One of the longest-running and most beloved salsa bands in their native
Colombia, Orquesta Guayacán was formed in the early 1980s by trombonist and
arranger Alexis Lozano. A Quibdó native, Lozano moved to the capital and formed
Grupo Niche along with Jairo Varela, releasing four albums before calling it
quits in 1983. He then teamed up with singer Richie Valdés for the first
incarnation of Orquesta Guayacán, which also included pianist Israel Tanenbaum,
and brothers William and Julio César Valdés on percussion and drums,
respectively. The orchestra made its debut in 1985 with Lle...