NG² is a Puerto Rican

Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

duo formed by Norberto Vélez and Gerardo Rivas. Rivas is the son of

Jerry Rivas Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (play), a 1914 American play ...

, one of the singers of El Gran Combo. Rivas also enjoyed early fame during his childhood as the lead singer of "Gerardito y los Rockolos". Both of the members were a part of fellow Puerto Rican Salsa singer Víctor Manuelle orchestra before deciding to go out solo. Víctor Manuelle has supported them all throughout. The duo has enjoyed much success during their short career, even winning a Latin ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' in 2005 for ''Best Tropical Song''. Norberto Vélez and Gerardo Rivas, the groups' vocalists performed the single "Mi salsa se respeta" as a message to the other groups in the industry. With it they wanted to express that "while young in this, [industry] we know how to do our work very well". When the group debuted, their success was underestimated by the public and fellow musicians. Both performed also noted that they want the tropical genre to unify their efforts, to gather interest from the public.

Discography

* ''Comienzos'' (2004) * ''Al Fin'' (2006) * ''Con Todas Las De Ganar'' (2008) * '' Exitos Y Mas'' (2010) * ''Al Borde De La Locura'' (2012) * ''Elementos'' (2014) * ''Homenaje A Mexico Vol. 1'' (2018) * ''Homenaje A Mexico Vol. 2'' (2018) * ''Conceptos'' (2019) * ''Mi Primera Navidad (With Edwin Colon Zayas)'' (2019)

After NG2

Sesiones Desde La Loma (Session from the Hill) was first featured in October 2019 on the YouTube channel and is filmed in Hatillo, Puerto Rico from the La Loma del Temeguindo. Each month, unannounced featured guest or groups join Norberto Vélez Curbelo to bring the music of Puerto Rico to YouTube audiences from around the world played on instrument typical to the Island of Puerto Rico and Latin America. These musical events, mostly salsa music, appear on the YouTube channel unannounced monthly on a weekday or weekend. Sesiones Desde La Loma on the YouTube channel is monitor in anticipation when the next session from the hill is uploaded. Norberto Velez has amassed over 218.8 million views on his YouTube channel. Below are links to other Wikipedia pages of past and present performers at Sesiones Desde La Loma, Puerto Rico music and genres, Puerto Rican History and culture and instruments used in the Latin culture. Picture galleries of the invited guests featured at the hill and several of the instruments played at the hill. In December 2024 Norberto featured Session number 42 from the hill. On October 22, 2022 Fans from the four corners of Puerto Rico and different parts of the world participated in a sold-out live event, called "El Evento" near the little house on the hill featuring some of the past guest, including Maelo Ruiz and Tito Nieves at The Hill of Temeguindo. On October 1, 2023 Fans From around the world joined Norberto for sold-out Sesiones Desde La Loma El Evento 2 at El Gran Parque Agroturístico Ecológico y Recreativo El Dorado in Dorado, Puerto Rico. The video release of this event was feature on YouTube on New Year's Eve 2023 In July 2024, nearly five years, Sesiones Desde La Loma, has over 570 thousand subscribers and over 30 million views with 47 sessions and two live events, far surpassing the initial projected goals of 25 videos. YouTube Sesiones Desde La Loma has had over three millions, not including singles performed by Norberto Velez on the same channel. The second live event occurred on October 1, 2023 in the Gran Parque Agroturistico, Ecológico y Recreativo El Dorado in Dorado, Puerto Rico. On October 5, 2024 Fans From Puerto Rico were along with fans from Austria, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain, United States, Venezuela and other locations joined Norberto for sold-out Sesiones Desde La Loma El Evento 3 at El Gran Parque Agroturístico Ecológico y Recreativo El Dorado in Dorado, Puerto Rico. The video of El Evento 3 was feature on YouTube on New Years Eve 2024

History

Founder of Sesiones Desde La Loma

Clock Tower University of Puerto Rico-San Marcos-Harvard

Norberto Vélez Curbelo (born August 20, 1979, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico) is founder of Sesiones Desde La Loma on YouTube. Norberto's family was made up of his father Heriberto Vélez, who passed a short while ago, his mother Norma Curbelo and his younger sister Normarí Vélez. Before taking his first steps in his residence in the town of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, showed signs of his artistic streak. His first music teacher, his father, offered classes at the Escuela Especializada Libre Música Arecibo and at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico in the town of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Arecibo. In his childhood, Norberto showed interest in learning to play various instruments, of which he made the guitar his favorite. At the age of seven, Norberto, always led by his parents, began to offer his first musical performances interpreting the typical music of Puerto Rico. He remained in this environment for approximately ten years between the Musical ensemble, ensembles Conjunto Tipico Clasico and Conjunto 4x4. When Norberto was 17 years old, he joined the Trompeta Con Trovadores – Trumpet with Trovadores, directed by maestro Elías López Sobá, where he began to feel a great passion for the Salsa music, salsa genre. During this time, he participated as a Backing vocalist, backup singer with various artists such as: Kedwin Ceballo, Frankie Negrón, Carolina la O, Pedro Brull, among others. After approximately three years, Norberto joined as a backup singer with the Victor Manuelle known as ''El Sonero de la Juventud''. In 2003, Victor presented the concert where Norberto sang the duet with the sonero of youth the song of ''"Sin Bandera Si te vas"''/"Without the Flag, it leaves you". Norbeto Vélez and his childhood friend Gerardo Rivas, formed a Puerto Rican Salsa group name NG2 which lasted for sixteen years until they decided to concentrate on projects that they want to achieve individually. Gerardo Rivas father Jerry Rivas, lead singer for El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico for 45 years, was featured with the group at the hill in episode number 32.

