Angel Canales
Ángel Luis Canales (Santurce, June 29, 1950), is a Puerto Rican salsa singer, based in New York. He is one of the great surviving salseros, among whose successes are "Nostalgia", "Sol de mi vida", "Lejos de ti", "Hace tiempo", and his famous version of the bolero "Dos gardenias".
Biography
He was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. At the age of eight he moved with his family to New York where he lived in East Harlem. Received from small great musical influence being the music of Cortijo and his Combo and the one of Ismael Rivera those that marked him more like musician.
He began as a timbalist in Ray Jay's Orchestra. It was in this orchestra where he debuted as a singer when he had to replace the vocalist. Then he joined the group of Mark Dimond, former pianist Willie Columbus. The group then changed its name to "Ángel Canales y Sabor".
With this orchestra the successes were made "Flavor of the New Rumberos", "Lejos de Ti" and "Perico Macoña". He is recognized for his interpretation of the bolero "Dos gardenias".
By the way he distributes the structure of the choirs of his songs (generally, he uses two choirs with different lyrics in the montuno), his attitude on the stage and by the peculiar timbre of his voice, Ángel Canales is called "El Diferente".
Biography and trajectory
Ángel Luis Canales was born on June 29, 1950 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His parents Ángel Luis Canales Sr. and Ana Ilda Canales brought him to El Barrio del Alto Manhattan, New York, at the age of 8 years. During his childhood he listened to the music of Rafael Cortijo with Ismael Rivera, the song Jíbara (peasant) and the romantic singers of the fifty preferred in his house. In New York, the sounds changed, his new friends did not speak Spanish and Elvis Presley and Mowtown were heard at school. Then came the boogaloo explosion. When his own friends and Canales themselves turn to rediscover Latin music through the 'tumbao' of young groups like Willie Colón, Johnny Colón, Pete Rodríguez and the Lebrón Brothers.
At school he was not very good with books in general, but he always excelled in the machine shop. So he decides to introduce himself to work in a jewelry shop, recommended by a teacher who appreciated it a lot. He first entered as a messenger, then looking curiously at the art of diamond cutters, learned how to polish, carve and assemble them, which in the end became his lifelong profession
In the late sixties he was drafted into the army. On his return, he found that some of his childhood friends had become musicians, among them Antonio Tapia, Luis Rivera and Johnny Torres. All of them gathered in a modest band led by an American black pianist who called himself Markolino (Mark Dimond). An extravagant character, who liked to compose, arrange and play the piano in a very unique and advanced way for the salseros of the seventies.
Canales arrives at the moment that Markolino signs with the Fania label, and at the suggestion of his compadre Johnny Torres goes to the studio to put his voice in several tracks of songs that had never heard. Of all this improvisation, the LP "Brujería" appears where the shy voice of Canales begins to emphasize in the subjects: The Neighborhood, I do not have Penalty, Witchcraft, It Has Flavor, Ladybug and Brandy.
Between 1970 and 1974 Markolino, Angel Canales and his musician friends survive playing the repertoire of this singular LP, in weddings and dances, until Markolino disappears of the map by personal problems. It was rumored that he had died, but then he was resurrected by Hector Lavoe, Frankie Dante and Chivirico Davila on the recordings of "Rompe Saragüey (75)", "Because I Adore (76)" and "Fifth Beethoven (76)." Later, it disappeared again and miraculously revives in the recording of Larry Harlow, in Miami in 1988 "Mortifica".
Meanwhile Angel Canales supported by most of the vacant musicians decides to start a new stage, where not only he would contribute the money of his work, but compositions and leadership. It appears in the 1975 LP "Canales y la Orquesta Sabor", produced for the Alegre label by Joe Cain. Outstanding in this production were two Colombian pianists, the pastuso Eddie Martinez responsible for all arrangements and the coastal Joe Madrid performer of all solos.
The Radio was upset when it began to sound "Away from you", a vocal hybrid combination of Hector Lavoe, Juan Legido, Marco Antonio Muñiz and even Fernando Alvarez, with the personal ring of the diamond cutter.
There were few negative reviews that rained around this enigmatic singer who self-financed and never looked for "la payola" to promote his albums. But this was only the beginning, Canales imposed a new style in salsa dresses, shaved head, choreographies and above all his powerful orchestra full of informal musicians that was added by the most eccentric and aggressive jazz artists in the city, Free to improvise on some complicated mambos that came out of a baritone sax, a very high trumpet and two horny trombones. It was the Jazzy sound that sounded happy and uncomplicated, ahead of time. It was "The Feeling of a Latino in New York" !!! ...
Cautiously guarded and blocked by the most important salsa promoters of the city, who saw in Canales a too independent being who paid his musicians the highest salaries, in 1977 he arrives at Canales the opportunity to discover his welcome outside the "bowels Of the monster ". An entrepreneur sends him an advance of five thousand dollars, air ticket and lodging in the Hilton of Panama so that it appears for the first time in Latin America with all the band. The success was resounding, hence the tribute of Angel Canales to his "Panama Sovereign".
The other three only exits of Canales to the outside have been to Caracas (Venezuela) in 1982 in the Poliedro; Managed by Izzi Zanabria (Master of Ceremonies of Fania All Stars) and Ralph Mercado, another presentation in Cali (Colombia) and another in Lima (Peru) in the 90s.
Between 1975 and 1987, Canales recorded 9 long-length albums. He reappears and briefly signs with Chino Rodriguez, who took him to New York in 1993 after a 90-day promotional campaign where Angel Canales replayed himself at the Broadway Club with his original band. The Broadway Club was owned by Ralph Mercado, the club was full of fans and a line was formed around the entrance to get and see the legendary singer, Chino Rodriguez had quoted that he was planning a world tour for Angel Canales however after Of a disagreement with Mr. Rodríguez, Rodríguez's relationship as an agent of Canales was dissociated. A few years passed and Angel Canales, in 1996 timidly does a pair of recordings produced in Miami, "Niña Melé" and "I only know that it has woman's name".
Angel Canales has been one of the few vocalists who has given himself the luxury of presenting himself without promoters and itineraries. A luxury that gave him his true profession as a diamond cutter.
Discography
1971 - Witchcraft.
1975 - Flavor.
1976 - The San Juan.
1977 - More Flavor. (It is the work "Brujería", reedited with this name and where the credit is omitted to Markolino Dimond like leader.
1978 - Live at Roseland.
1979 - Sentimiento del Latino in New York.
1981 - The Different.
1982 - Different Shades of Thought. (In some countries it was published under the name "To You".)
1985 - It's Time (It's Time).
1985 - No One Knows My Suffering.
1991 - And Your Salsa Live.
1991 - Live the Different.
2002 - History of A Legend.
2002 - Millionaires of the Salsa.
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