Principal Cast: Domingo Quinones, Nadeen Gautier, Bruno Irizarry, Michael Ramirez, Marcelo Rodriguez, Ray Rodriguez-Rosa, Claudette Sierra, Fulvia Vergel.
This is an original cast recording of David Maldonado and Pablo Cabrera's off-Broadway tribute to venerated Boricua salsero Hector Lavoe. With a crack band overseen by Oscar Hernandez and the legendary bandleader and Fania label co-founder Johnny Pacheco, QUIEN MATO A HECTOR LAVOE? explores the stellar heights and crushing downfalls of the late singer's life as it poses the sobering question, "Who killed Hector Lavoe?"
Much of the setting is the golden era of late-'60s and '70s New York salsa, and the material is therefore drawn mainly from Lavoe's tenure as the singer in the Fania All-Stars and Willie Colon's band. Domingo Quinones provides a riveting lead performance as Lavoe, with a piercing voice that burns through every number like flaming silk. As Lavoe came to be called, "El Cantante" is Ruben Blades' biographical ode to the singer and makes for an inspiring opening to the first act. Here and on tunes like "La Murga" and "Que Bien Te Ves!," Colon's pioneering double-trombone texture shines brilliantly and sounds as fresh as when it was first created. The intermittent bits of witty dialogue provide tantalizing insights into the life of one of salsa's truly golden voices. minimize