La Loma del Temeguindo

Afterwards, Norberto, singer, composer, producer, arranger and Musician, entertainer built a small house, known as the "Casa de los/House of the salseros" with a porch at ''"La Loma del Temeguindo"-"The Hill of Temeguindo"'' in the Barrios of Puerto Rico, Barrio (District) of Naranjito, Hatillo, Puerto Rico, Naranjito located in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. In 2019, Norberto starting producing YouTube videos episodes titled "Sesiones Desde La Loma"/"Sessions from the Hill" approximately every month. The project is currently continuing and YouTube subscribers have grown to over 300 thousand from an initial start of 200. Norberto produces his own music videos as well and uploaded his live concert which premiered on April 9, 2021, from ''"LA Loma"'' Titled ''"A Mi Modo"'' which has been viewed over 100K times. On October 22nd, Norberto's sold-out live concert titled "The Event" was attended by thousand of people near the little house on the hill.

Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos

In Puerto Rico, Epiphany (holiday)#Puerto Rico, Epiphany ( ), is an important festive holiday, and is commonly referred as ''Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos'', or ''Three Kings' Day''. It is traditional for children to fill a box with fresh grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the Wise Men's horses. In Puerto Rico many artisans make commemorative historical figures of the Magi on horseback. The Three Wise Men of Puerto Rico, according to local tradition, arrive on horseback instead of camels as in other countries where the custom is also ingrained. The three kings will then take the grass to feed the horses and will leave gifts under the bed as a reward. These traditions are analogous to the customs of children leaving mince pies and sherry out for Father Christmas in Western Europe or leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus in the United States. On the day before the feast (January 5), the "Rosario de Reyes" or "Promesa de Reyes" is celebrated with songs (aguinaldos) promised to be sung to the Kings, usually before a little table with figures of the Nativity and the Kings or with the Kings alone and their camels. This celebration is accompanied with a chicken soup, snacks, and drinks.

Aguinaldo

On January 06, 2023, El Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos, Sesiones Desde La Loma Ep. 33 featured Grupo Mapeyé: Orquesta Criolla Nacional de Puerto Rico playing typical Aguinaldo (music)#Puerto Rican aguinaldo, aguinaldo. In Puerto Rico, the ''aguinaldo'' is a musical gift offered during the Christmas season and is a tradition inherited from the island's Spanish colonizers. As a musical gift, aguinaldos are mostly played by "parranderos" or "trullas" during the Christmas holidays. While , showing up at a residence late at night, with a group of Christmas carolers, is a practice that is slowly being lost in Puerto Rico, a Puerto Rican album debuted in the top 10 Billboard Tropical Albums in December 2019. In 2016, Grupo Mapeyé, was nominated in Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2016 with "En Las Islas Canarias" in the 17th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Originally, ''aguinaldos'' were "villancicos" with strong religious connotations but soon evolved to "Copla (music), coplas" (quartets) and "decimas" (ten-verses compositions) about all kinds of everyday topics. Aguinaldos were played with typical instruments such as the bordonúa, a tiple, a Cuatro (instrument), cuatro, a carracho or güiro, a cowbell, barriles de bomba, an accordion, and maracas. With bordonua players becoming more difficult to find, the guitar became a staple accompanying the cuatro. Today, panderos (also known as "pandereta plenera, pleneras"), brass instruments and whatever makes noise, are used. As a genre, the ''aguinaldo'' is played mostly on the radio on key Christmas holidays in Puerto Rico; the day before Christmas and in Christmas, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and the day before Three Kings Day and on Three King's Day (January 6). Aguinaldos are also played at Christmas church celebrations.

