Ismael Rivera
b. 1931, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, d. 13 May 1987, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Firmly fixed in the Latin music firmament as El Sonero Mayor (The Greatest Latin Singer) Rivera has been showered with superlatives and made the subject of numerous tribute songs. He was blessed with a gloriously husky voice, which he honed into a unique improvisational instrument. Rivera gained his musical education in the streets of Santurce. ‘I've been singing since I had the use of reason.’ At the age of 10 he regularly went to the beach with his conga and jammed all day. He sang with small local bands and, on the advice of former school friend, Rafael Cortijo, he turned professional as a member of Orquesta Panamericana in 1951. Their friendship led to Ismael becoming lead vocalist with Cortijo's Combo from the 1953-62. After Rivera served a 43-month prison sentence for cocaine possession, the two masters reunited on two mid-60s releases: BIENVENIDO!/WELCOME!, which contained seven of Ismael's own compositions, and CON TODO LOS HIERROS (EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK!). To escape the stigma of being an ex-prisoner, Ismael relocated to New York. In 1967, while visiting the home of the Black Christ in Portobello, Panama, Rivera had a profound religious experience. At the end of the year he decided to form his own band, called Cachimbos. The following year he debuted with them on DE COLORES. The follow-up, CONTROVERSIA (c.1969), was produced by Tito Puente. Ismael became a major star, but his fame precipitated depression. Afterwards he reflected, ‘when I was punishing myself. I thought that I was hurting no one but myself’. Apparently, his religious outlook and a will to survive, helped him recover and successfully resume his musical career. 
In 1971, Ismael teamed up with Kako and his band on LO ULTIMO EN LA AVENIDA. Javier Vázquez (b. 8 April 1936, Matanzas Province, Cuba; piano/arranger/composer) became a regular accompanist with Rivera and Cachimbos. He wrote the arrangements on their 1972 release ESTO FUÉ LO QUE TRAJO EL BARCO and supervised both arranging and direction chores on VENGO POR LA MACETA (1973). The nine-piece line-up of Cachimbos on Traigo de Todo (1974) included a horn section of trumpet (played by Alfredo ‘Chocolate’ Armenteros), alto saxophone and trombone, and a rhythm section of timbales, conga, bongo, bass and piano (played by Vázquez). Javier wrote all the charts and composed one track. In May 1974, Ismael and Cachimbos appeared on TICO-ALEGRE ALL STARS RECORDED LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL, VOL.1. In August the same year, he participated in a reunion by origin al members of Cortijo's Combo on JUNTOS OTRA VEZ. This was later reissued as the re-mixed ISMAEL RIVERA SONERO NO.1 (1982). Vázquez composed the title track of Ismael's 1975 release SOY FELIZ. His Christmas album FELIZ NAVIDAD was produced by Louie Ramírez, who also wrote and arranged the stand-out track Bomba De Navidad. In 1977, Rivera and Ramírez co-produced DE TODAS MANERAS ROSAS. Ismael produced his ESTO SI ES LO MIO in 1978. The same year, Rivera and Celia Cruzperformed Cucala together with the Fania All Stars on FANIA ALL STARS LIVE. The song had been a hit for both of them, first for Ismael with Cortijo on 1959's CORTIJO EN NEW YORK, then for Celia and Johnny Pacheco in the mid-70s (from TREMENDO CACHÉ, 1975). 
The fin al album by Rivera and Cachimbos was MAELO (1980). Ismael produced and Vázquez played piano, composed two songs and was arranger and musical director. In 1981, Rivera reached the Top 5 in the FARÁNDULA Puerto Rican chart with a notable version of Guillermo Rodríguez Fiffe's Latin standard Bilongo, from the Fania All Stars' LATIN CONNECTION; the track was arranged by Vázquez and featured Roberto Roena and Luis Perico Ortiz. Ismael developed polyps in his vocal chords and had to cease singing. He returned to Puerto Rico, where he underwent surgery and treatment; but barely a month before a planned tribute concert, he died of a massive heart attack. Puerto Rico virtually stood still during his funeral. 
In October 1991, the second Ismael Rivera Festival was held over three nights in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and featured the bands of Andy Montañez, Tony Vega, Don Perignon, Ismael Rivera Jnr. and others. The same year, Ismael Rivera Jnr. released TERMIN A LO QUE SU PADRE EMPEZÓ, which comprised of material his father had prepared in 1981, for what was going to be his Puerto Rican recording debut with Cachimbos (with their front-line changed to four trumpets and four trombones), but did not record.