AARP - Segunda Juventud

Salsa on the Big Screen

By Lewis Beale
June/July 2007

El Cantante isn’t just a movie about the life of the charismatic but drug-addicted salsero Héctor Lavoe, who died in 1993 at age 46. The film—which opens in July and stars Marc Anthony as Lavoe and Jennifer Lopez as his wife, Puchi (above)—is also a reunion of some of the finest salsa musicians.

Yomo Toro, Andy Montañez, and Milton Cardona are just some of the salseros in the movie or on its soundtrack. They’ve all played in Lavoe’s band and with other great conjuntos.

“The music of that era was unique,” says Ismael Miranda, who plays Lavoe’s father and has sung with Fania All-Stars. “We used to sing about social themes, social problems, and it was also dance music, very hot.”

El Cantante is not just for Latinos. “It’s a human story, a reality TV show,” says soundtrack producer Sergio George. “Non-Latinos will probably be more fascinated than Latinos.”

But probably not more so than Anthony: “It’s an honor for me to know these legends. I’m here today because they paved the way. The bottom line is they are my teachers, and this movie is a way of honoring their legacy.”

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