Sunday, February 17, 2013

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.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

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).


 




Monday, February 11, 2013

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

Sunday, February 03, 2013

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: