IN MEMORY OF...

Cachao, who died the morning of March 22 in a Florida hospital, was a Cuban bassist and composer, who was instrumental in turning Arsenio Rodriguez's "mambo" rhythm of the "danzon" into the extended mambo rhythm of present day.

During the Palladium-era, there were only 2 bassists that shared the most in-demand style of many orchestras in the New York music scene: Cachao and Alfonso "El Panameno" Joseph - both whom have worked with Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Machito and many others. In fact, during the early 1960's, while Cachao was performing with Machito's orchestra, Alfonso "El Panameno" was performing and recording with Candido Camero - and when Alfonso left Candido's band to join Johnny Pacheco, Cachao took his place as Candido's bassist.

"Cachao's name was mentioned very often in my family and he'll be missed," says Executive Producer Josue Joseph of La Epoca, "Cachao was scheduled to be interviewed for the film on the afternoon of April 16, '08 - hearing the news of his death makes me even more sad, not only because he was a man that I've respected, but also because I've lost an opportunity to document his legacy and share it with the world. It is a great loss for all of us."

 

WATCH VIDEO BELOW OF SOME OF THE LAST MOMENTS ON FILM OF "MAMBO PIONEER "CUBAN PETE"

"Cuban Pete," born Pedro Aguilar, by far was considered the most acclaimed Mambo dancer of the Palladium-era. Pete, whose last major appearance in a major film was in "La Epoca - The Palladium Era," died on Tuesday morning at 8am, January 13, 2009. Pete's health was kept from the public for the last several months.

"Cuban Pete," an inspiration to many dancers across the globe, rose to great popularity in New York City during the 1950's and was one of the few to have his dance performances recorded on film, which is featured in "La Epoca - The Palladium Era."

He was a dance performer who was taught by Miguelito Valdez, Tito Puente, Machito and Mario Bauza, that "Latin music was written to be interpreted and danced a particular way. Dancing inside the rhythm of the music, according to the bass instrument in sync with the clave beat, is how they taught me to dance," Aguilar shared in interviews with producers. He also shared, "dancing mambo was having a relationship with the music - with the instruments - it was about making music with my body."

Executive Producer Josue Joseph, in a written statement released just hours after Pete's death, shared "I'm grateful to have shared so much with a man whose knowledge of Latin music and dance was of the same depth and caliber as my knowledge taught to me by my father, Mambo Legend Alfonso "El Panameno."

The statement continues, "Pete's career and fame, as a dancer, made a few other dancers from his era attempt to achieve the same status but have grown seriously disgruntled because they just couldn't. Some of them still compare themselves to Pete and have often attempted to deliver on their own agendas. It happened just recently at a showing of the film in New York. That's how influential Pete has been in the art of Latin dance - particularly Mambo. It was the dancers who had the capacity to demonstrate humility and are passionate about sharing their own contributions to this era, that were among those featured in the film " Joseph stated.

"His health declined in his last months and many of us thought about this day coming, but none of us wanted to talk about it. Now, we're forced to," Joseph shared.

Pete was scheduled to be a guest at the New York City showing of "La Epoca" at Club Cache on Oct 02, 2008, but his health prevented him from attending.

Joseph ended, "I think for a lot of us, following the death of our dear friend, Israel "Cachao" Lopez, last year, that Pete's health crossed our minds but in order to avoid the feelings, we spent more time with him to get in as much time as we could."

From all the producers of "La Epoca - The Palladium Era," our thoughts and prayers are with Pete's family and with his dance partner - our dear friend, Mambo Influence Barbara Craddock.

Pete, who shared that he was often saddened by the disinterest by some "salseros in the origins and roots of Latin music and dancing," spent the last years dancing with Craddock as his dance partner.

Agustin Caraballoso, high-profile trumpeter for THE TOP Mambo and Salsa orchestras of ALL-time, has died. He was born in Cuba in 1928. He died on the morning of February 23, 2009 in New York due to major heart attack.

Agustin was a member of Arsenio Rodriguez's orchestra in Cuba AND in New York. He was with Arsenio Rodriguez during the times that Rodriguez created the mambo rhythm, in Cuba.

He also partnered with Cuban legendary vocalist Beny More, immediately upon More's glorious return to Cuba from Mexico after working with Perez Prado. Together, Caraballoso and More formed "Orquesta Intermezzo" featuring other prominent Cuban musicians.

Caraballoso also worked with Machito, Mario Bauza and with Celia Cruz in Cuba.

In New York, he worked with Salsa Legend Johnny Pacheco and with Mambo Legend Tito Puente, Mambo Pioneer Israel "Cachao" Lopez, as well as Moncho Leña, Mongo Santamaria, and Marcelino Guerra.

He recorded on Arsenio Rodriguez's last two albums, including "Arsenio Dice," with mambo legends "Alfonso-el Panameño," Chocolate Armenteros, Rene Hernandez and other prominent musicians of the Palladium-era.

In a written statement, released just hours after Caraballoso's death, Director and Executive Producer Josue Joseph said, "We were planning on visiting Agustin at the end of March. I'm so saddened by this! I wanted to see him just one last time because I knew he was ill last week. My friends are dying!! Our friends are leaving us. All these legends are dying ... all around the same time. It hurts so much! Even though I'm very proud that they were so gracious as to allow me the honor of having me in their homes ... and to be so humble about their careers ... I captured their legacies! I'm so proud of that! It makes what I do so valuable and important!!"

Caraballoso's last appearance in a major film was in "La Epoca - The Palladium Era," in which he plays a major role in sharing how he the mambo rhythm was created by Arsenio Rodriguez in Cuba. Caraballoso's role in the film was absolutely essential to making sure history was documented correctly.

