South Florida radio personality Albertico Rodríguez was cleaning out his closet last year when he found something unexpected: a recording of Celia Cruz, from a live show at the Casanova Club in Miami in 1986 or 1987.
Rodríguez, who caught several shows featuring the legendary Cruz, had recorded this particular performance, left it, and forgotten about it. Now, nearly 21 years after Cruz's death, he had an unexpected treasure in his hands: a previously unknown recording of Celia Cruz, an extremely rare commodity in 2024.
Rodríguez immediately took it to Omer Pardillo Cid, the executor and administrator of Cruz's estate, and Nelson Albareda, the CEO of Loud and Live (and Advertising signLatin strain of the year 2023), which represents the Celia Cruz estate. Albareda bought a machine to digitize the reel-to-reel recording, and then the three men sat down to listen.
“I didn't cry, but I was clearly excited,” says Albareda, who worked with Cruz as a young assistant when he started in the music business three decades ago. “Not only was the quality of the recording excellent, but it also had hits like 'Quimbara'. Albareda set to work, restoring and renewing the music, a process that took nearly a year to complete.
Now, on May 24th, this recording will see the light of day as a self-titled album En Vivo: 100 Años de Azúcar, which will be released digitally, as standard vinyl, and as a limited-edition collector's box set that will also include a coffee table and exclusive photos of Cruise. The nine-track album will feature “Químbara,” a Cruz signature song, as the lead single.
More importantly, the album will be only the second live recording of the legendary artist to be released posthumously and will also mark the start of the centenary celebration of her birth, which will continue until 2025. As part of the celebration, The Cruz's face will be featured on a U.S. quarter in August, according to the United States Mint, as part of the American Women Quarters Program.
When Cruz, known as the “Queen of Salsa,” died of cancer at the age of 77 on July 16, 2003, she was already an undisputed icon – not only one of the most impressive artists in the history of Latin music, but perhaps the most respected Afro-Latina artist of all time. Since her death, Cruz's legacy has been carefully preserved by Pardillo Sid, her longtime manager, whom she named executor of her estate before her death.
“One of the greatest treasures of my life was spending so many years by Celia's side as her manager, and more importantly, as her friend,” says Pardillo Cid today. “When she died, I made it my mission to champion the legacy of this unique woman for the rest of my life so that her brilliant work would not be forgotten. This work, the first to honor her centenary, is another example of Celia's immortality.”
Besides being a rare recording, 100 Años de Azúcar is unique in that it captured Cruise performing in a relatively small venue — for about 1,000 people — and captures her interaction with her fans up close and personal.
“Her jokes, her spontaneity is something we don't usually see in her live recordings,” says Pardillo Cid. “Here, we see the essence of Celia. Additionally, there are no other original Celia recordings. Fans will hear something different, so we thought it would be perfect for the centenary.”
100 Años de Azúcar will be released by Loud and Live Studios and distributed by indie distributor InnerCat. The decision to keep things in-house, Albareda says, was very deliberate.
“We felt the project needed white-glove treatment, and we felt we had the passion to promote it that way,” she says, noting that InnerCat also shared her passion for all things Celia. Details abound. The cover of the limited edition box set, for example, features an illustration of Cruz where her Afro hairstyle was created from pieces of one of her dresses.
While the actual album will be released on May 24th, Sirius XM's Caliente channel will exclusively premiere the music starting Friday, May 17th. The actual launch will be accompanied by a big push on social media that will include Pardillo Cid embarking on a “big publicity tour” and a push on all DSPs.
“This is a passion project, but we believe it will be financially viable and keep Celia's legacy alive,” says Albareda. “The recording really conveys and reminds us of the raw energy and power that Celia had on stage. Through this release, we seek to continue to celebrate the power, global influence and legacy of Celia and the impact she has had through her live performances around the world.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/celia-cruz-lost-recording-en-vivo-100-anos-de-azucar-1235684185/