It was thanks to the mayor of Sonero, Ismael Rivera, that Luis “Luisín” Ortiz was renamed Luis “Perico” Ortiz and to this day, with the possible exception of his wife, children and closest relatives, everyone calls him that. And this is an anecdotal story that had a beginning and an end for the famous music teacher, trumpeter, composer, arranger, singer, producer and “a thousand other things” in his career in the music world.
“Perico” Ortiz will celebrate his 74th birthday next December and today enjoys telling stories and anecdotes about his childhood and his experiences with music. By the way, he is a good conversationalist, and he stores so many vivid memories on his “hard drive” that when he starts a conversation in which he feels comfortable, it is as if he is living through one of the stories from One Thousand and One Nights.
Ortiz was born in 1949 and began studying music at the age of 12 as part of the Free Music Schools project founded by Ernesto Ramos Antonini. In fact, both “Perico” and his wife, Diana, were members of that first graduating class in San Juan in 1966.
“Perico” says that at the age of 13, back in the mid-1960s, the main radio stations in the metropolitan area were producing radio drama programs. So he got up early, bought two dollars of bread and butter and rode the bus alone to the theaters to see the orchestras and singers, and in his head he made the film that one day he would act in the theater. .
“I left my house on Saturdays and returned home around 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. And I went out with my trumpet, which I still have, and was able to see the orchestras of César Concepción, Myrta Silva and many other artists. One day I saw Sylvia Rexach and Tuti Umpierre singing in a bar, and when I suddenly looked at a place that said WKAQ Radio, I heard a musical sound that impressed me. I had never heard that before. It was Combo de Cortijo with Ismael Rivera and I fell in love with that sound. It was the first time I played Bomb and Plena at a combo level and Cortijo played a timbale with which he played the drum beat. That (Cortijo) was a real revolutionary in our pop music,” Ortiz said.
“Perico” says in an interview with Primera Hora that from that day on he did not stop following Cortijo and Ismael wherever they played. The Cortijo group was formed in 1954 and when he was 12 years old and discovered the combo, Ismael had hit the song Quitate de la Via Perico in 1961.
“As I said, when I was young, when I was 12, 13 years old, I used to follow the group and they would always give me a little corner near the fence to see them. When they played Perico’s song, that was the first number I learned on my trumpet, by heart and complete with the arrangement that Kito Vélez (Cortijo’s trumpeter) had done. So one day I said to Ishmael, “Hey, I completely know the number you’re playing. Let’s see if you give me the chance to play it with you.” And I played his number and then Ismael turned around and said to me: “They won’t call you Luisín anymore, they’ll call you Luis ‘Perico’ Ortiz call and you will bring a lot of prestige to our music,” Ortiz said recalled.
From the beginning of his professional career, “Perico” was clear about the social commitment he would show in everything he did in music. (Nahira Montcourt)About 25 years passed and Ortiz, now a musician and orchestra leader, appeared on stage with Ismael at several events.
“We gave great concerts. With the Fania All Stars, for example, at the only concert that Ismael sang with the group, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, and there he and Celia Cruz sang together for the first time (they recorded the song Cúcala in December) . July 9, 1975). For example, when Ismael recorded the song Bilongo (Latin Connection; 1981), in which I played a trumpet solo, Ismael introduced me and left the phrase “They call him Perico” in the story.”
This story has an end for both characters.
“My wife was pregnant due to health issues and was unable to travel from New York to Puerto Rico for her grandmother’s funeral. As soon as we were able to get to Puerto Rico, she told me that she wanted to visit her grandmother’s grave, which was in the Villa Palmeras Cemetery. The day we were there there was a heavy downpour and I told him, “Let’s go to the car and come back tomorrow.” But to protect ourselves we stood under a tree and then I looked at the ground , I stood on the grave of Ismael Rivera. To me, this is a great conclusion to this story,” Ortiz said.
His father’s influence
Luis Ortiz was born in San Juan to Utuadeño parents who grew up in the Río Abajo neighborhood. His father was a bohemian, he had a trio and was a singer and guitarist, and by the time he married Ortiz’s mother he had already been widowed twice. “They called him the happy widower,” recalls “Perico.”
By the way, in 1985, in the album La vida en joke, Ortiz honors the memory of his parents and the neighborhood in which they were born with the song Río Abajo va, sung by Domingo Quiñones, a song that brought the singer great popularity.
“I later learned that this song had its author and that it was written between 1910 and 1915. Even Daniel Santos recorded it,” Ortiz said.
Back in the 1940s, his family moved to the capital, where his father worked as a construction worker at the Caribe Hilton Hotel. The family lived in Tras Talleres, near the train tracks, in so-called cabins. The building where Ortiz grew up still stands at 934 Solá Street. He began playing the guitar at the age of five, but when he entered the Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan he was “almost forced” to play the trumpet.
