Jerry Galante

Columbian Jerry Galante built his reputation across the global Latin music scene through a distinctive approach to salsa. In his homeland of Columbia he first gained recognition during the 1980s as a bandleader who consistently assembled top-tier musicians around him. His sound carries the same fervent drive that propelled the Fania label to prominence in New York City during the late 1960s and 1970s and that featured artists such as Tito Puente. International recognition arrived swiftly after he joined Colombia’s Geos Records in 1995 and issued his first album, Todo un Extasis de Amor. The project not only established him as a familiar figure throughout Colombia but also drew strong critical praise and reached Latin music listeners abroad. Within months he was performing throughout South America and the United States. He then moved to the Latin imprint Rmm, which issued his follow-up, Estoy Enamorado, in November 1996. Continued critical approval brought him before wider crowds, and since that release he has appeared at numerous international Latin music festivals while working alongside such leading contemporaries as Manny Pacheco, Michael Stuart, and Victor Manuelle.