Album Notes

Los Angeles-based Peruvian salseros Octavio Figueroa (pianist) and Willy Cadenas (vocalist) are distinguished exponents of the local salsa scene, whose careers date back to the early 1980s, when both led their own salsa bands (Octavio Figueroa & La Sorpresa, and Willy Cadenas & La Combinación). For more than a decade the bandleaders merged their efforts, becoming one group-La Combinación Salsa Band. This new recording is Octavio Figueroa's way of paying tribute to his longtime partner Cadenas, one of the leading salsa vocalists in the L.A. salsa scene. A total of ten tracks unveils Cadenas' career as a singer, while revisiting six songs that launched his early career in Perú, back in the 1970s. Among our favorite tunes are the title track (La Luna y El Toro), A Santa Bárbara, and Trátame Como Soy. Figueroa does a commendable bandleading job on the keyboards, and he is credited for many of the arrangements in this recording, which features various notable L.A.-based percussionists such as José "Papo" Rodríguez, Ramoncito Ramos, Virgilio Figueroa, Marcos Tabory, and the late Víctor Pantoja. -Rudy Mangual