Singers/Groups Outside of Puerto Rico

Episode 9 featured Johnny Rivera, an Americans, American salsa singer of Puerto Rican descent. Rivera was born in the Bronx, New York, and attended high school at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, Benjamin Franklin High School. He moved briefly to Puerto Rico before returning to New York City to begin a career in music. Episode 31 feature José Alberto Justiniano (born December 22, 1959, in Villa Consuelo, Villa Consuelo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), better known by his stage name José Alberto "El Canario", a salsa singer from the Dominican Republic. Episode 34 feature Daniela Alejandra Darcourt Escurra, born on April 20, 1996 and spent her entire childhood with her five sisters in the El Porvenir, Peru, El Porvenir neighborhood, in the La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria district, in Lima, Peru. Daniela is a Peruvian singer, songwriter and dancer. She is cataloged by experts as one of the best salsa singers in the country. She has also been a Judge for Yo Soy Kids, and a trainer at La Voz Peru, La Voz Senior (Peruvian season 1), La voz Senior and La voz Kids. Episodes 36 and 37 feature from Venezuela, Ronald Borgas from Guaco (band) and Servando & Florentino respectively. Episode 38 featured Gaby Zambrano who is a member of Agua Bella is a female technocumbia music group from Peru. Episode 49 featured Jossie Esteban y la Patrulla 15, Jossie Esteban (born Esteban Grullón) from the Dominican Republic

Other guest

In episode 38, beside Gaby Zambrano from Peru also included Puerto Ricans Pete Perignon and Jeremry Bosch. Pete Perignon, the son of legendary salsa bandleader Don Perignon. Pete is a Latin Grammy-winning bandleader, musical director, and master percussionist. He was recognized in the category of Tropical Best Salsa Album "La Esquina del Bailador" at the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Jeremy Bosch who wrote "Ya No Me Duele", the fourth track on the album SALSWING! Episode 53 featured guest was La Sonora Ponceña, a Puerto Rican salsa band, founded in 1954 by Enrique "Quique" Lucca Caraballo. Today Quique's son, Papo Lucca, directs the band. Episode 55 feature guest Olga Tañón a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican singer. Over the course of her career, she has earned two Grammy Awards, three Latin Grammy Awards, and 29 Lo Nuestro Awards, Premio Lo Nuestro Awards. She has sold over five million copies of her albums.

Transition and Creation

On April 14, 2023 Norberto released a musical production titled "Transición y Creación" that reflected the evolution of Norberto Vélez as a singer, composer and producer. Transición y Creación has nine unpublished songs, all authored by the singer. In this production, the salsa public had the opportunity to listen to Norberto, but also to his bandmates Carlos García and Jota Ruiz, with whom he also shared composition credits on two songs.

Sesiones Desde La Loma YouTube Videos

Guest (Invitada-Invitado) Performers

Concierto de Gilberto Santa Rosa en Piñas.jpg, Gilberto Santa Rosa Victor Manuelle.jpg, Víctor Manuel Ruiz Velázquez - Victor Manuelle Johnnyrivera (cropped).jpg, Johnny Rivera Tito Rojas.jpg, Julio César Rojas López - Tito Rojas Titonieves.jpg, Tito Nieves, Humberto "Tito" Nieves Maelo-ruiz.jpg, Ismael Ruiz Hernández - Maelo Ruiz Andy Montañez.jpg, Andrés Montañez Rodríguez - Andy Montañez Servando florentino.png, Servando & Florentino El_Gran_Combo_de_Puerto_Rico.jpg, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico Reyruiz.jpg, Rey Ruiz File:3Sonora2Feb2007.JPG, La Sonora Ponceña File:"Perico" at the Village Gate.jpg, Luis "Perico" Ortiz File:Olga-tañon.jpg, Olga Tañón

Instrumentos - Instruments

Bongo.jpg, Los Bongós Claves.jpg, Ls Clave 2006-06-03 Congas1.JPG, Las Congas-Tumbadoras AGK bass1 full.jpg, Contrabass Cowbells jam block (2476623537).jpg, El Cencerro-Cowbells Traditional style cuatro of Puerto Rico.jpg, Cuatro Flûte traversière.png, Flauta-Flute Phoenix-Musical Instrument Museum-Puerto Rican Güiro.jpg, Güiro Sigma anniversary top whole guitar.jpg, Guitarra-Guitar Maton electric guitar (1960s).jpg, Guitarra Eléctrico Bajo-Bass Maracas.jpg, Maracas Pandeiro new 30-09-07.jpg, Pandeiro Yamaha electric piano 88 keys 20160708.jpg, Piano Eléctrico Two pianos - grand piano and upright piano.jpg, Piano Yamaha Saxophone YTS-62.tif, Saxophone Timbalesy HLTBR-1011 firmy Hayman.jpg, Los Timbales Trąbka Yamaha w stroju B w Poznaniu - styczeń 2022.jpg, Trompet Yamaha Flugelhorn YFH-8310Z.jpg, Flugelhorn Bass trombone.jpg, Trombone Violin (AM 1998.60.23.1-3).jpg, Violin

References

{{Authority control Puerto Rican musical groups, NG2 Salsa musicians, NG2 Sony Music Latin artists Musical groups established in 2004 2004 establishments in Puerto Rico