text:
John Child talks in depth to veteran salsa siinger and band leader.
A Luminous Ray
From Spanish Harlem...
A conversation with
Ray de la Paz
John Child
John Child spoke to Ray de la Paz backstage at London's Royal Festival Hall on Saturday April 26th 2003 immediately after the distinguished sonero, composer and bandleader had taken part in the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's acclaimed UK debut performance. Ray missed out on the post show party to tell John about his accomplished career in Latin music, which has included stints with Chino y su Conjunto Melao, Ray Barretto, Guararé and Jorge Dalto, as well as co-leading the Louie Ramírez - Ray de la Paz Orchestra and his own band.
During the interview, Ray expresses the hope that the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's award winning debut CD,
Un Gran Dia En El Barrio
on Ryko/Ropeadope Records, will bring them back to the UK. This ambition was realised later in 2003, as the band did a further two gigs at London's Barbican Hall and UK Salsa Congress at Bognor Regis on September 27th and 28th respectively.
The Ray de la Paz piece is followed by a post script in which the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's producer, Aaron Luis Levinson, gives John a taste of the band's follow-up album.
John I Child (JIC):
This is going to be like your life flashing in front of you. To start with the usual cliché: Please tell me about your early childhood musical experiences and influences?
Ray de la Paz (RDLP):
My musical experiences as a child came from my middle sister, Gloria, who loved to sing. She used to sing rock 'n' roll music, rancheras, Mexican music and things like that. At the time, when I was coming up, I used to hear all that music, and it influenced me, as far as wanting to mimic what was going on in the recordings I was listening to. My sister used to sing with the Chantels in high school, when they started their group back in the Bronx. She used to sing with them when they used to rehearse. Eventually the Chantels went on to be very famous. When I was maybe eight or nine years old, I used to come from school; and when my sister was at home, I used to take the victrola and listen to the records.
Like what?
Music of the '50s is really what influenced me. I used to listen to music like Elvis Presley and Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers, who were a big influence on me, because I used to have doo-wop groups of my own called Oldies But Goodies. I used to listen to other music like rancheras, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, and the like, who were very popular at the time, because the radio stations for the Hispanic community in New York City at the time played mostly Mexican influenced music. We didn't have the kind of variety in music we have now. I would come home, listen to the music, learn it, and mimic, and look in the mirror, and make believe that it was me singing.
How old was Gloria in relation to you?
She was about 19 years old.
And you were?
I was about eight/nine years old.
When and where were you born?
I was born and raised in New York City. I was born in Harlem Hospital on 125th Street. We lived on 127th Street and Lenox in El Barrio Latino. I stayed living there until I was about five years old. Then we moved to the Bronx, where I've lived ever since.
Roughly what era was that?
Early '50s. I would say about '56/'57.
I understand that you made your debut with Conjunto de Don Juan.
How old were you at the time, and what repertoire and type of dates did you play with the band?
Don Juan was a little group I happened to fall in with. I'd just come out of the service. That was back in, I think 1970, or maybe it was a little earlier than that. A friend of mine played trumpet with Don Juan.
What was his name?
I think it was Isaias Rivera. He passed away a while back. He came to my house one night, and he says: "Ray, listen. The singer for the band is sick, and we're doing a gig up in Colgate Gardens in the Bronx. Eddie Palmieri's playing there tonight with La Perfecta and Ismael Quintana; and Joe Cuba with Cheo Feliciano and Jimmy Sabater; and Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz." I had no idea who those people were.
Because I had no idea what salsa was then. My influences were non-Latin. I was doing a lot of the modern things, the Grateful Dead, Iron Butterfly, so I did all that stuff. I had a lot of influences from American music. Apart from doing the Elvis Presleys, I did some Mel Torme and Frank Sinatra. My background is very diverse.
Was your Spanish fluent?
Yes, my Spanish was fluent. In my house, Spanish was all that was spoken. In school I spoke all English. So I was very fortunate to pick them both up, and speak them well. And it opened a lot of doors for me.
You were talking about this mega gig with all these people appearing you hadn't heard of at the time.
So after Isaias said Don Juan's singer was sick, I said: "I don't really know what I'm going to do. You've gotta let me know what I'm gonna do, because I've never done salsa before." At the time, we didn't call it salsa yet. He said: "Look. What I'll do: I'll start the song and you do the ad libs." So I said: "OK. I'll do it." I went down that night. I was as nervous as hell. We did the gig. He did the beginning of the songs, the intros, and then I would ad lib. But I didn't know what the heck I would say, because at the time I didn't have the salsa education, the mambo education, to really get into it. So I just started making up stuff - but the things I kept making up were the same things over and over again.
So that mega gig was like your debut with the band, was it?
It was my debut in Latin music.
Were you the first band on?
Yes, we were the first band. We opened up. What really hit me, and influenced me a lot, was the fact that after we finished, and got off the stage, Joe Cuba came on to play. And it walloped me, man, I'm telling you. It really threw me. Because I had never seen anything like that. I had never seen a group live with that intensity and that drive, play like those cats did. They got on stage and they played their buns off. I was just mesmerised. I was just in front of that stage. I did not move. I didn't dance with anybody. I was just there. Then came Bobby Cruz and Ricardo Ray, and they blew me away. I couldn't believe that such a small group could have such a great big sound. And after, for the finale, Eddie Palmieri came on with La Perfecta, with all his original guys, and he had Ismael Quintana singing. They did their big hit "Muñeca." The piano solos Eddie took were unbelievable.
And this was about 1970, you say?
Early '70s.
So what sort of line-up did Conjunto de Don Juan have?
He started with a trumpet and two trombones. Then he cut it down to just two trombones because he was very influenced by the Willie Colón sound. As a matter of fact, we recorded one 45. It was on the Mucho record label, and it was called "Gran Señora," which was a take-off on the Willie Colón sound. There were two great tunes we recorded back-to-back. But nothing ever happened.
They were original numbers?
Well, one tune was originally written by Don Juan, and the other was written by a Cuban composer.
But you can't remember the name of it?
I can't remember it
What was the rest of the band's repertoire?
We did stuff like standards that were being played on the radio at the time. We did some old tunes, and did new arrangements for them. We had Mon Rivera tunes we did.
So typical trombone band tunes?
Yes, yes. And we did some great ballads like Lucho Gatica's "Tú Me Acostumbraste" by Frank Domínguez. Fantastic. We worked together for a while until he eventually decided to dissolve the band.
So you stayed up until the end?
I stayed with Don Juan for almost two years.
Were you working with any other bands at the same time?
No, I wasn't.
Were there any members of Conjunto de Don Juan that went on to become prominent names in the Latin world?
Yes. Eddie Resto. Great bass player, used to play with Don Juan. He is a great friend of mine. I just saw him recently in LA with Johnny Polanco, who's another great friend of mine. Yeah, Eddie did great for himself. He played with so many different bands. He's done American music, jazz and salsa. I'm very proud that he went on to do so many great things.
So was it right that after Don Juan, you hooked-up with Chino y su Conjunto Melao?
Yes, it was.
Were you the lead singer with that band?
Yes, I was the lead singer. But there were two other lead singers. There was Eddie Temporal and Pablo Canti, who passed away a few years back. Eddie Temporal is living in Connecticut. He's doing very well. He became a corrections officer. We stay in contact. We are like compadres. The band was a good band. We had a great sound. We got a lot of gigs. We were working a lot. At that time there were a lot of clubs in New York City. I mean A LOT! We used to gig five/six nights a week, sometimes seven, depending on the situation.
You sang on their first album (
Conjunto Melao
'75 on TR)?
Yes, I did.
Did you sing lead vocals on the album?
Yes. There was a song I did on there that had some pretty good airplay. It was called "Que Bien Te Vez," which was written by Chino Cruz De Jesús.
Lead vocals on the album were shared with the other lead vocalists?
Absolutely, yes.
How many songs did you sing?
I sang four tunes. The other guys divided the other songs that were left between them.
How did you linkup with Ray Barretto?
I was playing with Conjunto Melao at an outdoor place called Campo del Sol. It was a big festival, and there were a lot of bands playing. We came in and did a fast uptempo tune. I saw Ray Barretto standing there on the side, but figured that he was looking at the band, Chino, or something like that. I had no idea that he was really looking at me and checking me out. So, I did my best. I went out there and did my 100%. Then we took a break, and as I was sitting there, Barretto comes over and says: "Listen. You know Rubén Blades is just about to leave the band. I want to know whether you'd be interested in singing with my band? You think you could do the job?" I say: "Well, given the opportunity, I'll do my utmost. It's up to you to decide, you know." He said: "All right, we have a rehearsal such and such a day. Come on down." So I did!
By my reckoning, you made your recording debut with Ray Barretto, singing coro on
Barretto Live: Tomorrow
'76 on Atlantic. But at the time you joined Barretto's band, his career was in a process of transition. He was just starting to go off and do something else in pursuit of his crossover dream, wasn't he?
Yes, yes.
You came on the scene just as it looked likely to the outsider that a bit of turmoil and change was going on. Can you tell me what it was like during that period in Barretto's career?
Yes, there was, which I found out about after a period of time in the band. There was some turmoil in the band before I came into the band. The musicians all left and decided to make their own band. And they left him alone. So he went on and came out with something fresh with new musicians.
But the band he had on
Barretto Live
wasn't the same band he had on
(1973 on Fania) and
(1975 on Fania)?
