A who’s who of tropical music royalty, including Ivy Queen, Tito Nieves, Aymee Nuviola, Albita and Gente de Zona performed for nearly three hours as part of the Latin Grammy Foundation’s fundraiser honoring the legacy of Celia Cruz.
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The private event, which took place Saturday (Dec. 14) at the Miami-area home of Loud and Live founder/CEO Nelson Albareda and his wife, Elena Albareda, not only played tribute to the late “Queen” of salsa and tropical music, but raised money for the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, with all proceeds going to the foundation’s scholarship, grant and educational programs for young musicians.
Backed by the Celia Cruz All-Stars as house band, one star after another got on the outdoor stage to perform songs popularized by Cruz during her prolific career. Albita opened the evening with a rendition of “Que le den candela,” where she improvised at length about Cruz; Gente De Zona stepped into the audience to sing “La Negra Tiene Tumbao;” Aymee Nuviola jammed to “Bemba Colorá;” young guns Christian Alicea and Peter Nieto performed a dazzling duet version of “Toro Mata;” and reggaetón queen Ivy Queen and pianist Arthur Hanlon turned Cruz’s farewell anthem “Yo Viviré” into a funk/Latin improvisational party.
Other performers included Spanish singer Beatriz Luengo, Nicaraguan singer Luis Enrique, Jorge Alberto El Canario, Tito Nieves, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Lenier, Lena Bruke, Brenda Navarrete, Carmen de León and dancer Siury. Many punctuated their performances with personal recollections of Cruz and the big and small ways she touched so many people’s lives.
“Celia Cruz was a cornerstone of the soundtrack of my life,” said Albareda, who as a teen worked at the offices of RMM, where Cruz was signed. It was there that he met a young Omer Pardillo, who worked in marketing, and who would become Cruz’s manager. Cruz would leave him in charge of her estate after her death in 2003 at 77 years old.
As the steward of Cruz’s legacy, Pardillo is steering the many events and celebrations that surrounding the centennial of Cruz’s birth in 2025. This year’s preludes included the launch of an official Celia Cruz quarter and Saturday’s concert, which also celebrated the creation of the Celia Cruz Legacy Scholarship, benefitting the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation.
To date, the foundation has given out more than $10 million to different programs and provided 427 students with scholarships. Some of those students performed on Saturday night as part of an impressive all-student group.
Beyond the performances, the evening was full of poignant moments, including a recollection by host Enrique Santos, who serves as president/CCO of iHeart Latino, that illustrated both Cruz’s spirit and joie de vivre. A Miami downpour, Santos said, shut down an outdoor music festival where Cruz was slated to perform. When organizers came backstage to tell her it was ok to cancel because the stage was wet and muddy, Cruz was unfazed. “Are there still people out there in the audience?” she asked. “In that case, I’m performing,” she said firmly, and went onstage.
