Ansonia Records and Dominican Merengue’s Place in Latin Music History
Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño, circa 1953. Courtesy of Ansonia Records
Editor’s Note: The following essay belongs to a series exploring the history of Ansonia Records, an independent, family-run music label which was founded in New York City in 1949. The Ansonia catalogue, recently digitized, boasts an impressive and influential collection of Puerto Rican jibaro music, Dominican merengue, and other folk and popular music genres from throughout Latin America. Further research will no doubt uncover the role Pérez and the Ansonia label played in the development of Latin music within the recording industry. See below for the full series:
¿Conoces este disco de papi con Johnny Rodríguez y su trío?: Ansonia Records and Puerto Rico [Part I] by Dr. Mario Cancel-Bigay
¿Conoces este disco de papi con Johnny Rodríguez y su trío?: Ansonia Records and Puerto Rico [Part II] by Dr. Mario Cancel-Bigay
The Latin Music Legacy of Ralph Pérez and Ansonia Records by Néstor David Pastor
Author’s Note: Special thanks to Dr. Mario Cancel-Bigay and Néstor David Pastor for their feedback and support, Souraya Al-Alaoui for access to the archives, Henry Gerard Glass, and Liza Richardson.
Introduction
I had started collecting vinyl records in late 2014 as part of my own research process for the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute’s (CUNY DSI), A History of Dominican Music in the United States when I first discovered the forgotten independent Latin music label– Ansonia Records. Prior to that, I had known about Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño and his role in popularizing Dominican merengue outside of the Dominican Republic during the 1950s. Yet, it was only a footnote. I did not learn the full history until I read the book El furioso merengue del norte: una historia de la comunidad dominicana en los Estados Unidos by Francisco Rodríguez de León. The book cover had a rare photo of Ángel Viloria and members of his band in 1952. It also includes an entire chapter devoted to the genesis of the band, Dominican vocalist Dioris Valladares, and the role of Ansonia Records in all of it. I was so fascinated by the history and immediately began buying not only Viloria’s records, but other Dominican artists on the label like Dioris Valladares, Luis Quintero, and Ramón E. García. Then, in 2017, I decided to donate those Ansonia recordings to the CUNY DSI Library and focused more of my attention on investigating the lives and trajectories of these artists on the label. Then all of sudden the label resurfaced, and made its social media debut in the fall of 2020. I was thrilled to see Ansonia Records in the public eye again sharing its historic Latin music catalog.
Early Years
Since that time, renewed attention to the label and writing album blurbs for Ansonia have demonstrated to me the essential role they played in the development of Dominican merengue in the United States. The artists brought a distinctly Dominican sound to a Puerto Rican-New York based label that invested in them. Ansonia Records founder Ralph Pérez promoted the music among working-class Puerto Ricans in New York City, northeastern cities, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean during the 1950s.¹ Pérez first sought out veteran Puerto Rican bandleader Juanito Sanabria and his orchestra at the Club Caborrojeño located on West 145th street and Broadway after hearing of their success interpreting the merengues “La Cachucha,” “Canto de Hacha,” and “La Amaneca,” with Dominican vocalist Dioris Valladares in 1950.² It is important to establish the presence of a young Dioris Valladares, who settled in East Harlem in 1936 with his family. And after serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II from 1942-1945, he was already an active participant in the Latin music scene in New York City.³ The Dominican dance promoter Virgilio Dalmau supplied the merengues as a gift to Sanabria and were the only merengues in the orchestra’s repertoire. According to Dioris Valladares, Pérez had previously recorded merengues with little success and contracted Sanabria to record four 78 RPM singles with Ansonia Records (for their “Serie Hispania'' line) in 1951.⁴ The four merengues from those Ansonia sessions were, “El Negrito del Batey,” “La Amaneca,” “Anaima,” and “La Moña.” Two of them were popular hits, “La Amaneca” in Puerto Rico and “La Moña” in New York City.⁵ The early success for Sanabria and Dioris paved the way for more 78rpm recordings released between 1952-1954, totaling 12 in all and consisting of merengues which would later be compiled into one LP released in 1956.
“La Mona” 78rpm record, 1951. Courtesy of Ansonia Records.