There were a few of the same musicians there.
Yes. There were a few people. Then we had a lot of guys come and sit in. Like Barry Finnerty, and so on. And his own son playing drums. We recorded that at the Beacon Theater. One thing is that he never let himself lay down and die. He kept going. He's a fighter, struggler. I learned that from him a lot. So he'll never give up. At his age now (74 years old), he's still doing it. God bless him.
And he just doesn't look his age, does he?
Just to touch base with the present.
Barretto Live
must have been your earliest recording date with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's musical director/pianist Oscar Hernández.
Let me see. We had done some previous work together. Studio work and things like that.
Had you already started doing coro work on other albums?
Oh yes, yes, yes.
Can you remember some of your earliest coro dates?
I guess I'm going to go a little ahead of you here. Louie Ramírez was my partner for many years. I met Louie back in 1973. We weren't working on a steady basis, but on and off we did things. Louie did a lot of productions for Alegre and Tico. And he would call me to come in to do chorus here and there. When I really started getting noticed was when Louie called me to do a production with Sonora Ponceña. We did an album called
Musical Conquest/Conquista Musical
(1976 on Inca) with the tune "La Pollera Colora." That's where everything started to take off for me. A lot of people started calling me.
So even though your name is nestling down there amongst the coro credits, that really helps you get the dates?
Yes, absolutely. People started noticing. They listen to the recordings and say: "Who's this?" They look at the liner notes and give me a call.
So while Ray Barretto went off in pursuit of this crossover dream, resulting in two unsuccessful albums for Atlantic:
Eye Of The Beholder
'77 and
Can You Feel It
'78, you remained with the residue of his sidemen from his progressive típico salsa band, renamed Guararé. How did this happen?
I said: "I'm going to go on from here and do something else; because my ideas might not be your ideas. I don't want no conflict of interest. So I'm going to pursue something on my own and see what happens." So he says: "Fine, no problem. You're always welcome here." So I left, and I got a call from Tony Fuentes and Papy Román, who were the co-leaders of Guararé. And they asked me: "Ray, you want to sing with us?" And they had the same sound as Barretto. They had the three trumpets and flute. So I say: "Why not." So we went and recorded an album on TR Records (
You did two albums with Guararé. As you've said, you did the first one on TR in 1977. Then you did another album called
in 1979 on Inca, which Fania subsequently reissued under your name (
Ray de la Paz
'95). And Ray Barretto came in and produced it.
Yes, he produced that album. Really, the album didn't do what we were expecting it to do. Because we had a lot of similarities to the Ray Barretto sound.
We're talking about the one on Inca? The one that Ray produced.
Exactly. There was a conflict of interest. Between hearsay and there, they put it in a draw because we sounded too much like Ray. I guess Fania didn't want us to take anything away from Ray. So they just put it on the shelf, and forgot all about it. And that was the end of that Guararé album. As a matter of fact, it's still selling today. Collectors like it and they buy it. People always ask for it.
How did the first Guararé album do?
The first one did pretty well, did pretty good. It didn't do a really great thing, but it did pretty well. It held its own for a while.
Did the band get a lot of live work?
Yeah, we worked a lot. Definitely.
Can you remember what tunes you featured at the gigs?
A lot of the tunes were originals written by Tony Fuentes, the bongosero. We did some of the stuff Ray used to do: "Quitate La Mascara" (from
'70 on Fania), "Vive Y Vacila" (from
'69 on Fania), "Testigo Fui" (from
'75 on Fania). Because, they all knew Ray's charts, and they had copies of the charts.
So while he was off doing his fusion thing, they were keeping the Barretto sound going.
Exactly. Absolutely.
It seemed to me that when Ray made the decision to return to the salsa fold, he produced the Guararé album on Inca. The one you said didn't do so well. Presumably he produced that before
(1979 on Fania)?
Yes, he did that before
. Then
came in, and I happened to be on the coro on that album.
When Ray Barretto came back from his fusion experiment, what were the mechanics of you getting on board with his new band?
I participated by doing coro on that
album, then after Adalberto Santiago left, I went on to record
Giant Force/Fuerza Gigante
(1980 on Fania) and
Rhythm Of Life/Ritmo de la Vida
(1982 on Fania) with Ray.
Did Adalberto actually come back from his solo career to work live with Ray for a time or just to record
Just to record that album. Because Adalberto already had his own band.
So as far as the deal between you and Ray was concerned, you'd got the job as the lead singer?
And you went on and did the two subsequent albums?
Around that time, when the London salsa scene was just beginning to get off the ground, Ray Barretto and his band were scheduled to appear in 1982 at London's now defunct Venue. Salsa aficionados were expecting you to be there. BUT YOU WEREN'T! Cali Aleman came.
Cali Aleman, exactly.
Were you still with the band at the time?
No, no. I had just left the band, and went on to do other things.
What made you leave what appeared to be the relative security of Ray's band?
I wanted to do my own thing. I wanted to try something else on my own. I knew that Ray was a guy who was always looking for new horizons, and experimenting with different things and different music. And Ray's not really a singer/leader, he's a BANDLEADER, not a singer, as much as he looks out for the band.
In the old school sense.
Exactly, right.
Did you sort of think: "Maybe my days are numbered here, because he's always moving on"?
Yeah, he's going to move on and do things, and I don't want to be caught in the shuffle. So that's exactly what I did. I said: "Look Ray, I'm going to move on and try something on my own." He'll always find somebody, that's for sure.
Following your departure from Ray Barretto's band, I understand you led your own band for a while?
Yes, I did.
But you didn't record with them?
No, I had my own band for a while. We definitely did a lot of gigging.
You did that on the strength of the name you developed with Ray?
What sort of book did you have for the band?
I had a lot of original things. Some were mine and others were composed by guys I used to use. I had two trumpets and two saxophones.
Were there any named sidemen?
Well, there was Willie Martínez, who's a great timbalero and corista. Then I had Papy Román, who played with Barretto and Guararé. Then I also had Lionel Sánchez, who played with Típica 73. I had Roberto Rodríguez Jr., who played with Pacheco and many different bands. Piano, I had Martín Arroyo, who passed away a few years ago.
I knew Martín, and did an extensive, but yet to be published, interview with him shortly before he died.
A great, great guy. So unfortunate.
That's interesting that he played with you.
I understand that after Ray and Guararé, you also did some work with Jorge Dalto (1948 - 1987).
Yes, with Jorge Dalto.
But you didn't record with him.
No, I didn't record with Jorge Dalto. Jorge was a sweetheart. He was such a great musician and such a great person. I was fortunate to be part of his group, and we travelled a lot to Europe. We did a lot of work in France, especially in Paris in the Chapelle Des Lombards, La Scala, and a lot of different places out there. They loved us. It was a small group. He was an amazing individual. One night, we had just gotten to Paris, we were going to do a sound check. There was a tune that Quincy Jones had on his album
The Dude
(1981 on A&M). It's called "Velas," a tune by Ivan Lins. I love that tune. I was whistling it. And he so happened to say: "We need another tune to give just a little added attraction to what we got." So I started whistling this tune. And he said: "What's that?" I said: "It's a tune called "Velas" by Ivan Lins on the Quincy Jones album." He said: "Keep on whistling." I whistled the whole tune and he wrote the music out! With just me whistling. Unbelievable.
I associate Jorge Dalto's work as a leader as being in the Latin jazz vein.
Yeah, we did Latin jazz. We did some Afro-Cuban things. Jorge did a great classical piece. He was a great classical musician.
What sort of line-up did the group have?
We had a drummer; we had Artie Webb on flute; we had Nicky Marrero on timbales; we had Jorge on Fender and upright; and on bass we had Sergio Brandão, a Brazilian guy. He was great bass player. We also had Patato Valdez on conga; myself singing and playing some small percussion. That's it, that was the group. We had a great time.
Do you remember the years and how long you were with Jorge?
Oh my goodness. That was some time in the '80s.
Early '80s?
Mid-'80s I would say.
Meanwhile, your old chum Louie Ramírez hired you to sing on his 1982 production
Noche Caliente
on K-Tel, which spawned the monster hits "Estar Enamorado" and "Todo Se Derrumbó." Please tell me about the impact this recording had on the future course of salsa?
Wow. Back in '83, I guess, we were baptised in Venezuela as the pioneers of salsa romántica. It was a concept of Johnny Figuerras, who worked for K-Tel Records at the time. He came up with the idea, along with José Silva, to take the hit ballads on the radio at the time by the likes of Julio Iglesias, José Luis Rodríguez, Napoleon and Emmanuel, and do salsa arrangements, and see what would happen. So they took the idea to Louie. And Louie said: "Anything I can put in clave, I can make an arrangement for - even Chopin! If I can put Chopin in clave; I'll make an arrangement."
So it was these guys, Johnny Figuerras and José Silva, who actually came up with the concept of salsifying hit ballads?
Exactly. So Louie happened to call myself, Tito Allen's brother Piro and José Alberto "Canario". He said: "Look, I have these tunes. You guys pick the tunes you wanna do, and I'll do the arrangements." So I picked "Estar Enamorado&,quot; "Todo Se Derrumbó," "Simple Magica" and "O Me Quieres O Me Dejas," which were big hits at the time in ballad form. So Louie gave "Todo Se Derrumbó" to Marty Sheller. I think Louie did the arrangement for "Estar Enamorado." Isidro Infante did "Simple Magica" and "O Me Quieres O Me Dejas." Nobody expected the kind of impact that album was going to have.