Funeral arrangements are being made. Joseph and his father, "Alfonso-el Panameño" will be attending as well as other legendary musicians.

Al Israel (1928-2009)

Al Israel, an American film actor best known for his role as the Colombian drug dealer "Hector the Toad" in the 1983 film Scarface, has died. He was 76.

He also appeared alongside Al Pacino in Carlito's Way a decade later. He was also one of the original cast members to lend their voice talent to the popular 2006 video game based on the film entitled Scarface: The World Is Yours. 

Israel's appearance on film was in the upcoming feature-film Part II "La Epoca - The Lost Rhythms in Salsa," as a dancer and filmed interviewee on his experiences as a musician and dancer during the Palladium-era.

In a written statement, released soon after his death, Director / Executive Producer Josue Joseph said, "He loved humanity. He had a huge heart. I first spoke to him in a phone interview, set up by Lesley Washington, in which he sobbed about the times of the Palladium-era. When I met him in Los Angeles he gave me a huge hug and told me that he felt he knew me for years. One of the last comments he made to me were that he knew he did not have much time left and that I would do for him a great favor of letting others know that history is deserving of preservation - that music and dance go together. It was my hope that I would make it back out to Los Angeles later this year (2011) to share with him his contribution to my film and the preservation of history. I'm very saddened."

In a written statement, Palladium-era Mambo Dancer Don Kellin said, "My friend - Al, and I met in 1950. One night he noted that I was dancing in place in clave, and he asked, 'Where did you learn how to do that?'' For the next year or so, Al, Larry Seelen and I would dance in front of the gold, marbleized mirror in his parent's bedroom and invent steps to his new Mambo. I visited Al a few days before he passed. He lied there as if already gone. I bent down and said, 'Al, you're breathing on2.' He smiled, raised his hand to me. I took it and wished him a safe journey. His complicated life ended peacefully. A giant portion of our genre's living history passed that day."

 

WATCH VIDEO BELOW OF SOME OF THE LAST MOMENTS ON FILM OF MAMBO LEGEND LEO FLEMING

Leo Fleming, Sr, bassist of some of the TOP orchestras of the Palladium-era (Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez) and of the Salsa-era (Johnny Pacheco) died January 21, 2009, at a hospital in the Bronx, NY. He was 94 years old.

Fleming's last appearance in a major film was in "La Epoca - The Palladium Era," in which he has a short part but shares information that supports the legacies born at the Palladium Ballroom, and also about how he began his career and learned to play bass - that took him to heights in his career.

Fleming, born in the Republic of Panama in Central America, "was truly a man of great humility," shares Executive Producer Josue Joseph in a written statement. "He had me in his home with his wife and we spent hours looking at photos of Hector Rivera, Tito Puente, Johnny Pacheco and my father - it was wonderful. He shared so many stories about Tito Puente, Machito and some very funny stories about what my father was like at my age. We were in contact with his daughter, Carmen, in recent days as were planning on visiting him on Feb 22 ... oh ... this is tough. Two legends dead a week from each other - one a great dancer (Cuban Pete) and one a great bassist (Fleming). Four legends, who we interviewed for the movie, have now died - all within a year of each other. It makes me realize how valuable it was for us to document their legacies and to value those who are still with us."

 

WATCH VIDEO BELOW OF

ANDY'S LAST WORDS ON FILM

Andy Jerrick, whose very last appearance on film was in "La Epoca - The Palladium Era," , has died, due to increasing medical complications. He died Oct 23, 2008. He will be missed by members of the mambo dance culture.

Jerrick, who shared with our producers, that his "religious beliefs and mambo dancing kept him alive after a near-fatal accident," broke thru racial barriers prior to the Civil Rights Movement in American history as one of the key "dark-skin" Mambo dancers at the Palladium Ballroom in New York City.

Jerrick spoke on film and shared his legacy with producers of "La Epoca - The Palladium Era," only months before his passing. Producers and event coordinators are planning an Atlanta showing to pay tribute to his legacy, the city in which he resided.

"I feel terribly guilty," shares Executive Producer Josue Joseph in a television interview for Univision on Monday, Nov 17, "since August, Andy called me week-after-week saying that he was desperate to see the movie. After a cancelled Charlotte showing and after 2 other showings that he couldn't attend, we had a showing planned for Nov 20 with several of the high-profile mambo instructors from the Charlotte/Greensboro area where Andy was going to make an appearance. He sounded so excited about it! But, now, it's too late. He invited me down to his place for a showing in Atlanta but I cancelled on him several times due to my schedule with the showings for the movie. I feel so guilty. I should have gone. I should have taken the time to go and see him. He just wanted some recognition. And I did that, for him, in this film - I gave him that recognition world-wide with this film but he never got to see it."

Julian Llanos, born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1954 and began recording with Hector Rivera and Arsenio Rodriguez, died on April 25. He was a Palladium-era vocalist.

Llanos was interviewed for "La Epoca" in the summer of 2007, referred to producers by Palladium-era bongocero Luis Mangual, who also appears in the feature film production, playing in nightclubs beginning September '08.

Llanos's contribution to "La Epoca" is quite valuable, as he was a member of the conjunto of Arsenio Rodriguez with Alfonso "El Panameno" Joseph on bass, Rene Hernandez on piano, Gene Jefferson on sax, and with Marcelino Guerra and Santiago Ceron as vocalists during the mid and late 1960's.

Remembering Julian Llanos - we shall keep his family in or prayers.

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