Larry Harlow (b. March 20, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York, as Lawrence Ira Kahn) is an American salsa music performer, composer and producer. Larry Harlow was born into a musical family of Jewish American descent.[1]

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Background

[edit] Summary

He is a son of the late Rose and Buddy Kahn. His mother was an opera singer with the stage name Rose Sherman in New York. His father was the bandleader at the Latin Quarter (nightclub) in New York under the name Buddy Harlowe. The young Harlow, is affectionately nicknamed el Judio Maravilloso (The Marvelous Jew). Harlow is a noted salsa bandleader and multi-instrumentalist, although he primarily plays piano. He produced over 260 albums for Fania Records. He is the director of the Latin Legends of Fania, among other groups.

[edit] Music skills

Larry Harlow excelled at an early age at various instruments. The music and culture of New York’s Latino community led him to Cuba where he began an intense study of Afro-Cuban music. Harlow, who is known for his innovative blend of Afro-Cuban and Jazz styles of piano playing, studied music in the 1950s in Cuba but was unable to complete his degree before the Cuban Revolution forced him to leave the island. Larry and his orchestra, Orquesta Harlow, was the second orchestra signed to the Fania Label, Harlow also produced over 106 CDs for various artists and over 50 CDs on his own besides the ones he produced for Fania. Among his most popular albums were Abran Paso and Tributo a Arsenio Rodriguez with Ismael Miranda as the lead singer. Larry's opera Hommy, which is credited for getting Celia Cruz out of retirement, was the first Latin musical performance in Carnegie Hall. In other firsts, Larry was the first ever piano player for the legendary salsa group known as the Fania All-Stars, generally regarded as the single-most important Salsa group of all time, and its first record producer. He also appeared with the Fania All-Stars in the movies Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa), Live in Africa, and Salsa.

[edit] Contributions

Larry's further contributions to music was to insist on the creation of the Latin Grammy Award. Harlow’s 1977 salsa suite La Raza Latina, an ambitious history of the Latin music musical genre with Rubén Blades, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Partially in recognition of his early efforts to establish the Latin Grammy as well as for his career contributions to the genre, Larry was presented with the Trustee's Award by the Latin Recording Academy in November 2008.

[edit] El Judio ContraAtaKa

In 1994, he teamed up with Ray Barretto, Adalberto Santiago, and cuatro guitar virtuoso Yomo Toro to found the Latin Legend Band, with the aim of both educating Latino and American youth about Latin music heritage and pioneering new ideas in the music, resulting in Larry Harlow’s Latin Legends of Fania Band 2006.

In 2005 he contributed to The Mars Volta's album Frances the Mute, on which he played a piano solo toward the end of "L'Via L'Viaquez." He also played with the group in some of its live performances.

[edit] Awards

In 2008, Larry Harlow was presented with a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

[edit] Today

Larry Harlow currently resides with his wife in New York, and still regularly performs as Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends of Fania.

[edit] Discography

* Heavy Smokin'

* Bajandote

* El Exigente

* Presenta A Ismael Miranda

* Me and My Monkey

* Electric Harlow

* Abran Paso

* Oportunidad con Ismael Miranda

* Hommy: A Latin Opera

* Tribute to Arsenio Rodriguez

* Salsa

* Live in Quad

* El Judio Maravilloso

* Latin Fever

* La Raza Latina: A Salsa Suite

* El Jardinero del Amor

* Con Mi Viejo Amigo

* Orchestra Harlow con Nestor Sanchez

* Rumbambola

* Yo Soy Latino

* Asi Soy Yo

* Live at Birdland

* The Latin Legends Band

* Our Latin Feeling

* Sofrito

* Romance en Salsa

* Senor Salsa

* El Dulce Aroma Del Exito

[edit] Gallery

Harlow's partial CD collection at Radio Voz WVOZ Puerto Rico (2006)

[edit] References

1. ^ Resto Max La salsificación de Israel, El Nuevo Día, October 31, 2007

[edit] External links

* Larry Harlow Official Web Site

* Harlow on YouTube

* Info on Harlow's Latin Opera - Hommy

* More on Larry Harlow

* Descarga.com interview

* Larry Harlow's interview

* Salsa Central interview

* Larry Harlow on Fania

* Video interview with Larry Harlow

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Harlow_(salsa)"

Categories: 1939 births | Living people | Avant-garde jazz musicians | Jazz fusion musicians | American Jewish people | People from Brooklyn | Jewish American composers and songwriters | Salsa musicians | American record producers | American music industry executives | American football quarterbacks | Seattle Seahawks players | Fania Records artists

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