Issac Delgado

Issac Delgado (born Isaac Felipe Delgado-Ramirez on April 11, 1962 in Marianao, Habana, Cuba) is one of the founders of the band NG La Banda and is a popular salsa and timba performer.

[citation needed] His father, Luis Delgado, was a tailor and his mother, Lina Ramirez, was an actress, dancer and singer in the Teatro Musical de La Habana.

In 1991 Delgado put together his own band and recorded the CD, Dando La Hora under the artistic direction of Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

Perhaps inspired by his work with Rubalcaba and the virtuosos of NG La Banda, Delgado has tended to stock his band with the most sophisticated jazz musicians available and to give them an exceptional amount of creative freedom.

It's almost easier to list the great Cuban pianists who haven't played in Delgado's band, but here's a partial list of those who have: Tony Pérez, Javier "Caramelo" Massó, Iván "Melón" Lewis, Pepe Rivero, Yaniel "El Majá" Matos, Roberto Carlos "Cucurucho" Valdés, Rolando Luna, Tony Rodríguez and Issacito DelgadoIn 1994 he received another EGREM award for his CD El chevere de la salsa y el caballero del son.

He later travelled to the United States to perform in the Festival of Salsa in New York's Madison Square Garden with Celia Cruz, José Alberto "El Canario", and Grupo Niche.

Delgado's 1994 hit "La Sandunguita" (composed by his bassist Alain Pérez) took unprecedented liberties with clave, that are considered "sacrilegious" to old school musicians (Peñalosa 2012: 246).

They were able to produce changes spontaneously by using flexible rhythm section schemes allowing them to alter the form of an arrangement to fit the flow of each performance (Moore 2012: 91).

When the entire rhythm section of this band moved to Spain, Delgado added Antonio "Pachá" Portuondo on timbales and Denis "Papacho" Savón on congas.

He then convinced drummer Yoel Páez, bassist Joel Domínguez, and pianist Yaniel "El Majá" Matos to leave Paulito FG's band to join him.

Issac latest recording is "Lluvia y Fuego" (2019/Egrem) and features new original classics as well as tributes to Benny Moré and Cheo Feliciano.