Johnny Pacheco - Biography
By Robert Leaver
The flamboyant silver haired bandleader of the Fania All Stars is singularly synonymous with salsa. As co-founder of the label Fania Pacheco was a driving force behind the evolution of salsa in New York City. Primarily known as a flautist, though he played percussion, violin, and reeds too, his work as a producer, composer, arranger, and bandleader helped define the distinct sound of Latin New York. His prolific output through the 60s, 70s, and 80s give him hundreds of credits under varying roles and testify to his boundless energy and strong work ethic.
His father played clarinet and was the bandleader of the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in the Dominican Republic where Pacheco was born in 1935. The family relocated to New York in the aftermath of World War II where Pacheco advanced his musical training. He learned to play the accordion, clarinet, saxophone, and violin before taking up percussion at the prestigious Julliard School of Music in Manhattan. As a talented multi-instrumentalist he had no problem finding work with American and Latin bands in New York.
After an impressionable stint with the band of Puerto Rican pianist Charlie Palmieri the young Pacheco set out on his own in 1960. He named his group Pacheco Y Su Charanga after the classic Cuban style of music which inspired him. Their first self-titled LP was released in 1961 on Al Santiago’s Alegre label and was reissued in remastered form in 1997. The album, which reportedly sold an impressive 100,000 copies in its first year, featured several Pacheco originals including his theme song, “Tema de Pacheco.” He emerged as a herald the pachanga fad, a high-energy variant of the Cuban charanga.
Que Suene La Flauta (1962 Alegre) followed with its huge hit “Alto Songo.. Chen Chere, El Suavecito del Arcaño (1963 Alegre) was a tribute to the great Cuban flautist of the danzón style and was followed in quick succession by Las Charngas (1963 Alegre). Pacheco led like the pied piper of pachanga as the dance craze swept the dance halls of Latin New York. In 1963 he joined forces with impresario Jerry Masucci and formed Fania records. Their fateful partnership energized the youthful Latin market and ultimately gave birth to a new genre that would ricochet around the world- Salsa.
Fania Records first release was Pacheco’s aptly titled Cañonazo (1964 Fania) or “cannon shot” featuring the vocals of Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez. Dropping the signature violins in favor of a more brassy conjunto sound, a la Arsenio Rodriguez , Pacheco signaled a sea change in Latin dance music. As the producer, arranger and musical director of many of the Fania recordings Pacheco’s thumbprint is all over the recordings of Orchestra Harlow, Willie Colón, Joe Bataan, and Bobby Valentin. At the same time Pacheco was in demand as a session musician playing percussion and flute on recordings of such jazz heavyweights as George Benson, Jimmy Smith, and Kenny Burrell.
As this new sound from Latin New York began to take hold the term salsa began to be used. As a promotional ploy Pacheco organized a legendary set of live performances at a club in the Bronx. Bringing together popular label mates Ray Barretto, Hector Lavoe, Eddie Palmieri, Jimmy Sabater, Larry Harlow, Willie Colon, Bobby Valentin, Peter “El Conde” Rodriguez, along with a guest appearance by Tito Puente the group was given the iconic name The Fania All-Stars Released in 2 volumes as The Fania All-Stars Live at the Red Garter Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (1968 Fania), they established the label as the vanguard of Latin music and gave an identity to the brash new salsa sound.
Continuing his association with singer Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Pacheco’s Los Compadres or “dear friends’ (1970 Fania) is salsa in its most classic form as one can clearly hear in the remastered edition released in 2006. The 1971 follow-up La Perfecta Combinacion (the perfect combination) was equally popular. With salsa on the ascendancy The Fania All Stars regrouped for a sensational show at the Cheetah Lounge in New York. The subsequent release of Live at the Cheetah Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (1973) and the brilliant film Our Latin Thing and its soundractk (1972) cemented the reputation of the brilliant collective. Living legends such as conga master Ray Barretto, trombone gangster Willie Colon and Puerto Rico’s adored signer Hector Lavoe were visibly under the direction of the charismatic white-haired maestro of Latin hip, Pacheco.
