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Who else is gonna see 'El Cantante'?

I know Hector Lavoe was not Colombian, but his music sure is popular here!

Hector Lavoe loved Colombia and Colombia continues to love Hector Lavoe's music! I know he performed at the 'Feria de Cali' several times, so there's the Colombia connection he he. Here's a good article about who he was:

'El Cantante' follows life, music of Puerto Rican superstar

BY JORDAN LEVIN

Even his name meant music.

Héctor Lavoe's real last name was Perez. Lavoe was invented, a Puerto Ricanized pronunciation of la voz -- ''the voice'' in Spanish. Héctor Lavoe was the voice of salsa, the singer of a new kind of Latin music for a new generation of Latinos in the United States.

One of his most famous songs was El Cantante, The Singer, and another was Mi Gente, My People. He died in 1993, at 46, poor and devastated by AIDS, drug addiction and terrible personal losses.

But the intensity of his talent and his tragic death turned Héctor Lavoe into a kind of universal icon of musical rebellion. Today he's idolized in the hip-hop world, by Latin rockers and reggaetoneros, by people who never heard or saw him live. He's like Ché Guevara and Jimi Hendrix rolled into one -- a larger-than-life counterculture image both vague and charismatic.

The movie El Cantante, which opens nationally today, is the first significant attempt to spotlight this major figure of Latino culture and one of its most dynamic, least documented musical eras.

It features two of this country's biggest Latino stars, salsa singer Marc Anthony as Lavoe, and his wife Jennifer Lopez as Lavoe's wife Puchi. Those involved hope the film will help tell mainstream audiences who Lavoe was and why he mattered.

''He was our Bob Dylan, our Johnny Cash, our Jim Morrison,'' says Anthony. ``He was ours, and his music was just as significant as everyone I've mentioned. He moved a generation, he moved a race. His music is just as visible today as when it came out. Those are the true signs of an icon.''

''It's a marker and tribute to that sort of forgotten time,'' says El Cantante director Leon Ichaso, whose other films include 1985's Crossover Dreams, starring Ruben Blades, and 2001's Piñero, about the doomed Puerto Rican poet.

``Salsa in the United States has become not only a nostalgic thing -- if you say salsa they think you're talking about nacho dip. We live in fast times, frivolous times. If it has to do with the past, what's the value? So [people are] going to discover a lot of stuff.''

Lavoe was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, one of eight children of a guitarist father -- played by famed salsa singer Ismael Miranda in the movie -- and a mother who died when Héctor was only 5. He began singing around the same time, and dropped out of school in his early teens. In 1963, when he was 17, he went to New York City against his dad's wishes.

His career took off in 1967, when he hooked up with 16-year-old bandleader and trombonist Willie Colon for their debut recording El Malo.

The duo became one of the stars of an explosive new Latin genre dubbed salsa, and Lavoe was its most compelling voice. He was a supremely confident and talented improviser, a Lenny Bruce of salsa who could take the music to brilliant heights and engage instantaneously with the audience. Spontaneity was the source of his artistry. Colon remembers songwriting sessions where lyrics poured out of Lavoe, and how he could nail a recording in a single day.

''It's a gift that he had of being able to associate ideas and words very quickly,'' says Colon. ``He was a genius. He knew what he could do better than anyone.''

Audiences identified with Lavoe's freewheeling, down-to-earth persona, his wit, his struggles, his proudly Puerto Rican identity, the sense that he was himself onstage. From the time he went solo in 1975 and through the mid-1980s, he was incredibly popular, selling out Madison Square Garden and stadiums throughout Latin America.

''He was a phenomenon,'' says Rene Lopez, who worked at Fania Records, Lavoe's label, and saw Lavoe perform a number of times. ``It was beyond what I could comprehend, the connection people had with him. There was absolute joy at seeing him, rapture almost -- it was incredible. There was a link there, almost like magic.''

But starting in the late 1960s, Lavoe's ability to go to the edge also took him into what would be a fatal addiction to heroin. He would come to recording sessions high, show up hours late to concerts, or sometimes not at all.

