During the 1940s and 50s, a tropical tsunami hit Mexico that was to leave an indelible mark on the country. A musical storm, with its roots in Cuba, hurled the rhythms of mambo, bolero, danzón, rumba, and chachacha across the Caribbean to Mexico, where Cuba’s biggest stars, from Beny Moré and La Sonora Mantancera to Enrique Jorrín (the inventor of chachacha), would regularly visit adoring fans. Cuban crooners would sing of how well las mexicanas would dance, and in return Mexican consumption of Cuban music, as its biggest audience, became an important contributor to the Cuban economy.
In 1955, one of its biggest fans and talented musicians, Carlos Colorado, arrived in Mexico City from Tabasco with a dream: he wanted to create a band that brought all these tropical sounds together. When he found other musicians who shared his vision - Andrés Terrones, Silvestre Mercado and Armando Espinoza - La Sonora Santanera was born, inspired in particular by Cuba’s most famous orchestra at the time, La Sonora Matancera and later adding other tropical genres, such as cumbia from Colombia, which was also hugely popular in Mexico. Now, after 68 years and more than 50 albums, La Sonora Santanera is adding another landmark to its long list of achievements, a long-awaited tour in Europe.
Looking back on the band’s extensive career, percussionist Arturo Ortiz, one of the only two remaining veterans, reminisces: "La Sonora Santanera has survived many changes; different decades and styles have passed in front of us, and big changes in the music industry. And here we are still alive! In my 50th year being part of this project, it gives me huge pride.”
Ortiz recalls joining when they were in their mid-twenties, back in 1973. "It was the band’s golden era. We were young boys when we joined. I had been attracted to that sound ever since I was a kid. For me, it was all about the love of the music and my love of afro-Cuban percussion and in particular the love of my instrument, the conga, which is what drives the sound; the essence of tropical music.”
“It was a dream come true when I joined the band,“ Ortiz continues. “Unfortunately I joined as a result of a terrible event: the passing of Armando Espinoza, one of the founding members. As the new percussionist, I had to fill the shoes of one of the most important figures in the history of Mexican tropical music. I was terrified!”
Trumpeter Antonio Mendes joined a year later in 1974, to cover for the great Don Carlos Colorado himself: “He was ill and, as one of the three trumpeters, he saw there was a need for a fourth trumpeter. He believed in me, for which I will be eternally grateful.”
During the 1970s, La Sonora Santanera added to their 1960s success on radio and on stage, coinciding with Mexico’s burgeoning movie industry, to feature in films such as “Bellas de noche” (1975), “Las ficheras” (1977) and “Mojado de nacimiento” (1979).
And then something terrible happened. One the 25th April 1986, the band’s tour bus collided with an oil tanker on its way to a concert, causing the death of Don Carlos Colorado in an instant, and injuring many others. "Losing our musical director, Carlos Colorado, and other musicians and friends was devastating,” says Mendes. “It took us many years to recover on a personal and professional level."
Indeed, the accident had a huge impact on the band. From the very beginning, as composer and arranger, Colorado had defined and nurtured the band's own distinctive version of tropical music, even when it played the same songs as Matancera such as 'Luces de Nueva York'. As a visionary and leader, almost everything had revolved around Carlos Colorado to that point. The loss of Colorado caused division in the original band; some members split off and formed another band called Los Santaneros. The remaining members renamed themselves La Unica Internacional Sonora Santanera, and had the support of Colorado's widow.
In the last 10 years, as La Unica International Sonora Santanera, has been building a new generation of outstanding musicians and innovating in different ways, explains Mendes. "Being true to our original aims has been very important. We have been faithful to the tropical genres, bolero, cumbia, cha-cha-cha, salsa, making them in our style, while collaborating with artists for whom tropical rhythms are not their forte, such as Ruben Albarran, Lilia Downs, Rocco Pachucote, Natalia Lafourcade, and Carla Morrison. They have joined us to do covers and finished creating a unique fusion. For example, Roco Pachukote performed ‘La Boa’ one of our anthems, Carla Morrison did some beautiful boleros, and Albarran sang Bomboro Quiñá Quiñá which has nothing to do with his style. All brought something new.”
In 2016, the orchestra decided to record a 60th anniversary Album: “As well as creating new music we wanted to celebrate the work of Latin music’s most popular artists such as Celia Cruz, Vicente Fernández and Mr. Armando Manzanero for the 60th anniversary album. We focused on a different format to attract the young generation, as we didn’t want La Sonora Santanera to fade with time."
And fade they haven’t: their 60th anniversary album was nominated for a Grammy, and they have taken home two Latin Grammys for best traditional tropical album. In 2021, they received the Premio Goya, Spain’s most prestigious prize. In Mexico, they have received a long-life acknowledgment award from the Mexican Government in the Chamber of Deputies and have featured on the National Lottery ticket. They are in Mexico what you’d call a National Treasure.
"Something that struck me was this past month when we were in Costa Rica, was how many young people there were in our audience and they were singing all our songs. " Mr. Ortiz recalls. "They came to us saying that they grew up with our songs thanks to their parents or even grandparents’ parties!"
In many ways, overcoming the tragedy has been a process of trying to come to terms with this responsibility of carrying on Sonora Santanera's legacy, says Mendes. "We were left to carry on the legend by our predecessors, such as our founder, Carlos Colorado, and the others who began the project with him but are no longer with us. They left their imprint, just like we are doing now. And my friend Arturo and I will pass on this torch to our children in the future."
This promise Mr. Mendes means literally, as both their sons are part of La Sonora Santanera now. "They grew up watching us on stage, and we passed on our passion for tropical music to them. The son of Arturo, Arturito Jr., is there, as is my own son, who is a trumpeter just like me! The others, young boys with many ideas and talent, are coming to give a new image."
Last year, La Sonora Santanera performed in Dubai, a concert that Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Mendes regard as one of their greatest triumphs. "We love playing at home and with our fellow Central American countries. However, we have been preparing this last decade to reach a new horizon," says Ortiz.
"For me, playing in London is a dream come true; I won’t believe it until I am on the plane flying over London," Mendes smiles.
And what can we expect at their show in London?
“Lots of dancing!” shouts Mendes. “We will bring our classical songs as well as those with romantic themes. We want our public to have fun and feel the Latin rhythm. We want people to enjoy themselves so much that next time they are like, wow, I want to dance to La Sonora Santanera."
Ortiz adds: "We are coming with lots of happiness and enthusiasm. We want to bring our fellow Latinos, who have been away from their culture and their roots for a long time, a night to just dance, sing, and feel that they are back home."
La Sonora Santanera will perform this Sunday at EartH https://www.comono.co.uk/live/sonora-santanera/
