A Classic From Luis Alberti

In Poland, The Gdańsk University Choir Performs Luis Alberti's Classic Merengue Titled:  "Compadre Pedro Juan".

Sandy Reyes Performs "Mi Novia, Mi Amante & Mujer"

This song by "Singer Extraordinnaire" Sandy Reyes is a real Merengue Masterpiece recorded in the mid 80s, during the Golden Era of Merengue.

The musical arrangement made by Manuel Tejada surely made an impression at the time since his touch added another twist to the conventional arrangement style followed by the majority.

Sandy Reyes debuted in the early 70s with the Wilfrido Vargas orchestra, later on relocated to Puerto Rico with his solo project  and went on to be recognized in his day as the best Merengue Singer among his contemporaries.

This contribution has all the necessary ingredients  to be considered as a classic, a true example of what constitutes "Merengue For Ever".

Sandy Reyes sings "Mi Novia, Mi Amante y Mujer"

Universal Studios Adds Merengue To Madagascar 5 Soundtrack

Universal Studios has put together the Soundtrack for the # 5 sequel of the animated film Madagascar 5.

Juan Luis Guerra's song "En El Cielo No Hay Hospital" was being considered, along with Wilfrido Vargas' "Leona".

The latter  (Leona) was the more obvious choice and it's officially part of the upcoming film, which still doesn't have a release date.

Merengue For Ever By "Los Hermanos Rosario

This band, known as "Los Hermanos Rosario" have been consistently making hits since the band started to become known through Dominican TV in the early 80s.   They have been dubbed as the Dominican version of "The Rolling Stones" by none other than Juan Luis Guerra due to their consistency for almost 4 decades, maintaining their musical work relevant and followed by people in Latin America, the U.S. and Europe.

Rafa Rosario, as the band leader, has demonstrated great leadership and has been the key in the development of their distinctive sound.  However, bassist Luis Rosario is an integral part of their success, as well as their younger brother Tony.  Their manager, Rene Solis, deserves a special mention due to his remarkable work behind the scenes.

This is their latest TV performance, and they have, as usual, shown that their success is no luck but the result of knowing how to do it well every time.

Los Hermanos Rosario surely have done "Merengue For Ever".

CARLOS DAVID CON BONNY CEPEDA - ME GUSTA DE TI (1984)

This song was made in the early 80s by Bonny Cepeda and his band, the singer is Carlos David.  Its musical arrangement was part of Merengue's juggernaut in its so called "Golden Decade".   Note the Dixieland-like mambos achieved by Bonny.

Carlos David is still active as a band leader and surprisingly, seems to keep all his vocal abilities intact.

Alex Bueno: A Bona Fide Merengue Hitmaker

For some, Alex Bueno is arguably one of the the best  Merengue Singers in the history of this music.

He's known for saving lots of time in the recording studio due to his ability to get most songs perfect in his first attempt.  

This song titled "Sin Ti No Soy Nada", is one of  his many hits throughout the 80s and 90s decades.

He's currently active with his band and still manages to sing just like he did more than 30 years ago when he started as back up singer in Fernando Villalona's band.

Merengue Has A Diva Named Myriam Cruz

Myriam Cruz is a household name for all Dominicans at home and abroad.  She used to be the lead singer for the successful All-Girl band "Las  Chican" during the 80s and 90s.


Her current band is under the direction of keyboardist Henry Jimenez (The Homeboy), who has a long history of success in his resume..

Myriam Cruz has modernized today's Merengue in every possible way, as evidenced in this recent TV appearance (2-11-13).


 

Dissecting Merengue: Bonny Cepeda & His Super Hit "Asesina"

 

Here is a popular masterpiece made by Bonny Cepeda titled Asesina.

The song was released in the summer 0f 1986.

Asesina: a one-of-a-kind Merengue performed and arranged by Bonny Cepeda a.k.a El Maestro Joven (The Young Master). 

He earned this nickname because of his brilliance, old Merengueros were quick to recognize his talent and peculiar style.

Note the nice intro sung in English and Spanish, something not many have done successfully like Bonny.      In the world of Merengue, that is.

The musical arrangement is unconventional since at the time Dominican merengueros were not using synthetizers as skillfully as Bonny Cepeda.

He's also the lead singer in this piece, his brother Richie helped in the chorus, as usual.

These two brothers were practically inseparable, they were a winning formula in music-making.

