Papo Lucca
Encyclopedia
Enrique Arsenio Lucca Quiñonez, better known as Papo Lucca, born on April 10, 1946, Ponce
, Puerto Rico
.
Papo Lucca ("Papo" being common Puerto Rican
slang
for "junior") is a famous Puerto Rican
multi-instrumentalist
(knowledgeable in at least eleven instruments), but is best known as a pianist
. Main musical genre focus are Salsa
and Latin Jazz
. Papo is considered one of the best Salsa pianists of the 70's through the millennium. He ranks with another great pianist, the late Charlie Palmieri, as one of the best piano instrumentalists in Latin Jazz and salsa.
He is the co-founder with his father Don Enrique "Quique" Lucca Caraballo of the famous Puerto Rican band La Sonora Ponceña
. He has also played and recorded with the Fania All-Stars
, Hector Lavoe, Willie Colón
, Celia Cruz
, Johnny Pacheco
, Bobby Valentín
, Ismael Quintana
, Gloria Estefan
, Adalberto Santiago
, Andy Montañez
, Pablo Milanés
, Rubén Blades
and is also a great music arranger.
Lucca has been involved with music most of his life. A native of Ponce, a small city on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, he began studying at the city's Free School of Music at the age of six. In addition to being trained in solfeggio, he studied piano, clarinet, saxophone, and music theory. A month after he enrolled in the school, he performed a classical piece on a local radio station. Lucca simultaneously studied privately with pianist Ramon Fernandez. With his father's encouragement, Lucca advanced quickly. Performing with Sonora Porcena at the age of eight, he made his recording debut three years later, when the group accompanied bolero vocalists Felipe Rodriguez and Davilita on their album, Al Compas De Las Sonoras. At the age of fourteen, Lucca began an "official" member of Sonora Porcena.
Throughout the 1950s, Lucca remained active as a musician. In addition to playing solo piano on a television show hosted by Ruth Fernández, he recorded with Obdulio Morales, Orquestra Panamerica, and Machito. Despite his busy schedule, Lucca found time to continue his formal studies. Graduating from the University of Puerto Rico, he went on to study at the Conservatory of Music. His first opportunity to showcase his talents came in 1976 when he co-produced Sonora Porcena's album, Musical Conquest/Conquista Musical, with Louie Ramirez. Two years later, he produced the group's album, Explorando, on his own. Although he's remained committed to Sonora Porcena, Lucca has balanced his involvement with a variety of outside projects. In 1976, he replaced pianist Larry Harlow in the Fania All-Stars. He continued to perform with the group until the mid-'90s.
Lucca reached his peak in 1979. Together with Sonora Porcena, he collaborated with influential Latin vocalist Celia Cruz on an album, La Ceiba, and appeared with Cruz in a television documentary, Salsa. The same year, he performed on an album, Habana Jam, along with the Fania All-Stars, which was recorded during a concert in Cuba. Lucca also recorded a solo piano album, Latin Jazz, in 1993.
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Puerto Rican Spanish
Puerto Rican Spanish is the Spanish language as characteristically spoken in Puerto Rico and by millions of people of Puerto Rican descent living in the United States and elsewhere...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
for "junior") is a famous Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
(knowledgeable in at least eleven instruments), but is best known as a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. Main musical genre focus are Salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
and Latin Jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
. Papo is considered one of the best Salsa pianists of the 70's through the millennium. He ranks with another great pianist, the late Charlie Palmieri, as one of the best piano instrumentalists in Latin Jazz and salsa.
He is the co-founder with his father Don Enrique "Quique" Lucca Caraballo of the famous Puerto Rican band La Sonora Ponceña
La Sonora Ponceña
La Sonora Ponceña is a Puerto Rican salsa band, founded in 1954 by Enrique "Quique" Lucca Caraballo. Quique's son, Papo Lucca, directs the band. The band has stayed active for a remarkable amount of time, recording dozens of albums, including a 55th anniversary album...
. He has also played and recorded with the Fania All-Stars
Fania All-Stars
The Fania All-Stars was a musical ensemble established in 1968 by the composer, Johnny Pacheco, as a showcase for the musicians on the record label Fania Records, the leading salsa record company of the time.-Beginnings:...
, Hector Lavoe, Willie Colón
Willie Colón
William Anthony Colón is a Nuyorican salsa musician. Primarily a trombonist, Colón also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in municipal politics in New York City.-Early years:...
, Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
, Johnny Pacheco
Johnny Pacheco
Johnny Pacheco is a Dominican producer, musician, bandleader, and one of the most influential figures in American salsa music.-Early life:...
, Bobby Valentín
Bobby Valentin
Bobby Valentin, also known as "El Rey del Bajo" , is a musician and salsa bandleader.-Early years:...
, Ismael Quintana
Ismael Quintana
Ismael Quintana is a singer and composer of salsa music.-Early years:Quintana was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the Bronx sector of New York when he was only two weeks old; here he went to school and whilst he was still in high school he formed a band with his neighborhood...
, Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
, Adalberto Santiago
Adalberto Santiago
Adalberto Santiago is a world famous salsa singer.He was born in barrio Pozas of Ciales, Puerto Rico. Adalberto's relaxed and flawless lead vocals are amongst the best in salsa, and for over two decades he has sessioned as a coro singer on countless New York recordings. His early influences...
, Andy Montañez
Andy Montañez
Andrés Montañez , better known as Andy Montañez, is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico.-Early life:Montañez, like singer Daniel Santos and boxer Ossie Ocasio, is a native of the Tras Talleres area of Santurce San Juan. He is known by the nickname "El Godfather de la Salsa"...
