INTERVIEW: Charlie Aponte brings his salsa sounds to NJPAC
Charlie Aponte, the legendary former singer of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, will join Tito Rojas, Paquito Guzman and Ray de la Paz for a night of salsa music called Salsapalooza at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, Sept. 24. Aponte is one of the most beloved Puerto Rican soneros in the business, and audiences should expect hits from his time in El Gran Combo and his new solo record, Una Nueva Historia, which he made with Sergio George’s Top Stop Music.
“I know it’s going to be great because I’m with Tito Rojas, and Ray de la Paz and Pacquito Guzman, some of the most sought after entertainers in the salsa business,” Aponte said recently in a phone interview.
Aponte’s career has seen many records, concerts and collaborations. He is perhaps best known for his four decades with El Gran Combo, the preeminent salsa band in Puerto Rico. He left the group a couple of years ago.
“I didn’t plan to leave,” he said. “It was about vacations. I used to take my vacations always in January, and like all corporations and big bands, sometimes they change the rules. They were going to change the vacation from January to another month, but I was for almost 40 years taking vacations in January. … I was not going to be able to do that because of my family and stuff like that. So I make a decision. I wasn’t going to be happy with that, so I said to myself, it’s time for me to go. And I did. But I didn’t plan it, that I was going to be a solo artist or something like that.”
After he finished with El Gran Combo, a group that continues to tour the world, he connected with George and decided to make a new record. The end product of their collaboration is Una Nueva Historia, which features such upbeat songs as “Así Es Puerto Rico,” “Gracias, Salsero” and “Nuestro Amor.” The tracks highlight Aponte’s undeniable talent as a salsa singer, someone who works seamlessly in sync with a big band of multiple instruments.
“It was a big push for me really because a name like Sergio George is international,” Aponte said. “Still the record is around. People love it. I was so lucky with that. I didn’t expect it, but it happens. I was real happy with it.”
Aponte has been singing ever since he was a child. He has memories of singing in school in the fifth grade. At age 14, he started his career in nightclubs. In between those early years and his 40 years with El Gran Combo he also served in the Army. It has been a full, dynamic life for the singer. “I’ve been around a long time,” he said. “I started with El Gran Combo in ’73, so I stayed with El Gran Combo for 41-1/2 years.”
Although Aponte is often billed as a master of soneros, his musical output over the years is varied and diverse. He sees himself as more of a singer for orchestras and big bands. He also pulls from many traditions throughout Latin America. Whether it’s salsa in Colombia or classics in the United States, the styles and rhythms that interest Aponte are eclectic and run across several cultures. Folkloric music, for example, runs in his veins, and he remembers his mother singing a folkloric song when he was a child. He has “a lot of passion for that kind of music.”
At Salsapalooza, each of the performers will sing separately, but Aponte is hoping there’s enough time to get them on stage together at the finale. “Maybe we can get together at the end,” he said. “That’s really nice. We used to do that a lot a long time ago, but they’re not doing that anymore. If you were with other bands on the stage, most of the bands like Paquito, Tito Puente … used to stay around and get together … People loved that. I hope we can do that to do at the end, everyone get together. … Each one we’re going to do our songs first, and then whatever happens, I don’t know.”
Retirement doesn’t cross Aponte’s mind. He definitely doesn’t travel as frequently as his El Gran Combo days, but he continues to bring his music to audiences around the world. “I think I will die on stage,” he said with a laugh. “I love this so much. I should be retired right now, but I never think about retiring.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Salsapalooza with Charlie Aponte, Tito Rojas (“El Gallo Salsero”), Paquito Guzman, Ray de la Paz and special guests will take place Saturday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. at NJPAC in Newark, New Jersey. Tickets are $39.50-$89.50. Click here for more information.
