timba.com: You have, as you mentioned, a long history as a broadcaster. Could you give us a rundown of some of your career highlights??

EE: As I mentioned earlier, I started in Radio in the world of Rock-n-Roll in the sixties. By 1970 I was restless to do something more interesting, so I began to apply the methods I learned in commercial "Rock" radio to presenting "Latin" (Puerto Rican & Cuban Music). This was when Santana and other "Latin Rock" groups were at the peak of their influence. We started mixing R n B, "Latin Music" and jazz. By the end of 1972, we were cooking the Salsa, and training new talant as well. That program was called "Unidos"

I later went to KPOO Radio in San Francisco, and produced a "Salsa" program there before returning to KPFA after about a year at KPOO.

By the early 80s I took a breif break from Salsa and produced a three year long monthly series called "The Paul Robeson Show" which featured the speches and music of this reknowned activist and artist. During this time (Spring 1983) I also produced a late night series with John Santos, of Machete fame, called "Black Coffee", soon after which he began his own highly acclaimed program series at KPOO called "Quindembo".

In the spring of 1986 I returned to Salsa broadcasting on a regular basis when Chuy Varela asked me to do a monthly slot , back at KPFA, which I initially did with John Santos, and which lasted over nine years.

timba.com: That was your show called "The Roots of Salsa"?

EE: Yes, and it was well received all the way until it was cancelled in mid-1995. Then I went to KUSF in San Francisco, then later to KBBF, in Santa Rosa. I returned to KPFA in 1998, and have been doing monthly shows again there since 2000. And I was breifly Music Director there untill bad health forced me to step down.

timba.com: You have been to Cuba?

EE: Yes, several times.

timba.com: What did you do there?

EE: I went there to fulfill lifelong dreams of "getting to the source" of this music. I went to different institutions devoted myself to the study and research of music, folklore, anthropology, history, and religion. I met with musicians, scholars, recording engineers, and archivists who allowed me access to documents, and recordings. And there I made many deep and long lasting friendships, too. In addition, I brought back many recordings, including a total of almost 150 early 78 RPM records, as well as vinyl LP's, and "45's" and some CD's and Cassettes.

timba.com: How did you discover Timba?

EE: An old friend of mine, Greg Landau, brought back from Cuba some NG La Banda in the early '90s, and I played them and some other artists, and knew that Timba was something to watch, and my estimations were not disappointed. I enjoy some of it very much....such energy!!!

timba.com: You have even played Cuban Hip-Hop on your show?

EE: Oh yes, there are hundreds of Hip-Hop groups there, can't just ignore them, can we???

timba.com: So your program is exclusively Cuban Music?

EE: Pretty much so, yes. There are occasional exceptions, but remember that Cuban Music is a real big palette to pick lots of colors from, and Cubans have been making recordings as long as Americans have, over 100 years, so there's lots to work with.. My oldest recordings date back to 1904, my newest from just a couple of months ago, a 102 year spread.

timba.com: Your record collection is a Who's-who of Cuban Music.

EE: Some of Cubas most famous and obscure artists are represented in this collection. And this collection has been getting on-air exposure for years, so as to spread the beauty of this music as far as possible. Its the only way we can make this music last, to keep it living, not just on a library shelf somewhere gathering dust.

timba.com: Any other thoughts?

EE: Yes... John Santos & I used to often solicit records from our audiences, our slogan being: "we have a truck to clear them out for you" But seriously, if anybody has old 78 that they can't play anyway of Cuban or Puerto Rican music to please contact me at emiliano47@comcast.net. We'll be posting upcoming broadcasts on this site as they come up.

timba.com: Thank You, Emiliano Echever