Larry Harlow (musician)

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Larry Harlow (c.1970)

Larry Harlow (b. March 20, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York, as Ira Kahn) is an American salsa music performer, composer and producer. He produced over 260 albums for Fania Records. He is the director of the Latin Legends of Fania, among other groups, and is affectionately nicknamed el Judio Maravilloso (The Marvelous Jew).

Harlow, who is known for his innovative blend of Afro-Cuban and Jazz styles of piano playing, studied music in the 1950s in Cuba but was unable to complete his degree before the Cuban Revolution forced him to leave the island. Larry and his orchestra, Orquesta Harlow, was the second orchestra signed to the Fania Label. Larry's opera "Hommy," which is credited for getting Celia Cruz out of retirement, was the first Latin musical performance in Carnegie Hall. In other firsts, Larry was the first ever piano player for legendary salsa group "The Fania All-stars," generally regarded as the single most important Salsa group of all time.

Larry's further contributions to music was to insist on the creation of the Latin Grammy Award.

Harlow currently resides with his wife in New York, and still regularly performs.

Harlow's partial CD collection at Radio Voz WVOZ Puerto Rico (2006)

External links

• Larry Harlow
• Descarga.com interview
• Larry Harlow's interview
• Salsa Central interview