The Legacy of Ángel Viloria
Although Sanabria is not remembered by fans of Dominican merengue today, his success had an impact because it provided an opportunity for Dominican musicians like Ángel Viloria—an accordionist, pianist, and bandleader who arrived in New York City in 1948, and became the musical director of the newly formed “Conjunto Típico Cibaeño'' in 1952 with the help of Dominican singer Manolita Rojas who introduced Viloria to Mr. Pérez.⁶ Viloria presented a unique sound and merengue ensemble to the label with the support of Ralph Pérez. The first members of the group were: Ángel Viloria (piano accordion), Emilio “Mililo'' Morel (lead vocals), Luis Quintero (tambora/percussionist), and Jaime Richetti (backup vocals/güira player). That was in 1952. They recorded four 78 rpm singles, “Dolorita,” “Antonio Mi Hijo,” “San Antonio,” and “Ají Caribe.” Unfortunately, Julio Tonos, a representative of Ansonia in the Dominican Republic, did not like Mililo's voice, and that is why his name never appeared in the credits.⁷
The following year, Dioris was offered the job of lead vocalist replacing original singer Mililo and additional musicians were integrated into the conjunto: Puerto Rican Willie Sosías (bass player), Ramón E. García (alto saxophone), Don Santiago (tenor or C melody saxophone), and Puerto Rican Yayo El Indio (backup vocals).⁸ Ángel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño were not your traditional merengue típico bands of the era like the famous El Trío Reynoso and Cuarteto de Isidoro Flores, which consisted of only güira (metal scraper), button accordion, tambora (double-headed drum), and sometimes Dominican marimba (bass). Ángel Viloria utilized through-composed arrangements that included more distinctive improvised solo styles for musicians like Dominican saxophonist Ramón García who left an indelible mark with his jaleos or riffs on many recordings.⁹ For Pérez, recording a conjunto would prove more cost effective than recording an entire orchestra and successful given the immense popularity of Viloria’s 78 rpm singles between 1953-1954. Some of those popular tunes were, “Consígueme eso,” “Vironay,” “Amorios,” and “El Pelero,” to name a few. “Consígueme eso” a jalemengue (a mambo-inspired saxophone introduction followed by a jaleo) tune by Dominican composer Pedro N. Pérez was representative of other hybrid genres in Ansonia’s merengue catalog during the 1950s that included bolemengue (a fusion of Cuban bolero and merengue), and salve merengue (big band salve arrangements that fused merengue típico percussive rhythms with salve melodies and original lyrics)¹⁰ to name a few. These merengue variants developed in Ciudad Trujillo (Santo Domingo) during the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo between 1948 and 1952.¹¹ In the same vein during the 1960s, Puerto Rican singer and composer Ramito recorded a suggestive fusion of Puerto Rican plena and Dominican merengue called meremplé such as “Enséñame el lunar,” in El Cantor de la Montaña, Vol. 3 (1961) and “Lo tuyo,” in El Cantor de la Montaña Vol. 7 (1966).¹²
One of the more popular and representative Dominican merengues of the period is the now classic “A Lo Oscuro” with its catchy and memorable chorus, had a sexual double entendre describing all the things you could get away with in the dark: “A lo oscuro metí la mano/A lo oscuro metí los pies/A lo oscuro hice mi lío/A lo oscuro lo desaté.”
A Lo Oscuro 78rpm record, circa 1953. Courtesy of Ansonia Records.jpg
“A lo oscuro” was one of the definitive merengues that put Ansonia Records and Dominican music on the map in the early 1950s. The timeless merengue would go on to sell over 75,000 copies by October of 1954.¹³ “A lo oscuro” has been reinterpreted by many Dominican and non-Dominican artists spanning generations and styles ranging from merengue típico, merengue de calle, and merengue de orquesta. Ángel Viloria's death on August 26, 1954, in Puerto Rico shocked the Latin music world and his conjunto was forever immortalized through their recordings popularized in other countries, including Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Brazil where it intersected with the Forró music scene in the 1950s.¹⁴ Their merengues would later be compiled into a two volume LP set, the first sixteen were released as 10-inch albums in November of 1954 and marked the beginning of the 33rpm records era for the label.¹⁵ In 1956, Ansonia re-released all 36 recordings into a three volume LP set, “Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño Merengues Vol. 1-3” (ALP 1206, ALP 1207, ALP 1208).
