Johnny Segui: a forgotten salsero

Latin Beat Magazine, May, 2002 by Max Salazar

During the late '40s, Latin New York's top music aggregations were the orchestras of Noro Morales, Machito, Marcelino Guerra, José Curbelo, Pupi Campo and Anselmo Sacasás.

Struggling to join this elite group were the bands of Montesino's Los Happy Boys, Alberto Iznaga's La Siboney, Catalino Rolón, José Luis Monero, Juanito Sanabria, Carlos Varela, José Budet, Luis del Campo, Moncho Usera, Ramon Argueso, La Alfarona X and Johnny Segui y Su Conjunto Los Dandies. Before the 1950s began, Los Dandies was one of New York City's most popular bands. Responsible for this distinction was its funky Arsenio Rodríguez sound. Dancers followed his trumpet conjunto from borough to borough. When the mid-'50s rolled around, Segui's Los Dandies was smoking hot, but was overshadowed by the mambo sound trend, the chachachá rhythm, the much talked about Palladium Ballroom, and the "Top Billing War" between Tito Puente and Tito Rodríguez. Segui's conjunto contributed to the salsa development of New York's music world and despite the problems he faced, his band is not remembered.

Juan Segui Jr. was born to Belén and Juan, of Ponce, Puerto Rico on April 14, 1922, while they lived in NYC's Spanish Harlem. His Mother died three years later. In 1925, young Segui relocated to Puerto Rico and lived with family members. Recounting his early years, Segui said, "My cousin Carlos played the tres guitar for Los Soneros Del Caribe. I visited him daily and with his guitar I taught myself to play by trial and error. Everyday at 5 p.m. I listened to the radio so I could hear the music of Arsenio Rodríguez from Cuba ... he was my influence. It was in the early '40s that Arsenio's first recording, La Yuca de Catalina, was a best seller in Puerto Rico. All of a sudden the tres guitar became popular and most Puerto Rican musicians became interested in ir because of Arsenio, Los Jovenes del Cayo, Kubavana and Conjunto Casino. At that time, the best tresero in Puerto Rico was Peliche, who played with Septeto Puerto Rico. Also popular was Juan Irene-Pérez (at the moment with NYC's Los Soneros de Oriente), Mario Castillo (with Las Estrellas de Oriente), and Mario Hernández.

"In 1940, there were two race tracks in Puerto Rico. One was La Casa and the other La Quintana. On weekends I carried my cousin's tres to the tracks so I wouldn't have to pay to get in. At times there were five conjuntos which performed until midnight. They played the rhythms of son, guaracha and rumba. Jara, the tres guitarist for El Conjunto Capasetti, paid me $1.00 to guard his guitar and amplifier during breaks, and then take them home with me. My first job as àa musician was with Las Hermanas (the sisters) Sustache at San Juan's WNEN radio station. I was familiar with their tunes, all which were recorded and heard daily by the Cuban group Los Hermanos Marquez. After seven months I moved to Puerta de Tierra and organized my conjunto in 1942. Our first job was La Fiesta de Cruz. We were eight musicians (no pianist) and we earned $4.00 each. We started at 7 p.m. and ended at 11 p.m. At the end of the night I learned that the train that would take us back to Puerta de Tierra was not scheduled to arrive until the following morning. We waited in a bakery that was open all night.

"In early 1945, I recorded a demo at a studio located at El Morro. I mailed it to my father in New York and he placed it in a jukebox. The listeners liked it and urged my father to bring the group to NYC. The first thing we did was to have each man contact families in New York who would allow the musicians to live with them."

In August 1945, Latin talent agent Federico Pagani offered Segui a gig at the Park Plaza Ballroom at the corner of 110th Street and 5th Avenue. The eight-man Segui Conjunto left Puerto Rico on the SS Monterey ferry for the Big Apple. Nine days later, it docked in Brooklyn. The octet traveled to Manhattan's West 108th Street where Segui's father arranged sleeping cots in the basement. The following day, contacts were made for living quarters. Before the week ended, six musicians returned to the basement because friends and family could not accommodate them. Then the Park Plaza gig was cancelled because an American Federation of Musicians, Local II 802 by-law stated that newly arrived musicians to New York City had to complete a six-month waiting period before obtaining a union card that would allow them to work.

However, if evidence such asa postmarked letter addressed to the union six months before the date of application existed, the musicians could work. A letter postmarked six months before was found and the ban was lifted.

The sardine packed basement made it difficult to live. An apartment where the musicians could live comfortably was located at 102 Street and Manhattan Avenue. Segui asked Pagani for help. Pagani introduced him to El Gallego, a wealthy restaurant and bar owner. El Gallego gave Pagani a $3,000 loan so the musicians could buy the apartment, furniture, and band uniforms. Segui paid Local # 802 $416 for eight union cards.