Celia Cruz- Queen of Salsa

Celia Cruz, birth name Ursula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, popularly known as the Queen of Salsa made tremendous strides to introduce Cuba the world. Her music career went from performing guarachas in Cuban theaters, to her travels in Mexico and Venezuela being a part of La Sonora Matancera, a Cuban orchestra, to residing in the US where she signed with Fania Records. Cruz had an interesting career as she was exiled from Cuba due to the Cuban revolt which led her to being naturalized in the United States. We can call that the silver lining in the midst of dark clouds. She is such a prominent figure, she has her own signature phrase “Azucar” which translates to “sugar” in English. This is her recognizing her heritage and the Cuban slaves on sugar plantations. This playlist is going to feature some artists that she collaborated with and artists that made similar strides to Cruz. Put your shoes on and be prepared to dance!

Celia Cruz is known as the Queen of Salsa. The United States treasured Cruz, she was awarded city keys from four mayors of four different cities! She was awarded the Hispanic Heritage Lifetime Achievement award, several honorary doctorates, and much more. Cruz has three Grammy awards and four Latin Grammy awards to showcase how amazing her career was. She was awarded her first Grammy in 1990 for her album, Ritmo en el corazon, which she collaborated with Ray Barretto. Below is the song that made waves. Enjoy the woodwinds, brass and strings of this salsa masterpiece “Ritmo en el corazon.”

Ray Barretto was born in the US but has Puerto Rican parents. He served in World War II where he heard various versions of jazz. He learned how to play the conga drums after his service and that was the beginning of his career. In 1967 he signed with the same record label as Cruz, Fania records where he collaborated with her to earn both of their first Grammy award. Though he partnered with Cruz, Ray was more of a lone wolf and many would describe his career as a solo career. This song “Acid” is one of his popular songs as he fuses the Afro-Caribbean percussions with elements of jazz. Enjoy!

Let’s talk a bit more about persons who collaborated with Celia Cruz. A name that’s popular all on his, Tito Puente. He and Cruz collaborated to making many hits. Tito had a love for the drums from an early age… even before he actually knew how to play them. His neighbors would complain about his playing which led to him taking lessons… gifting the world with Tito Fuente. Like Cruz, Tito received numerous Grammy awards and the key to a city, New York City. Tito recorded EIGHT albums with Celia Cruz. Their first collaboration was with the song “La guarachera.” Enjoy the rhythm of the boleros and dance.

Celia Cruz was known as the Queen of Salsa but there is someone who carried the title as the Princess of Salsa, La India. India is known as a Salsa artist who blend R&B and Latin music to make her hit songs. Her genre of music is called salsa romantica where her songs are love songs but still mentions social issues. India collaborated with many prominent figures like our Celia Cruz and Marc Anthony. She was recognized several times by the Grammy. One of her hit songs is “Dicen que Soy” which translates to “They say I am.” This song talks about the gossip and rumors that were said about her which she flipped for the positive to empower women in her position. Enjoy the sounds of the congos and the call and response of the vocalists in “Dicen Que Soy.”

Marc Anthony is a modern Salsa artist whose performance and vocals shows the heavy influence of Celia Cruz. Marc’s given name is Marco Antonio Muniz, which some of you may recognize. This name is also the name of a very famous Mexican singer who Marc parents loved, giving him the same name. Marc changed his name to Marc Anthony due to the pressure and shoes he had to fill because of his name when he decided to join the music industry. With a speech impediment, stuttering, Marc found solace in singing. He, like Cruz has won numerous Grammy awards and Latin Grammy awards. Here’s one of his hit songs “Vivir mi vida.” Can you notice Celia Cruz influence in this very modern song?

