Gilberto Santa Rosa is ready to sing in Medellín

One of the most memorable memories that Gilberto Santa Rosa has of the Medellin public was when a heavy downpour fell in an open-air concert in the streets of the city, “people had umbrellas and despite the rain no one moved from there, it was very pleasant,” he said in a conversation with EL COLOMBIANO from his native Puerto Rico.

At the beginning of the talk, his dog Nala appears and says that it is quite hot on the island of enchantment. The salsa gentleman is in a room where a couple of gold records (or platinum, it is not possible to see precisely) adorn the wall: only in the United States is the RIIA, responsible for the certification of record sales in that country lists 12 gold and 3 platinum. Dressed in white sums up several moments of his career and the joy he gets from returning to singing live, on a tour called walk it, that excites him after two years of stillness on stage.

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What other memories do you have of the Medellin public?

“When I began to sing professionally, the range of action for salseros was very limited, it was not as wide as it is now, but Colombia was always there, so all of us salseros wanted to get to propose our work. I’m a little confused about the first time I arrived in Medellin, but I can tell you that since I’ve been there I’ve really liked the city. I really like Medellin, the weather, the people and the atmosphere that exists there. Salseros have had fertile ground there and I have had very pleasant experiences. I have sung at the (Flower) fair, in theaters, open to the public in the street. Coming back is always good news, there is a positive energy for us when we go to Medellín”.

And the public sold out the ticket office for a first concert and another date had to be opened…

“I found out during the tour that it had sold out and it was a pleasant surprise. People will think that one lives this daily, it is part of the job, but no, for us it is very important and it continues to excite us like the first day because after so much time, that people still have room for you in their hearts is very beautiful. for us, we are very excited.”

You haven’t been out on tour in a while, how has it been to come back?

“That has been spectacular. The almost two years that we all spent unemployed, that the industry was stopped, I kept doing things: I recorded music, I did virtual projects, but nothing compared to having the public in front and that feedback of energy and beautiful things, so in this tour in particular, we really wanted to go back and the people to go out again to have fun, to congregate, to be entertained, and that makes this return very special”.

With so many years of career, what is it like to choose the repertoire for a show?

“It’s complicated, but hilarious, I have lots of fun, ‘take this one away, but don’t change this one’ and above all try to please everyone, but on top of that, sing the new because it’s important that people know that we are still producing. In a repertoire we try to cover as much as possible”.

The tour is called Walk it…

“It is a phrase that has identified me for many years when I sang with Willie Rosario’s orchestra. Walk it, it suggests movement. From being a strictly rhythmic phrase, it even became a philosophy because I have done some social campaigns with that word that I love and I have been able to carry it as a flag. Just like this race where you have to get up and walk when things don’t move on their own. So ‘Caminalo’ after two years, what better title than that. We all have a lot of desire to move forward, I think I’ve gone through two very hard years of learning and now we’re going with everything. I want to walk, make music and move them.”

Live your qualities as an improviser are known, do you practice a lot or is it already the experience?

“First I discovered it as a child, then I cultivated it. At a given moment, which happens to many of us, we lean back on talent, but I have to confess that I went back to practicing because sometimes we relax and one begins to slow down and even fear. I have a lot of fun because things come to mind, it has changed the way in which one improvised before and now, I really like listening to improvisers of different styles and one learns a little bit of everything, I think that in music one never finishes studying”.

How do you see salsa today, are there new talents?

“Yes there are new talents, from Mexico to Argentina I have found a lot of talent, including the Caribbean, obviously. If the future of salsa depends on the talent of these guys, we are assured. I consider that digital platforms seem to be a tool that benefits boys, but works against them. I think that the best thing is that they combine both things, the traditional media with the new ones. You have to ensure that they can be seen and recognized to identify with their audience, because the music is very good, but you need that song that is heard everywhere, this photo that everyone sees, that contact. They must also work to please their generation and my invitation to the traditional media is to spread the music, to give these young people a space, they are very good.”