Heny Álvarez
Heny Álvarez ( Genaro Álvarez Doménech ; born September 19, 1929 in Santurce ; † March 31, 2006 ) was a Puerto Rican composer, percussionist and singer.
Àlvarez wanted to be a jockey as a child, then performed as an artist and boxer. He founded a duo with Gilberto Monroig and attended the music class of the Escuela Fedrico Asenjo . In 1948 he went to New York, where after doing some odd jobs in 1950 he became a percussionist and singer with Luis Cruz y sus Marianaxis . He also worked as a bongo and güira player and chorus singer in Armando Sánchez ' Conjunto Son de la Loma and in the Orquesta Oriental Cubana .
In 1956 he became a member of the Orquesta Típica Novel . His first recordings were made with Gilberto Cruz's sextet , to which he belonged for five years. In 1964 he joined Ray Barretto's Charanga Moderna . He recorded an album with Joe Cuba y su Sexteto and performed with the orchestras Charlie Palmieris , Rafael Cortijos and Mongo Santamarias . From the late 1960s and during the 1970s he was a member of the group of the Cuban flautist Lou Pérez .
As a composer Álvarez became known with Hommy / A Latin Opera (based on the musical Who's Tommy by The Who ). She was recorded with Junior González in the title role, Celia Cruz , Cheo Feliciano , Justo Betancourt , Adalberto Santiago , Pete Rodríguez and others. Álvarez himself participated in both the recordings and performances in Carnegie Hall (1973) and the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in Hato Rey as a singer and narrator.
As the musical coordinator of the Museo del Barrio , Álvarez organized performances by musicians such as Machito , Charlie Palmieri and Tito Puente and performed Vejigantes: uno novela musical in 1975 . In the same year he joined the reunited Grupo Folklórico Experimental Nueavayorquino . This released two albums 1975-76, in which Álvarez was involved as a composer and singer of Cinco en uno callejero and Carmen la Ronca .
He returned to Puerto Rico in the 1980s. There he performed with groups such as Sammy Ayalas Bombazzo , Norman Salazars PleniBom and Ángel Maldonados Los Majaderos . From 1988 he was also the administrator of the Plaza de los Saseros . His last project was the salsa opera Eco Divino , which remained unfinished.
swell
- Encuentro Latino Radio: Heny Álvarez
- Miguel "Mickey" López Ortiz: ¡Arriba Santurce, Corazón Rumbero De Puerto Rico! Tierra De Grandes Percusionistas , Volume 1, Palibrio, 2014, ISBN 9781463383749
- Heny Álvarez at Allmusic (English)
- Heny Alvarez at Discogs (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Álvarez, Heny |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Álvarez Doménech, Genaro |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Puerto Rican composer, percussionist and singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 19, 1929 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Santurce (Puerto Rico) |
DATE OF DEATH | March 31, 2006 |