Several months ago I was considering publishing this third part of my story with Los Cañoneros. However, for some reason it was postponed, until today, finally, I take the step to bring this part, which is the one that covers the longest period.
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Undoubtedly, this part could also be subdivided, but I think that for the purpose of this post it is not necessary to delve into a couple of periods that coexist in this part of our trajectory and that covers from the beginning of 1988, to the present day. In a work of deeper investigation and documentation it would be necessary to separate it in different blocks, but today we summarize it in a single one.
In the second part of the story, I ended by saying that we had already decided to work until December 31, 1987 and from then on we were only going to comply with some pending contracts for 1998.
Based on the decision not to continue with the group, the bassist got a scholarship and went to study music in Germany, while the drummer sought work in his other profession, as a draftsman.
But the first thing was to comply with the commitments we had already made with Los Cañoneros, but here we were faced with a dilemma.
It had become customary in the group, that instead of writing a full arrangement, with all the corresponding annotations, I was making some drafts, which we memorized, for which, there were no scores of the final arrangements and most of the drafts were discarded once the song was memorized.
Los Cañoneros in Barcelona
Therefore, in view of the fact that the bassist left at the beginning of the year, in order to comply with the pending contracts, we had to start transcribing the repertoire. In view of the fact that none of the members of the group now had a real commitment, I preferred to order the transcription of all the other parts, that is, sax, bass and drums.
It is important to emphasize that my motivation to leave the group, at the time I proposed it, was not due to rejection of the project or the genre, it was a tiredness in the relationships and the way in which we had established them, it had to do with the way that we had our dealings and our commitments in the group.
I also had enormous expectations as an arranger and wanted to work with a larger number of instruments. For that same reason I had raised in the group, before the supposed dissolution, the possibility of integrating a trumpet, short-term and several more instruments in a longer period.
We began to fulfill the commitments that we had pending and some of our regular customers, began to ask that "please" make an exception and play in an additional event. This is how new contracts and new presentations were added.
But these mentioned changes also had an effect on internal relations, to such an extent that work ceased to be a burden in this new stage. Until finally I decided to relaunch the project, although with a different organizational structure.
By that time I had a new bass player and because of the work commitments that the previous drummer had assumed, I had to find a new one. For a while we continued with the same structure and the other members remained the same. This is how the moment came when I included a trumpet.
With the sextet format we were active until 2005. However, in that time we made only a recording with two songs, which I have in DAT format and I have never published it.
But in that time there was a significant change in the group.
I told you in the first part of this story, that when we started with the group, the saxophonist barely had six months studying the instrument. Then we took it as a constant joke, when he was wrong, to tell him that we were going to change him for Benjamin Brea, who was one of the best saxophonists that there has been in Venezuela, a musician of an exceptional versatility and professionalism. Of course, that joke had to do with the fact that it seemed impossible to work with someone of his level.
Hely, Chapis, Ylich, Rey, Arnaldo, Benjamín
However, the day came when I needed someone in the sax urgently and to be able to guarantee that the work was done correctly, I called Benjamín, who came to do the work with great pleasure. That marked the beginning of his participation in the group and a friendship of more than 20 years.
The presence of Benjamín, with his knowledge, his experience and his successful way of guiding and helping, meant a qualitative leap in the whole conception of the work, from the compositions, the arrangements and the presentations.
He himself made me see and understand the importance of the work we did as a group and contributed to take the group to a new level with the incorporation of other musicians of the same category.
In 1997, at the request of a record producer, I made the first recording for the extended group, that is, apart from those already used, alto saxophone, trumpet, cuatro, bass, drums and voice, we added a trombone, keyboards and percussion. With that format we recorded the song "Carmen". However, the recording world had already begun to change and nothing was done, so we continued as a sextet.
Carmen
At the end of 2004, the government implemented a law that proposed a boost to Venezuelan music, through media support, by requiring the placement of 50% of music made in our country and of traditional roots.
It was at that time that I decided to make the final expansion of the group, so for the carnivals of 2005, we premiered with nine musicians on stage.
The sound achieved with this format is my complete satisfaction and since then we have done an important job in keeping this music born in the early twentieth century, giving new approaches and new airs.
In 2009 we recorded the boldest album in terms of proposals, because there I used elements of rock, rocksteady, even reggaeton, but done in a funny way, with the aim of reaching new audiences. Of course, that album "Luna sobre el Valle" was not very well seen by the traditionalists, but it managed to awaken the curiosity of newer generations.
A Los Antaños - Feat. Los Antaños del Stadium
The album "Luna sobre el Valle" (Moon over the Valley) same as this song are dedicated to the group Los Antaños del Stadium, this is why this video starts with a conversation of us with members of this group and we explain what "Los Antaños" means to us. At the end they express their gratitude.
It was on that album where we had special guests for the first time. But for the 30 years of the group, in 2012, we wanted to have the participation of Venezuelan artists from other genres and we decided to record a song that I composed specially for that occasion, a song dedicated to Caracas, because the videoclip done for this single was released for the anniversary 445 of the city. The title of the song "Esta es Caracas" (This is Caracas) and we have the participation of the most outstanding singers of Venezuelan music, rock, balladeers and rappers. You can read how was the process to record in the following publication: Record a song featuring guest stars.
Three years later "Esta es Caracas" went from being a song to becoming a studio album, because in 2015 we managed to complete the recording of the complete production of an album tribute to the city, with pure songs dedicated to the Venezuelan capital or emblematic of it. A selection of the most important themes made for Caracas and with a couple of original compositions, one of which is the aforementioned, which was the one that finally gave the album its title.
Esta es Caracas - Feat. Horacio Blanco (Desorden Público), Cecilia Todd, Ramsés Meneses a.k.a. McKlopedia, Arístides Barbella (Malanga), Max Pizzolante, Francisco Pacheco, Serenata Guayanesa
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Today our work continues to be to keep this music alive, the first urban musical expression that occurred in Venezuela, and continue contributing to give it a topical sound.
And this story still continues ...
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The most recent albums of Los Cañoneros are available in:
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