Merengue Takes the Spotlight
Ansonia Records had one of the largest merengue catalogs in the U.S. recording industry in the mid-1950s and other conjuntos on the label were adding to the growing popularity of the genre.¹⁶ The popular vocalist Dioris Valladares had begun leading his own orchestra at the Gloria Palace located at 210 E. 86th Street while still recording with Ansonia in 1955.¹⁷ The Gloria Palace was a popular venue advertised as “El Palacio del Merengue” where Dioris occasionally shared the bill with his label mates Claudio Ferrer, Ramito, and Jorge López.¹⁸ Dioris recorded over thirty 78rpm singles for the label as a bandleader, but also as a featured vocalist for Ramón E. García y su Conjunto Nuevo Cibao. Moreover, I noticed from looking at the Ansonia recording logs that Doris recorded merengues with both a big band orchestra and conjunto which represented his versatility and experience as a singer. Dioris came up singing with the big band orchestras and conjuntos of Alberto Iznaga, Generoso “Carlos” Montesino, Noro Morales, and Xavier Cugat to name a few. Those influences were brought over to his recordings as a bandleader with Ansonia, but he also kept the sound and format that made him popular with the Conjunto Típico Cibaeño. Here are some examples of his sophisticated big-band sound including creative fusions with mambo such as “Compay Juanico,” and cha-cha-cha on the track “Mantecadito '' now available through Bandcamp. His merengue catalogued also included salve merengues like, “Nena,” and jalemengues such as “Merengue sabroson.” In 1955, Dioris was at the height of his popularity and merengue was in high demand among dancers as well. A merengue “Por culpa de un saxofón” composed by Dominican songwriter Mario de Jesús reflected this level of visibility and prevalence in the lyrics:
Un mambo no tiene el who/ el mambo no no que va/ para que lo sepas tú te lo voy a demostrar
(A mambo does not have a who / the mambo does not go / just so you know, I'm going to show you).
This fun, deliberate jab at the Afro-Cuban music known as mambo shows the overlap in popularity with mambo and conveys a different reality within the New York City Latin dance community. This unwritten history is one of many examples of what makes Ansonia and its historic catalog important.
But Dioris wasn’t the only artist Ansonia provided an early platform and foundation. The Dominican percussionist Luis Quintero known as “El Rey de la Tambora'' launched the Conjunto Alma Cibaeña in 1954 and contributed immensely as a bandleader when very few Dominican percussionists were leading their own bands at the time. His exceptional solos on recordings like the pambiche (a slower and more harmonious merengue and the tambora is played at a slightly slower tempo) “La Resbalosa,'' demonstrated his unique repiques or embellishments on the double-ended tambora drum. His Ansonia sessions featured an ever-shifting roster of lead vocalists from Luis Vásquez, Mon Rivera, Casíto Morales, and Milito Pérez between 1954-1958. A popular merengue was “Si tú no la otra” interpreted by Dominican vocalist Luis Vásquez and decades later sampled by Jennifer Lopez on the 2018 song “Dinero” feat. DJ Khaled and Cardi B. Quintero’s popular merengues were released in a compilation album in 1958 and would go on to release five more albums with the label in the 1960s. Another merengue ambassador was the talented Dominican pianist and composer Frank Damirón who arrived in New York City in 1949 with Dominican vocalist Ernesto “Negrito” Chapuseaux. Damirón shaped the instrumental sound of “piano merengues” and introduced this variation of piano and rhythm to the public in the early 1950s. Damirón recorded several sides for the label, and some of the popular recordings are “Piano Merengue,” “La Escalerita,” and “Piano, Guira Y Tambora,” totaling 12 in all and compiled into one LP released in 1956. After this release, the piano merengue made an impact in New York City and Latin America as it was professionally incorporated into the repertories of Latin orchestras and pianists during the 1950s and 60s as a novelty. For example, Puerto Rican bandleader Ralph Font incorporated the piano merengue on the album “Tabu” released in 1959, and Cuban pianist Pepesito Reyes did the same on the album “Mi piano merengue” released in the 1960s.¹⁹
The Impact of the Trujillo Dictatorship
To me one of the intriguing aspects of Ansonia’s merengue success in New York City and abroad was the relationship of Ralph Pérez with Dominican songwriters and musicians in the Dominican Republic during the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship. In an interview with Puerto Rican radio broadcaster Gilda Mirós, Dioris mentioned how Ralph Pérez would travel to Santo Domingo and come back with music since emigration was restricted under dictator Rafael Trujillo. Pérez encouraged Dioris to go there and meet with the songwriters of the merengues they were recording back in New York such as Luis Alberti, Luis Kalaff, and Pedro N. Pérez, among others.²⁰ Some of the titles that were personally given to Dioris on his third trip to the country were “Vete Lejos” given to him by Pedro N. Pérez recorded with Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño in 1953.²¹ Then the song “Juancito Trucupey” by Luis Kalaff, which became a hit with Ramón García y su Conjunto Nuevo Cibao and popularized by Celia Cruz with La Sonora Matancera in 1955. Furthermore, Dominican artists were influenced by the Haitian merengues released on the label as well during the 1950s. An example of this was the merengue “Carabaguinó” recorded by Ramón García y su Conjunto Nuevo Cibao which was an adaptation of the Haitian merengue “Madame Brino” by Haitian saxophonist Raoul Guillaume and Son Groupe.
