We had a meeting by videoconference. Despite the distance imposed by the screens and the six-hour time difference, the man nicknamed “the gentleman of salsa” proves to be faithful to his image, elegant and benevolent, eager to exchange.
Can you tell us about your first steps?
I started singing boleros at the age of 6 with a friend who accompanied me on the guitar. At 11, I had my first band, and from 14 I had the opportunity to record with the orchestra of Mario Ortiz. It opened the doors to a professional career for me.
Later, Tony Olivencia recruited me to sing with the orchestra of Willie Rosario where I stayed almost 6 years. Following that, I embarked on the adventure of a solo career. And it’s been going on for 37 years!
Is that when you were called “El Caballero de la Salsa”, the gentleman of salsa?
Exactly. What happened was that there was a popular radio host in Puerto Rico by the name of Rolandito Sanchez which featured a program called « Sauce time ». At that time, we were talking about erotic sauce. Me, I was a romantic. He called me the gentleman of salsa because of the elegance of my interpretation. I admit that it has me much more.
The salseros have a kind of gimmick : an expression they use at certain times of the song and which becomes their trademark. Everyone knows the famous Sugar ! » by Celia Cruz. And you, where does your Walk it! » ?
I don’t know if that was the case for Celia, but for me it was an accident. It goes back to when I was singing in the Willie Rosario orchestra. Willie liked the singers intervening on the instrumental part, encouraging the orchestra, making comments… But I didn’t feel comfortable in the exercise.
It happened during my last recording with Willie. I was hesitant. At one point, I hear shouting from the cabin: « Vas-y, bon sang ! Walk it! » Taken aback, I launched: « Walk it! ». It was a very rhythmic interjection. I then took it up on my first record. In the street, people called out to me, shouting: Walk it! » It stuck with me.
It is became the title of the tour. It came naturally to me after the pandemic. After several years of silence, what better slogan than « Walk it! » to describe my desire to get back on the road?
You were one of the major players in the so-called romantic salsa. How did you experience the transformation of the original salsa?
I experienced this turning point from within. In the early 80s, in New York and Puerto Rico, Caribbean music turned to lighter music such as merengue, abandoning traditional salsa.
In the mid-1980s, several musicians found success with a more romantic repertoire. In particular, there was this movement born in New York with Louie Ramirez et Ray of Peace who recorded the series hot night. There were many other records that brought out a new style of salsa: smooth, often sexy lyrics, languorous rhythms, less aggressive arrangements than traditional salsa. It was music that featured singers more than orchestras.
” The sauce romantic has opened up unexpected horizons to traditional salsa”
It was at this precise moment that I started my solo career. I then embraced this movement called erotic sauce or romantic sauce which met with great success, particularly with female audiences. This format has opened up unexpected horizons for salsa by reaching a wider audience. It has taken us where we would never have imagined, allowing, for example, the Fania All-Stars to perform in Paris.
You are from Puerto Rico. New York salsa, embodied by the Fania record company, hasn’t overshadowed Puerto Rican salsa?
I do not believe. I think it’s complementary. The raw material is Cuban music. Nueva York salsa was predominantly Puerto Rican, an easily exportable salsa.
“There is only one salsa”
For me, there is only one salsa! But it has many nuances. Some are romantic, others more instrumental. Very interesting is its importation into the different countries of Latin America, such as Colombia or Venezuela. It is the same music with different colors.
You just mentioned Cuba… What place does Cuban music represent for you?
A huge place. This is the source, the origins. I really like traditional Cuban music but I also know how to appreciate its recent evolutions like the timba. I love rumba. THE son traditional is my preference.
You performed ” Rain “ of the late Adalberto Alvarez, nicknamed himself ” The Knight of the Son» …
I sang a lot! He was a great friend and an immense composer whom I consulted a great deal.
You are what is called a bell. What does this mean for you?
It should be clarified what is meant by sonero. By sonero, I mean improviser, and not interpreter of son [le style musical]. Let’s be honest, in the 70s knowing how to improvise was much more important than it is today. At the time, there were so many good soneros…
How did you learn to improvise?
I don’t know if we can learn this stuff. I discovered very early on that I had the ability to listen to the orchestra, to improvise on the theme, to make rhymes. For me it was easy. I’m not the best sonero in the world, I’m not the worst either!
Urban Latin music is very popular all over the world, reducing the place of traditional music to a niche. Do you see ways to fight against this disaffection?
“Platforms are a huge opportunity”
It’s very complicated because it’s a distribution problem. The media focuses exclusively (and this is also true globally) on urban music. The salseros do an excellent job, but this limitation exists. What I believe is that the platforms offer us a huge opportunity. Each genre has its qualities. Salsa had its heyday, now it’s urban music. I don’t think urban music will replace salsa. There are a lot of talents in salsa. It’s time to take the next step.
How do you do it yourself? You are still very active, with numerous collaborations with traditional orchestras, of course, but also urban artists such as Vico C, from 2005, or El Micha, more recently in 2018.
I touch everything. I like working with urban music artists. These are real artistic challenges. I learn a lot from these exchanges. These are also great opportunities because these collaborations work well commercially.
It seems like you always wanted to be in your time. Already in the interview book « Salsa Talks » of Mary Kent you said in 2005: “I’m very traditional, but I believe in evolution in music. »
“The mix of modern and traditional is part of my musical identity”
The mixture of modern and tradition is part of my musical identity. I’m a product of tradition, but I’m also bold in my own way. I want to bring a proposal for renewal. It’s an interesting way to look at music.
It’s funny because we can see that you stay up to date in your physical changes: the mustache is gone, you still wear elegant suits, fashionable glasses…
[Il hésite, puis sourit] As much as possible, I try not to look like my father! I don’t want people to say I’m old-fashioned. This is the proposal: to embody tradition but in a contemporary form.
A word about your latest album, « Debut and Second Goal » ?
This album illustrates exactly what we have just mentioned: the mixture of modernity and tradition. It contains covers of recent hits and songs I’ve recorded for others. This record is special to me because it was made during the pandemic. It’s an album that I want to defend because I like it a lot.
Will you sing a few excerpts on Wednesday at the Casino de Paris? Of course.
Gilberto Santa Rosa in concert le 1er mars au Casino de Paris.
Album « Debut and Second Goal » (2022, B2B Music)