Llorarás
Oscar D'León & Dimensión Latina · 1974 · from the album Dimensión Latina '75 · written by Oscar D'León
A Caracas band with trombones up front broke into a scene that belonged to New York, and put Venezuelan salsa on the map.
- bass
- coro and soneo
- trombone
Why it matters
Dimensión Latina was formed in Caracas in 1972. When Dimensión Latina '75 came out, salsa was still mostly a New York business, and a Venezuelan band had little room in it. Llorarás was the band's best-selling single, and the album was its breakthrough.
It shows what Venezuelan salsa brought: a Caracas band with a trombone section, a singer who also played bass, and a hard, bright sound of its own. The song later made D'León one of the best-known names in Latin music.
What to listen for
- The trombones out front. Dimensión Latina used trombones where many bands had trumpets, and it gives the horns a dark, punchy edge.
- The bass and the voice are the same man: Oscar D'León played the bass and sang lead. Listen to how the bass lines drive the song while he sings over them.
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