Gloria Estefan often cites Celia Cruz as a major influence in her musical career. In an interview posted by Billboard news, Gloria mentions how she listened to Celia Cruz at her tender years. Gloria passionately talks about Cruz as her friend and her mentor. Like Cruz, Gloria was awarded many times by Grammy for her wonderful songs. One of her Grammy winning songs is “Mi Tierra” which is a mix of pop and salsa. Congas and bongos bringing the Afro-Caribbean blend with string instruments and vocalists call and response makes this song a masterpiece. This song is dedicated to her Cuban heritage, highlighting how beautiful and vibrant Cuba is.

References

Celia Cruz. National Museum of African American History and Culture. (2022a, January 11). https://nmaahc.si.edu/latinx/celia-cruz#:~:text=She%20began%20collaborating%20and%20recording,a%20collaboration%20with%20Ray%20Barretto. 

For the record: Celebrating cuban sensation & queen of salsa Celia Cruz. GRAMMY.com. (n.d.). https://www.grammy.com/news/record-celebrating-cuban-sensation-queen-salsa-celia-cruz 

Fuentes, E. (2024, June 10). Gloria & Emilio Estefan talk Celia Cruz’s inspiration, being honored with the Icon Award & More. Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/video/gloria-estefan-emilio-estefan-inspired-by-celia-cruz-icon-award-billboard-mujeres-latinas-en-la-musica/ 

Lechner, E. (2023, April 18). Celebrate Tito Puente’s centennial with 15 essential albums. AARP. https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/info-2023/tito-puente-albums.html#:~:text=(1966),-Album%20cover%20courtesy&text=The%20eight%20albums%20that%20Celia,unknown%20chapter%20in%20Latin%20music. 

Ray Barretto. National Museum of African American History and Culture. (2022b, January 11). https://nmaahc.si.edu/latinx/ray-barretto 

Singing a “safe haven” for Marc Anthony. Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter. (2019, August 16). https://www.stutteringhelp.org/content/singing-safe-haven-marc-anthony#:~:text=With%20that%20name%20he%20had,namesake%2C%20the%20famous%20Mexican%20singer. 

Smithsonian Institution. (n.d.). Tito Puente. https://www.si.edu/spotlight/latin-music-legends-stamps/tito-puente#:~:text=Tito%20Puente%20was%20known%20for,and%20joy%20during%20his%20performances. 

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.-a). Celia Cruz: Queen of salsa (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/celia-cruz-queen-of-salsa.htm#:~:text=Listening%20to%20the%20Salsa%20Stories,of%20Celia%20Cruz%20on%20stage. 

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.-b). La India: The Princess of Salsa (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/la-india-the-princess-of-salsa.htm#:~:text=La%20India’s%20parents%20moved%20to,figure%20in%20Latin%20music%20history. 

Dutch Caribbean’s Rudy Plaate

 Rudy Plaate- Curaçao’s Sensation.

Rudy Plaate is geboren in 1937 op Curaçao en is momenteel 87 jaar oud. In zijn lange leven staat hij om veel dingen bekend. Hij was winkeleigenaar, kweekte planten en blonk uit in tennis. In de muziekindustrie staat hij bekend om het maken van melodieën over zijn liefde voor zijn eiland in hun moedertaal Papiaments. Hij gaf zijn kennis door door opkomende artiesten/groepen te begeleiden. Zijn muziek wordt alom gerespecteerd, aangezien zijn lied “Atardi” wordt beschouwd als het onofficiële volkslied van Curaçao. Rudy heeft een documentaire aan hem gewijd, maar hij kan zich zijn prestaties vaag herinneren omdat hij geplaagd wordt door dementie. Nu kunnen alleen zijn vrouw, vrienden en talloze fans nauwkeurig de verandering en goede energie verklaren die Rudy Plaate naar zijn eiland bracht. Deze afspeellijst duikt in het songschrijf- en zangleven van Rudy en andere gerelateerde artiesten. 