The mambos and overall music for this song make it memorable because this guy really crafted a good product which had a nice welcome by the industry and the people.

He became extremely popular and received a lot of airplay in DR, PR, the U.S. Central, South America and Europe.

Bonny Cepeda is a legend in the history of Merengue, his contributions have been invaluable, many other singers and band directors relied on him for arrangements that helped many Merengue songs become hits in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Among them we count Fernando Villalona, Wilfrido Vargas, Los Kenton, etc.

Merengue For Ever salutes Bonny Cepeda and recognizes his talent and the enduring quality of his work.

Listen to this song and enjoy!

Asesina, by Bonny Cepeda

MERENGUE FOR EVER!!!

Downtown

Olga Tañón Culpa A La Radio De La Baja Del Merengue

Ramón Orlando Opina Acerca Del Merengue De Hoy

El maestro Ramón Orlando reconoció que el ritmo dominicano no se encuentra en su mejor momento, y que  lo que le ha faltado al merengue de esta época,  es que hayan   verdaderos músicos de estudios que sean arreglistas.  

Ramón, quien es un destacado arreglista musical y sobre cuyos hombros ha descansado una parte importante de los éxitos de merengue y salsa hechas en la RD,  lamenta que en estos tiempos la juventud no quiera prepararse y estudiar 12 años de música.

Suponemos que cuando habla de verdaderos arreglistas,  se refiere a individuos que puedan hacer trabajos musicales como este, a favor del Merengue:

Video Of Live Performance By Wilfrido Vargas & His Band In Dominican TV

Here's Wilfrido Vargas' performance in the TV show De Extremo A Extremo, broadcast by Telemicro in the Dominican Republic on 1/28/13.

Good News for Merengue!!! Wilfrido Vargas Anuncia Su Regreso A RD

Wilfrido Vargas Anuncia Su Regreso A RD

Juan Luis & Sus Mulatos

"La Ola":  This is a Merengue song made in the island of Puerto Rico in the Summer of 85.  The band was led by Bass player Juan Luis, hence the name "Juan Luis & Sus Mulatos".  The singer was Juanchy Vasquez, whose particular voice and singing style allowed him to have his own successful music project later on in NYC.

A very interesting feature in the making of this song is the fusion of Merengue and Plena.

Ramón Orlando Valoy

Ramón Orlando Valoy is a merengue musician and son of Cuco Valoy.

Ramón Orlando (Valoy) was born in Manoguayabo, then part of Santo Domingo, D.N. (the capital city) and now part of Santo Domingo Province. He studied music at National Conservatory of Music in the Dominican Republic.

In the 1970s, after his father Cuco Valoy left the guitar duet Los Ahijados, he formed his first group, Los Virtuosos, with Cuco as the lead singer. Cuco kept the group together renamed as Cuco Valoy y Orquesta (Cuco Valoy and his Orchestra) in which he hired singers Peter Cruz and Henry Garcia. Ramón Orlando went on to form another group during that time. Years later, the Cuco Valoy group broke up and Ramon moved to Colombia to physically separate himself from the Dominican Republic due to his political differences with the Dominican president Joaquín Balaguer. Ramón Orlando then undertook a more ambitious musical project. He and then-famous merengue singers Peter Cruz and Henry Garcia formed La Orquesta Internacional (The International Orchestra), in which Ramón Orlando intended to be the composer and musical director, while Cruz and Garcia were intended to be the vocalists. However, of the first ten "single" songs to be recorded (and released individually), Ramón chose to sing four of them himself, which caused a split in the group. Peter Cruz and Henry Garcia then each formed a short-lived group. Upon the two vocalists' departure, Ramón Orlando quickly hired some vocalists with voices sounding similar to those of Cruz and Garcia in order to perform songs already gaining airplay.

Ramón Orlando is also the composer of the theme El Venao, which found a large audience in several Latin American countries including Colombia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

He was a nominee in the Latin Grammy Awards of 2005.

Source: Wikipedia

Premium Merengue, Courtesy Of La Gran Manzana

This is quite possibly one of the best-arranged Merengue songs made in NYC during the 80s decade..

La Gran Manzana was a local band which grew to become an international success.

A well-respected ensemble of musicians led by lead singer Victor Roque, Anthony Valdez (Bass), Jose Francisco Montero (Trombone), Marcos Burdier (Chorus/choreography) and many other talented guys, helped this band achieve its distinctive sound and look, which, by today's standards, continues to be unmatched in NYC.