THURSDAY: Johnny
Polanco y Conjunto Amistad (Los Angeles). Johnny
Polanco is one of the most sought-after bandleaders in in the
U.S. He has gained the distinction for making the type of contagious
Latin Music that is truly appreciated by the dancing connoisseurs.
Empowered by the extensive knowledge accumulated throughout nearly
35 years of professional musicianship, the leader of L.A.'s Conjunto
Amistad is an autodiatic artist who has achieved a high degree
skill of 13 instruments which include the tres and cuatro guitar,
trombone, vibes and many more.
FRIDAY: Herman Olivera with
Conjunto
Rovira (New York). In 2001, singer Herman Olivera
received long overdue props as featured vocalist on three tracks
of the Grammy-winning CD, Masterpiece/Obra Maestra (RMM) by Tito
Puente and Eddie Palmieri. Since his days with Conjunto Libre,
Herman has honed a style gleaning from the great soneros of Palladium-era
in New York City like Tito Rodriguez, Machito, Santos Colón
and others. With a smooth resonate high tenor voice, the self-taught
vocalist has contributed great interpretations and metaphorically
rich inspiraciones (improvised verses) to an array of tunes such
as Que Humanidad, Café, and Palo Pa' Rumba. His stints
with Eddie Palmieri and the Machito Orchestra have helped Olivera
ascend as a world class salsa singer.
