On one of the coldest days in February in New York, Johnny Pacheco received the warmth of his Dominican countrymen this Sunday who paid him a posthumous tribute.
A large portrait of Pacheco stood out from the crowd gathering on Broadway Avenue and 175th Street, in the Plaza de Las Américas, in front of the United Palace theater in Upper Manhattan.
Dozens of people, mostly Dominicans and Puerto Ricans, attended the vigil motivated by Elías Barrera Corporán, a member of the Dominican consulate in New York, and the chronicler Roberto Gerónimo.
Barrera Corporán stressed that Pacheco cared about the name of his country: “He always went to Africa or Europe and always made the name of the Dominican Republic big, thank you Johnny Pacheco for your music, thank you for your life.”
Among those present were Congressman Adriano Espaillat, from District 13, Alderman Ydanis Rodríguez from District 10, Alderman José Rivera, journalist Félix Jerez, León Tizol, businessman Alex Masucci (brother of Jerry Masucci, co-founder of La Fania All Stars), businessman Cirilo Moronta, the leader Sandy Ravelo and Johnny’s son, Ellis Pacheco.
“He was a great music icon, he launched salsa, which started here, in this city, filled Madison (Square Garden) with the Fania All Stars, and at the same time launched that music internationally and conquered the world with his sticky rhythm of salsa, with son montuno and with his great keyboard and salsa music, which is a very authentic New York rhythm, because it’s not necessarily from Puerto Rico, nor Cuba, nor Dominican Republic, but New York, ”Espaillat said. spot.
That announced the Dominican congressman Tuesday he will present a resolution in Congress of the United States so that Johnny Pacheco’s Day is proclaimed in this country and he will always be remembered that way.
The sauce from the “Silver Fox” echoed on the Plaza Las Américas and the applause completed the atmosphere reminiscent of the musician who died last Monday at the age of 85.
+ Funerals
The body of Pacheco, co-founder of the Fania label, which brought together stars of Latin salsa music, will be unveiled next Tuesday, Feb. 23 by Frank E. Campbell’s funeral home in Manhattan, the family reported.
Pacheco’s remains will rest in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where Celia Cruz and her husband Pedro Knight were also buried, and the last home of musicians such as pianist Duke Ellington and trumpeter Miles Davis.
Percussionist and composer Juan Zacarías Pacheco Knnipping, real name of Johnny Pacheco, was born on March 25, 1935 in Santiago de los Caballeros, in the north of the Dominican Republic, and as a child emigrated with his entire family to New York, where he studies and training began.
Pacheco, whose family settled in the Bronx, composed more than 150 songs during his successful career, many of which became classics, such as ‘La Dicha Mía’, ‘Quitate Tu Pa’Ponerme Yo’, ‘Acuyuye’, ‘The Pheasant’ or “The King of Punctuality”, Lavoe’s distinctive theme.
The Dominican was the promoter of the Fania, which from the 1970s consisted of Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe and Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez, now deceased, as well as Willie Colón, Rubén Blades and other renowned musicians.