Artist description No recording artist has more impeccable street credentials than Joe Bataan, the originator of the New York Latin Soul style that paralleled Latin bugalu and anticipated disco. His musical experience began with street corner doo-wop in the 1950s, and came to include one of the first rap records to hit the charts, 1979's "Rap-O, Clap-O". In between these milestones, he recorded classic albums like St. Latin's Day Massacre, a perennial favorite in the salsa market, Salsoul, which gave the record label its name and helped spark the national explosion of urban dance music, and Afrofilipino, which included one of the very earliest New York disco hits, an instrumental version of Gil Scott Heron's "The Bottle".

Music Style Latin Soul Rap, Urban, Latin Jazz, Moods,

Musical Influences Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barreto, Mongo Santamaria, Gill Scott Heron

Similar Artists Hector lavoe, Willie colón, la Lupe, Lerry Levan, Nestor Torres, Cheo feliciano, Poncho sanches.... by Gallobrero

Artist History Born Peter Nitollano, of African-American/Filipino parents, Joe Bataan grew up in Spanish Harlem, where he ran with Puerto Rican gangs and absorbed R&B, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Rican musical influences. His music career followed a pair of stints in Coxsackie State Prison. Self taught on the piano, he organized his first band in 1965 and scored his first recording success in 1967 with "Gypsy Woman" on Fania Records, . The tune was a hit with the New York Latin market despite the English lyrics sung by Joe, and exemplified the nascent Latin Soul sound. In early anticipation of the disco formula, "Gypsy Woman" created dance energy by alternating what was fundamentally a pop-soul tune with a break featuring double timed hand claps, . Joe would take this tendency even further on his influential Salsoul, which fused funk and latin influences in slick yet soulful orchestrations. Salsoul remains influential as a rare groove cult item, but pointed to the future at the time of its release. The LP embodied the artist's highly deliberate and culturally aware musical concept. Bataan theorized the '70s next big thing as a hybrid: an Afro Cuban rhythm section playing Brazilian influenced patterns over orchestral funk. In many ways, his vision was on the money, though most of the money would go to others, and mainstream stardom would elude him. He did, however, get in on the ground floor of the new trend as an early hit maker. His biggest commercial move was a Salsoul production released under the Epic umbrella, and promoted to the new disco market as Afrofilipino, which included 1975's "The Bottle", a much anthologized classic that drives an R&B horn arrangment with a relentless piano montuno.

Instruments PIANO, VOCAL

Albums 13* ALBUMS

Press Reviews DISCOGRAPHY 1968 Gypsy Woman (Fania) 1969 Subway Joe (Fania) 196 Sweet Soul (Fania) 1970 Riot! (Musicrama) 1971 Poor Boy (Musicrama) 1972 Saint Latin's Day Massacre (Fania) 1972 Singin' Some Soul (Musicrama) 1973 Salsoul (Salsoul) 1975 Afro-Filipino (Charly) 1981 II Salsoul 1999 Mr. New York & the East Side Kids [Bonus... (Fania) 2000 Mestizo Sony 2002 Bataaan!!! Soulman del Barrio Japanese

Additional Info by GallObrero www.gallobrero.com

Location NY, Spanish Harlem - USA

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