Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/07/2016
9:00 pm - 11:30 pm
Location
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts
Categories
El Gigante De La Salsa
OSCAR D’LEÓN
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts continues its spectacular 36th Anniversary Season with an exclusive concert of Venezuela-born Salsa Superstar OSCAR D’LEÓN, who returns toLehman Center with his Orchestra to perform such smash hits as “Llorarás,” “Detalles,” “Mi Bajo y Yo” and “Yo Quisiera” for one electrifying night on Saturday, May 7th, 2016 at 8pm.One of the world’s most popular salsa vocalists, Oscar D’León is known for being a highly skilled improviser with a dynamic and textured vocal tone. Produced by Lehman Center and José Raposo.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for OSCAR D’LEÓN on Saturday, May 7th, 2016 at 8pm are $60, $55, and $45, and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10am–5pm, and beginning at 12 noon on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low-cost on-site parking available for $5.
OSCAR D’LEÓN, “El León de la Salsa”, was born with rhythm in his blood in the Parroquia Antínamo section of Caracas, Venezuela. He taught himself to play bass guitar and worked as a taxi driver and auto mechanic by day and bass player by night for local conjuntos. As his reputation grew as a bass player, D’Leon also became known as a clever improviser and dynamic singer. In 1972, he joined with percussionist José Rodríguez, trombone players César Monge and José Antonio Rojas, pianist Jesus Narvaez and congas player Elio Pacheco to form La Dimensión Latina, which quickly became Venezuela’s leading salsa band, recording six albums between 1972 and 1976. The band’s 1975 hit “Llorarás” remains one of D’Leon’s most famous songs. In 1976 he created his own two trumpet/two trombone band, La Salsa Mayor, releasing from their self-titled 1977 debut album the hits “El Baile Del Suavecito” and the merengue standard “Juanita Morell” as a guaracha, which also became a huge radio hit in Puerto Rico. In 1978 he founded La Crítica, a tribute to the legends of Cuban rumba, and for several years sang with both orchestras. In 1991, after three years of releasing mostly salsa romántica recordings, he joined an all-star line-up of his new label RMM’s top vocalists, including José Alberto, Tony Vegaand Ismael Miranda, plus Celia Cruz, for Tito Puente’s The Mambo King: 100th LP. He continued recording for the RMM subsidiary label Sonero, releasing El Rey De Los Soneros (1992) and Toitico Y Tuyo (1994). 1996’s Grammy-nominated release El Sonero Del Mundo was recorded in Miami with Willie Chirino. The following year’s Live album was recorded in New York with help from guests Arturo Sandoval, trumpeter Piro Rodriguez and vocalist India. He then returned to the studio to complete another fine set, La Formula Original. D’León marched into the new millennium with neither his creativity nor popularity showing signs of fading, and a new recording contract with Universal Latino spurred him on to record one of his finest albums in several years, Infinito (2003). Throughout his musical career, he has recorded more than 50 albums, winning many gold records. In 1998, the City of New York established March 15th as Oscar D’León Day, which is celebrated every year. In 2013 D’León received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Recording Academy and in 2014 he surprised his audience with Big Band Classics, a high quality swinging album consisting of 10 songs like “My Way”, “New York New York” and “Fly Me To The Moon” in English and Spanish performed by an orchestra of 36 musicians. On stage D’León is an exuberant showman, with an outstanding ability to involve the audience in his extended improvisations on his many hits and Latin music classics. His most recent release is 2015’s Personalidad.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. The 2015-2016 season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and through corporations, foundations and private donations.