HeyJaredThe Salsa Diaries:
Where History Becomes Music...front-row chronicles of the salsa music movement & the Nuyorican diaspora. Journalist; Historian; Bandleader; Producer; BMI Composer. Billboard’s 1st reportera.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
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- Sep 15, 2026
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- Jul 27, 2026
Latest issues
The Night Stevie Wonder Stood Up for Afro-Caribbean Music (opens the original)
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Otra Banda. When Cortijo Crossed the Bay. (opens the original)
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In this essay, Carlos Aponte recalls a Caribbean memory of home, music, and identity as he shares his own jukebox of musical delights from Cortijo’s Combo playlist. ¡Juega! —AFH“When we first saw Cortijo y su combo on television in the ‘50s, we cried. We NEVER seen Black men performing on TV, so cool, talented, handsome, ‘bien chèvere.’ The music and songs about being negro, big lips, and celebrating even with prejuicio was so popular. Cortjjo and his band inspired us. Strong men, inteligente. M
Reflections on The Prophet in Sneakers (opens the original)
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Los Tenis del Profeta (opens the original)
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Leer en ingles aqui.“Si alguna vez hubo un profeta en la música latina, esa carga divina solo pudo haber recaído sobre un hombre: Ismael Rivera.”The Salsa Diaries: is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a
The Prophet in Sneakers (opens the original)
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En español aquí.If there ever was a prophet in Latin music, that divine burden could only have fallen upon one man: Ismael Rivera.That was the first line of an article I wrote in 1977 about Borinquen’s legendary master singer, El Sonero Mayor. It was enlarged and framed, hanging in his mother’s home in Puerto Rico. Almost half a century later, I still believe it.<a class="image-link i
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