Dit zal iets zijn dat je niet snel zult vergeten! Rudy Plaate componeerde in zijn muzikale carrière meer dan 400 nummers. Met zoveel nummers kun je gerust zeggen dat hij behoorlijk veelzijdig is om zowel legendarisch als actueel te blijven. Zijn muziekstijl varieerde van tumba tot mazurka, wat als een Pools genre wordt beschouwd. Rudy staat met name bekend om zijn nummer 'Atardi', wat zich vertaalt naar 'Middag'. In dit lied vertelt hij over zijn verlangen naar zijn thuis, Curaçao. Vooral hoe licht de middagen op het bovengenoemde eiland zijn, wat de schoonheid van het eiland benadrukt. Om het nog cultureler te maken, wordt het lied gezongen in de moedertaal van Curaçao, Papiamento. Om het helemaal af te ronden: het is het perfecte lied voor de trotse inwoners van Curaçao die als geen ander van hun eiland houden. Laten we eens kijken naar het onofficiële volkslied van Curaçao, ‘Atardi’.

Rudy Plaate begeleidde veel opkomende artiesten. Om nog maar te zwijgen: hij was mentor van het populaire kinderkoor Perlitas. Dit koor is het Nederlandse Operakoor. Rudy Plaate was er trots op de jeugd te onderwijzen en te begeleiden, om hun liefde voor het erfgoed en hun eiland te inspireren en te versterken. Het nummer Ola Ola Ola werd gezongen en gecomponeerd door Rudy Plaate en Perlitas. Dit nummer maakte deel uit van een album met 12 nummers, die allemaal beïnvloed waren door Rudy Plaate. Hieronder staat het nummer Ola Ola Ola, maar je kunt ook naar Evelyn of Flora luisteren als je wat meer in dit album wilt duiken.

Izaline Calister wordt beïnvloed door het mentorschap van Rudy Plaate van de Perlitas. Ze staat bekend als componist en haar soulvolle stem. Ze is ook een Curaçaose zangeres. Ze is een Edison Award-winnaar, wat lijkt op het winnen van een Grammy's-prijs. Ze staat bekend om het samenstellen van haar muziek met een mix van calypso, jazz, pop, enz. Het is onnodig om te zeggen dat ze bekwaam is. Ze spreekt vijf talen en hoewel ze momenteel niet op Curaçao woont, houdt ze haar roots levend door tumba-liedjes te schrijven. Het album dat haar vanaf 2009 een Edison Award-winnaar maakte, is 'Speransa', een jazz-/wereldmuziekalbum. Hier is het nummer "Forsa" van dit album. Er wordt gezegd dat dit nummer het mooiste nummer is dat ze heeft gemaakt.

Grupo Zamanakitoki is een muzikaal ensemble dat het culturele en lokale erfgoed van Curaçao in stand houdt door de liederen die zij uitvoeren. Ze lijken op Rudy Plaate, wiens levensverhaal een bewijs is dat hij de geschiedenis van Curaçao actueel houdt door zijn liedjes en mentorschap. Grupo Zamanakitoki wordt geleid door Eric Calmes. Calmes komt oorspronkelijk uit Curaçao maar woont momenteel in Amsterdam. Hij staat al tientallen jaren bekend om zijn rol in de jazzmuziek. Hieronder heet het nummer Curaçao van de groep Zamanakitoki, geniet van de muziek en let op de roep en reactie. In deze muziekvideo worden een aantal traditionele instrumenten getoond, kijk of je er een kunt noemen!

Rignald Recordino, ook wel bekend als “Doble R”, is een prominente muzikant op Curaçao. Net als Rudy Plaate en de Zamanakitoki-groep doet Rignald zijn best om via zijn muziek de cultuur van Curaçao te behouden. Om dit uit te leggen, speelde hij een belangrijke rol bij het maken van populaire genres Tambu en Tumba. Sommige bijvoeglijke naamwoorden die worden gebruikt om zijn muziek te beschrijven zijn levendig, inzichtelijk en pakkend. Ik denk dat ik hieronder het beste voorbeeld heb gegeven dat al deze bijvoeglijke naamwoorden weergeeft. De titel van het nummer is Toka Sto'i Tete. Dit nummer komt van zijn laatste producerende album sinds 2016, maar het is zo pakkend dat je nog steeds uit je stoel komt en met je voeten stampt! Dit nummer staat bekend als een van zijn grote hits van dit laatste album. Genieten! De persoon die deze video op YouTube heeft geplaatst, staat het afspelen vanaf andere sites niet toe, maar hier is de link naar het nummer. Ik beloof het: het zal de moeite waard zijn!

