About

Ismael Rivera (El Sonero Mayor "Maelo") was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on October 5, 1931. It all started on the very same street Rivera was born and raised on: Calle Calma. There he was instilled with the sounds and rhythms of Puerto Rico: the bomba and plena. At a young age, Rivera was exposed to the influences that would set him on his musical destiny. First, his mother, Margarita, bore in him a love for singing. And next, his boyhood friend Rafael Cortijo provided Rivera with the impulse and drive as well as a more structured musical forum for him to unleash his unique vocal style. Their relationship would take the sound of Calle Calma, and then all of Puerto Rico, and around the world and immortalized their names and music in the evolution of Latin music and salsa.

Craft Latino’s historic celebration of Fania Records’ 60th anniversary continues with a reissue for Traigo de todo, the fifth solo album, released on Tico Records (a subsidiary of Fania Records), from the prolific Ismael Rivera. This 1974 album features Rivera in his prime with such transformative tracks such as the shimmering, spirited “El Nazareno” and the seductive hip-shaker “Qué te pasa a ti.” 

Rivera’s smooth, smoky voice, contrasted with lively clave rhythms, lent his messages of empowerment—be it about anything from social justice to his love of life—a sense of immediacy. His impact on the salsa genre (which for Rivera would often bend towards jazz, thanks to his gift for improvisation) proved so influential that greats such as Celia Cruz would cover his songs, before he was ultimately inducted into the International Latin Hall of Fame. — (via Label)

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Label: Craft Recordings, Tico Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 2024 / Original Release: 1974
Genre: Latin
Style: Salsa

File under: Latin-Influenced
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