“I was very small and what interested me was playing the saxophone. I wanted to play a solo that Eddie Pérez played with Cortijo in a merengue that they played, but when the instruments they had lent us at school were distributed, there were no more saxophones. Only a tuba and a trumpet remained. I couldn’t play the tuba, so they gave me the trumpet,” he recalls.
“Perico” always lived for music. He’s known it since he was a child, although he claims it was something he couldn’t explain. Since his father gave him a guitar and then the trumpet, he realized that he could positively influence many people with his music and social content.
At the age of 15 and already a student at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, he was part of Lito Peña’s Pan American Orchestra and, through Wapa Television, had a confident presence in all of Tommy Muñiz’s productions.
“I couldn’t abandon ship and start making romantic salsa because I defended salsa with social content.”
-Luis “Perico” Ortiz
“I played in nightclubs from the age of 14, of course with my parents’ permission. I was playing in a group and they entered me through the back door of the compound. I would put two cases of PepsiCola down and climb on them to appear taller. My mother always told me about free will, even though I didn’t understand the message at first, and she explained to me: “You will find several doors and opening each of them has consequences.” We have already enlightened you properly, it is up to you, to decide which door you want to knock or open,” Ortiz said.
His mother was always a supporter of Catholicism and from a young age Perico’s life revolved around music and the church, where he also served as an altar boy.
Of course, many “things” didn’t go unnoticed by the young musician, but “God took care of me, I was able to do things right.” I didn’t do anything that could make me even more ashamed. I didn’t want to play to find a wife after the musical activity, I didn’t want to drink alcohol, do drugs or get into fights or arguments or anything like that. “I wanted to make a contribution with my music,” he indicated.
Once, when he was a teenager, a timbalero from the group he was playing with offered him a marijuana cigarette, and saxophonist Wilfredo de la Torre, “one of the best musicians in Puerto Rico and my friend, told the timbalero ‘with Luisín Don “Don’t mess with these things” and the cookie he gave her was so hard and strong that she still had to search for her teeth. Yes, a lot of people also took care of me and were very attentive to me,” Ortiz said.
“Perico” has always defended and explained throughout his career that he is not a musician seeking fame or getting rich. “I come from a poor, working family. I’m not interested in money or fame; It’s important to me to be able to help people positively with my songs and the content I create with my music. For example, on the subject of De patitas, people think he is lazy. But the message it conveys is respect for races, love, respect for couples of different nationalities. In short, it’s respect for the work I do. I am a musician, I am neither a salsa singer, nor a classical artist, nor a jazz player. I do all kinds of work. “I made this commitment through my father,” he said.
The trumpeter became a teacher after completing his music program at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. Amaury Veray Torregrosa was his harmony teacher. This academic program was rigorous, very comprehensive and demanding and brought out the best in musician Ortiz as he embarked on his professional career.
The first time “Perico” performed outside of Puerto Rico was in New York City with the Orquesta Panamericana, promoting Tommy Muñiz’s musical program Borinquen Canta.
“My first ridiculous experience was screaming at the boys, ‘Hey, get off the road, they’re going to run you over, a car is going to kill you.’ I didn’t realize how wide the sidewalks were. “But the world of this city really impressed me,” he recalled in 1968.
Mongo Santamaría shakes him
In 1970, he heard a recording that pushed him out of his comfort zone with the music he was playing. It was a recording by Cuban jazz musician and percussionist Mongo Santamaría that blew him away.
“I fell in love with Latin jazz and this group. So I told my wife and Lito Peña that I wanted to go to New York to meet Mongo. I left my wife with my parents, I also played at the Caribe Hilton with Miguelito Miranda’s orchestra, but I left everything behind. And I did it, I met Mongo and was able to play with him. Since then he has been my mentor at international level. This music was a challenge, it was a new beginning for me. I was excited about this growth proposal. We have played at many festivals across the United States and with very important people and musicians from all areas of jazz,” Ortiz said.
These early 70’s in New York led to “Perico” rediscovering tropical music and its new concept called Salsa, which experienced a rapid rise and reached its peak.
“And I started playing salsa, which was more profitable back then.”
With “Perico” in this salsa world, the story was different. He had his own orchestra, which achieved great fame from America to Europe. Singers such as Rafael de Jesús, Roberto Lugo and Domingo Quiñones have made history with Ortiz’s own lyrics and musical arrangements and achieved countless international hits.
With legs, More love, Río Abajo va, Isleño, El bohemio, Alabao, The time has come, Julián del Valle, Without Perico there is nothing, What hurts the most, We cry and cry, Among friends and I am still among friends friends, to name just a few: They were one of the biggest favorite songs of the salsa audience and still are.
“My decision was always to make music with a social purpose, and I think I stuck with that,” he said.