That's great, because I was going to ask you the names of the musicians involved in the session, as there are insufficient credits on the sleeve to my copy of
Noche Caliente
. Am I right in thinking that Eddie Drennon played the violin solo on "Estar Enamorado"?
Yes, the Eddie Drennon ensemble was there to do "Estar Enamorado." They had also Tony Barrero (trumpet); Louie Ramírez on timbales, of course; Isidro played piano; Papo Pepin on conga...
A lot of the guys that went on to do the Caimán albums with you and Louie.
Yes, absolutely.
We'll get on to those later. Ironically, the
Noche Caliente
prototype was far more robust than the salsa romántica style it inspired. Agree or disagree?
What I'm saying is that the sound on that original album, which set the ball rolling, swung and was more solid than the blander, more saccharine sound that was to come later.
Yes, absolutely. And I'm glad you said that. A lot of people have this misconception that we started that bland type of salsa romántica. On the contrary, what we did was that we came out with salsa romántica, but it was ballads and the arrangements were tasty. They were swinging tunes. I'll tell you the truth. The mixing was not up to par; to what it should have been. Louie himself said: "We did the master here (New York). They took it to California, and who knows who did it up there; and where they did it; and under what conditions." Louie was very disappointed with the mixing. But he said: "Being that it was done that way, and it sounds like that. Still it put us on the map." It changed the whole thing of Latin music altogether, because of a lot of the people who came behind us, as you were just saying. I don't want to mention names or step on anybody's toes. They started coming out with their style, but their style was more like a ballad. It sounded like a ballad, instead of the more tasty stuff we did. Our stuff was really uptempo. Nice to dance to. But the people that came behind us, started slowing it up, and really made it drag; and changed the whole thing around.
But then, rather than go on a roll with the
Noche Caliente
sound, the following year, you and Louie did an album on the Gigi label, which was típico salsa with Melcochita in the coro...
...and José Mangual Jr..
Yeah, yeah. Could you comment on that album?
That album was a fly-by-night idea. This guy had some money he wanted to spend. He says: "You know, I like you guys, I want to record something. I'll get the tunes, and you record it." We said: "OK, we'll get paid for it. So what the heck, we'll do it." It was a job, you know. So we went ahead and did it. The album was called
Super Cañonalos con Louie Ramírez
(released 1983; reissued as
Mi Fruto
on Caimán in 1998). And it did great in Colombia, because still today, I have to play some of those tunes.
Was it a Colombian guy that put the money up?
It was a Colombian guy: George A. García.
The only other Gigi album I know is
El Congo De Oro
(1983) by Cuco Valoy, and he's very popular in Colombia.
Yes, very, very popular. No, that was it. The guy recorded two albums for his pleasure or whatever. Unfortunately, the guy passed away when things really started to pop for those albums.
You were saying earlier that Louie was a long-standing friend. How did you originally get to know him?
I met Louie in 1972 at the first
Latin NY
awards ceremony. He was directing the orchestra there. Myself and my compadre, Eddie Temporal, who sang with me in Conjunto Melao, were doing coros at the time. We hit it off. Louie was always a great comedian. I'm telling you. He was some character. He would come up with these funny anecdotes and whatever. We were fortunate to hit it off the way we did. A lot of doors opened because Louie was in the recording industry. At the time he was the vice president of Tico Records, and so on and so forth. So he got me in there, and I did a lot of recordings with different people: Puente, Celia, Sonora Matancera, Sonora Ponceña and Fania All Stars. It was a great school.
After the success of
Noche Caliente
, at what stage did the concept of you and Louie recording together for Caimán come about?
On the strength of the success of
Noche Caliente,
we did a tour of Venezuela, South America. We were hit with an injunction from the people at K-Tel Records, because they had the trademark for Noche Caliente. They thought we were going to tour South America under the name of Noche Caliente, which was wrong. So, we said: "Look, we're not going there as Noche Caliente. We're going there as Louie Ramírez and Ray de la Paz, formerly with Noche Caliente." They said: "No, you can't use the name Noche Caliente. That's out." So we said: "OK." To show how smart they were. When we went to Venezuela, some guy over there had registered the name before they did. And he had the name Noche Caliente over there. So he had a group over there called Noche Caliente, and there was nothing K-Tel could do about it. It was too late. That's how smart they were. We went to a great lawyer, who took care of the case. He said: "Look, go to Venezuela. Go on tour as Louie Ramírez and Ray de la Paz. Forget about this Noche Caliente thing. Don't touch it; leave it alone." So we did. We did the whole tour; everything was great. When we came back, our road manager Héctor Maisonave said: "You know what man? Why don't you just leave it like that? Louie Ramírez and Ray de la Paz. It sounds great. It's a good chemistry; works good. People like it."
So you'd already got the working band, then Sergio Bofil and Humberto Corredor of Caimán Records come along and say...
...let's record. Yeah. And let's follow in the same pattern as Noche Caliente. The same ideas, same concept, but under the name of Louie Ramírez and Ray de la Paz.
And of course it was massively successful. You did three albums together on Caimán in that format:
¡Con Caché!
Alegres y Romanticos
'85 and
Sabor con Clase!
'86. Your albums charted in upper reaches of the
Latin chart. In 1985 you were a headline name at the New York Salsa Festival. Everything was going well for you.
We got gold albums for everything. Every album was a great album. The chemistry was there.
What stands out in your mind about that particular period in your career?
We were fortunate that these people came up with this idea, and we jumped on the bandwagon to keep it going. The chemistry worked. As Rafael Ithier from Gran Combo always says: "When people stop buying our CDs, then I will change my chemistry. But if it's not broken, I won't fix it." I said: "You know, that's a great idea." So that's what me and Louie Ramírez did. We stayed on it, and stayed with the chemistry. And kept bringing out tunes people could relate to, and know it was our sound. Because we had an established sound. And everybody knew it.
Last year, Caimán's successor Cobo released
a collection of your hits with Louie. Was that an accurate reflection of the tunes you frequently performed live?
Yes, absolutely. "Mentirosa," "Labron De Tu Amor," "Desahogo" (all originally from
Alegres y Romanticos
), those tunes. As a matter of fact, I was just recently in Colombia, and they had a tune there called "Todavia" (also originally from
Alegres y Romanticos
), which is on that CD. The guy told me: "This record is a hit over here." I said: "AGAIN! But I recorded that back in 1985." He aid: "Yeah, but it's a hit here now. The new generation hadn't heard it."
"Mentirosa" is a perennial hit in Colombia.
That's like the Ray de la Paz anthem.
Then in 1987, separate albums appeared from you and Louie. I walked into London's specialist Latin music shop, Hitman Records, and there was your solo album
Estoy Como Nunca
on BC Records (reissued in 1999 on Caimán). For me, I somehow felt the magic had gone. I know that it's a highly rated album, and it did well commercially, didn't it?
Yes it did.
I suppose I felt: good things have to come to an end. Why did you and Louie part company?
Well, Louie was a creative guy. He had ideas, and I had my own ideas that didn't go with his ideas. So I guess that, instead of parting with any kind of animosity, we decided to part as friends. I said: "Look, if you need me, I'm here. If I need you, I know I can contact you." He said: "OK, go on and do your thing. No problem. If you need arrangements from me, whatever. Hey, you give me a call." And that's the way it was. We parted as good friends with good attitudes.
After your split with Louie, did you organise your own band?
Yes, right away. I started getting my band together and we started gigging. Because my name, Ray de la Paz, was already out there, so people knew who I was. Thank god I didn't have to start from scratch and come out like a newcomer.
What sort of horn combination did you have?
There I had four trumpets.
A bit like a...
Apart from the tunes that were recorded on
Estoy Como Nunca
, what other numbers did you feature in your set?
We did a lot of the stuff I did with Louie, because I had copies of the music. So as I was the one who sang them, people identified with them right away.
Your last outing with Louie at that juncture was providing lead vocals to "El Titere" on his Latin jazz set
Tribute To Cal Tjader
(1987 on Caimán).
Tribute To Cal Tjader
Which was the third time Louie had recorded that track.
Absolutely, yes.
Then there was a gap of about three years, during which time, Ralph Mercado's RMM label began to get off the ground. And in 1990 you recorded an album for that label:
Como Tu Quieras
. I was New York that year and I saw you at the New York Salsa Festival in Madison Square Garden. To my mind, that album deserved to do better than it did.
Yes, absolutely. That album, without promotion, did about 45,000. Without promotion.
Pretty respectable.
Yeah, I know, with promotion, that album would have easily gone gold. Unfortunately the powers that be didn't want to do it that way. They wanted to go some other way.
I get you. We'll touch on that sort of area later on. As with
Estoy Como Nunca
Como Tu Quieras
was produced by Isidro Infante, who wrote a number of the charts on both albums. So, up to that point you'd worked on seven albums together. I'd be interested to hear your comments about Isidro and about your experience of working with him?
Isidro is a great musician. A very talented individual. He's done a lot of productions for a lot of people. He's worked with a lot of great names, like Myrta Silva. He was the pianist with Myrta Silva for many years in Puerto Rico.
Before he moved to New York?
Before he moved to New York, yes. The guy who really gave him the opportunity to get his talents known in New York was Louie Ramírez. Because Louie had heard about him, and things like that.