, Pablo Milanés
Pablo Milanés
Pablo Milanés Arias is a Cuban singer-songwriter and guitar player. He studied at a conservatory in Havana. He is considered one of the founders of the Cuban nueva trova, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola...
, Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres...
and is also a great music arranger.
Biography
With his dynamic piano playing and unique approach to salsa, Papo Lucca (born Enrique Arsenio Lucca, Jr.) has led his band, Sonora Poncena, to the forefront of Latin music. Inheriting the group from his father, Lucca has continued to inspire Sonora Poncena with his innovative playing. While Rubén Blades called Lucca, "the best pianist in the world", Cuban pianist Ruben Gonzalez explained, "of non-Cuban pianists, I most admire (Lucca) because his salsa is very close to son. Son piano is more varied than salsa piano which is more formulaic and holds on to a single riff much longer."Lucca has been involved with music most of his life. A native of Ponce, a small city on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, he began studying at the city's Free School of Music at the age of six. In addition to being trained in solfeggio, he studied piano, clarinet, saxophone, and music theory. A month after he enrolled in the school, he performed a classical piece on a local radio station. Lucca simultaneously studied privately with pianist Ramon Fernandez. With his father's encouragement, Lucca advanced quickly. Performing with Sonora Porcena at the age of eight, he made his recording debut three years later, when the group accompanied bolero vocalists Felipe Rodriguez and Davilita on their album, Al Compas De Las Sonoras. At the age of fourteen, Lucca began an "official" member of Sonora Porcena.
Throughout the 1950s, Lucca remained active as a musician. In addition to playing solo piano on a television show hosted by Ruth Fernández, he recorded with Obdulio Morales, Orquestra Panamerica, and Machito. Despite his busy schedule, Lucca found time to continue his formal studies. Graduating from the University of Puerto Rico, he went on to study at the Conservatory of Music. His first opportunity to showcase his talents came in 1976 when he co-produced Sonora Porcena's album, Musical Conquest/Conquista Musical, with Louie Ramirez. Two years later, he produced the group's album, Explorando, on his own. Although he's remained committed to Sonora Porcena, Lucca has balanced his involvement with a variety of outside projects. In 1976, he replaced pianist Larry Harlow in the Fania All-Stars. He continued to perform with the group until the mid-'90s.
Lucca reached his peak in 1979. Together with Sonora Porcena, he collaborated with influential Latin vocalist Celia Cruz on an album, La Ceiba, and appeared with Cruz in a television documentary, Salsa. The same year, he performed on an album, Habana Jam, along with the Fania All-Stars, which was recorded during a concert in Cuba. Lucca also recorded a solo piano album, Latin Jazz, in 1993.
With Sonora Ponceña
- Al Compás de las Sonoras Felipe y Davilita (1954)
- Hacheros Pa’ Un Palo (1968)
- Fuego En El 23 (1969)
- Algo de Locura (1971)
- Navidad Criolla (1971)
- De Puerto Rico A New York (1972)
- Sonora Ponceña (1972)
- Sabor Sureño (1974)
- Tiene Pimienta (1975)
- Conquista Musical (1976)
- El Gigante Del Sur (1977)
- La Orquesta De Mi Tierra (1978)
- Explorando (1978)
- La Ceiba with Celia CruzCelia CruzCelia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
(1979) - New Heights (1980)
- Unchained Force (1980)
- Night Rider (1981)
- Determination (1982)
- Future (1984)
- Jubilee (1985)
- Back To Work (1987)
- On The Right Track (1988)
- In To The 90 (1990)
- Merry Christmas (1991)
- Guerreando (1992)
- Birthday Party (1993)
- Apretando (1995)
- On Target (1998)
- 45 Aniversario (2001)
- Back To The Road (2004)
- 50 Aniversario, En Vivo (2007)
- 50 Aniversario, En Vivo Vol. II (2008)
- Otra Navidad Criolla (2008)
Compilations
- Lo Mejor De La Sonora Ponceña (1975)
- 30th Anniversary Vol.1 (1985)
- 30th Anniversary Vol.2 (1985)
- Soul of Puerto Rico (1993)
- Puro Sabor (2000)
- Grandes Exitos (2002)
- La Herencia (2007)
Other works
- Celia, Justo, Johnny & Papo: Recordando el Ayer (1976)
- Puerto Rico All Stars (1976)
- Pete & Papo (1993)
- Latin Jazz (1993)
- Los Originales: Azuquita y Papo Lucca (1994)
- De Aquí Pa'lla (1994)
- Papo, Alfredo De la Fe & Sexteto Típico de Cuba (1997)
- Papo Lucca And The Cuban-Jazz All-Stars (1998)
- Festival De Boleros (2002)
As member of the Fania All-Stars
- Delicate and Jumpy (1976)
- A Tribute To Tito Rodríguez (1976)
- Rhythm Machine (1977)
- Fania All-Stars Live (1978)
- Spanish Fever (1978)
- Habana Jam (1979)
- Cross Over (1979)
- Commitment (1980)
- California Jam (1980)
- Social Change (1981)
- Latin Connection (1981)
- Lo Que Pide La Gente (1984)
- Viva La Charanga (1986)
- Bamboleo (1988)
- Guasasa (1989)
- Live in Puerto Rico June 11, 1994 (1995)
- Viva Colombia (1996)
- Bravo (1997)
Videography
- Fania All-Stars Live in Puerto Rico June 11, 1994 (1995)
- Sonora Ponceña 45 Aniversario Live (2004)
- 50 Aniversario, En Vivo (2007)