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For all those who might have been wondering, after standout turns as Danny Zuko in “Grease,” Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” and the Emcee in “Cabaret,” Cuban-American singer/performer Jon Secada is once again hearing the call of the Great White Way.
“If the right Broadway show opportunity would be offered to me, I would love to go back to New York,” Mr. Secada wrote in an e-mail responding to questions sent to him on the road last weekend.
For now, Mr. Secada’s fans will have to “settle” for catching him live on stage in concert here and there, including his upcoming show on August 21 at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. “At this point, I’m busy enough just doing selected dates; that works out with the other projects I have going,” Mr. Secada wrote.
It’s a pretty impressive roster of projects. In addition to his work writing songs and singing harmonies for everyone from fellow Cuban performer Gloria Estefan (who gave him his first big break by inviting him on stage to sing solo during one of her own shows) to Ricky Martin, Mr. Secada has just released a brand new album, simply titled “Classics,” that showcases his ability to translate classic songs. A Spanish version of the set, “Clasicos,” was also released in conjunction with the English language version.
“The inspiration for the ‘Classics/Clasicos’ project is based on songs that I grew up listening to that have had an impact in both English and Spanish,” Mr. Secada wrote, “or songs that I felt have set a mark in the history of pop Latin music in the U.S. That’s the reason I recorded the CD in both languages.”
Mr. Secada’s own history starts in Cuba, where he was born. He emigrated to America with his parents when he was 9, and was raised in Hialeah, Florida. He became interested in pop and R&B music through the recordings of Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Billy Joel, among others. After he was exposed early on to the musical culture of nearby Miami, which introduced him to merengue and salsa, it was only a matter of time before he created his own fusion of Latin and pop sounds.
Since then, he’s won two Grammy Awards and has sold 20 million albums, and has seen songs that he’s written appear on albums by Ms. Estefan and Mr. Martin, as well as Jennifer Lopez (“Baila”) and Mandy Moore. And he also had a chance to work with Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti, singing duets with each.
For “Classics/Clasicos,” Mr. Secada kept to his Latin roots to translate the timeless track listing of songs, which includes “Spanish Harlem,” “Besame Mucho,” “Vaya Con Dios,” “My Way,” and “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (“Each song that I chose means something to me for different reasons,” Mr. Secada explained in his e-mail), all recorded in Nashville with a live orchestra. Chart-topping producer James Stroud was behind the boards for the set.
“Working with James was tremendous,” Mr. Secada says, “as laid-back as the environment he created was, it was equally as efficient and productive.”
Another bonus of recording the album, for Mr. Secada, was the chance it afforded to add the new/old material to his live performances. “I love having the opportunity to add some of the songs of ‘Classics’ to my show,” he says, “it’s a blast being able to sing them every night.”
For Mr. Secada’s performance at the PAC, he’ll be bringing along his full band for a show that will take the listener on a musical tour through the many varied experiences of his career to date.
“The show that I’m bringing has a bit of everything that has been a part of my career up to now,” Mr. Secada wrote, “my pop hits, Broadway, my songwriting career, my jazz influence—I’m looking forward to a really fun evening in Westhampton full of music!”
Jon Secada will perform at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on August 21 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $70, $85, or $100, available online at whbpac.org, in person at the Arts Center at 76 Main Street in Westhampton Beach, or by calling the box office at 631-288-1500.
on Aug 10, 2010