Cesar Concepcion
Césario Concepción Martínez, (28 July 1909 – 11 March 1974), was a Puerto Rican musician, big band leader and composer, who brought the music of his native land to the United States, mainly New York City, and Latin American ballroom dancing between the 1940s and early 1970s and to ballrooms all over the world. He popularized the modern plena as a Latin song style.
Concepción was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico, and was a prolific composer, writing music based on contemporary Puerto Rican scenes and vistas. He wrote over 100 mambos, calypsos, boleros and plenas songs to honor cities such as San Juan, Mayagüez, Ponce, Yauco, Plena Criolla (for Caguas), San German, Pa Mi Pueblo, Cayey his town and Santurce among many others. In addition, he directed his own orchestra non stop for 27 years.
In 1933 together with his family boarded a ship, SS San Juan and migrated to New York City. Here he...