He did some early albums with Raúl Marrero.
Most of the promotions Raúl Marrero did, as a salsa singer, were done by Isidro Infante. In which I also had the opportunity of doing coro. He always called me.
How did the reunion album with Louie,
Otra Noche Caliente
(1992 on RMM), come about?
OK. I was up to record my second CD with RMM. Ralph called me into his office and said: "Ray, let's put the cards on the table, and all the animosities, and whatever the heck. You guys, you know, let's be professional. What do you think about getting back together with Louie Ramírez?" To tell you the truth, I said I didn't really want to, because, first of all, I had the utmost respect for Louie. What happened was that I was doing well with my band. I was gigging a lot. I was doing very well. But I heard that he wasn't doing so well with his band. He was constantly playing at the Copa, where a very good friend of his used to work and always got him a lot of work there. But, other than that, he wasn't doing that great for himself. I was fortunate that my band was gigging every weekend. I had places I was doing. So, I guess that maybe Louie spoke to Ralph and told him: "Listen Ralph, things aren't happening all that well for me. Maybe if we can come back, and do that chemistry again: Louie Ramírez and Ray de la Paz."
Is that speculation on your part?
Yeah, I'm speculating. 85 per cent I'm saying that I'm sure that's what happened. But hey, I'm being realistic.
Otra Noche Caliente
lead to a resumption of gigging with Louie?
Yes it did. We started gigging again. We did our debut at the Supper Club. The Reunion of Louie Ramírez and Ray de la Paz at the Supper Club, and it was a jumping joint. I mean the place was packed. The band was swinging. The chemistry and all that came back from
Noche Caliente
days. Then we started gigging a lot. We went to the Copa; we started travelling, and doing different things. And from there on, we just stayed together.
And you and he began working on another collaboration for RMM. Please could you tell me why
Preparate Bailador
was released under only your name in late 1993?
OK. Midway through the finishing of the recording, Louie passed away. And Ralph said: "Well, look, in memory of Louie, let's just put the picture of the timbales at the back of the CD, and just make this your album." So I said: "Well, whatever you want. You're the boss." But we talked about Louie Ramírez; dedicated the album to him. And in one of the songs I also speak of Louie Ramírez. Just to make sure that people know what's going on. But we say that it was the last album, and in memory of Louie Ramírez, we dedicated it to him.
And the same year, you were teamed-up with Cheo Feliciano for the tribute "Recordando A Louie" for the
Combinación Perfecta
album (1993 on RMM).
Yes, yes.
Could you share your recollections about that project?
Yeah. I was working to write a tune in memory of Louie Ramírez, and Cheo Feliciano had already started something up in Puerto Rico, because Ralph had told him. So Ralph asked Cheo: "It would be appropriate to do it with Ray, because Ray knew Louie. I think it would be the right thing to do." So I was very honoured and flattered that Cheo would choose me to do a duet with him. Such a classy guy, and such an experienced veteran in this genre of music. I was thrilled. You know that album,
Combinación Perfecta
, went platinum. It was unbelievable.
It was very popular in London. I was working in Mr Bongo, a specialist Latin music shop, and that used to go off the shelves like hot cakes.
Your parting shot for RMM was 1994's
Familia RMM en Vivo,
on which you performed "Otra Noche Caliente." Please could you give me your views why there has been so little opportunity for salsa soneros of your generation to record solo projects during the last decade?
It's all commercial. The answer in one lump sum: it's all commercialisation. If it's not commercial enough for them, they don't want to touch it. If you don't have that pretty face, the young kid look, they don't want to touch you. So they'd rather go with the mediocrity, instead of the experience and the talent, because of the money situation. It's all money. If it's not in their best interests as far as money is concerned, they don't want to touch it. That's the way that goes.
In 1996 you joined Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez, Junior González, Melcochita, José Mangual Jr., Carlos Santos and Darvel García on
on Asefra by Mascara Salsera's Gold Stars.
Did this project generate any live work?
Yes, yes, it did. It generated a lot of live work. Not that much as a group. But as individuals, we all had copies of the music, so sometimes I would make a guest appearance with Mangual Jr.. Or Pete would guest with Melcochita somewhere.
That was a very positive response you gave when I mentioned that album.
That album did very well. That was a one-shot deal. The guy who put up the money for that project, a Colombian guy, a friend of ours, he just phased out. He did such a great project. Then we were looking for the next one, and he just phased out.
It was odd, because the Mascara Salsera CDs prior to
were actual compilations.
Yes, that's all he did. Exactly.
And then this appeared...
And it was beautiful!
Initially people thought: this is a compilation. But then you looked a bit closer, and you realised that it was a fresh, newly recorded album.
It was great. But I don't know why he just stopped. It was the same thing as happened with Gigi.
The following year you participated in Paul Simon's
Songs From The Capeman
'97 on Warner Brothers. Were you involved in the ill fated Broadway show?
Yes, I was an actor in the play with Marc Anthony and Rubén Blades. We did
on Broadway. Oscar Hernández was the orchestra director there. It was a great experience. It was the first time I had ever done that, and it was an unforgettable moment in my life; a period in my life that I'll never forget.
How did you feel about the fact it got such negative reviews?
They really clobbered us, because the story was so controversial about these two boys that got killed in Hell's Kitchen by a Puerto Rican gang called the Vampires. So we were getting clobbered by The Mothers of Murdered Children, and all these groups. They were saying by Paul doing this kind of play, he was favouring the criminal as opposed to glorifying the victims. They were putting so much pressure on the media, and then the media got on it, and this is where things really started going downhill. But we started off with packed houses, every night.
Then in 2001, you sang lead vocals on three tracks on
Pa'l Bailador
on Morrowland by the West Coast based Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad. How did this come about?
Yeah. Well, I've known Johnny about 30 years. Johnny lived in New York for many years. I knew his family, and he also played trombone. Johnny is a very gifted musician.
He's credited with violin on Guararé's album on Inca.
Right, exactly. He plays violin; he plays trombone; now he plays vibes. He plays conga; he plays timbales; he plays piano.
We saw him here in London last year.
Yeah, yeah, he was here last year. So, he calls me all the time, and we knew this salsa festival was out there (on the West Coast). So I went out there with his band. We did a few dates out there, and it so happens he said: "Ray, I'm doing this album. I've got three tunes I want to do, and I want them to be for you. Can you do this?" I said: "Well, today is Friday. Let's do Saturday morning," So I went into the studio that Saturday, and in one hour, I did the three tunes. And he just fell back: "I can't believe it, you just came in here. My singer takes two days to do one tune. You came here and you did three tunes in one hour." And it's doing very well. As a matter of fact, now he's working on his next CD. And I'm going to be in there. Azuquita, myself, Cachao.
Cachao, did you say?
Yes, he's also going to be participating.
Also in 2001, you participated in Ray Barretto's
Live 50th Anniversary In Puerto Rico
on Sony recorded at the Tito Puente Amphitheatre. Please could you share your recollections of this event?
Yeah, that was a lot of fun. It was Ray Barretto's 50th anniversary, and he called me, and said: "Ray, I'm having my 50th anniversary in Puerto Rico, and I want you to come down and be part of it." I said: "Hey, why not. Of course. Sure." So I went down, and we did "Amor Artificial" and "Fuerza Gigante." Adalberto came in and did a few tunes. Tito Allen did a couple of tunes. Yolanda Rivera did, I think, one tune with Adalberto. Tito Nieves came in as a guest doing some ad libbing. Victor Manuelle came in and did a couple of things. He wasn't credited on the album. He just came in to do the concert. Luis "Perico" Ortiz did the production; he did the recording over there.
It's an exciting album.
In 2002 you got the opportunity to indulge your passion for bolero via your involvement with
Papo Lucca Presente: Festival De Boleros
for VI Music? Please tell me about this project?
Yes, oh, yes. Let me tell you the story about that real quick. I was in town, because I'd just come back from Japan, and Papo calls me. He says: "Ray, do you have Ismael Quintana's number?" I said: "Look, I don't have his number." I had a couple of numbers, but they had changed, or whatever. He says: "I'm trying to get in touch with him. I've got to have this recording done by tonight, because I've got to send it out to the island to do the whole mixing." So I said: "I don't know. Maybe I'll give you a couple of numbers, and maybe somebody may have it." So he says: "Well I'm going to call-up a few people. If I can't get him, then I'm going to call you back to come in and do this tune." So I said: "OK, what is it?" He says: "It's a ballad called "Que Falta Tu Me Haces,"" which is one of my favourite tunes that Gilberto Monroig sings. And I love that tune. And I know it, so it's a piece of cake for me. So, he called me about an hour later. He says: "Look, I'm in Jersey. Get up here however you can. I want you to do the tune." It was four trumpets like Sonora. I had no idea that it was going to be that kind of production. So I went down, and he played a track for me, and it was a big band. I love big bands. The sound just knocked me out. So I did it. He tells afterwards: "No offence intended Ismael, nothing on you, baby. But you know what Ray? In a way I'm pleased we didn't find Ismael." Because it gave him an opportunity to listen to what I had.
That's a massive compliment.
Yes, absolutely. I was very, very flattered.
Although it was recorded in 2001, 2002 also saw the release of the Grammy nominated
Un Gran Dia En El Barrio
on Ryko/Ropeadope Records by the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, on which you sing "Aprende A Querer," "Vale Más Un Guaguancó" and "Obsesion." Please could you share your reflections about this project?
