Conjunto Clasico

For over ten years the New York salsa ensemble Conjunto Clásico has kept the classic Cuban conjunto lineup—three trumpets, conga, bongo, maracas, güiro, bass, piano, tres and voices—vital and up-to-date. At the group’s center stood executive producer, chorus singer and percussionist Raymond Castro alongside composer, producer, chorus singer and percussionist Ramón Rodríguez. Between 1979 and 1990 the band issued eleven albums on its own Lo Mejor Records imprint. After the 1986 record, founding lead vocalist Tito Nieves departed for a solo career and was succeeded by ex-Grupo Fascinación singer Johnny Rivera on the 1988 and 1989 releases; Rivera himself left to launch his solo debut, Y Ahora De Verdad, in 1990.

Before Conjunto Clásico existed, Ramón Rodríguez produced Julio Castro and his Orquesta La Masacre’s 1979 debut album, which featured Tito Nieves on lead vocals, and he also wrote the hit track ‘El Pregonero’. In 1988 and again in 1990 he produced and composed every song for Nuevas Ideas and El Bautizo by his own trombone-led outfit. The 1990 union of the band with vocalist Rafael de Jesús resulted in Ray Castro Presenta Conjunto Clásico Con Rafael De Jesús - Sensaciones, one of their strongest albums, on which José Febles took over as producer and supplied all the arrangements while Ramón played and contributed five compositions. Febles had already furnished charts for every prior Clásico release and had served as musical director on the 1979 and 1980 albums.

Castro and Rodríguez additionally produced other Lo Mejor titles: Lo Mejor Presenta: José Bello Y Su Orquesta (1981), Jose Bello Y Su Orquesta (1983) and Expresa E Interpreta Sus Sentimientos (1984) by the young Dominican band leader, singer and composer José Bello; Tito Allen’s Cantar (1981); Daniel Santos con el Conjunto Clásico (1981) by veteran heart-throb Daniel Santos (b. Daniel Doroteo de los Santos Betancur, 5 February 1916, Trastalleres, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, d. 27 November 1992, Ocala, Florida, USA); Con La Misma Piedra (1983) by Cesar Nicolas y su Orquesta ‘Show’; and El Encuentro (1983) by former Típica 73 co-leader Johnny ‘Dandy’ Rodríguez. Ramón Rodríguez, Ray Castro and Tito Nieves performed on all these Lo Mejor productions, with Ramón supplying compositions to most of them. Bello returned in 1989 as co-label head with B&B Records presenta A José Bello.