El Pito y otros exitos: Alfredo "Sabor" Linares

Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2005 by Roberto Ernesto Gyemant

REG: In late 1975 you left Cali and moved to Caracas, Venezuela. This was the era of the Petrodólares, right?

AL: It was in full swing. Money, lots of work ... there were piano bars --that's what they called grills in Venezuela--everywhere. I came with a production I recorded in Lima, and sold it to Fonodiscos as the LP A Escondidas Llorarás. Soon after I arrived, Samuel del Real, a good pianist, sent me to replace him at "Sencillas," a Latín jazz club. And that's where Grupo Mangó comes in. Samuel had a date to play with Grupo Mangó, but that day he couldn't make it, so I went instead.

REG: Who were the members of Grupo Mangó?

AL: Cheo Navarro, timbalero; Freddy Roldán, who played vibraphone was very good. Joe Ruiz singing; a very, very good sonero. Argenis Carmona on bass, Gustavo Quinto on congas. Later we also formed the Venezuela All Stars, in 1983, and we went to New York. The nucleus of Grupo Mangó recorded on my LPs Salsa de Verdad (1976) and Lo Que Tengo (1980). In Venezuela, I also met Ray Pérez of Los Dementes. Ray has always been very popular in Cali.

REG: How did you get your most famous nickname, ("Sabor")?

AL: When I was working at Venezolana de Televisión, an artist came in and told the director, "What I am looking for is some, some ... sabor (flavor)" and the director said, "Look, over there are El Pavo Frank (Hernández), Romerito the bassist, and Alfredito Linares--You want more sabor?" (LAUGHTER)

REG: You were also musical director for La Banda y su Salsa Joven and for Billo's Caracas Boys (a musical institution in Venezuela).

AL: I was with Billo's band a little over a year; we played in the United States (Houston, Los Angeles, Miami) and in Costa Rica ... I left Billo's in 1979, and started to work in the piano-bar scene. That's when I met Andrea Brachfeld, who played flute for Charanga '76. She came over and we started to play, to jam together. She didn't miss a session. We went to New York together because Andrea had to repair her flute, and she took me to the Village Gate, where we conducted a descarga with "Perico" Ortiz. In New York I met Larry Harlow, Kent Gómez, Eddie Palmieri ... there is a lot of respect between us. We participated in another descarga with Orquesta Broadway, and I alternated with Héctor Lavoe at the Corso; Louie Ramirez also played. What a musician! We also alternated with José Mangual Jr. and Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez. Later, I accompanied Pete in Caracas; he loved my arrangement of Yo Soy la Ley.

REG: Did you play Babaila?

AL: Oh, yes! And Catalina la O--that was a real blast! I also accompanied Celia, and we alternated with Tito Puente.

REG: You also wrote arrangements for la Salsa Mayor.

AL: Right, they were recorded in Puerto Rico. Elías López, one of the best trumpet players in Puerto Rico was there, and when La Salsa Mayor went to record, they asked Elias, "Hey, do we have to add anything to this arrangement?" Elias said, "No, this is well written. Play it from the top to the bottom, just like it's written." Those are the kinds of things that give you satisfaction.