In 1977 he was committed to the first of several stays at Creedmoor Psychiatric Institute in Queens. His relationship with his wife, Nilda ''Puchi'' Roman, became contentious.

In 1987 the couple's son, Héctor Jr., 17, was killed in an accidental shooting. That same year, after a concert in Puerto Rico was canceled for poor attendance, Lavoe fell from his 9th floor hotel balcony, surviving what seemed to many to be a suicide attempt.

The singer began to lose his optimism after his son died. ''That one hit him dead center,'' says David Maldonado, who was Lavoe's road manager in the 1980s and is the producer of El Cantante.

Lavoe brought even this sorrow onstage. ''One gig he broke my heart. He was saying tomorrow is Father's Day, and he stops the band and starts talking about his boy,'' Maldonado says. 'This is a nightclub, and there's silence and the owner is telling me, `Tell him to sing -- he's gonna bring this crowd down.' ''

The following year his album, Héctor Lavoe Strikes Back, earned a Grammy nomination, but Lavoe was also diagnosed with AIDS. He continued to use heroin and, with increasingly disastrous results, to perform. By the time the disease killed him in 1993, he was poor and alone, an emaciated, crippled wreck who would still ask for a cigarette from his hospice bed.

Thousands of mourners lined up for two days to pay tribute at his funeral in New York, culminating in a five-hour procession.

Maldonado produced an off-Broadway show, Quién Mató a Héctor Lavoe? (Who Killed Héctor Lavoe?), in 2001. But the movie is based on a screenplay he and writer Todd Anthony Bello developed through interviews with Puchi. Puchi never saw the results, dying in an accident a few months after Lopez's production company bought the rights to Lavoe's story.

Lopez offered the part of Lavoe to Anthony, whose thin physique and powerful voice have earned him comparisons to Lavoe and who worked with Lavoe's nephew, producer Little Louie Vega.

Despite the film's numerous real-life links to Lavoe, people close to the singer say it focuses too much on his addiction and is too centered on Puchi and the couple's relationship.

''Puchi was one of the worst things that ever happened to [Lavoe],'' says Colon, who says he was a paid consultant on the film but his suggestions were ignored. ``They had to sanitize her so J.Lo could play her. It's almost impossible for Puchi to narrate this movie -- half the stuff that happened, she wasn't around.

``They didn't touch on why was the music so successful, why was he so popular. I think they missed an opportunity to do Héctor justice.''

At a press conference after El Cantante's premiere in Puerto Rico last week, Lavoe's daughter, Leslie Perez; Domingo Quiñones, who played Lavoe in the Off-Broadway show; and veteran Fania singer Cheo Feliciano complained of the focus on Lavoe's dark side.

''I'm worried that it concentrates too much on the narcotics and drugs,'' said Feliciano. ``Héctor gave so much and was such an important and complex human being that maybe they could have included more of his talent.''

Perhaps it's inevitable that any portrayal of this outsized, complicated artist, who touched so many people, would be controversial. Or maybe the only person who could really capture Lavoe was the singer himself. If Lavoe were around, he'd probably rhyme some sly comments and enjoy the attention. At least people will be listening to him again, which is what he always loved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2007 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com

http://www.miamiherald.com/tropical_life/story/190179.html

By Simon on Aug 3, 2007, 10:37 in Friendly Talkzone.

esatranslator says on Aug 3, 2007, 12:01:

one bad thing about the movie is that Marc Anthony will make Hector's character, so it will be hard to stop thinking in Marc Anthony while you see "Hector", no? I think it would be better with other actor that actually looks more like Hector and no this guy. My only objection. Anyway I will see it, got the moral obligation as salsa lover

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Simon says on Aug 3, 2007, 12:08:

I know what you mean, you just have to suspend your disbelief.

http://www.elcantantemovie.com/

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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Miamigo says on Aug 3, 2007, 13:22:

Yeah, Hector was great, but I could dance to Fruko y Sus Tesos all night long! EL PRESO!!!