Ramón García and his Conjunto Típico Cibao featuring singer Dioris Valladares holding güiro, circa mid-1950s. Courtesy of Ansonia Records.
Moreover, well-known Dominican musicians recorded many merengues in praise of Trujillo, but this reality was not only experienced in the Dominican Republic. In New York City, Dioris recorded two merengues “Nuestro Benefactor” and “La Feria de la Paz” for Ansonia to kick off the festivities for Trujillo’s Feria de la Paz y la Confraternidad del Mundo Libre (International Fair for Peace and Progress).²² The event was a public spectacle held in Santo Domingo between December of 1955 and February of 1956 and modeled after the New York World’s Fair of 1939 which Trujillo visited.²³ Ansonia, with all its commercial success with Dominican merengues, was not exempt from the influence and control of Trujillo’s policies during the 1950s. Furthermore, this example shows more broadly how the music was important to the diplomatic and cultural relations between the United States, and the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, other Latin record labels, musicians, singers, journalists, promoters, and venues in the city contributed to the dissemination of merengue as a symbol of Dominican national identity under Trujillo.
New Horizons: The Arrival of Joseíto Mateo
After the fall of Trujillo’s dictatorship, the face of Ansonia merengue catalog was none other than “Rey del Merengue” Joseíto Mateo who first came to New York City performed with his good friend Dominican musician, bandleader, and songwriter Luis Kalaff at the Club Caborrojeño in 1963. The massive emigration from the Dominican Republic began in 1962 and this affected the sound and lyrical content of popular music in a significant way during the 1960s. Joseíto returned in 1964 to New York City and recorded the first of five LPs for Ansonia with Ramón García y su Conjunto Cibao. It is worth mentioning that Joseíto lived in New York City during the 1960s and 70s, dividing most of his career commitments (and a portion of his personal life) between the United States and the Dominican Republic. The merengue “Un Cibaeño en Nueva York,” like many other merengues on this first album, illustrated this split in Joseíto’s life and evoked the rural merengue típico scene from El Cibao (the northern region of the country) associated with galleras (cock-fighting rings) and fiestas de enramada (rural dances held in modest, dirt-floor shelters),²⁴ while also addressing the harsh reality of Dominicans in the city as factory workers and the expectations of relatives back home receiving money. One of Joseíto’s most memorable albums "Caña Brava" Merengues Vol. 3 released in 1967 featured some of his iconic interpretations of merengue classics “Caña Brava” and “El Negrito del Batey,” originally written for him but popularized by Dominican singer and friend Alberto Beltrán with La Sonora Matancera in 1954. Joseíto recorded the album “Caña Brava” with a traditional merengue típico ensemble in the Dominican Republic featuring masters of their respective instruments: Tavito Vázquez on alto saxophone and Dionisio “Guandulito” on accordion, who would later release his solo album of merengue típico with Ansonia in the 1970s. Joseíto's interpretation of “Caña Brava” was popular in the city amongst Dominicans who quickly recorded their own versions of another hit song on the album “Aquí bailamos tó” composed by Joseíto Mateo.
