Gilberto Santa Rosa brought his class and elegance to New York City's Radio City Music Hall on Saturday (April 6), where he once again made it clear why he is considered El Caballero de la Salsa (The Master of Salsa).
Accompanied by an all-star orchestra of 15 musicians – including brass, keyboards, strings, percussion and backup singers – Puerto Rico regaled a predominantly Latino audience in New York with classic songs from his repertoire such as “Derroche,” “Conciencia,” “Conteo Regresivo” and “Perdóname”.
He also performed a bolero set, which he introduced with an anecdote told with his characteristic grace and charm.
“My life went between bolero and salsa, and I say that in that order because the first thing I started singing was bolero,” he recalled. “I started singing bolero because I had a really bad love break up… at the age of 6,” Santa Rosa continued, prompting the audience to burst into laughter.
With the idea of winning over a girl, he said, the singer teamed up with a friend who sang and played guitar.
“I thought, 'When I start singing, this girl is going to go crazy for me.' Well, guess what? I went out to sing in the first school program I could and the girl didn't even look at me. But she gave me a profession and thanks to that, you and we are here tonight.”
On his third occasion at Radio City Music Hall, this time as part of his Auténtico tour, Santa Rosa recalled his long history with New York, where he began performing as a teenager in the 1980s at the Corso nightclub as part of Willie Rosario. orchestra, and where he recorded his iconic 1995 live album En Vivo Desde El Carnegie Hall.
“Tonight we come to give you everything here at Radio City Music Hall, which is an iconic place in New York and the United States,” he said with a smile. “This is our third time on this stage and we are happy about it.”
One of the happiest moments was led by congero Gerardo Rivas, former member of the musical duo NG2 who also has a solo career as a singer. The son of Jerry Rivas of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Gerardo momentarily put down the congas to take center stage, where he first sang “Suma y Resta” with Santa Rosa—who originally recorded this song with El Micha— and then a piece from his own repertoire, “Happy,” that got everyone dancing.
The orchestra, whose talent was combined with grace and elegance, includes veteran musicians such as musical director and trombonist Georgie Torres, pianist Luis Marín, bongo player Rafael Echeverría, backup singer Gino Ramírez and trumpeter Rebeca Zambrana, many of whom have played with Santa Rosa for decades. Everyone spread their enthusiasm with fun choreography and Santa Rosa took the time to introduce them with great affection and admiration.
With an uninterrupted and successful career spanning decades, Gilberto Santa Rosa continues to be one of the undisputed references of salsa. The Auténtico tour started last year in Puerto Rico and reached South America in February. His US stint continues next week in Charlotte, NC, and also includes stops in cities like El Paso, Houston and Dallas, before moving on to Europe. (For a full list of dates, click here).