Wow, this little project is an idea that a gentlemen by the name of Aaron Levinson came up with. He came up with the idea of taking tunes that were recorded back in the '60s, '70s and '80s. And bring them back with new arrangements, and see what could happen to that. Oscar Hernández called me aboard, and called Frankie Vázquez and Hermán Olivera, my brother. We came out with all these great musicians and did this project. We had no idea that it was going to be the talk of the town. And thank God - knock on wood - it's doing very well. We were nominated for a Grammy. Right now, we are nominated for two
awards. I think they come out in July (
Un Gran Dia En El Barrio
garnered a
Latin Music Award in the Tropical/Salsa Album Of The Year, New Artist, category). And, we've been travelling around the world, thank God.
I've been following the project, and I actually did an interview with
Aaron Levinson
for Descarga.com (which also appears on the Spanish Harlem Orchestra website: http://www.spanishharlemorchestra.com). I was in there from the beginning, pitching for you guys. It's great to hear that there's going to be a follow-up album. And we heard two of the numbers that are going to be on the follow-up tonight, assuming that "Ariñañara" will be included?
No, we have that as a fill-in tune.
Right. Is that the arrangement of "Ariñañara" that Oscar did for the Eddie Torres album
Dance City
(1994 on E&E)? (
Dance City
was produced and directed by Oscar Hernández, and featured an earlier version of his composition "Pa' Gozar," which the Spanish Harlem Orchestra remade for
Un Gran Dia En El Barrio
I think so, yes it is.
And that other new number, the one that Frankie sang...
That's a tune that Frankie wants; that's going to be recorded for the next CD. So we've already started to do it.
It's called...
"Maestro De Rumberos."
Do you know who did it originally?
Ismael Quintana did that (from
Lo Que Estoy Viviendo
'76 on Vaya).
Can you give any sneak previews of other tunes that will be on the new album?
Well, there's a tune that I wrote called "Solo Vive Por Ti". It's a romantic salsa, but with a nice, tasty uptempo arrangement. Oscar's doing that now. And Chino Nuñez is doing another one for me, called "Te Cantare". It was a tune done many years ago by Impacto Crea (on their 1978 album
Impacto Crea
on Vaya).
The drug rehabilitation project.
Exactly. They did that back in the '60s. So we're gonna bring that back.
Is the trio of singers going to be the same as last time?
No, we're going to be Ray Sepulveda, myself and Frankie Vázquez.
So, Hermán's...
Well, Hermán decided to stay with Eddie.
Or maybe Eddie decided that he was going to stay with Eddie?
Yeah, man, I ain't sayin' nothing. I guess it's in his best interests to keep Hermán there, you know.
You have to learn in life, what side your bread is buttered.
Absolutely. We just did that concert in San Francisco, and Hermán was with Eddie. And we had to get someone to cover for Hermán, because he couldn't be doing two.
And ironically, you bring Ray Sepulveda in, who sings the tune he originally did with Johnny Zamot.
Yes, "La Musica Es Mi Vida" (originally from
El Hulk De La Salsa
'80 on Fania). I changed the coro as a matter of fact, because the coro it had was kinda bland. So I changed it around. Instead, it's more exciting.
Anything else you can reveal about the forthcoming album?
Not really.
I hope Oscar's not too pissed-off that I'm not asking him all about this.
No. We're getting more tunes. Frankie already has two that he wants to do. That one you heard ("Maestro De Rumberos") and another one he's getting now. And Ray's going to get a couple of his own tunes he wants to do. And from there we'll go to the studio. It's all up to Aaron right now. It's in his court; so whatever he says. I know he has first choice. I know he's going to pick tunes that he would like to hear us do. So it would be nice to all sit round the table and listen to everything one time, and see what happens.
So who would have thought that 20 odd years after expecting to see you in London in 1982, you'd be playing the Royal Festival Hall?
I'm really honoured. To me, it's a great, great moment. I never expected in my life to be in Istanbul. Never.
Earlier on, we were talking about your coro work. And you've worked with names like Tito Puente; and you were telling me that a milestone was Sonora Ponceña; and also Johnny Ray. In addition to Sonora Ponceña's
Musical Conquest
, which you've already mentioned, are there any particular albums you would like to single out for comment?
Well, everyone I've done chorus with. We've done other things besides the coro. We've done live things together. I've always had a good rapport with whoever I've worked with. I've never had any kinda falling out with anyone, because I'm a people person. I like to keep people on the good side of me. I never want to get on people's bad side. So, I keep the doors open. Why burn bridges? Why act like a damn fool, when it's not proper. I thank god that I always get called.
Could you tell me about your musical work outside the salsa industry?
Outside of salsa, my daily work is that I do a lot of jingles and a lot of commercials for many different advertising agencies. And I've been doing it for the last 17 years; Nestor Sánchez and myself. Well, Nestor got me into it with a couple of girls named Doris and Jeanie Owen and Maris Cargo. They are the ones that really got me into it. Nestor's been in the business, I think, about 27 years. I'm still a youngster: 17 years. And I've done work for Coca Cola, McDonald's, Burger King, you name it.
They know good voices when they hear them.
I'm very fortunate. And I'm a member of Actors Screen Guild. So, it's helped me a lot.
It pays the bills.
Absolutely. The benefits are wonderful.
What does the rest of 2003 have in store for Ray de la Paz?
Well, in 2003, god willing, more doors will open. More adventures, more horizons to discover. Hopefully, the new CD we're going to work on, will be even more successful and have even more impact on people that this one.
The first one puts you on the map.
Yes, absolutely. Now we gotta get the map to open up more avenues. I hope it takes us to other places, and brings us back here. And takes us back to Turkey, and takes us to Germany, and takes us all over Europe. Because people love the music. It's a matter of bringing it to them and letting them hear it.
Apart from the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, do you have any other salsa projects in the pipeline?
Well, I was talking to Isidro the other day. By now, he's in Puerto Rico. He told me there's a new company that's coming out, and he asked me whether I'm interested in doing my own solo album.
So he returned to Puerto Rico after the RMM thing pretty much folded-up?
Well, he comes and goes. He basically lives in New York, but comes and goes all the time to Puerto Rico. He goes to Colombia for a little while, things like that. One thing about the Spanish Harlem Orchestra is that we're all independent. We're a band, but each of us is an individual. We all have our own groups, and our own things. One thing good about this band is that we can do what we want, but with attitude. I have my own band in New York.
Still. So when I have to do something with my band, I just do it. Not to step on anybody's toes, I work around everyone's schedules. This way I know which gigs I can do with my band; what's open for Spanish Harlem, and so on and so forth.
Do you tour with your band outside New York?
Yeah, I tour with my band. Sure.
What sort of places?
We go to LA, Miami, Colombia; things like that. Not Venezuela, unfortunately, because of what's happening over there. That used to be such a great, great place for salsa. So many radio stations, and so many bands used to go there to play.
Anyway, we're coming to the end. Is there anything you'd like to add?
Well, I've been very fortunate. I've travelled extensively around the world. Who would have thought that this Puerto Rican, born and raised in New York City, would get to see such wonderful places and cultures. There's people with millions of dollars who have never travelled, because they are so busy making more money! I just want to keep going.
You've seen wonderful cultures, but you've taken a wonderful culture with you.
Yes, yes. I try to always keep the name of Puerto Rico, and the name of my culture, up on a pedestal. So the people notice it in a very positive way through my music. I always hope that, wherever I've been, I've left a positive impression on everyone who has been around me.
Well, I think tonight proved that to be the case.
Thank you.
Well, thanks very much for talking to me.
The pleasure's mine. I really appreciate you giving me this time. Thank you so much.
Thanks to Henry Knowles of DME Inc. and Andy Wood of ¡Como No! for facilitating my interview with Ray de la Paz.
At the beginning of September 2003, I asked the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's producer, Aaron Luis Levinson, to give me a flavour of the band's follow-up CD:
Aaron Luis Levinson (ALL):
Well, John. The selection of the tracks really will not be as autocratic as Ray suggests! I am very open to what the cats bring to the table, but I do want the album to feature more original writing by the guys this time out. More Oscar. More Ray. More Frankie. Ray did not mention that he has written a dynamite "tema" for the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, which Oscar says is "really cool". I am strongly suggesting that we do a version of "La Hija De Lola" by Charlie Palmieri (the tune was composed by Raúl Marrero, and originally appeared on Charlie's 1972 album
El Gigante Del Teclado
on Alegre) and I can assure you that it will be on the record. Other than that, the skinny is that we will be building on the template of the first album from a sonic perspective, but having more original compositions come to the fore. Still keeping the formula focused on hard-hitting Latin swing for dancers and listeners who like their salsa hard...
Is there anything else you are able to share about the forthcoming album?
I would like to share that I am thrilled by the reception the first album has received around the world. It has re-instilled my faith that there is a wide, global audience for salsa dura and that the Spanish Harlem Orchestra has been instrumental (no pun intended) in bringing this form back into the public eye and ear, if you will. The forthcoming album will, I hope, act more as a musical bridge which brings the great and often unsung pioneers of salsa in New York City in the '60s and '70s into dialogue with composers like Oscar, Frankie and Ray, who are writing truly captivating salsa compositions in the 21st century.