The Fania All Stars rise to international status included their legendary 1973 performance in New York City captured on record, Live at Yankee Stadium Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (1975 Fania) and in film. In 1974 they traveled to Africa and performed in Zaire along with stars such as Stevie Wonder at a festival that coincided with the Ali-Foreman heavyweight championship fight known as the “rumble in the jungle.” They returned for a triumphant encore at Yankee Stadium in 1975. They would go in in varying configurations to make records and tour into the ‘90s. At the forefront of Latin disco crossover in the late ‘70s singers such as Ruben Blades and Celia Cruz helped The Fania All Stars out of Latin music ghetto and into the main stream. The CD collection The Best of the Fania All-Stars (2002 Columbia) documents this period well with such gems as “Ella Fue (She Was the One).”
Throughout the ‘70s Pacheco kept up a relentless pace of production working and playing on hundreds of Fania label releases. The title of his 1973 release with singer Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez explains in part how he maintained such a busy schedule- Tres de Café y Dos de Azucar (Fania). He teamed up with sensational Cuban signer Celia Cruz to record the blockbuster Celia & Johnny (1974 Fania) and its hit song, “Quimbara.” His first hits collection, Lo Mejor de Pacheco (1974 Fania) reads like a salsa standards song book.
Teaming up with an all-star cast that included singers Celia Cruz and Justo Beatancourt along with Papo Lucca, pianist and bandleader of La Sonora Poncena, Pacheco distilled the essence of salsa with Recordando El Ayer (1976 Fania). Despite its title which references “remembering the past” the album would prove be more appreciated in the future. He reprised his love of the charanga style with renowned violinist/flautist Pupi Legaretta on Los Dos Mosqueteros (1977 Fania). The two of them joined forces with Cuba’s legendary flautist, Jose Fajardo, to record the classic Las Tres Flautas (1980 Fania). He also made records with Puerto Rican iconic singer Daniel Santos, Distinguidos (1979 Fania) and singer Justo Betancourt, Dínamicos (1979 Fania).
With The Champ (1980 Fania) the distinguished salt and pepper topped conductor came out swinging with the aide of singers Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Hector Casanova, and the rising merengue star Wilfrido Vargas. Sabrosura (1980 Fania) released with nasal-toned Cuban singer Monguito bumped up the energy a notch. Tracks like the cowbell driven “Ave Maria Morena” demand spontaneous dancing. El Zorro de Plata y El Flaco de Oro (The silver fox and the skinny golden one) (Fania) was made with singer Celio Gonzalez in 1981 and in 1982 he brought Cuban singer Rolando La Serie out or retirement to make De Pelicula (International Record).
He continued his association with flautist Fajardo harking back to the elegant era of the charanga on Fajardo y Pacheco (1982 Musica Latina). By the 1980s salsa was certainly well established as the dominant Latin musical force in New York City. Pacheco continued his association with veteran salsero Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez releasing De Nuevo Los Compadres (1983 Fania), Jicamo (1985 Fania), Salsobita (1987 Fania), and Celebracion (1989 Fania). He also contributed to David Byrne’s Latin recording, Rei Momo (1989 Fania) and by proxy to the film soundtrack of Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild (1989). By the end of the decade a new generation of young salseros captured the scene with their salsa romantica and the era of classic salsa as defined by Pacheco and Fania records was over.
Pacheco elegantly evolved into a patrician like role as his production activities slow. His sole release of the ‘90s is the solid, albeit slightly anachronistic, Sima! (1993 Fania). With the demise of salsa in New York City and the fugitive flight of his Fania Records partner Jerry Masucci Pacheco divested himself from the iconic company. His prolific recording, performing, and composing career yielded nine Grammy nominations and in 1996 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor by Joaquin Belaguer, President of the Dominican Republic. Solidifying his status in the New York community he established the Johnny Pacheco Scholarship Fund. He was honored in 1998 with election to the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
Pacheco gathered a huge cast of luminous colleagues on Entre Amigos (2004 Bronco), “among friends,” his first release in over a decade. Celebrating his 50the anniversary as a professional musician the Fania All-Stars reunited for a triumphant return to Madison Square Garden in New York City October 20, 2006. That same year the new owners of Fania Records, Emusica, released an excellent remastered double CD compilation- El Maestro: A Man and His Music (2006 Fania/Emusica). His vast volume of work is the only testament we need to his supreme role in the development and proliferation of salsa. El Maestro, The Master he is indeed.