In 1986 everything changed. The romantic sauce is here. New singers such as Marc Anthony, India and Eddie Santiago presented a new salsa proposal with an emphasis on romantic or erotic themes.
“I couldn’t abandon ship and start doing romantic salsa because I defended salsa with social content. And then since I wasn’t just a trumpet player or an orchestra leader, I did a lot of other things as a worker because it didn’t bother me that I wasn’t playing as much, and one day I decided to buy a building and a set and set up a recording studio with three rooms and started running this new business. I was there for six years; Even music for films was made there. But then the dollar and its industry depreciated significantly in the years before 1990 and the problem became more severe, and given the health problems that my parents and my wife’s parents were already having, I decided to sell the building and the business to Columbia sell. record, and I came to Puerto Rico. 30 years have passed since then and they have been the happiest years of my life,” said Ortiz, who is a music minister and has been closely associated with the establishment of Christian music schools and the development of ministries in various parts of the world since the 2000s.
A new commitment
Ortiz adheres to the Baptist faith and began recording Christian music and assisting Christian singers with their recordings in 2007.
“My major musical involvement right now is focused on Christian music ministries,” said Ortiz, who also offers seminars and courses on music entrepreneurship and management locally and internationally.
“Now I have the stuff between my eyes, mouth and nose. About 20 years ago I worked on a similar proposal for musicians and singers. I have seen many of them fail so many times that they were successful in their years, but in the musical part, at the administrative level, they could not function at all. I had a good advisor in my friend and musician Tony Pabón, the creator of Boogaloo, who made me a good administrator when I founded my orchestra. He was also my pastor and he was the one who showed me that the world of music offers other business opportunities,” he explained.
The “Perico” proposal focuses on training musicians in knowledge of popular music as well as in business and administration.
“I looked for the educational part and the philanthropic part and have a foundation and the First Institute of Afro-Caribbean Music for entrepreneurship. “I travel around the world teaching virtual and in-person seminars and courses to help musicians and even non-musicians who are interested in learning how to run their businesses.”
Ortiz has more than 200 compositions to his credit and far exceeds that number when it comes to the number of musical arrangements he has written throughout his professional life. For example, the probably most-heard salsa number in the world, whose arrangement comes from him: the song “Pedro Navaja” by Rubén Blades has such an award.
His other arrangements of great international fame include Coro Miyare (Fania All Stars), En orbit (Fania All Stars), Comedia by Héctor Lavoe with the Symphony Orchestra; From Little Legs, Isleño, Julián del Valle and Alabao.
“Perico” doesn’t mind being unrecognized in many places in Puerto Rico.
“I enjoy my privacy and that is valuable. As I said, I neither like nor seek fame or celebrity. People know me because of my music, because of that legacy, but they can’t necessarily put a face to “Perico” Ortiz. Of course people like me a lot in other countries, but sometimes, 90% of the time, an artist in his country is not a prophet. But I know that they respect me in my country and know what I have done for our music. Look, when I hear Rubén Blades and Celia Cruz sing, so to speak, a song of mine or with an arrangement of mine, it really fills me. I see the fruits of my labor and its content. But here on the island I like to go everywhere because of the privacy I have,” he said.
Today, “Perico” affirms that he lives from his entire musical heritage, declaring in fact that he plays because he feels like it and not necessarily because he has to work.
“I say it humbly. I was a good administrator and that allows me to say what I say. That’s why my goal now is to make a difference with business courses and seminars. With this in mind, I’m thinking about gradually withdrawing from the stage. I want to perform in some small spaces so you can tell their story, and I want to play jazz and bohemian songs, but with a touch of jazz.”
This weekend in concert
One of those small places but that offers a good intimacy between audience and musician is the Moneró Café Teatro y Bar, on the third level of the Fine Arts Center in Caguas, where this Friday, October 13, the show “Luis ‘” is presented. “Perico’ Ortiz: Intimate Career”.
That evening, Ortiz and his jazz quintet, consisting of pianist Carlos García, bassist Jesús Colón, drummer Iván “Banchy” Meléndez and flautist and tenor saxophonist Luis Orta, are planning a first-class evening of jazz with whoever they want. Date for the event. There they will perform the songs they have performed for years at jazz festivals around the world, sprinkling in some of their favorite bohemian songs.
“This evening we will share a little about my musical life and talk a little about each song before performing it as a group. This room gives me the opportunity to do something more intimate, like something that was played in this type of room in the sixties and seventies, which was also played a few weeks in a row and created a good bond with the audience. “
A song that he assures will not be missed is Perfume de Gardenias (Rafael Hernández), a song that has great sentimental and affectionate meaning for the famous musician.
“My mother died in my arms and I used to sing to her the song that she liked so much. I sang it to him on the day of his death and since then I have said to myself that this number would not be missing from any of my lectures.”
Tickets are available at Ticketera.com.