Toka Sto’i Tete- hyperlink to YouTube video

Oswin Chin Behilia werd rond dezelfde tijd geboren als Rudy Plaate. Oswin is momenteel 86 jaar oud. Hij staat bekend om het samenstellen van zijn muziek met jazz, traditionele Curaçaose muziek en enkele Latijns-Amerikaanse invloeden. Zijn muziek varieert van liefdesliedjes tot teksten waarin de tekortkomingen van Curaçao worden belicht. Hij wordt beschreven als een protestzanger vanwege de aard van zijn teksten. Het draagt ​​echter alleen maar bij aan zijn impact, zoals er in schoolboeken over hem wordt geschreven. Curaçao’s tumba- en sehu-genres zijn vaak terug te vinden in zijn muziekstukken. Hieronder staat een van Oswins liedjes getiteld Zikinza. Dit markeert het einde van deze afspeellijst, dus ik hoop dat je geniet van het laatste nummer.

References

45CAT - perlitas - st. christoffel / E neshi - philips - netherlands - 6800 008. (n.d.-a). https://www.45cat.com/record/6800008 

Afro-Europe. (2023, April 6). Singer Izaline Calister wins the Dutch Edison Award 2009. AFRO. https://afroeurope.blogspot.com/2009/11/singer-izaline-calister-won-dutch.html?m=1 

IMDb.com. (n.d.). Atardi - the life of Curaçao’s musical genius Rudy Plaate. IMDb. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt14015996/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov_pl 

Izaline. Izaline Calister Official Site • Speransa. (n.d.). https://www.izalinecalister.com/cds/speransa.html 

“liber” - Oswin Chin behilia. WOMEX. (n.d.). https://www.womex.com/virtual/otrabanda_records/oswin_chin_behilia/liber 

Rudy Plaate discography | Discogs. (n.d.-b). https://www.discogs.com/artist/1631451-Rudy-Plaate 

Spoorman, R., & Kleikamp, B. (2020, May 10). Millennium Catalogue: Pan Records’ traditional and ethnic music releases 1976 - 2001. Pan Records. https://www.academia.edu/42886734/Millennium_Catalogue_Pan_Records_traditional_and_ethnic_music_releases_1976_2001 

Waltz. 1000 Awesome Things About Curaçao. (n.d.). https://1000awesomethingsaboutcuracao.com/category/music/waltz/ 

Koffee- Gen Z Artist Making Waves

Introduction: The Sugar and Cream of Koffee

Mikayla Simpson is commonly known as Koffee by everyone that tune into the beautiful rhythm of reggae music. She started her singing journey at the tender age of 12, releasing her big song "Legend" when she was 15 years of age. Koffe is now sign with Columbia Records as of 2017. Columbia Records is a label of Sony Records Entertainment that notable artists like Beyonce is signed with as of 2020. Koffee is the youngest Jamaican artist to receive a Grammy, she accomplished that at 19 years old! Kofee has a few surprises up her sleeves as she blends reggae with R&B... Let's take a dive into the sugar and spice of Koffee.

Playlist:

In 2017, Koffee released her song "Legend" which was tribute to Usain Bolt's achievements in the world of sports. She highlighted Usain Bolt's achievements by even comparing the product of his work to that of Bob Marely and other Jamaican natives that placed Jamaica on the map, in the spotlight. Shortly after this, Usain Bolt reposted her song, driving traction to Koffee, which led to her being signed by Jamaican producer Protoje. Below is a clip of Koffee singing to Usain Bolt, this shows the tender age of Koffee while highlighting her artistic talent.