I do not feel that we have a group in the salsa field today who has opened up the international jazz/world audience, particularly on the Continent, to the virtues of this form to quite the same degree. Likewise, I am hoping that this next album cements the reputation of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra as not merely brilliant inheritors, as well as dynamic performers, but also and most importantly as contributors to a living and vibrant tradition. Today, in the painful wake of the passing of both the incomparable Celia Cruz and the Gershwin of Puerto Rico, Tite Curet Alonso, it is both heartening and ironic that tropical Latin music finally seems to be achieving the kind of unprecedented popularity and study that such a rich field demands. I'd like to urge new listeners and devoted fans of this music to be vigilant and discover some of the other releases out there, like Los Soneros Del Barrio and Son Boricua, as well as guys like my dear friends Jimmy Bosch and Jesús Alemañy, and support their work as well. A rising tide raises all ships and I want to bring as much of this music to the world as I possibly can before I shake off this mortal coil.
John, thanks again for your early and powerful support, I speak for all of us when I sincerely thank you for the love and wisdom you've always shown this music.
No, THANK YOU! You are the guys that are producing such compelling work.
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San Francisco Ballet in Possokhov's The Rite of Spring (© Erik Tomasson)
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GleeFridays 8:00 PM on FOX
Beauty School Drop Out
- Glee Season 4 Episode 6: "Glease"
Glee Quotes
We met right here. I took this man's hand and we ran down that hallway. Those of you who know me know I'm not in the habit of taking the hands of people I've never met before, but I think that my soul knew something that my body and my mind didn't know yet. It knew that our hands were meant to hold each other, fearlessly and forever. Which is why it's never really felt like I've been getting to know you. It's always felt like I was remembering you from something. As if in every lifetime that you and I have ever lived we've chosen to come back and find each other and fall in love all over again, over and over, for all eternity. And I just feel so lucky that I found you so soon in this lifetime because all I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do, is spend my life loving you. So, Kurt Hummel, my amazing friend, my one true love, will you marry me?Blaine
- Permalink: We met right here. I took this man's hand and we ran down that h...
- Added:
[to Finn] You know, I don't really know what's going to happen between us, but I know that you used to be the guy that would make me feel like the most special girl in the whole world, and it doesn't feel that way anymore. Now it just feels sad and confusing. And the worst part is that it doesn't even feel that bad anymore.Rachel
- Permalink: You know, I don't really know what's going to happen between us,...
- Added:


text:
New Film About 'Mary Poppins' Won't Feature Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews won an Oscar for best actress in 1965 for her performance in the title role in "Mary Poppins," but you won't see the actress featured in a new Disney project about the making of the classic movie.
Andrews will portrayed by another actress in the coming "Saving Mr. Banks," a movie about the pre-production of "Mary Poppins," with Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as "Poppins" author P.L. Travers. Victoria Summer plays a young Julie Andrews in the film, but she's only glimpsed briefly and doesn't have any scripted dialogue. In the script, the scene with the faux Andrews takes place at the world premiere for "Mary Poppins." The movie is due out Dec. 20.
Andrews, who was also nominated for an Oscar for "The Sound of Music" in 1966 and "Victor Victoria" in 1983 and is a bestselling children's book author, recently co-authored a storybook called "The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart" with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton.
When Speakeasy asked Andrews about "Saving Ms. Banks," she was well aware of the movie, but said that she had no involvement with the production.
"[Ms. Thompson] and I were going to speak on the phone, but I'm not sure if I was out of town or she was…of course I'm available if she's like to talk, but it's probably done by now. Can't wait to see it. I'm a great admirer of hers," Andrews said.
Andrews told Speakeasy that an early encounter she had with Travers took her by surprise: "P.L. Travers called when she heard that I was cast as Poppins and I literally just had a baby, Emma. And the day after, the phone rang and she said 'Hello, this is P.L. Travers.' And I said, 'Oh my God, Ms. Travers, how nice to talk to you.' And she said, 'Talk to me—I hear you're doing Mary Poppins.' And I said, 'I'm feeling a little out of it right now. I just had a baby.' And she said, 'Of course, you're far too pretty [to play Poppins], but you've got the nose for it.'"
Summer, the actress who plays Andrews in "Saving Mr. Banks," says she couldn't be happier to take on the role, even though it's fleeting appearance. "She has a small part and only one scene for the entire movie!" Summer said in an email. "I did speak on camera – the lines were not scripted but who knows what the final edit will contain."
Next holiday season, NBC is planning a live TV adaptation of the stage version of "The Sound of Music," with country star Carrie Underwood playing the lead role that Andrews helped make famous in the film version.
For more, go to our Speakeasy column in The Wall Street Journal.
Follow @cjfarley on Twitter.


text:
Kids review a Skrillex song May 16 2012
A bunch of cute kids review Bangarang by Skrillex.
What is dupstep?
I've never heard of that.
Daddy loves dubstep.
A couple of the kids were asked what "the drop" meant:
I think the drop is when you drop being sensible.
When it gets really quiet and then it gets really really really loud. BANG!
(via ★interesting)


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Special Section: Safe Schools
Rialto Unified School District Records: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
RIALTO - When Charliena Marquez's son, Jesse, said he didn't want to go to school, she didn't think anything of it at first.
The family was new to Rialto, having moved from Victorville in 2012 after her husband got a new job.
"Toward the end of the first week, he started to complain," she said. "I thought, `He's just getting used to a new school, new job, no big deal."'
Then she found Jesse, 8, in bed crying, unwilling to go to school at Henry Elementary that morning.
"He's mean, he's mean. I'm scared of him," Marquez said Jesse told her.
The next week was Back to School Night at Henry Elementary, and she got to meet teacher Timothy Braby for herself.
"Very intense, very intimidating," Marquez said. "He intimidated me, and I'm the parent."
Braby declined to comment for this report. The Rialto Education Association, the union that represents Braby, also declined to comment.
Things didn't get better for Jesse: He started to bring home notes from school saying he wasn't doing his homework or class work. His parents asked him why he didn't raise his hand in school if he didn't understand something, and Jesse burst into tears.
Marquez called the school to set up a meeting with the principal, Sylvia Braggs, who said there were no open spots in other classrooms for Jesse.
Braggs also declined to comment for this report.
Marquez then called the district office and met with Edward D'Souza, the district's senior director of professional development, who reiterated that Jesse wasn't going to be moved.
"When my son feels scared like that, he's going to lock up and do nothing" and fail at school, she said. Marquez said she told the district leaving him in Braby's room was unacceptable: "I'm going to keep my son out of school until he can get a new class. This is bullying."
Marquez's mother decided they needed proof of what was happening in the classroom.
The family inserted a digital recorder into Jesse's backpack, which hanged on the back of his chair throughout the day of Aug. 31.
"We were so shocked," said Jesse's father, Jesse Marquez Sr. "I want my son out of this class."
On the recording, Braby lectures one of his 10-year-old charges: "Not very intelligent, are ya? Are ya? Why don't you grow up?"
Even seemingly trivial matters lead to loud reprimands:
"How many times do I have to say to indent? Do you not get what `indent' means, ... or not? What does `indent' mean? It means move it in! Just like I did! Can you not see the pink line, that's moved in? Yes or no? Can you see it? Then why can't you copy it that way? What do you mean, you don't know? Because you don't pay attention! That's why you can't copy it. You people don't pay attention. Right there on the board, in black and white, and you can't copy it down. Is that indented like I told you to do? No, it is not."
Rialto Unified officials object to Marquez's making the recording without Braby's consent.
"The district is aware of (this situation) and will continue to treat all allegations seriously," Rialto Unified spokeswoman Syeda Jafri said. "The situation involving the unlawful taping of instruction of a classroom teacher without the teacher's permission is under review and will be looked into. Since (it) involves sensitive personnel matters, it would be premature to disclose any further comment concerning the district's specific responses to (this situation) at this time."
On the recording, Braby makes another student, Sarah Gomez, spend recess sitting against the wall instead of participating because her parents didn't sign a test she had brought home to show them. The girl had gotten an "A+."
"My daughter's been a straight-B student up until now, third grade, this guy," Sarah's mother Rebecca Gomez said. "The first three weeks of school, she was getting straight-Ds."
In an attempt to turn things around, Gomez pulled Sarah out of her after-school program in favor of more time spent studying after school. The studying worked, and Sarah aced a test.
"I could see if it was an F or a D because she was trying to hide it," Gomez said.
She went to Braby, asking why he couldn't have made an allowance for her daughter.
"He said, `It doesn't matter; policy is policy,"' Gomez said Braby told her. "He was real abrupt: `I've been doing this 28 years, and I'm not going to change."'
Like Marquez, Gomez wanted to transfer her child to another class.
"They told me there was no other place for her," she said. "I left crying. I got the same runaround (from the district office): `There's nothing else we can do, there's no other place for her; she gets really high statewide testing scores."'
Gomez works and has to drop off children at two schools, making it difficult for her to move Sarah to another Rialto Unified campus.
"I don't want her to sit in the class where she's going to be degraded," Gomez said.
On Sept. 5, the Marquezes met with Braggs and Braby. The principal reportedly disputed Marquez's characterization of the teacher.
"You don't know what he's like," Marquez said Braggs told her. To which she replied that she did know what he was like because she'd recorded him. She pulled out a partial transcript of what was on the recording. According to Marquez, Braggs attempted to end the meeting immediately and Braby claimed the transcript was defamation and said he'd be getting a lawyer.
