Past and Present Latin Legends Visit BMI

Latin recording artist Chiko Méndez and salsa legend Jimmy Sabater made a recent stop at BMI’s New York office to pay a visit to BMI Director of Latin Music Porfirio Piña.

Méndez, best known for blending styles in both English and Spanish, includes an array of dance, pop, house, ballad, bolero, cumbia, merengue, salsa, electronica, techno, and jazz in his recordings. A multi-talented artist, he can be seen in the upcoming film, En Cantante, starring Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.

Many agree that the salsa genre was officially born when the song “Salsa y Bembé,” by Jaime “Jimmy” Sabater, appeared on fellow Puerto Rican Joe Cuba’s (Gilberto Miguel Calderon) album, Stepping Out, in 1962. Sabater’s most recent effort was “Mo” with José Mangual, Jr. and his band Son Boricua, on the Cobo label in 2002 and with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, recording “Un Gran Dia En El Barrio” in that same year.