Jimmy Sabater Passes On
Monday, February 13, 2012
Aaahh BEEP BEEP , Aaahh , TOOT TOOT , that was the way Jimmy Sabater's most famous song started and it was the signal to get your ASS on the Dance floor.This most famous of the Crossover SalSoul Singers died in New York City from natural causes on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 , He was 75 years old. Sabater was born and raised in the Latin Quarter of New York City called "El Barrio." Jimmy was a Black Puerto Rican who sang and played the timbales and released his greatest hit , the song "Bang Bang" in 1967 when I was only 14 years old . It was a blend of R&B plus Afro-Cuban rhythms that started the boogaloo movement in the mid 1960's.
The dusty bolero Spanish music I heard at home was slow and boring to me but El Señor Sabater was able to put rhythm and soul into Spanish music and transmit it in the Spanglish lingo I and other "Nuyoricans" used in the streets of "El Barrio." Suddenly I felt connected to my culture and I wasn't embarrassed anymore of my culture and my lack of fluency in Spanish. His music embraced all Puerto Ricans born beyond the boundaries of the island called Puerto Rico, La Isla del Encanto.
We, "Nuyoricans", now had our own unique quality which counteracted the constant chiding by Puerto Ricans born on the island stating Puerto Ricans who were not born on the island were not fully Puertorriqueno. Sabater's music made me proud to be a "Nuyorican" and I was no longer ashamed of my use of "Spanglish." His music unified the diaspora of Puerto Ricans who felt alienated by their English-speaking neighbors and the Puerto Rican Jibaros that rejected us (especially if you were a Black Puerto Rican). Let us not forget that he was the first true Crossover Act who really brought light and understanding to Puerto Rican Culture ..............You ALL know how we do by now ......... EVERYONE please close your eyes and bow your head while lifting your Right Power Fist In The Air as we Remember and Honor a Legend , Jimmy Sabater , Thanks for Everything , We Love You and You will be Missed , May he rest in Peace!!!!!!!!!!
By: Harry Irizarry