Jesse Marquez Sr. calmed things down and reiterated what they really wanted was for Jesse Jr. to be transferred to another class.
"A spot magically opened," Marquez said.
When the Marquezes left, they discovered two other parents - including Gomez - outside Braggs' office, they said, each seeking to get their children transferred.
Jesse's new class has been a success, Marquez said, and her son is happy and successful now.
As for Braby's class, however, Gomez said nothing's changed.
"She's still really afraid of him," she said.
When students don't understand the material, according to her daughter, Braby will still raise his voice and get irritable with them.
Reach Beau at via email, call him at 909-483-9376, or find him on Twitter @InlandED.


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A new test discovered an extraordinary buildup of calcium in George Ogle's heart. (February 23, 2010 / WRDW-TV)
News 12 at 6 o'clock, February 23, 2010
EVANS, Ga.---This week, News 12 is encouraging you to be Smart Heart. We're teaming up with University Hospital to bring you the stories of heart attack survivors. You may just hear the warning you need in the nick of time.
For one Evans man, a trip to the golf course ended with finding so big even doctors were stunned.
At 77, Lt. Col. George Ogles has seen the world...but what he and most technology couldn't see inside his heart almost killed him.
George remembers what happened 15 months ago like yesterday. "I was in good shape!" he said. "But suddenly I was going up a hill, the toughest hill on our course, and dragging a little cart, and I noticed I was breathing a little harder than normal."
Although he was in shape, and had a cholesterol and blood pressure measure most would consider ideal, George, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, wasted no time. He saw his cardiologist later that day.
At the appointment, George's doctor suggested using a new machine called a 64 slice CT scanner. It's new technology that had only been in use about a year and a half at that time. It examines all sides of the heart with a snapshot photo that gives doctors something new: a calcium score that tells doctors how much calcium is built up in your arteries.
George says his doctor was stunned. "He said, 'George, you have the highest count we've ever run across.'"
A calcium count of 400 is considered extremely dangerous for anyone.
"He said, 'Your count is 8,000.' 8,000!" George exclaimed. "20 times that of 400! He said, 'You've got a ticking bomb for a heart.'"
Six of George's arteries were blocked. Doctors ordered a five-hour bypass surgery.
For George, the discovery brought other eye-opening answers. "I thought maybe that's why both my parents, all four of my grandparents and my two brothers had died at ages earlier than mine. They also had it but never knew it," he speculated.
After three months of therapy, George was alive and back in the game of life on the course, and at home able to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife last December.
But he still has work to do. "I came out of it very thankful, but first thing I thought was there are a lot of people out there just like me. Especially men over the age of 50 who have calcium buildup and they don't know it. They're a ticking bomb."
Today, George says his heart is full. "There's a lady that a lot of people know from 50 years ago, Minnie Pearl on Grand Ole' Opry. Her favorite thing to say was 'I'm just so glad to be here', and that's me. I'm just so glad to be here, to be able to play."
Doctors say calcium build up is genetic. So George urges you if you have family history of heart disease, especially men over the age of 50, you need to consider having this test.


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About the Book
Calvin Coolidge, who served as president from 1923 to 1929, never rated highly in polls. The shy Vermonter, nicknamed "Silent Cal," has long been dismissed as quiet and passive. History has remembered the decade in which he served as a frivolous, extravagant period predating the Great Depression. Now Amity Shlaes, the author known for her riveting, unexpected portrait of the 1930s, provides a similarly fresh look at the 1920s and its elusive president. Shlaesshows that the mid-1920s was, in fact, a triumphant period that established our modern way of life: the nation electrified, Americans drove their first cars, and the federal deficit was replaced with a surplus. Coolidge is an eye-opening biography of the little-known president behind that era of remarkable growth and national optimism.
Although Coolidge was sometimes considered old-fashioned, he was the most modern of presidents, advancing not only the automobile trade but also aviation, through his spirited support of Charles Lindbergh. Coolidge's discipline and composure, Shlaes reveals, represented not weakness but strength. First as governor of Massachusetts then as president, Coolidge proved unafraid to take on the divisive issues of this crucial period: reining in public-sector unions, unrelentingly curtailing spending, and rejecting funding for new interest groups.
Perhaps more than any other president, Coolidge understood that doing less could yield more. He reduced the federal budget during his time in office even as the economy grew, wages rose, tax rates fell, and unemployment dropped. As a husband, father, and citizen, the thirtieth president made an equally firm commitment to moderation, shunning lavish parties and special presidential treatment; to him the presidency was not a bully pulpit but a place for humble service. Overcoming private tragedy while in office, including the death of a son, Coolidge showed the nation how to persevere by persevering himself. For a nation looking for a steady hand, he was a welcome pilot.
In this illuminating, magisterial biography, AmityShlaes finally captures the remarkable story of Calvin Coolidge and the decade of extraordinary prosperity that grew from his leadership.
Educator and Librarian Resources
Critical Praise
"History has paid little attention to the achievements of Coolidge because he seemed to be unduly passive. Yet Amity Shlaes, as his biographer, exposes the heroic nature of the man and brings to life one of the most vibrant periods in American economic history." — Alan Greenspan
"To read Amity Shlaes's well-crafted biography is to understand why Reagan so admired the famously reticent man whom Shlaes calls 'our great refrainer.'" — George F. Will
"Amity Shlaes's extraordinary biography describes how a single politician can change an entire political culture -- a story with plenty of echoes today. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, doyenne of the Washington salons, first disdained Coolidge, then admired him. After reading Coolidge, every reader will, too." — Anne Applebaum
"A marvelous book that is in many respects as subtle and powerful as Coolidge himself. Shlaes's masterly command of economics, policy, and personal portraiture illustrates the times, talents, character, and courage of the consummate New Englander." — Mark Helprin
"Coolidge is a welcome new biography of a great American president. Amity Shlaes shines fresh light on a leader of humble persistence who unexpectedly found himself in the presidency and whose faith in the American people helped restore prosperity during a period of great turmoil. Amidst today's economic hardships and an uncertain future, Shlaes illuminates a path forward -- making Coolidge a must-read for policymakers and citizens alike." — Paul Ryan
"Amity Shlaes's new biography carries a different and highly relevant message. . . . Read Coolidge, and better understand the forces bearing on the President and Congress almost a century later." — Paul Volcker
"Timely and important. . . . The research is exhaustive, and the political and economic analysis sound." — The Wall Street Journal
"With a deft finger on today's conservative pulse, Shlaes portrays Calvin Coolidge as a paragon of a president by virtue of his small-government policies." — The New York Times Book Review -- Editor's Choice
"Amity Shlaes's rich new biography reminds us that Calvin Coolidge must not be forgotten in our era of staggering government deficits and poisoned political rhetoric. . . . A finely muted drama." — USA Today
"America's 30th president has been much misunderstood. . . . Shlaes's biography provides a window onto an unfairly tarnished period. It deserves to be widely read." — The Economist
"Shlaes impresses readers with the single-mindedness of Coolidge's pursuit. . . . For the next decade or so, it may be Amity Shlaes who has custody of Coolidge's reputation." — Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker
"Amity Shlaes's new biography ushers in a long-overdue rehabilitation of the 30th president. . . . Coolidge is a compelling, endlessly rewarding, and persuasive contribution to historical scholarship." — The Weekly Standard
Product Details
- Imprint: Harper
- On Sale: 02/12/2013
- Pages: 592
- List Price: 14.49 USD
- BISAC1: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Presidents & Heads of State
- BISAC2: HISTORY / United States / 20th Century


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- Celebrate EURO 2012!
- Currently Unavailable
COVER: Machine-stitched TPU. BLADDER: Butyl for air retention.
Note: All of our balls are shipped deflated. This helps in keeping our shipping costs low, savings that we can pass on to you.
CUBIERTA: TPU cosido a máquina. VEJIGA: Butilo para retener el aire.


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Hey guys... I've played plenty of rounds w/ the putter @ various courses.
Based on playing @ the Glow w/ Mikal "putter" Williams, and having seen others come out w/ a Challenger & do pretty well, I'm wanting to throw together a mini. Let's open up discussion, and see about the terms:
DATE: maybe a Sunday afternoon in September
TIME: Morning
FORMAT: Putters ONLY - 18 holes plus 6 safari holes
Would there be any interest?


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How do I run a script after modifying it?
Should I restart qcad or is there some reload option from the command line?
I am a beginner and I need to modify the code if does not give the right result.
Restarting qcad each time seems heavy.
Moderator: andrew
-always-load-scripts Forces reloading of scripts when they are used.
This is mainly useful during script development,
to apply changes without restarting QCAD.
-enable-script-debugger Enables the script debugger.
-rescan Rescan scripts folder for new plugins
Return to QCAD 3 Developers and Contributors
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Solutions for the globally mobile:
A crucial step in the diagnostic process is determining how serious
your case of
mitral valve regurgitation (MR) is. Treatment can depend on how severe regurgitation is.
You will likely get an echocardiogram to check your mitral valve and to find out how well your heart is pumping blood. And depending on your situation, your doctor may need
more information and extra diagnostic tests.
