Why musician Rubén Blades made the switch from salsa to tango

by April Peavey 

Panamanian musician Rubén Blades is best known for his salsa compositions, but all along, it seems, he was fantasizing about something else.

"I've always wondered how the songs I wrote, that were recorded in salsa, how would they turn out if I recorded them as tangos," Blades says.

These aren't exactly the closest of genres — salsa and tango. I mean, where do you even start? 

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RUBEN BLADES performs in Lincoln Center NYC 8-7-2013

It was a free NYC concert which attracted thousands of Rubén Blades fans from all parts of the world. They came out to enjoy a night of salsa music and dancing.  And for Blades performing his hits hasn't slowed down at all. He is in full swing to securing a music career as an iconic salsa performer. Well, in actuality, for many salsa music enthusiasts or critics, Rubén Blades has reach iconic salsa status many years ago. Not to mention, he also accomplished a successful acting career and as an influential activist for the urban Latino community.

 

Many fans have enjoyed plenty of Rubén Blades' performances in New York City but unfortunately many was left out in the streets from this particular concert at the Damrosch Park Bandshell in Lincoln Center, NYC. It could have been their worst concert experience, however it was a experience that was entertaining and enjoyable. Why was it enjoyable? Because the show was part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival and its was an outdoor festival open for the public to listen and watch.

Not everyone had a good seat. Some of the crowd audience watched the performances from the city streets through a protect screen that was used to make it look something  similar to a closed venue. It didn't matter because the sound of the music was vibrant for everyone to hear and dance the night away.

Overall, the entire scene was exuberant. Rubén Blades delivered several of his classic songs while providing the audience with a little brief  history of his musical journey for them to take home and remember.


VIDEO: Ruben Blades performs El Cantante. (Tribute to Hector Lavoe)



 

 To see more pictures of the concert click here. Photographs by Kevin Yatarola.

 

 

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.

Fania music continues to live strong in PERU: Video en ESPANOL

Certain genre of music die out and disappear but the music of Fania Records maintain it's legacy in Peru.

Pedro Navaja Spanish Magazine

Pedro Navaja Spanish Magazine

Mack the Knife vs. Pedro Navaja

Mack the Knife vs. Pedro Navaja