Orquesta Dee Jay

Latin Beat Magazine, Feb, 2007 by Nelson Rodríguez

Back in the late '60s I was busy watching my New York sports teams (the Mets, Knickerbockers and Jets) getting ready to make history in 1969/70 by winning individual championships for the first time. It was also in my high school years that I listened to night time radio DJs playing all the latest Latin dance music that would soon be labeled "salsa." Little did I know that there were close to one hundred bands all over the boroughs (more specifically, Brooklyn, Bronx and Manhattan) trying to make a go of the new sounds being created and popularized.

Jerry Hernández was a dancer-turned-trombonist (from the lower East Side's Smith Projects) who got turned on to the 'bone sound of Barry Rogers when he heard Eddie Palmieri's Molasses; while George (Dee Jay) De Jesús Jr. was from Brooklyn's Manhattan Avenue, where his parents owned one of the many bridal shops on the strip that were so common during the mid-'60s. George fixed his basement with the latest fads and neon lights to look like a small club, and this was the place where the roots of the band known as Orquesta Dee Jay evolved.

In 1968 De Jesús brought in Jerry Hernández, Joe Rivera and vocalist Rafael De Jesús (known to his friends as Chuleta), and thus began the history of a band that was organized without any formal musical training. Many of the band members' friends and relatives became an entire traveling entourage that followed the band and fueled its swing as well as guaranteed a huge crowd to promoters. The popularity of the band began at the Psycho Room, billed with Willie Colón, when Hernández was only eighteen years old. As the group continued to grow, efforts to get signed by a label were met with the same negative response: "If you don't have any boogaloo, we can't sign you."

Well, the band did put together that needed soulful track titled Black Shadow, and began to play it in their gigs. Along with its first hit, Malas Lenguas, the band continued to gain success, despite the record labels' lack of interest.

Orquesta Dee Jay was featured with every major Latin N.Y. artist, including names like Eddie Palmieri (the one they learned the most from), Orchestra Harlow, Willie Colón (who drew big crowds), the Lebrón Brothers (who also hada huge following), Ray Barretto, and Tito Puente, at the best clubs of the era (The Corso, St. George, Cheetah). This lasted from 1968 through 1974. With each passing year, the engagements were bigger and better and kept landing them at the best clubs throughout various boroughs.

Promoter Ralph Lew saw their names on billboard posters all over the city and decided to check them out. He was amazed that not only could the band move the crowds with its vibrant sound but they also traveled with a crowd. He began to produce the band and reached a deal with MGM Latino that gave birth to Orquesta Dee Jay's first release Pa'lante con la Orquesta Dee Jay. The band was comprised of bandleader George De Jesús Jr. (bass), Mario Marrero II (piano and organ), Emilio "Tato" Barreto (congas), Harry Fermaint (timbal), Jerry Hernández and Joe "Belly" Rivera (trombones), Mike "Fumeco" Ruiz (percussion), and Rafael De Jesús (vocals, no relation to the leader).

Malas Lenguas (the tune that tells the story of the envious ones in the industry) was heard at all of their gigs, in addition to the soulful Black Sbadows and the other originals--Campesino, La ]ara, Yemayá, Cuba, Camaguela, and Te Traigo.

For a two-year period, the band worked six days a week, not to mention the frequent rehearsals that drew 50-60 people to dance and watch them in action. The second LP, Forget It, issued on Ralph Lews' label LEWGAS (re-issued by Mango in 1993) was a huge hit on the Internet program at www.thelatinsoulshow.com and generated the hit Forget It, sung by trombonist Joe Rivera but it was also an enormous success for the band with the tracks Mi Son, Maniatica, Buena Suerte, Yemayá y Obatala, Calunga and Dile Que Vuelva.

After watching the members of Roberto Roena's Apollo Sound all decked out in uniforms at the Village Gate, the Orquesta Dee Jay's mates were convinced that they would have to do the same for their debut at the Gate. Since George owned a bridal shop, he and Jerry Hernández went to tuxedo manufacturers that hooked them up with raspberry tuxedos and white pants and bowties that helped make the Gate event one of the most memorable ones. It was the only time Symphony Sid came on stage to congratulate a band.

Like any good thing happening with a band, the wear and tear of playing so much actually caused a few members to leave, while others wanted to branch out on their own. The sound was never again the same, not even with new and better musicians, so in 1975, Orquesta Dee Jay dissolved.

For many collectors back in the '70s, this was the record many would pass on unless they saw them live. Today, their vinyl goes for huge bucks on the Internet and in my opinion, there is no doubt that this was one of the heaviest bands of the late '60s and early '70s and I am so glad I met these guys via Andrés Padua. Their CDs are now available through "The Latin Soul Show" network and are worth the price for these historic recordings.