SONORA PONCEÑA’S ELECTRIFYING SALSA ALBUM SABOR SUREÑO REISSUED FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Craft Latino proudly announces a 50^th anniversary reissue of the electrifying salsa album, Sabor Sureño, the seventh album from Puerto Rico’s iconic band Sonora Ponceña. Initially released on Inca Records (a subsidiary of Fania Records), this recording boasts the lovely, bittersweet standout “Juana Bayona,” the jazzy-guaguanco “Ecue Baroni,” and the breezy, island-life anthem “Las mujeres son de azúcar,” which was penned by famed composer Tite Curet Alonso.

Available for pre-order today and due out October 18^th, Sabor Sureño has been pressed on 180-gram vinyl and features lacquers cut from the original master tapes (AAA) by Clint Holley at Well Made Music. Fans can also find a “Morado Oscuro (Dark Purple)” 180-gram color vinyl variant (limited to 300 copies), with a bundle option that including a Sabor Sureño T-shirt, at the Craft store. Additionally, Sabor Sureño will make its debut in 192/24 HD digital audio.

Throughout 2024, Craft Latino is dedicated to celebrating Fania Records’ monumental impact on Latin music—a legacy that continues to resonate and shape music worldwide via. reissues, new releases, and exclusive content Visit fania.com/fania-60th for more details.

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Before Sonora Ponceña became the salsa powerhouse it is today, the group started out in 1944 as El Conjunto Internacional, the passion project of Enrique “Quique” Lucca Caraballo, a musician from Ponce, a city on Puerto Rico’s Southern coast. A decade later, Quique renamed his band Sonora Ponceña, said to be a nod to both his hometown and his favorite Cuban group (with a trumpet-dominated horn section), La Sonora Matancera.

Sonora Ponceña only really found fame after Quique’s son, Enrique Lucca Quiñonez, Jr. (better known as Papo), started performing as a pianist with the group at age eight. The music prodigy dazzled crowds, most notably at age 14 during their acclaimed 1960 performance at New York City’s Manhattan Center. Eight years later, with his father’s encouragement, the wildly talented young pianist would replace Quique as the group’s bandleader and music arranger. This came just in time for their debut album, Hacheros pa’ un palo. A big fan of Afro-Cuban and jazz, Papo’s musical passions would help define Sonora Ponceña’s unique, dynamic sound, which drew from those influences (his father, Quique, would pass away at the age of 103 in 2016).

The group was on a roll, with one acclaimed album following the next, by the time they released Sabor Sureño. The pass-the-mic dexterity of Sonora Ponceña’s horn and rhythm sections (not to mention lead vocalists Luigi Texidor and Miguelito Ortiz, at turns velvety and agile) were unmatched. “Juana Bayona,” arguably Sabor Sureño’s biggest hit at the time, is still considered a milestone in salsa. Billboard named “Fuego en el 23” — a classic on summer block-party playlists — as one of the best salsa tracks of all time. Papo’s “tight orchestrations for the ensemble are marvelous, peaking with his elegant ending to ‘Las mujeres son de azúcar,” wrote AllMusic. In the same review, the outlet referred to the band as “Puerto Rico’s gift to the world.” Five years later, still reverberating with relevance, the group would even collaborate with iconic Latin vocalist Celia Cruz on an album, the exquisitely rousing La Ceiba.

Sonora Ponceña remains a vibrant act to this day, with a now 78-year-old Papo at the helm. In 1993, they received the Congo de Oro for best international band. A little over a decade after that, in 2004, the Legislature of Puerto Rico officially recognized their musical contributions by dedicating its annual “Día Nacional de la Salsa” to them. All told, Sonora Ponceña has recorded more than 35 albums, with dozens of their releases reaching platinum and gold status.

About Fania Records’ 60^TH Anniversary Celebration:

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary New York label Fania Records, one of the most significant Latin labels in the world, musically and culturally. In the ’60s, Fania was a pioneer in creating and spreading the sound of salsa music from New York City to the globe. In addition to salsa, Fania is the definitive home for genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo and Latin soul. Its roster of artists includes countless music legends, such as Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano and Rubén Blades, among many others. In 1968, the creation of the international supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars, a vital force in Latin music, established the label’s signature musical style, which became known as the “Fania Sound.” Today, Fania’s legacy is just as meaningful to Latin music as Stax and Motown to soul or Prestige and Blue Note to jazz. It remains a cultural beacon, illuminating a powerful American immigrant story that is as timely today as when the label launched. To celebrate Fania’s legacy on this special milestone, Craft Latino will release over a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues, over two dozen remastered digital albums, many of which will debut in hi-res digital, and a variety of content throughout the year, including curated playlists, artist spotlights and live events across New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and London.

Tracklist (Vinyl):

Side A

1. Juana Bayona
2. Las mujeres son de azúcar
3. Si fué por tí
4. La llave y la cerradura
5. Ecue Baroni
   
   

Side B

1. La lenguas
2. Telaraña
3. Mi corazón que te amo
4. La vida te doy
5. Lloré y reí

*Digital tracklist mirrors the vinyl