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The film El Cantante presents the life of Hector Lavoe. Considered the most talented Salsa singer of all time, Hector Lavoe was born Hector Perez in Puerto Rico in 1946. His father was a musician and thus Hector received formal musical training as a child. Encouraged to explore the saxophone, young Hector instead turned his passion to singing, performing with bands, and receiving compensation, as a teenager. The next venue for Hector Perez was New York. There he met Willie Colon, with whom the Salsa style would emerge, and Nilda Rosado, the woman who would be with Hector until the end in 1993.

Based on interviews held with Nilda Rosado back in 2002 just before she was killed, El Cantante stars the underrated Jennifer Lopez as Rosado and the talented Marc Antony as Lavoe. The film covers mainly the period that Lavoe was partnered with Willie Colon. The performances were brilliant. There was a risqu√© tension provided by Jennifer Lopez. She played Nilda Rosado as passionate and provocative, inspiring the gifted Lavoe to greater artistic achievements. There were times, though, when Mrs. Lavoe had to bring Hector?Äôs focus back to Salsa. His life seemed as tragic as he was talented. Binges of drug abuse disrupted Lavoe?Äôs life, along with those associated with him. Before he died in 1993, his brother and one of his sons passed away. As mentioned above, Lavoe?Äôs wife did not live to see the movie.

The concert scenes were well rendered by Antony. He has a very clear singing voice, just like Lavoe?Äôs. That?Äôs right?ÄîI had a friend in college who played us some Hector Lavoe material. One interesting scene was where Jennifer Lopez emulates Iris Chacon, who is performing on a TV screen.

For a gateway to Fania, Willie Colon and all things Hector Lavoe, please visit these sites:

http://www.elcantantemovie.com/
http://www.hectorlavoe.com/
http://www.williecolon.com/

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