Balladeer Jose Luis Rodriguez, "El Puma," and classical pianist Raul Di Blasio will heat up the night.
By LISSETTE CORSA
Published September 4, 2003
If romance were sold in a bottle, Jose Luis Rodriguez, "El Puma," would be CEO of the company. For more than two decades, Rodriguez, the renowned Latin American balladeer, has conjured the essence of romantic love through his music. Seductive in a voice that at times is a sensual sotto, then a crisp baritone, he tempts love and then bemoans its loss.
"I'm partly to blame for Latin America's demographic explosion," he joked during an interview at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Carol Morsani Hall. Accompanied by Argentinean pianist Raul Di Blasio, the two are kicking off a world tour in support of their new album Clave de Amor. It's Rodriguez's first recording with Di Blasio, a classically trained pianist known for making instrumental music that pleases the masses.
Di Blasio's quick wit, paired with Rodriguez's sophisticated cool, makes an intriguing blend. Though Rodriguez stuck to his trademark sentimental tunes on Clave de Amor, with Di Blasio by his side, he also re-created old love songs penned by Spanish composer Manuel Alejandro into new, more spontaneous music. As Di Blasio noted, "the habits of love have not changed."
Rodriguez, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, who lives in Miami, got the nickname "El Puma" from his role in a Spanish-language soap opera and, he said, because he likes cats.
He began his solo career in 1978 when, under the production of composer Alejandro, he recorded Voy a Perder la Cabeza por Tu Amor (I'm going to lose my head over your love). The song became a hit and a classic of contemporary Latin repertoire.
Di Blasio, a 2003 Latin Grammy nominee, was born into a rural family in Zapala, a small town in Central Argentina. He began piano lessons at the age of 6 and deepened his musical pursuits by studying South American folkloric music as well as classics such as Beethoven, Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Debussy.
As a teenager, inspired by the Beatles, Di Blasio started a rock 'n' roll band called Los Diabolicos (The Diabolical Ones). The band toured and gained local, if short-lived, fame. Di Blasio then traveled throughout South America playing solo dates sparingly. In 1978 he landed a cozy job as a hotel pianist in the picturesque Chilean resort town of Vina del Mar.
He recorded his first album in 1983. Two albums later he was selling out concert halls across Latin America. He relocated to Miami in 1987 and was signed by BMG Records. In 1990 he released El Piano de America and during the next several years toured incessantly. In 1994, Di Blasio enjoyed his first million-seller, El Piano de America 2, which featured guest vocals by Julio Iglesias and Mexican crooner Juan Gabriel.
Despite his success, Di Blasio joked that he knows well which of the duo has the more fervent fan base, saying: "Now I can tell my son I shared the stage with "El Puma.' "
PREVIEW: Jose Luis Rodriguez "El Puma" and Raul Di Blasio, 8 p.m. Saturday, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N MacInnes Place, Tampa. $29-$59. (813) 229-7827 or (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.