To find out the severity of your MR, your doctor will check many things. These include:
Other Works Consulted
Nishimura RA, et al. (2014). 2014 AHA/ACC guideline for the management of patients with valvular heart disease: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation, published online March 3, 2014. DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000031. Accessed May 1, 2014.
ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer
Rakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology
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John A. McPherson, MD, FACC, FSCAI - Cardiology
Current as ofFebruary 20, 2015
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Mindy McCready's father was the one who had the country star committed this week, as the singer was allegedly abusing alcohol and not taking adequate care of her kids since her boyfriend David Wilson died of an apparent suicide last month.
E! News obtained the petition filed Thursday by Tim McCready that resulted in the singer being placed in a treatment center for up to three weeks of mental health and substance abuse evaluations.
"Since boyfriend (David Wilson) shot himself she has been in bed for 3 wks," wrote the elder McCready. "Sleeps all day. Drinks all night and is taking Rx drugs. Not bathing or even helping take care of her 2 children."
The Department of Human Services removed McCready's sons, 6-year-old Zander and 9-month-old Zayne, from her Arkansas home on Thursday.
"Screams about everything," Tim McCready also wrote. "Trying to hit father. Is not making any sense of an conversations with anyone. Very verbally abusive to Zander (6) son."
The judge wrote "there is ... clear and convincing evidence that Respondent is in imminent danger of harm to herself or others, suicidal or gravely disabled."
According to E! News, the filing notes McCready previously received treatment at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute in Nashville.
The commitment comes a week after McCready's ex-husband Billy McKnight filed several motions in family court expressing concern over McCready's parental fitness and requesting full custody of their son Zander.
Contact Tony Hicks at email@example.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks, or on Twitter at twitter.com/insertfoot.


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The Case for Corporate Sustainability Gets Stronger
By Evelyn Neumayr-Oracle on Feb 21, 2013
By Jon Chorley, Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President SCM Product Strategy, Oracle
Much has changed in the world of corporate sustainability over the past year. Organizations have started to take action when it comes to implementing processes around sustainability, and as a result we are beginning to see profit from these efforts.
According to the latest edition of an annual survey of global executives by the MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group corporate sustainability has become more embedded in business decisions and now defines company culture and corporate reputation. Significantly, the findings from the survey show:
Nearly 50% of companies have changed their business models as a result of sustainability opportunities - a 20% jump from last year
The portion of respondents reporting profit from sustainability went up 23%, to 37% in total
Two-thirds of respondents said that innovation advantage – identifying better solutions early – is the way to profit from sustainability
61% of companies that have changed their business model and have sustainability as a permanent fixture on their management agenda say they have added profit for sustainability
Improved brand reputation was the number one benefit to organizations in addressing sustainability (40%)
52% of organizations named customer preference for sustainable products as the number one reason that led to changes in their business model
62% of the respondents report that their company's CEO has a strong commitment to sustainability
While all of these findings are extremely important and telling on the state of corporate sustainability, there are a few points to highlight.
Organizations noted that the number one challenge in the next two years is innovating to achieve competitive differentiation. Identifying sustainability-driven innovation early will be critical to success. An innovation advantage was the most common response (67%) among organizations when asked where they see profit from sustainability.
Additionally, we expect the percentage of companies that have changed their business models as a result of sustainability to keep climbing. At Oracle, we understand the importance of ensuring there is an integrated approach to sustainability at the core of all business activities. Put simply, it is ineffective to treat sustainability as a separate functional area.
We are focused on delivering solutions that allow our customers to embed sustainability throughout their organizations and to achieve their sustainability initiatives so they too can be part of this exciting strategic opportunity.


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I just moved out into the sticks and lost my digital signal for the news and I would like to add it to stream via PMS I have added the line to the conf file as follows:
audiostrean.Web,Radio=ABC 774,http://www.abc.net.au/res/streaming/audio/windows/local_melbourne.asx,http://www.abc.net.au/local/global_img/site_footer/worm_small_footer.png
This does not even show up in the menus after I have restarted the PMS. Is there anything I am missing? or can it not handle .asx files?
Any information would be helpful.


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Estimated shipping is based on standard shipping rate inside contiguous United States. Your order total including shipping & taxes (NC) will be displayed later in checkout before submitting your order.
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|3 AAA batteries (sold separately)
Power Source
|Uses Batteries


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Woman Injured When Bullet Strikes Her Hospital Room Window
A 30-year-old woman suffered two cuts to the face when a bullet struck the window of her Manhattan hospital room on Friday morning, police said.
The incident occurred about 5:45 a.m., police said. Officers responded a call of a bullet lodged between two window panes of an eighth-floor room at the Hospital for Special Surgery on East 70th Street on the Upper East Side.
A woman, whose name had not been released, was struck by glass fragments that caused two lacerations to her cheek and ear, police said. She was listed in stable condition.
Authorities were investigating who fired the bullet and what direction is came from, police said.
"The utmost concern is for patient safety and for the safety of HSS employees," spokeswoman Elyse Bernstein said. "The Hospital is fully operational and scheduled patient care is proceeding as planned."


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Fantom is the perfect translation of tangible nostalgia into the digital realm. The Irish startup, founded by Paul Healey and Aine Maria Mizzoni, is a digital platform for collectibles, from stickers to trading cards.
Since launching in January 2012, Fantom has partnered with sports teams and sponsorship brands to help increase fan engagement and outreach, and to bolster their social media presence. Fans gather stickers and cards in online albums, connecting with each other and with their teams, and earning prizes and perks.
As head of business development Oran Bambrick, who recently established Fantom's US presence at the Enterprise Ireland tech incubation hub in New York, explained, the Fantom team "looked at the options and decided that this was sort of the last paper component that hadn't gone digital. We wanted to do something disruptive, and that was one of the only things still waiting to be taken there."
Fantom is the trading name of Lightkeepers Media, which was formed in 2009. It went through the Dublin City University Ryan Academy Propeller Venture Accelerator program and received investment and support from Enterprise Ireland, the AIB Seed Capital Fund, and Bloom Equity, GameStop founder Kevin Neary's investment firm. Like many startups, Fantom went through a number of iterations, including a politics-focused social media tool and a business-to-consumer version of their current set-up, before zeroing in on the b-to-b model that would work best. "We knew we had something that was really engaging, that brought people back again and again," Bambrick said, "and as we were figuring it out, we realized that with this 'stickiness,' we probably had even more to offer to brands and sports teams."
After first partnering with the US-based program Impact Wrestling, Fantom took off in Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe. In October 2012 they landed their first English soccer team, Derby County FC. From there, deals with the Queens Park Rangers, Wolves, Benfica, the English Football Association and the Heineken Cup (rugby) followed. Opportunities outside the world of sports also emerged, as Fantom discovered the appeal of their platform to RTÉ (Ireland's national broadcaster), and toy-maker Mattel for its Monster High dolls. They've also partnered with trading card company Topps, one of the two main international companies in the (physical) trading card field.
Topps' biggest age demographic is the 8 – 12 set, so the Fantom team was surprised to find that their strongest demographic is 18 – 24-year-olds. "Obviously there's a difference from brand to brand," Bambrick said, "but we thought that was such an interesting thing. Take Topps, hopefully we can help them to monetize a new audience – kind of how Farmville, their main demographic is 36-year-old women even though it looks like a kids game.
"For the Queens Park Rangers, in a contest they did with us last year, one of the winners was a 62-year-old doctor from Egypt. It was so surprising. But we kind of see ourselves as big kids too, so it makes sense."
Bambrick arrived in New York in mid-October 2013, with the aim of expanding Fantom's presence into the U.S. market, which presents a vast array of opportunities – from publishing and music to the major professional sports leagues and beyond. In addition to the New York office, Enterprise Ireland also has incubation spaces in Silicon Valley and Boston, but Bambrick said that from a sales perspective New York presented the perfect home base.
The target was to land a deal with one major sports team by January, so when he stopped by IrishCentral's offices Bambrick was proud to report that two teams – one from the NHL and one from MLS – will soon be announcing partnerships with Fantom. His approach has been inventive: rather than making cold calls (which, let's be honest, very few people enjoy), he's been utilizing LinkedIn as a way of getting the attention of prospective clients, so that the calls he makes will be met with a warmer reception.
"Because we want to work with top tier sports brands our lead list is big, but it's also finite," he explained. "So every time we reach out to someone, they're researched. We know what they've done in the past with social media, and what they want to do going forward. With our East Coast leads list, I'd say we've got to talk with all but about three or four of them, and mostly because of LinkedIn. When they're expecting your call, it's that much easier to connect."
Though the European and American sports worlds are very different, Bambrick said the prestige of the teams Fantom has worked with at home has translated well thus far. "The analogy I was using at first was that it would be a bit like the film "Coming to America," where Prince Akeem is very well respected in his homeland, and then he arrives and things are totally different here. But having worked with the English Football Association and with Topps, that helps us get a foot in the door. The correlations don't always come across, but now that we've secured partnerships with teams here we can leverage that. We're hoping that the first couple of deals will have been the toughest, but we've also been finding that the door is surprisingly open to us." He also credits Enterprise Ireland and Fantom's investors with making valuable introductions.


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ITOCHU Australia Ltd is a foreign, unlisted public company which exports and imports general commodities. The company is headquartered in Sydney. ITOCHU Australia Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japan based ITOCHU Corporation.
ITOCHU Australia is involved in the trading of primary and natural commodities. It divides its operations into the following divisions: