Puerto Rican percussionist, Johnny Zamot, better known in the music world as Johnny Ray, has maintained the fight, for over four decades, to maintain his status as one of the best dancing bands in the New York Salsa scence.
With a ton of hits under his belt, this product of Quebradilla—raised in Aguadilla, and developed in the hot Salsa environment of New York City--has been an icon for many years, becoming one of the favorite dancing groups for salseros in the Big Apple.
Always active in his musical productions, Zamot announced today the release of his latest muscal Compact Disk, “El de la Rumba soy yo”.
The musical cut that names the production, one of the two included in the promotional CD, originated in 1951 by the Sonora Matancera in a duet by the always remembered Celia Cruz, and Bienvenido Granda.
Johnny Ray and his Orchestra turn this classic into a memorable piece with an excellent arrangement by Nelson Hernández and Sammy González, Jr., on vocals. “As always”, said Zamot, “we are presenting an arrangement that keeps the dancer in mind. We thought about developing a perfect theme song for those that are currently teaching others how to dance the rythmical variations of what now is known worldwide as Salsa, and we worked using aggressive tonalities in trying to improve on a known classic, which is no easy task. It was an idea that came to my mind all of a sudden. I thought it would be good to revisit the past in order to leave a legacy for the future. This is a way to make our youth familiar with the music of our forefathers, experimenting with a cultural root that has been enjoyed by many generations”, said Zamot.
The cut allows for the world reknown pianist, arranger and composer, Isidro Infante to come back to his roots as a musician adding the spice with a series of solos that would, undoubtely aid in establishing this musical theme as one of the favorites of all salseros, in New York, and the international market as well.
“We have a lot of faith on this product”, said the orquestra director Johnny Zamot, “we worked hard on the musical recipe that is bound to make this theme one of the favorite hits for the year, and a sure classic for years to come. We are sure that it will be to the liking of all dancers”, he stated.
The second cut is another classic, a Plena, from the early twentieth century, from the pen of master musician and composer Manuel Jiménez “Canario”, the well remembered “La Máquina”. With a musical arrangement by Isidro Infante, it serves as a showcase for José Dávila on vocals as well as Colombian musician, Héctor Martignón, who adds the South American country’s spice with a magnificient rendition on the accordion.
Here the musical genius of Zamot is manifested in a musical idea that is backed with a very modern arragement where the Plena and the Colombian rhythms interact in unison with splendorous grace. This is a musical presentation that will surely cojoint the lovers of the traditional Puerto Rican music and the lovers of the typical Colombian tunes, in an uncanny musical fusion.
The compact disc is further solidified with six additional hits, all performed by Johnny Ray and his Orchestra. “En un beso la vida”, “Olvídame”, “Reconciliación”, “El Mal Querido”, “Llegaste Tarde”, y “Esta noche la paso contigo”, complete a solid and well choosen musical lineup.
This recording presents the forty-first album in the prolific career of Johnny Ray and his Orchestra, it is also the tenth of his label JZ Productions.
“This is a special number of recordings, a full cycle, you might say. It is not easy to continue to produce under the current conditions of the Latin music market”, stated Zamot, “but we have a commitment with the dancers, and with our music and that is my goal as an artist”, accentuated the always aggressive musician, who is one of the few veterans that has remained in a strong cultural battle to promote the Latino cultural tradition through its musical expression.
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01 El De la Rumba Soy Yo
02 La Maquina
03 En Un Beso La Vida
04 Olvidame
05 Reconciliacion
06 El Malquerido
07 Llegaste Tarde
08 Esta Noche La Paso Contigo
Puerto Rican percussionist, Johnny Zamot, better known in the music world as Johnny Ray, has maintained the fight, for over four decades, to maintain his status as one of the best dancing bands in the New York Salsa scence.
With a ton of hits under his belt, this product of Quebradilla—raised in Aguadilla, and developed in the hot Salsa environment of New York City--has been an icon for many years, becoming one of the favorite dancing groups for salseros in the Big Apple.
Always active in his musical productions, Zamot announced today the release of his latest muscal Compact Disk, “El de la Rumba soy yo”.
The musical cut that names the production, one of the two included in the promotional CD, originated in 1951 by the Sonora Matancera in a duet by the always remembered Celia Cruz, and Bienvenido Granda.
Johnny Ray and his Orchestra turn this classic into a memorable piece with an excellent arrangement by Nelson Hernández and Sammy González, Jr., on vocals. “As always”, said Zamot, “we are presenting an arrangement that keeps the dancer in mind. We thought about developing a perfect theme song for those that are currently teaching others how to dance the rythmical variations of what now is known worldwide as Salsa, and we worked using aggressive tonalities in trying to improve on a known classic, which is no easy task. It was an idea that came to my mind all of a sudden. I thought it would be good to revisit the past in order to leave a legacy for the future. This is a way to make our youth familiar with the music of our forefathers, experimenting with a cultural root that has been enjoyed by many generations”, said Zamot.
The cut allows for the world reknown pianist, arranger and composer, Isidro Infante to come back to his roots as a musician adding the spice with a series of solos that would, undoubtely aid in establishing this musical theme as one of the favorites of all salseros, in New York, and the international market as well.
“We have a lot of faith on this product”, said the orquestra director Johnny Zamot, “we worked hard on the musical recipe that is bound to make this theme one of the favorite hits for the year, and a sure classic for years to come. We are sure that it will be to the liking of all dancers”, he stated.
The second cut is another classic, a Plena, from the early twentieth century, from the pen of master musician and composer Manuel Jiménez “Canario”, the well remembered “La Máquina”. With a musical arrangement by Isidro Infante, it serves as a showcase for José Dávila on vocals as well as Colombian musician, Héctor Martignón, who adds the South American country’s spice with a magnificient rendition on the accordion.
Here the musical genius of Zamot is manifested in a musical idea that is backed with a very modern arragement where the Plena and the Colombian rhythms interact in unison with splendorous grace. This is a musical presentation that will surely cojoint the lovers of the traditional Puerto Rican music and the lovers of the typical Colombian tunes, in an uncanny musical fusion.
The compact disc is further solidified with six additional hits, all performed by Johnny Ray and his Orchestra. “En un beso la vida”, “Olvídame”, “Reconciliación”, “El Mal Querido”, “Llegaste Tarde”, y “Esta noche la paso contigo”, complete a solid and well choosen musical lineup.
This recording presents the forty-first album in the prolific career of Johnny Ray and his Orchestra, it is also the tenth of his label JZ Productions.
“This is a special number of recordings, a full cycle, you might say. It is not easy to continue to produce under the current conditions of the Latin music market”, stated Zamot, “but we have a commitment with the dancers, and with our music and that is my goal as an artist”, accentuated the always aggressive musician, who is one of the few veterans that has remained in a strong cultural battle to promote the Latino cultural tradition through its musical expression.
Johnny Ray Salsa Con Clase
2009 - EL DE LA RUMBA SOY YO
Produced by J.Z. Production
NOTE: You will only get to download the 4 tracks on this site. The CD comes with 8 tracks total.
Another killer from the always-reliable El Palmas, this Afro-Latin rarity is just as incendiary as it was when it was released in 1967. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 20, 2023