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summer83 says on Aug 3, 2007, 14:09:

im going to go see it saturday, unfortunately i will be going alone. No one will come with me!
oh well, im still excited any way :)

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) says on Aug 3, 2007, 14:34:

Ha Ha. Esanch. That is the same thing I thought. This is the latin Gigli. J-Ho should be hidden in a dark cave somewhere so we are never again subjected to her or her giant, disgusting ass.

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Cerealkiller says on Aug 3, 2007, 14:53:

Im not watching it. I dont even know any song by Hector Lavoe, never heard of the guy until this movie came out.

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

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Simon says on Aug 3, 2007, 15:27:

"Im not watching it. I dont even know any song by Hector Lavoe, never heard of the guy until this movie came out."

That's your loss. Go back to Mayberry!

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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Monpirri says on Aug 3, 2007, 17:44:

I was going to see it today but my friend changed his mind. I'll see it tomorrow Saturday.

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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elmodefoque says on Aug 3, 2007, 17:59:

check this out
http://www.fandango.com/videos_1_739751/v 358722

I'll get there, when I get there!

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elmodefoque says on Aug 3, 2007, 18:04:

http://www.fandango.com/videos/101752

I'll get there, when I get there!

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Monpirri says on Aug 3, 2007, 18:32:

Thanks Elmo.

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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Cerealkiller says on Aug 4, 2007, 02:48:

Simon, how old are you sweetie, 10?

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

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LA_MONA says on Aug 4, 2007, 09:59:

I love Hector's music I will be seeing it and I think they did a good job of making Marc looking like Hector...

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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toneloc24 says on Aug 4, 2007, 10:32:

It opened in the USA yesterday, 8/3/07. I went with my crew and caught the 12:25 am show.

IMO, it was a decent movie. Great music, as Marc Anthony has the chops to pull it off. Even Jennifer Lopez wasn't too bad to bear, as a Nuyorican. Yeah, I know, some stretch. They were really into some shit back then.

So sad how the story turned out, but that was NYC in those times. Elmo has already filled us in on that, but y'all thought he was joking. And, by the way, the story was based on interviews by "Puchi", his wife of 20 years. So, of course, there was some dramatic license taken and of course some omissions.

If you were interested in the movie, or just bored, I'd recommend it. At the least, some great salsa.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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Simon says on Aug 4, 2007, 11:35:

"Simon, how old are you sweetie, 10?"

No, I can't be ten because I don't opine in threads solely to get a rise out of people. That would be the behavior of a ten-year-old.

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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Miguel says on Aug 4, 2007, 17:03:

It was damn near a hundred degrees here today, so I headed to a matinee and saw EL CANTANTE. Tone's review is right-on. If you are a salsero, you'll love it.

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Colombiche says on Aug 8, 2007, 16:13:

That renacuajo Marc Anthony is totally unworthy of playing El GRAN Maestro Hector Lavoe. I am so just so glad he existed and delighted us with his music that will live on forever. some of his songs really touch me on a personal level, he is that kind of composer that makes you feel like he is writing about YOU.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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Colombiche says on Aug 8, 2007, 16:14:

Ooops I didn't realize mona had posted the same video.

I LOVE that song, that is my SONG.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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john_stark says on Aug 8, 2007, 18:26:

"im going to go see it saturday, unfortunately i will be going alone. No one will come with me!
oh well, im still excited any way :)"

WTF? I'll go anywhere you wanna go, mi vida.

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Monpirri says on Aug 9, 2007, 06:14:

"That renacuajo Marc Anthony is totally unworthy of playing El GRAN Maestro Hector Lavoe."
I would not call Marc Anthony a renacuajo. He is great singer and he still young! His concerts are full of ENERGY. In fact, I do not know much about Hector Lavoe but as of this date, in my opinion Marc Anthony is a greater singer than Lavoe and I do not think that Marc Anthony has any drug problems.

I recommend to buy the DVD "Marc Anthony - The Concert from Madison Square Garden" You''ll see a GREAT SINGER in a dynamic performance.

Marc Anthony - Te conozco bien

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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