Kofee is quite talented as her music is a mixture of reggae and R&B. Reggae being from the caribbean and R&B being an African-American genre. Below is displaying Koffee having an artist outside of her label featured in one of her songs. The artist in question is Gunna and is recognized as an American rapper. This collaboration shows how versatile Koffee is all while keeping her roots in tact... let's remember she is Gen Z. Koffee never fails to remind us that it’s God that got her to where she is now, it’s either in her lyrics or in this case, the visuals of this music video was taken inside of a church. Enjoy as Korean encourages us to take a “W.”

Notably, Beyonce is from humble beginnings like our main artist Koffee. Beyonce dad is of Bahamian decent, being Caribbean. Beyonce was a part of a group called Destiny's child where she began her singing journey. Beyonce signed with Sony Entertainment with the hit single ' Dangerously in love." This is a part of the playlist to show that most record labels signs artists of varying background and musical style. Koffee being signed to the same record as Beyonce shows that she has talent above all else. Below is a video of Beyonce's song Dangerously in love. Can you find one similarity and difference in the musical style of Beyonce and Koffee?

Koffee is making waves internationally but wait.. she's respected back home. Buju is famous for reggae dancehall music and is highly respected in Jamacia for his contributions of putting Jamaica out there. Buju is such a great artist, that he had a concert that recently filled the Bahamian stadium. Buju has collaborated with the sons of Bob Marley and with international singers. i would say Koffee is a big shot after collaborating with Buju. Below is Koffee remixing "Pressure" along with Buju Banton and let's say, pressure is high with the 14M views this video has amassed.

Covid-19 was such a horrendous pandemic. It wiped out families, we said goodbye to our friends earlier than expected. During the pandemic, persons picked up trades... there was a flux in small business, persons cooking, baking, sewing, etc. At this time. Koffee kept us entertained when she released the tune "Lockdown." At this time, places were closed and there were curfews set in place to minimize the effects of the virus. This song accurately relates to how everyone was feeling and kept us looking to the future of coming out of lockdown. Enjoy this splash in the not so distant past, the 2020 most viewed video on YouTube from Jamaica… “Lockdown.”

Let's end this playlist with my personal favorite. This is the first song I heard that was released from Koffee. Just like most of you all, I was not knowledgeable about Koffee prior to hearing this song so I left it to the last to end with a blast.. This music video is special because it does have any fancy or shiny cars or big houses, it shows the humble beginnings of Koffee. Fun fact, I danced while in college and we created a choreography to this song and performed on many stages. Koffee is a brilliant artist especially for her young age, collaborating with many prominent artists and earning her own respect by earning a Grammy. We look forward to toasting to more of Koffee's achievements.

Bibliography:

Columbia Records. (n.d.). https://www.columbiarecords.com/ 

Meschino, P. (2022, March 23). Koffee, already a Grammy-winning globetrotter, is in full control for “gifted” debut. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/23/1088047190/koffee-already-a-grammy-winning-globetrotter-is-in-full-control-for-gifted-debut 

Reggaeville. (n.d.). Biography: Buju Banton. www.reggaeville.com. https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/buju-banton/about/ 

Sony/ATV. (2020, January 21). Beyoncé and Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sign Global Agreement. PR Newswire: press release distribution, targeting, monitoring and marketing. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/beyonce-and-sonyatv-music-publishing-sign-global-agreement-300990412.html 

Up, T. I. and T. (2023, November 24). Koffee : The generation of reggae. Medium. https://medium.com/@my3194469/koffee-the-generation-of-reggae-41e9411426fa#:~:text=BIOGRAPHY%3A,when%20she%20was%20only%2015. 

Writer, S. (2023, November 22). Full list of every Jamaican who have been nominated for A grammy award. Jamaicans and Jamaica - Jamaicans.com. https://jamaicans.com/full-list-of-every-jamaicans-who-have-been-nominated-for-a-grammy-award/#google_vignette