, myself included, were quick to criticize, I for one, now admire what he has done. With the influences of the Rap, the R&B, the reggae, he has managed to successfully bring new life to our music. A new interest that was very much needed. Suddenly the American media became interested in Cuban music, and it became another thing to market to the rest of the world. Buena Vista Social Club and the rest, were results of the curiosity that was
awakened by Sergio George."

For the past five years Gilberto Santa Rosa, with the help of pianist and arranger Jose Lugo, has managed to put out four productions that, unlike his previous work with Ramon Sanchez, do not sound or resemble each other in any way. "You cannot offer just one flavor and one brand of anything to a public that's diverse. Don't get me wrong, I am a salsa artist, I'm here to be a salsa artist, I love this music. But because our market is so much broader, here in the US and throughout Latin America and Europe, my music and it's foundation includes traces and influences that remind you of something else. Perhaps of your own folklore? I don't know, maybe a piece of music
you grew up listening to. It's sort of like sounds like this but it's not quite, or it reminds me of this but it's different. I'm not calling my music a fusion because is not - It's still salsa. It's just not your average salsa." Escencia, De Corazón, Expresión, and his latest Intenso are all inventive in their musical complexity and very simplistic in the emotions they evoke. Oh yeah, they make you want to dance too! As different as each recording is, they all possess that signature that's unmistakably his. "I like for my audience, people in general, to identify things in my music. To feel the influences in my music. You will feel the influences of  Flamenco, Ska and Alternative Rock en Español, The Fania All-Stars, El Gran Combo, Ruben Blades, Willie Colón, and the very traditional Cuban son. I mean, Lugo and I don't go in the studio with the sole purpose of creating a Molotov Cocktail of hybrid sounds with the hopes of selling millions of copies, but the
business it's definitely something you can't ignore. You want your music and your art to appeal to the biggest group of people. This goes beyond the business, and into what are people's tendencies. What are they listening to? What are they approving of? To have millions of people approving something as abstract as music and art in general, is a phenomena that no concoction brewed in some sinister plan created by a record label can explain. Take for example reggae in Spanish. This is something that I heard first in Panama. Many were not expecting the format to be a success. But what happened? The youth was very much attracted to it, and since, it's become a bona fide major musical format in Latin America that cannot be ignored. It's what people are listening to. You have to carve a little niche for yourself that gives people what they want, mixed with your own flavor and identity. And if at the end of the CD they recognize my music, then I've done my job. I think I've achieved that."

In The U.S. there are many Latin American countries represented. And although the main language is Spanish, they all have different musical tastes and preferences. Take for example the south, central, and west portions of this country, the preferred Latin American musical format is not tropical. By default these radio stations, the few that exist, offer tropical artists less exposure. In NYC and most of the North Eastern portion of The U.S. the focus is on tropical Latin music and Urban Pop. But again with very few
stations, there's only so much room available to promote every single artist. Competition is tight for a small niche market. However south of the border, the circumstances are very different. Because the language is the same and the market is a huge one, stations are jockeying for ratings. They still play by the old rules. Being the first to play a given artist, a certain song, are the only things that matter. Why? Because if radio station X doesn't play that artist, that song, station Y will. "This record will last me about three months in Panama, because radio stations, Club Djs, and everyone else, wants to play their favorite song. It's a good thing because the entire record gets a justified exposure. It's a bad thing because the CD gets old at an accelerated pace. In contrast to what happens in the U.S., "Que Alguien Me Diga", a record that's almost two years old still occupies the top slots in almost every radio station. "Yo No Te Pido", a record I did close to 5 years ago is now getting airplay. It's just a thing of markets. Some pick up early, others late, and that's just the reality."

How about if the time comes when Gilberto Santa Rosa is no longer picked up?

"Put it like this, I would sound silly if two years from now my own success comes to a screeching halt and the very next day I start to cry and carry on about how badly I was treated. Come on? Who am I going to kid with that? What am I to say? ‘ Oh man my public what a bunch of ingrates -  Heck no! I had a great time! I was treated very well by my fans and the public. Thank you."