Later Years
Ansonia’s Dominican music catalogue expanded in exciting directions during the 1960s and subsequent decades, all the while the label continued releasing merengue albums from Joseíto, who enjoyed a long career with Ansonia. The legacy built by previous artists helped attract more Dominican talent such as Luis Kalaff, who was given the opportunity to introduce mangulinas (a folkloric dance and 6/8 rhythm from the southwest region in the Dominican Republic), salves (a call-and-response Afro-Catholic religious song), cumbias, and guitar-based merengues on three albums for the label: Luis Kalaff Y Sus Alegres Dominicanos – Merengues, Luis Kalaff Y Sus Alegres Dominicanos – El Merengue Soy Yo, Vol. 2, and Luis Kalaff Y Su Orquesta* – Ella Tiene Su Clientela - Vol. 3. Kalaff had previously introduced this style of merengue with Seeco Records in 1959 and achieved success reintroducing himself within the New York Latin music scene interpreting an array of new compositions. The accordionist and bandleader Isidoro Flores released an album of merengues with the versatile singer Crucito Pérez in 1965 that contained rich melodies and lyrics found in popular classics like “Medio Millón,” and “Marola”. Other brilliant artists based in the Dominican Republic left their mark on Ansonia as well. The lauded Dominican poet Maricusa Ornés recited children's songs for an album released in 1966, and veteran pop singer Lope Balaguer accompanied by the Super Orchestra San José led by Papa Molina had an album of boleros released in 1967. Bandleader Antonio Morel and his orchestra had a stint with the label in the late 1960s, releasing two records “Fiesta Dominicana” and “Merengues: instrumentales para bailar.” One of the most revered merengue vocalists Vinicio “Mambo” Franco (1933-2020) released his first of many albums of merengues on Ansonia in 1970 as a soloist accompanied by a modern merengue típico ensemble consisting primarily of a diatonic button accordion, electric bass, güira (metal rasp or scraper), tambora (double-headed drum), and alto saxophone. The first album Merengues (ALP 1473) featured the hit merengue “La chiva blanca” composed by Juan R. Santos who won the first place at the first festival of merengue organized by AMUCABA (union of musicians and singers in the Dominican Republic) in 1969. The following year, Dominican composer Luís Chabebe won first place at the second festival of merengue for the song “La Jija de Machepa'' along with Vinicio Franco who interpreted the merengue. Ansonia included the merengue on Vincio’s second album of Merengues released in 1971, along with an acknowledgement of his triumph at the festival the year before on the album cover. Lastly, Vinicio recorded an entire album of mangulinas for Ansonia in the early 1970s when folkloric genres like carabiné were getting radio play and inspired by the folk-dance troupe’s diffusion of this rhythm in the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Ahora magazine issue 368, Nov. 30, 1970 pg. 66.
Vinicio Franco second album released in 1971. Courtesy of Ansonia Records.
All these albums previously mentioned have yet to be digitized. Also, many young Dominican musicians emerged in the local Latin music scene and one of them was the forgotten multi-instrumentalist Manolín “Manny” González, who arrived in New York City in 1962. He was a bandleader in the mid-to late 1960s with his own group “Manolín González y sus merengueros,” when he was given the opportunity to record his solo debut album with Ansonia “Manolin Gonzalez y su tribu” in 1970 or ‘71. The album does not include any Dominican merengues, but it showcased Manolin’s talent as a musician and arranger interpreting different Latin rhythms since he was a member of Ismael Rivera y sus Cachimbos.
In the 1970s, Ansonia’s merengue catalog continued to flourish with the contributions of pianist, composer, and bandleader Rafael Solano album “Siempre arriba,” featuring longtime vocalists Vinicio Franco, Rico López, and Armando Beltre. Also, the eclectic singer Rico López’s solo albums, “Canto de Remos,” and “Merengues”. The label recorded veteran singer Alberto Beltrán, better known as “El Negrito del Batey,” who made a tribute to traditional Dominican merengues from the 1950s released in 1975. The record includes “El Negrito del Batey” originally written by Hector Diaz for his friend Joseíto Mateo who appears throughout this recording doing backup vocals, and classic merengues that put Ansonia at the forefront, such as the catchy “A lo oscuro,” “Caña brava,” and “La cruz de palo bonito”. Meanwhile, by 1984, Conjunto Unidad, released its debut album “Para los que tengan oidos y pies” a salsa band founded in New York City and led by the talented Bronx born Dominican pianist, saxophonist, and arranger Martín Arroyo (1965-2000). The band consisted of primarily Dominican musicians and singers such as Joseph Portes (backup vocals), Carlos Rodriguez (bongos), Alberto Durán (tumbadoras/congas), José Ruffino (lead singer and composer), and the special participation of celebrated salsa singer José Alberto “El Canario” on backup vocals. Conjunto Unidad mainly interpreted Afro-Cuban music, specifically son montunos (a subgenre of the Cuban son) and guarachas (a Cuban dance music genre).
