LATIN MIXX to honor RUBEN BLADES the 2O13 LMX ICON AWARD

The 8th annual Latin Mixx Conference and DJ Choice Awards has announced its official content line-up for the highly coveted Latino DJ award show. This celebration will showcase events that will highlight workshops, exhibits, expos and social media networking. Plus it will include a tribute to Rubén Blades. This year LMX will introduce a unique contest for DJ´s to enter and win an exclusive opportunity to spin LIVE on the #1 Latin Radio Station in the Tri-State area. The 2013 LatinMixx conference and award show will kick-off July 9th and extent to the LMX DJ Choice Awards presentation on July 11th. It will be hosted by one of the country's most prominent and recognized DJs/Radio Personalities Alex Sensation, alongside fitness and cover model, Vida Guerra.

See you at the LatinMixx Awards!!!!

Louie Vega - Elements of Life - Eclipse

On Elements Of Life Eclipse, which was 4 ½ years in the making, Vega kept the style of the earlier albums (African, Jazz, Latin, World) but has added Soul, R&B, Gospel and Blues. The lyrics are deeper now and are bringing more conscious messages to the world. Joining Elements Of Life on this album are singers Lisa Fischer and Cindy Mizelle, and poets: Ursula Rucker and Oveous Maximus as well as percussionist Luisito Quintero (Vega produced his last two albums). Singer/songwriter, and global DJ Anané has blossomed since her full length release of Ananésworld and brought in more of her Cape Verdean influences and has also experimented more with the R&B/Soul sounds which she’s made her own on songs like the Roy Ayers penned “You Came Into My Life” and the Cesaria Evora classic “Sodade.” Lisa and Cindy have brought in their Gospel and R&B influences, and have even experimented with Jazz, Funk, and House. They performed backgrounds on live shows for many years for artists like Luther Vandross, the Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, and Mary J. Blige to name a few. For years Vega wanted to do a project and take Lisa and Cindy from the background to the forefront as leads. Rounding out the stellar talent are poets Ursula Rucker and Oveous Maximus who bring their storytelling and poetry in the form of spoken word to E.O.L. As Vega states, “It was all perfect for the new album.” Ongoing themes for the new album are about reaching out to our young generation, and paying homage to women. Vega adds, “I feel in these times we need songs like this to help inspire moves.”

Vega concludes, “It’s a true honor for me to be the first new artist album signed to Fania Records in years. It really comes full circle now, being able to be on the label my uncle Hector Lavoe was on and the Fania All Stars who are also great inspirations for me. Fania Records is to Latin music what Motown is to R&B and Soul, so to be even a small page in this encyclopedia of music is a dream come true for me.”

Elements of Life - Eclipse

Ruben Blades sings "Juan Pachanga" 1978: VIDEO

This video take us back to 1978. Ruben Blades and the Fania All-Stars are in full swing with the salsa explosion. Juan Pachanga is a song with similar narrative ideas to Pedro Navaja however the storyline doesn't compare or is similar. Its a song based on a totally different person. 

Appearance by Papo Lucca, Willie Colon and Pupi Legarreta.

Juan Pachanga (Ruben Blades)

Juanito Alimaña vs. Pedro Navaja

                          
                Can you imagine this? It’s a match between two criminals, two tales written by two iconic salsa giants Hector Lavoe and Rubén Blades. Each song portrays the lifestyle of the urban Latino American experience and who would have thought that these songs were going to be part of the salsa explosion of Fania records. Well, the songs Juanito Alimaña and Pedro Navaja are classics now and the lyrics to both songs are well worthy enough of be craved in stone.


Coming straight from a New York City street corner, we have Juanito Alimaña that tells the story of a street thug that is irreconcilable with society. He is vicious and dangerous; his cousin is a police officer, which makes it seem that he can get away with any crime. Hector Lavoe depicts Juanito’s world as sordid and exquisite but the song keep us engage as if you was watching Carlito’s Way.

Juanito Alimaña (Hector Lavoe)

From the street corner of lower Manhattan, it’s known that the track Pedro Navaja was dislike by Fania bosses Johnny Pacheco and Jerry Mascucci. However, when Willie Colón and Rubén Blades’ second collaboration album, Siembra hit the record stores in 1978. The song Pedro Navaja became famous and a hit classic. Blades wrote and narrated Pedro Navaja with a tale illustrating life, death and with an unexpected dark ending. We have to ask ourselves, was there anything between Pedro Navaja and the prostitute. Did he already have a grudge? And where did the drunk come from?

Pedro Navaja (Rubén Blades)

What’s your opinion? Which one is the best song of all-time? 

Leave a comment.

Pedro Navaja VHS videocassette cover

Here is a rare design of a Pedro Navaja VHS videocassette cover. It shows Pedro Navaja with the glowing gold tooth, wearing the killer trench coat. In his right hand, he holds his switchblade/jackknife ready for his shark bite attack.

Why did Ruben Blades wrote the song "Pedro Navaja"?

Rubén Blades was inspired to write Pedro Navaja when he first heard the medley of The Threepenny Opera song. He felt the haunting story and medley of the characters in the opera and fell in love with it. Later in his life, he heard the song Mack the Knife. The first singer to record Mack the Knife was Bobby Darin and later Louis Armstrong performed the song. In parties, Blades was asked to sing the Mack the Knife song, which tells the story of a panderer's life and his presumed death. Rubén Blades was shy in singing the song but he loved it since his early youthful days.  The song stuck with him for the remainder of his life, which later influence him and Willie Colon to produce a 1978 collaboration album titled Siembra. The album introduced us to songs like Plástico, Buscando Guayaba and the hit classic Pedro Navaja.

Mack the Knife (Bobby Darin)

Mack the Knife (Louis Armstrong)

Introducing "YUNG PETEY JACK"

Photo Cube Be on the look out for the YUNG PETEY JACK.