The Reviews Are In!
Accolades for Lo Que Traigo Yo
Grammy-winning vocalist and veteran of the renown Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Willy Torres and Willy's NYC Salsa Project debut their smash new release Lo Que Traigo Yo and it is burning up the salsa scene all over America!
Bruce Pollin
EditorsPick: Finally, a New York salsa project to match the heat of this summer! Just in time for school, let this project be a lesson as to how to get it done right. Spanish Harlem Orchestra singer Willy Torres pulled together some top talent, including SHO's Bobby Allende on timbales, trumpeter Pete Nater, and guest singer Hermán Olivera. There's also pianist Efrain Davila, Nelson Negrón on cuatro/guitar, trombonist Ron Prokopez, bongocero Carlitos Soto and many others. Torres opens with the salsa classics "A Las Seis" and "Rompe Saragüey" then eases into fiery original tracks. He couldn't resist a new arrangement of Tito Puente's "Yambeque," and why not? It's a killer. Highly Recommended.
Roberto Rabbi (En Español)
Gia’ nel progetto ‘Spanish Harlem Orchestra’, il percussionista e vocalista Willy Torres si presenta con questo album da lui stesso prodotto per www.LatinStreetMusic.com Sono 10 brani ( 50’) che comprendono pezzi originali di Willy ( come gli ottimi ‘Baila con sabor’ , ‘ Lo que traigo yo’, ‘Si te preguntan’ – da rimarcare il dialogo tra Sax e Trombone - ) come brani standard :’ Rompe Saraguey’ ( interpretata da Herman Olivera e con un bel passaggio jazzato del bassita Nelson Torres e del pianista Desmar Guevara ) o ‘La muerte’ ( un classico del ‘Gran Combo’ con altro bell’ assolo del trombonista Ron Prokopez ) e ancora ‘ A las seis’ di Jimmy Sabater e il magistrale ‘Yambeque’ composto dal Maestro Puente. Per finire: ‘ El ultimo dia de Abril ‘ (balada) e un pezzo di puro Latin jazz: ‘ The fireman’ . ‘Classico’ del sound Jibaro Portoricano e’ il ritmo Fajardeño , qui rappresentato da ‘ Pa’ mi tierra’ composizione che si avvale della performance di Nelson Negron al Cuatro. Ottimo cd che coniuga la salsa ‘Old School’ al moderno Sound Newyorkino, in parte ascoltabile su www.vinilemania.net.
Dj El Chino (En Español)
Resulta reconfortante escuchar el debut del vocalista, percusionista y arreglista Willy Torres, (Spanish Harlem Orchestra) acompañado de algunos de los mejores musicos de la gran manzana, New York City. "Lo Que Traigo Yo" es un album entretenido de principio a fin, con algunos muy buenos covers como La Muerte (El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico) con un excelente solo de Trombón de Ron Prokopez, asi como el famoso Yambeque de la Sonora Ponceña), A Las Seis y Rompe Saragüey con el aclamado vocalista Herman Olivera como invitado. Fuera de los covers tambien hay muy buenas composiciones del propio Torres como por ejemplo el excelente corte romantico "Si Te Preguntan."
Solar Latin Club, Cali - Colombia 07/31/08
Leon Reyes
WOW! Salsa that does not miss a step. The salsa dancers are going to enjoy this new CD. Willy takes us back to New York City with the sound of hard salsa that begs the body to move with the rhythms.
KVMR 89.5 FM, Nevada City/Sacramento Ca 07/29/08
DJ El Papichulo
"This CD is the intersection where Salsa meets Jazz"
DJ Henry Knowles
Ask any salsa lover and they will tell you that live music is the heart and soul of salsa dancing. Having always been a strong advocate of live music, I've worked hard throughout my career as a DJ to keep it present and strong in the club and party scene. After 5 years of bands playing to a live crowd in Manhattan at Salsa After Work Monday's, we moved the party to Taj lounge in NYC and created a huge void when we decided to try something different and pulled the plug on live music. Willy's NYC Salsa Project was a collaborative effort and labor of love between myself and Willy Torres in an effort to bring back the "heat" to Taj's Monday nights the way that only live music can! A blend of young talent and seasoned veterans, "The Project" has created a new recording with classic flavor. This is salsa from the streets…salsa you can dance to! Willy and I started working together about four years ago and I have come to greatly admire him not only for being a talented singer and musician, but for the dedication and professionalism his tirelessly brings to his work! Special thanks to Bobby Allende for playing an instrumental role in putting this group together and for being the architect and inspiration behind their "kick ass" sound!
Peter Margazak
On his recent debut, Lo Que Traigo Yo (released on the Chicago label Latin Street Music), Puerto Rico-born, New York-based salsero Willy Torres gets a surprisingly full sound out of a compact six-piece band. After a stint singing backup with Menudo as a teenager, he got his start in salsa as one of the vocalists in the mighty Spanish Harlem Orchestra, an all-star band dedicated largely to the golden era of New York salsa. Here Torres embraces a more contemporary style, but without succumbing to the sappy melodies and keyboard chintz that afflict so many similar efforts—his music foregrounds the same kind of fiery polyrhythms and fat, lively horn charts (here built atop the fat tones of baritone saxophonist Jorge Castro and trombonist Ron Prokopez) that distinguish the classic Fania Records catalog. And Torres isn’t just a strong bandleader—he’s also got a full-bodied, authoritative voice and an ear for killer phrasing.
Chicago Reader Nov 15th, 2008.
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