After many decades, it’s certain the role of Ansonia Records founder Ralph Pérez as a proponent in the dissemination of Dominican merengues impacted the New York Latin music scene and recording industry in the 1950s. The sounds of the earliest label luminaries were foundational for generations of Dominican popular music artists that would benefit from this investment and expand the reach of Dominican music around the world. More importantly, it exposed U.S. and international audiences to the Dominican merengue rhythm and dance through their intriguing recordings and many more that are yet to be digitized. Ansonia’s Dominican music catalogue is an invaluable archive of the rich folkloric and popular rhythms that are now available online once again for a whole new generation to discover. It is my hope that this brief assessment will encourage new listeners to explore the music and enrich Ansonia’s legacy.
Footnotes
¹ Flores, Juan. Salsa Rising: New York Latin Music of the Sixties Generation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016, 27.
² Valladares, Dioris. “Pequeña historia del merengue dominicano en la ciudad de Nueva York,” Listín Diario, Santo Domingo, 25 de agosto de 1996, 49.
³ CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, Dioris Valladares. p. 1, https://jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.23446013
⁴ Valladares, “Pequeña historia,” 49.
⁵ Valladares, “Pequeña historia,” 49.
⁶ Manolita Rojas led her own band and recorded with Ansonia Records in the mid-1950s.
⁷ Rodríguez De León, Francisco. El furioso merengue del norte: Una historia de la comunidad dominicana en los Estados Unidos. New York: s.n., 1998, 73.
⁸ Rodríguez de León, Francisco. El furioso merengue del norte: Una historia de la comunidad dominicana en los Estados Unidos. New York, NY, 1998, 73.
⁹ CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, “Genre Guide: Merengue.” A History of Dominican Music in the United States, http://dominicanmusicusa.com/genres/merengue/35.
¹⁰ Austerlitz, Paul. Merengue: Dominican Music and Dominican Identity. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1997, 59-60.
¹¹ Centro León, Cuaderno Fradique Lizardo del folklore, Año 01, número 1, Volumen 1, Enero-Junio 2019, 24.
¹² Cancel-Bigay, Mario. “El Cantor De La Montaña, Vol. 3.” Ansonia Records, 2021, https://ansoniarecords.bandcamp.com/album/el-cantor-de-la-monta-a-vol-3-2.
¹³ “Mambomania,” The Cash Box, October 30, 1954, 16.
¹⁴ Lamen, Darien. “Claiming Caribbeanness in the Brazilian Amazon: Lambada, Critical Cosmopolitanism, and the Creation of an Alternative Amazon.” Latin American Music Review, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Fall / Winter 2013), pp. 141.
¹⁵ “Album Reviews,” The Cash Box, November 20, 1954, 14.
¹⁶ “Merengue” is latest Latin American Dance,” The Cash Box, November 13, 1954, 14.
¹⁷ CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, “Narrative 1950s: Here comes the Dominican merengue: Mambo and Cha Cha make way.” A History of Dominican Music in the United States, 2021, http://dominicanmusicusa.com/narratives/1950s-here-comes-the-dominican-merengue-mambo-and-cha-cha-make-way/8
¹⁸ CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, “Gloria Palace advertisement,1955” A History of Dominican Music in the United States, 2021, http://dominicanmusicusa.com/images/gloria-palace-advertisement-1953/636
¹⁹ “Mambomania,” The Cash Box, October 30, 1954, 16.
²⁰ Mirós, Gilda. De la montaña venimos: íconos de Latinoamérica: edición especial del audio libro. Bloomington: AuthorHouse, 2014, 253.
²¹ Mirós, De la montaña venimos, 253.
²² Nuestro benefactor/ La feria de la paz,” Radio Gladys Palmera, 2021, https://gladyspalmera.com/coleccion/disco/31228/
²³ Van Buren, Thomas, and Leonardo Iván Domínguez. "Transnational Music and Dance in Dominican New York.” In Dominican Migration: Transnational Perspectives, edited by Ernesto Sagas and Sintia E. Molina. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2004, 249.
²⁴ Hutchinson, Sydney. Focus: Music of the Caribbean. New York: Routledge, 2020, 177.
Jhensen Ortiz is a Queens native Dominican librarian, archivist, researcher, and writer. He currently works as a librarian at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute Archives and Library at The City College of New York. His present academic and research interests are centered on collection development, history of the Dominican community in the U.S., audiovisual media, and digital library collections. He holds a B.A. in History from the City College of New York; and a dual master degree in Library Science and History with a certificate in Archives and the Preservation of Cultural Materials from Queens College (CUNY).