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José Alberto “El Canario” brings a 50 Year Bronx homecoming to Lehman
- Damian Ali
- Nov 20, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 26, 2025
Archived Event: This event took place on November 22, 2025. This article remains available as part of TalkTeaV’s Bronx Moments archive.
A milestone concert will honor a singer's roots, legacy, and decades of salsa history.
José Alberto El Canario: Image Courtesy of Lehman Center
Jose Alberto El Canario will celebrate his 50 year music career with a special anniversary concert at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, November 22, at 8 p.m. The performance returns him to a venue that has long been a favorite among his Bronx fan base. He will be joined by guest artists Josimar, Frankie Negrón, Victor Roque, and Rey Reyes, along with a full ensemble of musicians and dancers.
For El Canario, this milestone is more than a round number. In a recent interview on MoluscoTV, he reflected on how his early years shaped his career. He described his time with the famed orchestra Típica 73 as his “university,” adding that it was the place where he learned how to become both an artist and an orchestra director. He joined the group at age nineteen, taking home twenty five dollars per gig, which he called an investment in experience rather than income.
The Bronx has remained an important part of his story. His decision to mark the anniversary in New York reflects the city that introduced him to salsa and helped him build the sound that would carry him around the world. During the interview, he also spoke about leaving Típica 73 in the early eighties to sign his first solo contract and eventually work with Raffi Mercado, whose vision helped launch the influential RMM Records label.
This year has added new accomplishments. In 2025, El Canario released three albums titled De Pueblo y Con Clase, 36. José Alberto El Canario (Ensamble etéreo) y Big Swing. -Big Swing earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Salsa Album. He also released singles including El Tumbaito, Calabozo, Sábado, and El Muñeco.
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His 2023 Latin Grammy win for Rodando Por El Mundo came after a project that honored bolero and tropical music and featured Gilberto Santa Rosa, Víctor Manuelle, and Milly Quezada. El Canario noted on MoluscoTV that some of his most important growth came from touring with Celia Cruz for seventeen years. He described her as a mother figure and credited her for helping him reach audiences across five continents.
The interview also touched on the current state of salsa. El Canario praised younger urban artists for their sense of unity and highlighted Bad Bunny’s use of Puerto Rican rhythms like bomba and plena, saying it has brought new listeners to traditional genres. He also offered one of his candid takes when discussing salsa legends, saying Tito Rojas had more hits than Frankie Ruiz, a comparison he felt reflected their respective eras.
The anniversary concert is described as a musical journey through these decades, shaped by the artists who influenced him and the audiences who supported him. Based on the event details, the show aims to honor his history while keeping the energy of a live salsa performance at the center.
It is, above all, a heartfelt testament to the enduring relationship between El Canario and the New York audiences who first embraced his sound.
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