Who are the Fania All-Stars?

The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for the musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time.

What is Fania Records?

In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucci, an Italian-American lawyer with a love for Cuban music, and Johnny Pacheco, a flutist, percussionist and bandleader born in the Dominican Republic but raised in the South Bronx who had like minded musical tastes.

What happened to Cheo Feliciano in the All Stars?

This roster included the return of Orestes Vilato and Luigi Texidor, as well as the participation of Andy Montañez, Cita Rodriguez (Pete’s daughter) and Willie Colón. This was Cheo Feliciano’s last presentation with the All-Stars before dying in a car accident in April 2014 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Fania All-Stars was an illustrious and widely distinguished musical ensemble established in 1968 by composer Johnny Pacheco as a showcase for the leading musicians and singers of the record label Fania Records, the leading salsa record company of the time.

What is the history of Fania Festival in Havana?

So, in the Fall of 1978, he joined forces with Fania Records director Jerry Masucci and convinced the Cuban cultural authorities to organize a three-day festival in Havana with the participation of Cuban and American musicians. The event would be recorded and televised for the enjoyment of both the Cuban and American people.

What is the history of Havana Jam?

Havana Jam was an invitation-only event, with mostly cultural personalities and members of the Communist Party and their children in attendance, though some students from different art and music schools were also invited. The festival was hardly mentioned on the Cuban press, and thirty years later not many Cubans know it ever existed.

In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucci, an Italian-American lawyer with a love for Latin melodies, and Johnny Pacheco, a talented composer and bandleader born in the Dominican Republic.