It's been 60 years since Dominican bandleader Johnny Pacheco co-founded Fania Records with attorney Jerry Masucci. To honor the legacy of the Latin label that brought us legends like Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Héctor Lavoe, Ray Barretto, Rubén Blades and Pacheco himself, Craft Latino announced on Tuesday (16 April) a year-long celebration of special editions, merchandise and events.
The Latin repertoire arm of Craft Recordings, the catalog label team for Concord, Craft Latino will release over a dozen remastered 180 gram vinyl reissues throughout the year, as well as remastered digital albums, a box set of singles and edited Playlists. It will also host artist spotlights and live events in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London.
A newly remastered reissue of Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe's 1970 salsa album La Gran Fuga (The Big Break) is already available. Other vinyl reissues due out in 2024 include Joe Cuba Sextet's debut album on Tico Records. Vagabundeando! Outside (60th-anniversary edition) and his Fania All-Stars 50th-anniversary edition Latin-Soul-Rock album, featuring live recordings from the band's 1973 concerts at New York's Yankee Stadium and Puerto Rico's Roberto Clemente Coliseum with guest artists Jorge Santana, Manu Dibango, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer and others.
Fania single box, Fania 45s: the Latin Sound of New York, is slated for fall, featuring songs by Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz, Joe Bataan, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Ray Barretto, Ismael Rivera, Pete Rodriguez and Eddie Palmieri. The box set will include archival images, ephemera and in-depth liner notes in English and Spanish by New York-based music historian, writer and producer Aurora Flores.
“Craft Latino is proud to be good stewards of this iconic catalog that is a true American story of greatness. Keeping this element of Latin culture alive in the US and abroad is a mission we don't take lightly, as evidenced by the release of our highly curated 60th Anniversary Salsa repertoire,” says Bruce McIntosh, VP Latin Catalog, Craft Recordings . Advertising sign. “Through our online and consumer-facing initiatives during this special year, we are confident that old and new Fania fans will be captivated by the rhythm and meaning of this extraordinary music.”
Founded in 1964, Fania Records has become a powerful label with a signature sound: the pinnacle of tropical music, combined with big band jazz and American R&B, jazz, funk and soul. In 1967, Masucci bought Pacheco's share of the label, including its subsidiary labels. When Masucci passed in 1997, the label's assets remained tied up for years, and in 2005 it was sold to V2 Records and Emusica. In 2018, the assets of Fania Records were sold to Concord, including 1.2 thousand album masters, 15 thousand songs and 7 thousand compositions.
Craft Latino's repertoire houses one of the largest collections of top Latin music recordings and compositions, and includes artists such as Antonio Aguilar, Joan Sebastian, Pepe Aguilar, Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, Ray Barretto, La Lupe, Rubén Blades and the Fania All Stars.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/craft-latino-fania-records-60-years-remasterings-1235655054/
